A/N: I'm glad you all are liking all of the cuteness! I'm gonna keep it coming!
- Henry's Point of View
I told her I love her. I've known it for months. I've thought about saying it for so long… I finally did. I need a word more than love though, because what I feel for her is greater than any love I've ever known before.
I know tomorrow is going to start a wild ride for her… but I'm so incredibly honored to get to support her in it. She said she wanted to spend today alone and knowing her, she's not really alone… her thoughts are there and she's in her own head.
Every moment I spent with her last night was the best moment of my life. From the moment I saw her, I was captivated by her. I always have been.
She was nervous last night but it's understandable. I was too… but in a much different and less important way. I don't know why I was nervous to tell her I love her, when she said it back I knew she had been thinking it for a long time too.
The conversations we had last night reminded me of all the reasons why I love her. I don't know if she meant to only talk about the future, but I'm glad she did… because it's all I could think about. I want a future with her, I want it forever. I don't know that I've ever wanted anything more.
She asked me if I was ready for her confirmation hearings and of course I said yes, I'm ready to support her to the ends of the earth. She said she was too, but I know she's lying.
I remember the first time I knew she was lying. Our first date… she said she always drank chai teas… I knew she was lying. I hated that our first date was at Starbucks but I didn't anticipate that the only other coffee shop on campus would be closed during the summer.
My plan was the cute little coffee shop with the great macaroons, but she went along with it and I'm so happy she did. Instead of macaroons and lattes in oversized coffee mugs we got cake pops and chai tea lattes in paper cups. I'd eat nothing but cake pops and chai tea for the rest of my life if it meant spending 20 minutes with her.
She couldn't lie about the wine on our next date. She told me to trust me on the wine she picked out and I did… and it was the best wine I've ever had. She couldn't believe they had her favorite wine available and neither could I, but I'll never forget that blueberry wine.
I still owe her an apology for how terrible the white wine I picked out was. I thought a Pinot Grigio was always a safe bet but I was wrong.
She has a lot of plans. Big ones, small ones, crazy ones, but plans nonetheless. I could listen to her talk about them all day. She has plans to retire somewhere warm and be a snow bird. She has plans to buy new furniture. She has plans to cook her way through every cookbook under the sun. She has plans.
Where that fateful Wednesday took us, couldn't have been part of her plan. She told me later that I was the only guy she'd ever let spend the night at her place and I cannot thank her enough for letting her guard down with me.
She did what she wanted that night… and she hasn't stopped since. I've had my fair share of one night stands and casual flings but no one who was like Elizabeth. She knows what she likes, she knows what she wants, and she isn't afraid to say that… in every setting. I love that about her.
I think a lot of things are going to be moving very fast over the next few months… I hope I'm not wrong in assuming she wants me by her side of that. I know it seems a little quick… but I knew from the first sip of that chai tea that she was the one I could spend the rest of my life with.
I already have plans to do that. I don't know when we'll officially start forever… but I know that I can't wait to.
There have been road bumps in the path to forever. Meeting Ali and Jason was not nearly as easy as meeting Stevie. Stevie knew Elizabeth wasn't going to replace her mom… that adult relationships are not about replacing other people but cultivating a new spark with a new person. Ali and Jason… not so much.
Elizabeth's divorce wasn't easy on them and I never expected that it would be. I was the first significant other that they had met. Sure Max had been seeing Laine for a few months longer than Elizabeth and I had but he wasn't ready for them to meet.
Elizabeth and Max agreed that their significant others could meet the kids whenever they felt it was appropriate. Max actually helped me more than I realized. Elizabeth told me later that Max had driven home the point that I wasn't there to replace him, that no one could replace him, and that they could get to know me without ever feeling guilty. This wasn't a competition and it never would be.
Ali and Jason have really just started to warm up to me. I'm really hoping all of this doesn't change anything. Ali and I have inside jokes and happily split gallons of pistachio ice cream. Jason actually takes an interest in my time in the marines and asks a lot of questions… even if they're just inspired by his video games.
I'm not trying to be their dad, I'm not trying to replace their dad, I just hope they see that.
I wish Stevie and Elizabeth had more time together. Every interaction has been extremely positive and they're big fans of each other… but the distance between Lovell and UVA doesn't exactly make things easy.
I have such a hard time deciding if I should wait and see if this long distance, blended family thing works out or for how long I should give it. I waited far too long to tell her I love her, I don't want to wait much longer for forever to start.
My plan still has some kinks I'm working out. I want to ask for Ali's help… I have no idea what jewelry Elizabeth will like or her ring size. I want Jason to be involved as well but I'm not sure what the best way to incorporate him in this plan is. Maybe he'll want to help me pick out her ring too.
I want Stevie to be in town for it. I want to be able to celebrate with those that are closest to us. When I knew Elizabeth was the one, I asked Stevie if she was ok with that and I was so happy when she said she was. Though they haven't spent much time together, Stevie wants me to be happy and me being happy with Elizabeth is a great little detail in that.
While asking for permission is traditional, we aren't exactly traditional. I wouldn't feel right asking for anyone's permission but hers… but I did debate if I should talk to Max about it.
The conversation won't be about Elizabeth so much as him being ok with me potentially being his children's step father. I'm not sure when I'll have that conversation… but it needs to be soon.
I'm not sure if I'd still feel such a rush for this if it wasn't for her nomination but I'm thankful it lit a fire under me.
