Ten Months Later
What possessed William Darcy to take her to the park in this weather is beyond her, but she figures the Darcys are so wealthy they can just control the weather into whatever they want.
She slides off her Uber ride more comfortably now, fully reacquainted with the updated ins and outs of her tri-state home.
She's dressed nicely, in the dead of winter, just because her boyfriend wants an outdoor date for Valentine's Day.
It's ridiculous, and it's lovely.
It's just like what she's come to see in him.
"A rose for the lady," the muffled old lady offered from her basket.
Lizzie lifts a brow, wondering if it's another one of Will's surprises.
She takes it anyway, and the woman refuses any payment.
It's Will alright.
Lizzie laughs and wanders a few more steps ahead, inching towards the frigid view of the Hudson River.
"A rose for the lady." Another vendor appears – this time, a slender, dark-skinned young man.
Lizzie smiles and takes it. She's gotten used to Will's whims.
But then soon, there's another rose, and another – and another eight more until she finds herself standing in the middle of the hotel garden, surrounded by flowers and string music and pretty birds in pretty cages.
It's like a winter wonderland – of a distinctly romantic kind.
And then he's there, in front of her, down on one knee with a glimmer in his eyes and another one in his hands. She wanders over slowly, savoring the overt yet regal romance of it all.
"I know this is fast," he says when she reaches him. "I know you may not be ready, but I am – and I'm too selfish to not at least risk this, just one more time. The last time I proposed, it was after a heady dose of alcohol, after another self-loathing session in which I tried to argue myself out of saying anything.
"Thinking back now, I'm glad I did – so you had the chance to tell me exactly what kind of man I was and exactly what kind of man I needed to be if I want any chance whatsoever of being where I am now."
He takes a deep breath. She does too. The tears in her eyes are pooling faster and faster.
"Lizzie, I love you – and if those four years, and then those three months apart were anything to go by, I know I will never want to live my life without you in it. The skies may change, the earth may fail, but we'll still face it all, together.
"Let me be your other half – your partner, your lover, your friend. Let me make a home with you and protect it, for me and for you and for any children we ever want to have."
She blinks and another fresh batch of tears rushes to replace the one she's just let loose. She knows her answer. She's known it since that stormy day in April.
"Let me be the one to welcome the future with you. Let's be the ones to have Bethanne, and Tommy, and Will. Lizzie, will you mar - "
And that's when she winces.
"Ew, no."
His eyes drop wide. The music stops. The birds chirp away thanks to their distinct lack of human perception.
She looks around, a little shocked.
She doesn't recall doing anything wrong.
Then the horror on her boyfriend's face sinks in.
"Will!" She runs forward, kneels down, and hugs him. "No, I do not want to name any children we ever have William Darcy. I will not have another girl break her heart over a misunderstood death. But, yes, William - yes, of course I will marry you!"
She pulls back, feeling sheepish, and pulls him in for a kiss.
She feels his hands fumbling behind her until they get a comfortable grip without dropping the ring box.
He kisses her slowly, then purposefully, then passionately – just like she did when he drove her back to her hotel after his father's funeral.
Who knew it would all feel so far away now?
"Yes, Will, yes," she repeats when they finally stop kissing.
He looks at her with that look – the one that says he is exasperated and indulgent and in love with her all at the same time.
He slips the sparkling paved solitaire on her finger, and she doesn't have the chance to complain about the extravagance before he kisses her again.
This time, the music resumes for good.
The day isn't complete, of course, without a visit to the cemetery – without a chance to put a wreath on the place that rekindled their unlikely re-romance.
Unless there never was a re-romance, just one romance that managed to take the long way round.
Slipping into the front seat of Will's car thirty minutes later, she crosses her fingers for a sunny wedding day.
A/N: I know it's short. It was always meant to be short. My personal favorite in this story is Chapter Two, but I just couldn't resist giving them an outdoor proposal sort of happy ending. The line in this chapter saying "It's ridiculous, and it's lovely" really is all I can hope for about this unlikely story. I hope it's a nice little ending! Thank you to absolutely everyone who has been encouraging me about this story and all my writing in general :)