Mina

Epilogue

10 years later

I placed the little velvet box in the center of the table, alongside two glasses and the bottle of champagne I had picked up on my way home. My heart was beating a little erratically in my chest. My therapist would have said it was discomfort caused from anxiety by trying to overcome one of my greatest fears. My hands felt a little sweaty and I couldn't move my eyes from the door. Luckily for me Owen was a creature of habit. And true to his nature he would be walking through the door at any minute. I hoped. Which just left me there, a bundle of nerves and sweat, trying to fight the overwhelming urge to flea.

This was what I wanted.

I knew that.

But it didn't change all the things that had happened, all the things I felt, all the fears I had.

I just had to overcome them.

And up until recent, I hadn't realize I didn't have to do it alone.

I had Owen.

I heard the garage door open, a smile spreading across my face. He had no idea. He currently thought that marriage would never ever be on the table. I'd already shot him down three times.

And yet he was still here.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. All the anxiety and doubts were just in my head. This was okay. I was okay. Owen wasn't like everyone else.

The door pushed open, Owen's tall frame filling the space a moment later. He was dressed in a pair of navy pants, a light blue plaid shirt popping against his forever tan skin. He leaned against his cane, shutting the door with his other foot.

"Hey baby." He said upon seeing me.

Everything in me was telling me to run. To abandon ship. To not commit to anything.

But I stood fast. I wanted this. I wanted him. And even though I already knew I had him I wanted him to know he had me too.

"Everything okay?" He asked as he dropped his bag to the floor gently.

I nodded even though he didn't see it. For some reason I had lost all my words. I watched as he turned around, a small smile on his face. It was that damn teasing smile he always gave me. I loved that smile.

"What are we celebrating?"

He shuffled toward the table, his own unique gait, the muffled tap of his cane against the hardwood floor. My heart was stampeding in my chest. The smile on my face spread as I watched him move the bottle of champagne. The little velvet box peering up at him. It had taken me forever to find his hiding spot. I had roped in Jase, Max and Alec to locate it. But when I found it this morning after Owen had left for work, I knew I couldn't wait. It had to be now.

"Mina..." his brown eyes met mine, searching for answers as he reached for the box hesitantly.

"You're obnoxious and ridiculous. You don't pick up your dirty clothes or put the dishes in the dishwasher which is really annoying. You also fart at the world's worst time, like when my family is over for dinner or we're laying on the couch watching tv and you stink up the whole room." I told him.

It wasn't exactly what I had hoped would come out of me but I never was very good at romance.

"Jesus, tell me how you really feel." He said, disappointment in his voice.

"No, that's not what I'm trying to say." I blurted. This was a train wreck. I was a train wreck.

"What are you trying to say then?" His hand had withdrawn from the velvet box.

I let out a sigh, I had to push through this. Through whatever was holding me back.

"I'm trying to say that even though you are all those things, obnoxious and ridiculous and messy..."

"I got it Mina."

"That you're also unbelievably wonderful and lovable and I want to marry you." The words tumbled out of me so fast I wasn't sure they even made sense.

But then I saw that beautiful heart stopping smile of Owen's spread across his face and I knew that I must have finally said it right.

"Yes! Fuck yes! A thousand times yes!" Owen's cane fell to the floor with a clank as he bounded unevenly toward me. "Oh my god. Yes. I love you."

I laughed, it bubbled out of me with so much force it was almost a bark. He wrapped me into his arms, my face smashed into his chest. He was safe, constant, patient. He was mine. And I was his.

He'd ask me a few days later what had sparked my change in heart. At the time I had told him I wasn't scared anymore. But in all reality I was still terrified. Still wondering if maybe I needed to inch toward the door just incase I needed to run. It's hard to break old habits, to break the feelings and the voices in your head that go against what you want. What you know is actually true.

It wasn't one thing that changed my mind. It was a list of things over a long period of time. It was Owen, patient and understanding even when I didn't deserve it. It was Owen who stood by my side, strong and steadfast when my mom passed. It was Owen who held my hand and told me everything was alright when I revived a relationship with my dad. It was Owen who was screaming so loud in the bleachers I could hear him over everyone even in the vast arena where my college graduation was held. It was Owen who let me reject him time and time again yet stayed. He stayed when I was mean, he stayed when I tried to leave, he stayed when I laughed and walked away the first time he proposed. And he stayed the next two times I told him no. He was there in the mornings when I woke up, dark messy hair and soft brown eyes. And he was there when I laid my head on the pillow at night, softly snoring.   Owen was a lot of things but the one thing he was perfectly, was there. Owen stayed.

And I didn't doubt that anymore.

                               ————————

Sorry I sprung this on you guys. Sort of surprised myself too 😂. It'd be pretty cool if you stick around for the author's note that follows.