Always Remember

a little bit, don’tcha think?” I grumble and rip open the next box. I feel like I’m never going to get to the gift.
    If there is even a gift. I know what this shit is like - and I wouldn ’t put it past him to have me unwrapping a box for the sake of his amusement.
    I glare at him as I unwrap the next four boxes. Ah-huh. Four more.
    “One more to go,” he says softly, all traces of his earlier grin and amusement gone from his face. Actually, he looks a bit… nervous.
    “Are you all right?” I grip a bit of the paper.
    “Yep. Just… Open the box! Please.”
    “Um, okay.” I frown and slowly tear the paper. I ’ve never seen Sam nervous and it’s making me nervous. What the hell in inside of here?
    The paper falls away, and inside this box is a smaller red one. I pick it out and glance at Sam. “This is the last one, right? It ’s not gonna be empty.”
    “Uh, no. No. It ’s not empty.”
    I look at the box then him. “If there ’s a vibrator in here, I think I’ll be sorely disappointed with its ability.”
    His lips twitch. “No vibrator.”
    “Worth a shot.” I shrug a shoulder and open the box. I stop dead. “Holy shit.”
    Slowly, my eyes move to Sam. The rest of me is frozen in place, unable to move. He rubs the back of his neck, his eyes intent on mine, and I watch, dumbstruck, as he drops onto one knee. My mouth drops with him. I have no words, and I want to be pinched because this shit is. Not. Happening.
    “When I was seven, I met this crazy ass blonde girl. She was five.” He smiles, and my heart stops. Has it? No. It’s pounding. Hard. “She stole my sister’s hermit crab, so I chased her with a prawn until she gave it back. Which she did.
    “When I was nine, I fell asleep on the beach after playing cricket with Dad, and she helped my seven year old sister bury me and shape a mermaid tail down my legs.” My mouth closes, my lips twitching at that memory.
    “When I was twelve, she told me that one day she’d grown up and marry a rich guy from London who would let her paint pictures of pretty flowers and rainbows every day. Then, unsurprisingly, she followed that statement up by calling me a lobster headed idiot. But…” He smiles, his eyes shining. “I knew then, I wanted to be the guy that would let her paint pretty flowers.
    “When I was fourteen, she jumped off some rocks and lost her bikini top. I think I fell in love with her that summer. Not because she was topless, but because of the way her eyes twinkled when she blushed. Just like they are now.”
    I am blushing. I can feel my warm cheeks. I want to avert my eyes from him, to hide, but I can’t. He’s standing – well kneeling, on one freaking knee – in front of me, reminding me of some of our best moments, and I’m enraptured.
    “When I was fifteen, she told me I needed to get my hair cut because girls wouldn ’t like me if my hair was longer than them, even though it wasn’t. I still cut my hair, and I think she started to sort of like me after that.” He grins. “I didn’t see her for five years. The next time I saw the crazy ass blonde girl, I was blown away. Literally.”
    He reaches forward and takes my free hand. The one not holding a freaking ring.
    “I ’d never seen anyone as beautiful as you looked in that moment lying on the beach. But you were off limits. I had to wait for you, and I did, for two years. I changed slowly over those two years. I changed from a careless young boy into a man that had a chance at being the kind of person you deserved. It was a small chance, but it was still a chance, and that small one was better than nothing.
    “The second Lexy told me you were single that was it. I had to have you. I couldn ’t wait anymore. I’d gone beyond wanting you. Somewhere along the way, I’d started to need you, and I couldn’t fight that battle anymore.”
    I ’m intoxicated by the raw emotion in his voice. I’m held captive by the love shining from his eyes, and I remember the day. The way he barged into my flat and grabbed me, kissing me like he meant it. Holding me like he never wanted to let go.
    “I got my girl.” He gives a small lopsided grin. “But we both made mistakes. We both messed up along the way… And it doesn ’t help you’re the most stubborn girl in the whole damn world.”
    “Hey now-”
    “You don’t listen and you constantly interrupt me. You have the attention span of a gnat, the patience of a raging PMS hormone, and I don’t even think