She turned the page and saw that we had a two-page spread. Minutes seemed to pass.

Her face fell and tears started to fall when she read the header. She brought quivering hands to her face and looked at me with glassy eyes.

I stood and fished the wooden box from my right pocket.

“January MacLochlainn,” I said, kneeling on my left knee in front of her, “I love you so incredibly much.” A sob burst from her mouth but she worked to stifle it with her hand. “And I would be especially honored if you would let me worship you for the rest of our lives.

“You see,” I continued. “It seems it’s my life’s purpose.”

I opened the square wood box from the little antique store I’d been hiding for three months and presented her the ring I knew was perfect for her, even then. I’d replaced the center diamond with an emerald because she’d always told me that her grandmother’s ring was just like that and how much she loved it.

“Will you marry me?” I asked, repeating the magazine’s header.

“Yes,” she barely whispered.

Zap.