Annika shifts and tightens, but doesn’t flinch.
“I haven’t decided,” she replies carefully.
Witt knows what I’m doing. He’s the only one I could trust to keep a secret in this family. So, I knew he was going to say something about her name since it’s the cue. But I was going to do it outside.
I splay my hand over the small of her back.
Grounding her.
Hell, grounding me.
I don’t want her caught between names.
Between versions.
Between past and present.
I want her to have something new. Something chosen. Something that isn’t tied to fear or the past.
As I take a step back, the aura of the room shifts.
“Uh-oh,” J.D. mutters. “He’s doing something.”
I am. I drop to one knee.
And everything stops.
“Parker…” she breathes.
“Witt’s right about one thing,” I say. “You shouldn’t have to split yourself in two just to survive.”
Her eyes fill and I’ve never, ever, felt my dad’s house so hushed.
“And I’m not asking you to go back,” I say, my voice straining, full of so much emotion. “And I’m not asking you to stay the same.”
I pull the ring from my pocket, chest tightening, not with fear, but with absolute certainty.
“I’m asking you to move forward with me.”
A tear trails down over her cheek and hits the tile floor as she leans forward.
“I love you. All of you. Every version you’ve been and everything you’re still becoming.”
Silence isn’t an O’Ryan family virtue, but the room is quiet, even the babies are waiting for the proposal.
“And I want to keep building a life with you. One you don’t have to run or hide from.” I add softly, “Ever.”
I suck in a hot breath as I put my heart on the line in front of everyone that matters to me.
“How about we change your last name to O’Ryan?”
Her hand flies to her mouth, trembling. “Parker…”
“Will you marry me?” I ask.
For a moment she just stands there, causing my family to stir. She cries, her body shaking like the leaves on a windy day. Then she nods.
“Yeah,” she says barely above a whisper.