By the time they arrived at the mid-town office building, on Aiden’s sleek new Harley, they were over an hour late. They held hands as they walked through the lobby, waving to all of their employees and addressing them by name. They stood close together on the elevator, and got out on the fifth floor, where Ann was already waiting for them, a small group of eager employees gathered around her.
“So,” she said, before they could even greet her as usual, “what’s the big news? Are there going to be layoffs? Somebody said there was going to be layoffs.”
“Nobody’s getting laid off,” Melanie assured her, then turned back to her boyfriend. “Right?”
“Of course not,” Aiden said, causing a sigh of relief to go through the office. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Business is good and, besides, this is a nonprofit organization; we have government grants and contracts that won’t expire for several years to come. We’ve changed the face of prosthetics. I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be around for a long time. All of us. Okay?”
There was a round of applause.
“Okay,” Ann said, “then what’s the big announcement?”
“I’ll get to that,” Aiden said. “First, let me see those documents. How’s our profit margin this quarter?”
“Booming,” Ann told him, handing over the file in her hand. “Mel’s a whiz with this kind of stuff. We’re really lucky to have her.” The words were genuine and nearly brought tears to Melanie’s eyes.
“Thanks, Ann,” she said, reaching forward to hug her sister. Ann squeezed her back.
“You’re very welcome, Melanie,” Ann replied. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to notice.”
“Better late than never,” Melanie said. “Speaking of which, babe make your announcement so we can get going. We have an appointment with that guy downtown to look into his company and we cannot be late for that. So, come on; tell them what you need to tell them and let’s hit the road.”
“Are you always this impatient?” he asked, grinning lovingly down at her.
“Do you know me?” Melanie shot back. “Of course I am. Now, come on. Make your announcement and let’s go.”
“Okay, okay,” Aiden sighed, handing the folder back to Ann. “Everybody gather round for my big announcement, so that the lovely Miss Brunswick can get back to her busy, busy day.” He received a swat on the arm for that. “Which I assume includes hitting me a few more times.” He got a laugh for that as he caught his girlfriend’s hand on her next swing and raised her fingers to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on the tips. “So,” he continued, “as many of you know, six months, to the day, I officially joined in a partnership with the lovely lady you see beside me today. We’d already been sort of working together, though she was more of an underling than a partner.” Melanie attempted to pull away from him, but Aiden pulled her firmly against his side and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
“But,” he continued, “If it hadn’t been for this gorgeous goddess of a woman, I wouldn’t be where I am today. We wouldn’t be where we are today.” He motioned around the room, to their upscale office in one of the better buildings in Midtown, and there was a wave of murmured agreements. Melanie rolled her eyes, but her blush was visible from outer space. She took a deep breath and reached up on tiptoes, pressing a kiss to Aiden’s cheek.
“Aww,” Ann gushed, receiving a glare from her younger sister, which made her chuckle.
“Anyway,” Aiden continued, “as I was saying; I’ve been in business for a long time, but never have I had such a rewarding business partnership and today, I would like to file a formal request to expand that partnership.” Letting go of a confused Melanie, Aiden stepped back and reached into his inner pocket, pulling out a manila folder and handing it to her. “I’ve written down my proposal on paper,” he said. “I would like you to read it over and consider it, very carefully.”
Still frowning in confusion, Melanie opened the folder and found a single sheet of paper with just five words on it: “Will you marry me, Melanie?”
Melanie gasped and the folder fell from her hands, revealing Aiden down on one knee, holding out a small velvet box with a generously studded diamond ring inside. There was a hopeful smile on his lips as he gazed up at her, more love in his eyes than Melanie had ever seen anywhere. There was not a single romantic comedy that could even hope to compete with this level of romance and genuine emotion. Tears spilled from her own eyes as she caught her gasp, in her cupped hands over her mouth.
“So what do you say, Miss Brunswick?” Aiden asked, barely choking back the emotion in his voice, his own eyes glistening with barely-held back tears. “Do you accept my proposal?”
Unable to speak, Melanie just nodded, fiercely, a sob escaping from her lips as she held out her left hand and allowed Aiden to slip the ring onto her finger, before he stood and wrapped her up in his strong arms, picking her up and kissing her passionately while the crowd before them burst into thunderous applause.
As they shared their earth-shattering kiss, Melanie’s arms still wrapped around his shoulders and his still wrapped around her waist, their bodies became one, right there in the office, fully clothed, and with an audience of nearly a hundred people to witness their engagement.
She wouldn’t have had it any other way.