Kane’s shoulders pull back, and I know he’s trying to control his emotions, but when he looks up from the award and into the crowd, I know he’s losing.
“When we started filming Impenetrable, I had no doubts in this film. I knew that we were creating magic, and hopefully, through Allison’s journey, we were creating freedom. Freedom for every person who is fighting the battles she did. We had filmed for a solid two months when the magnitude of that hit me. I believed in my film, the actors, and the message, but it wasn’t until I witnessed the reality of becoming impenetrable that I was able to truly see its brilliance. At that moment, I knew this wasn’t and would never be just a film to me. Not when I still have the very definition of it living in my guest house fifty yards away.”
My body heaves when his meaning becomes clear and with a loud sob, my hand comes to my mouth and those darn tears leak again. I think back to the moment he’s talking about when I first sat down next to him on the set in Georgia.
He continued with his speech, thanking his cast, production team, and everyone within Kane Entertainment for all of their hard work on the film. His little jokes making my hand fall and my smile grow. I’m finally able to breathe again when it looks as if he’s about to stop talking. The pride for him at this moment is insurmountable.
“And lastly, to my beautiful Willow,” he starts, looking toward my direction again, searching. “Without you by my side, I don’t think that I would have been able to make Impenetrable as powerful as I know it is. I’m the luckiest man in the world right now. Well, almost.”
He bizarrely stops talking as a secretive grin fills his face. He continues to look in my direction, and when he steps away from the mic, turning toward the stage stairs instead of following the presenters and that fancy dressed award show version of a traffic director, he stomps back down the aisle. He’s headed back to where I’m seated as a dull roar of whispers starts filling the shocked theater.
“What in the world is he doing?” I gasp and look to my left at a very smug looking Kole.
“My guess is this would be another one of those embarrassingly romantic grand gesture things he seems to be so fond of.”
“What?” I gasp again, turning back toward the advancing Kane. Kole continues to let out deep grunts of laughter as Kane takes the last few steps, stopping in the aisle directly in front of me and causing the seat filler to hurry out of the way.
He hands his brother the shining gold award, my eyes tracking its movements before looking back up to his face, only to find him no longer standing.
What the heck?
The room goes electric as the whispers turn into a mix of shocked gasps and excited cheers. I feel Kane grab my hand, and I look around the room before my shocked eyes move down to where Kane is now kneeling in front of me.
On one knee.
With his hand holding one of mine and the other hand in the air.
Holding a ring twinkling from the lights dancing off it between his fingers.
An engagement ring.
Oh. My. God.
“Kane,” I breathe in shock.
His smile brightens. “Well? How about you help me out here and make one of the greatest nights in my life even better. It’s time to move out of that damn guest house and marry me.”
“Is that a question?” I blurt.
He throws his head back and lets out a booming laugh. “Willow Elizabeth Tate, I love you. Will you marry me?”
I start nodding before he’s even finished, and his smile grows even larger. I feel him slip the cold metal on my finger and then I’m in his arms. His hands cradling my face as he takes my lips in a deep kiss.
When he lifts his head, his lips dance across mine. “You’re finally moving out of my guest house?”
“Oh, yeah.” I giggle.
“Tonight, we celebrate in our bed.”
I know the crowd can’t hear his words, but he’s once again giving the world confirmation of our relationship with one heck of a show. God, I love this man. I throw my head back and laugh with so much carefree abandon. He steps away, takes his award back from Kole, and with a nod to his brother, he turns and walks back toward where the producers are about to go insane to move him backstage. They might have been annoyed by his show-stealing moment, but when the ratings hit, they’ll be thanking him for running over the allotted time.
They cut to a break seconds after Kane disappeared from view, and when the seat warmer drops back down in the seat she scampered out of when Kane came stomping toward us, I jump. The stranger is clearly frazzled by the turn of events. I give her a wobbly smile before looking down at my hand and the ring that now adorns it.
“I would say that’s about as grand as it gets, sister,” Kole whispers.
I turn to him and the feelings of overwhelming happiness that roll through my body make me feel like I’m the winner of every single award given out tonight.
The smile that fills my happy, tear-filled face doesn’t falter once for the remainder of our evening. When Kane takes the stage once again with his cast and they collectively accept the award for Best Motion Picture, it still doesn’t fade. I clap and beam up at the man who truly has proven to the world that when you believe in the possibility of becoming impenetrable, you can overcome anything and win.
I, Willow Tate, soon-to-be Masters, have truly won.
I have the love of the greatest man and his family. But most of all, I have the love of my own self and each and every perfectly imperfect moment I’ve lived, loved, and won.
The End.