Page 87 of Watching Henry

Florence's heart hurt. She could see it now, see that this was an end and not a beginning and she knew that she had to offer Hadley the freedom that she'd been denied for so long.

She didn't want to.

The thought of being alone again, the thought of Hadley not being her girlfriend, was as scary as the thought of Hadley being her girlfriend had once been. But it was only fair. Hadley must be getting antsy, she had to be.

And who would want to stay in a small mountain town with someone like Florence? Someone unexciting and old-fashioned and boring.

She'd just have to run the after-school program herself, she thought. Then she realized that she was already planning for a life without Hadley.

“But there's someone else, someone without whom none of this would have been possible at all,” Hadley was saying.

Florence looked up.

“Someone beautiful, kind, generous. Someone who supported me in ways I didn't even know I needed. Someone who makes getting up every morning worth it.” Hadley looked down at the ground for a moment, blinking. “Someone who I can't believe I'm lucky enough to wake up next to every morning.”

Florence frowned, and then realized that Hadley was looking at her.

“With that said, the kids have something that they want to say,” said Hadley. “Henry?” She pointed to Henry, and he stood up, holding a large piece of poster-board decorated with glitter and painted, the word 'Will' written in large letters.

“Emily?” Hadley said.

Florence turned to where Emily was clambering up onto a chair, she raised her poster-board, showing off the word 'You' written in swirling pink pen.

“Charlie?” asked Hadley.

“Yes!” Charlie cried, jumping up onto his chair and waving around a piece of poster-board with the word 'Marry' written in bold capitals.

Florence was barely following this, barely understanding the words.

“And finally,” Hadley said. “Me.” She held up a piece of poster-board of her own, the word 'Me' and a question mark neatly written.

Florence opened her mouth, the room was silent, all eyes turning to her. “Me?” she asked.

Hadley laughed. “Florence Underwood, you are the sun to my moon, or the other way around if you prefer, and I told you once a long time ago that the only thing I could promise you was that I was here. And now, if you'd let me, I'd like to make that promise official. I want to be here every moment of every day until the world turns to dust or until you can't stand the sight of me anymore.”

Florence could feel the tears trickling down her cheeks but couldn't stop them.

“Florence, will you marry me?” asked Hadley, and her voice cracked right at the end.

It was the crack that did it. That small imperfection, that small indication that for all her confidence, for all her public facing charm, Hadley was nervous, terrified even. Florence wiped her eyes.

“Of course I will,” she said.

And the room erupted into cheers once again.

ON THE WALK home, arm in arm in the warm of the evening, Florence's heart was filled with wonder.

“You didn't have to do that,” she said. “I mean, you didn't have to ask me in front of all those people.”

“Oh, I did,” said Hadley. “I very much did. Because you still don't always believe it, do you? Believe what we have, I mean. So I had to ask in front of everyone, so that you know just how important you are to me, so that there's witnesses to support you should you ever feel doubtful, so if I'm not around there's always someone else to tell you how much I love you.”

Florence shook her head. “I was going to let you go,” she admitted. “I was going to tell you that if you wanted to, you were free to go and travel or do whatever it is that you've been missing out on during the last four years.”

Hadley stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and put her hands on her hips. “For real?” she said. “I've missed out on nothing, Florence, you need to get that into your head. You need to understand that you have made me a better person, you have changed me in all the ways I couldn't change myself, and that if anyone should be doubtful, it should be me.”

“You?” Florence asked.

“Yes,” said Hadley. “You've given me so much, supported me for so long, I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you.”