Prove Me Wrong.

'Jamie's POV'

I'm pretty sure Kieran didn’t sleep at all last night, she tossed and turned through most of the night and I caught her twice just staring up at the ceiling. She said she wasn't nervous for today, but I don’t believe her one bit. At brunch this morning with her parents she chased the food around on her plate barely eating, her mind was clearly somewhere else. She talked small to her parents as they discussed her travel plans and her new job, but I noticed they avoided the topic of the actual graduation. Maybe she's superstitious about talking about graduation? I thought to myself as I watched her intently, if anyone would know it would be her parents. So I followed their lead and didn’t bring up the topic.

After brunch Kieran and I returned to our room to get dressed for the ceremony while her parents headed for the school to reserve seats and attend an alumni ceremony. Kieran paced around the room after curling her hair, dressed only in her underwear she stopped and stood in front of the closet hands resting on her perfect hips. As any man would do I watched her, admiring her body but also concerned for what was rolling through her mind.

She pulled on her lip as she reached for the bright red dress, "Kier, babe you really need to relax." I tried to assure her as I slipped into my white dress shirt, she gave me a little smile stepping into the short dress. "I'm fine J, really." Standing behind her I pulled the zipper up her back, stopping at the top to brush her perfectly curled hair off her back, "No, you're not. You're nervous and I can tell." I breathed leaning my head on her shoulder.

Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath, "Fine, I'm nervous as hell. But," she stopped and turned to face me putting her hands on my shoulders, "I'm really glad you're here. I know I said I would have been okay if you weren't but, I feel better just knowing you’re here." Placing a hand either side of her face I leaned in to kiss her, "I'll always be by your side baby, I love you." "I love you too." she whispered walking back towards the bathroom.

She came out minutes later her lips painted pink, graduation cap pinned into her hair, and wedges on her feet, she stopped at her duffel bag and pulled out a black box. "Finishing touch," she said cracking it open and pulling out a large ring, her Aggie ring. Kieran's face lit up as she slid the ring onto her finger, she was all set.

Kieran and Lauren ran off with the other vet students as soon as we got to the stadium, leaving Tyler, Cody, and I to find Kieran's parents. We found them eventually, they had secured amazing seats with a perfect view of the stage I was glad they had gone early it would have sucked to not been able to see. After waiting for what seemed like forever the graduates began to file in, Lauren and Kieran were seated together of course and their decorated caps made them easy to spot. Speech after speech dragged on before they ever got to the actual distribution of diplomas, but when the time finally came it flowed quickly. The School of Veterinary Medicine was up next and I felt my heart jump into my throat, it was her time.

I could see her red hair from across the room as she moved closer to the front of the line, her beautiful smile plastered on her face. As the dean said her name I was so proud of her, my girl had reached her dreams, "Magna Cum Laude, Kieran Makayla O'Reilly, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine." Our whole group stood clapping and screaming, her dad whistled and her mom cried as she took pictures. The process repeated for Lauren and I looked over to Cody who had this look on his face like he had just realized that he loved her, "You okay dude?" I asked and he just grinned. "I'm finally asking her." I shook my head, "It's about damn time."

After almost 3 hours my butt was numb and my legs needed stretched like no other, I practically ran out of the stadium the Texas heat hitting me like a wall. I stretched my arms above my head, cracking my back as I leaned side to side Tyler and Cody were doing the same as we waited for the girls. Kieran's parents and Lauren's were talking, reminiscing of the other 2 times that the girls had gone through this. Eventually the dynamic duo came skipping up arm in arm with the biggest smiles on their faces holding their diplomas proudly.

Kieran hugged both of her parents as I stood with my hands in my pockets, my fingers landing on the box I had been trying to hide all afternoon. Kieran now stood talking and hugging Lauren's parents, and I must have been staring because Lauren's mom Kathryn nodded in my direction "I think you have someone else to go hug dear, go on." Kieran turned her cheeks blushed, as she walked over to me throwing her arms around me as I picked her up spun her around "Congrats baby!" "Thank you," she returned as I placed her back on the ground, but it wasn’t long before Tyler swooped her up again. "My best friends a doctor!! Can Marshy be your first patient?" she laughed as she begged Tyler to put her down. "Of course Ty, now please put me down!" He did as she asked as Renee yelled that it was picture time.

'Kieran's POV'

3 graduations and my mom still felt the need to take a thousand pictures, flash after flash, pose after pose I stood putting a smile on my face making my mom happy. All I wanted to do was get out of this robe! 85 degrees and a black robe in the Texas sun do not mix well! Eventually my mom stopped, well more like she was forced as her battery died on the camera. I unzipped the robe as I talked to Tyler, letting my skin breathe a bit. Lauren and Cody had gone off with her family to a different area for more pictures and Jamie was on the phone with his agent, some kind of emergency. My parents came back after talking with a few friends, "We're heading out sweetie, we'll see you tomorrow yeah?" my mom asked wrapping me in a hug, I nodded bidding them goodbye. When Jamie returned Tyler decided to head out too, trying to avoid the crowds. I thanked him for coming and hugged him one last time, I was so blessed to have such a great support system.

Jamie laced his fingers with mine, I looked down into is dark eyes from my vantage point in my wedges. "How're you feeling Dr. O'Reilly?" he asked emphasizing the doctor. I scrunched up my face, wrapping my arms around his neck, "I feel the same, how about you Mr. Benn?" "Proud. Very proud." I leaned down and kissed him softly in the crowd of people, "Hey Kier?" he asked as my eyes fluttered open. "Yes?" I answered, "Come with me." I was confused but I grabbed my gown from the grass, and followed his lead as he weaved through the sea of people.

10 minutes of walking later we had escaped most of the crowds and had wound up at the giant Aggie ring statue I had shown Jamie yesterday. We were no-where near where we had parked the car and I had no clue what he was up to. "Uhh, Jamie the car is like 2 blocks that way.." I said pointing in the opposite direction, he laughed "Yeah babe I know." I looked at the giant ring and then down at the identical one wrapped around my finger, "So what are we doing here then?" I asked. He stepped closer pointing at the ring statue, "I know how much that ring means to you, and how hard you worked for it. It stands for so much.." I twirled the ring around on my finger as he stopped talking he shoved a hand into his pocket. My eyes widened as I watched him intensely, my mind raced. Oh god what was he doing!? What's in that pocket? Dear god let it be another watch.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as he pulled out a small, black ring sized box, holy crap. My heart rate intensified as Jamie began to speak again, "Your Aggie ring is the most important ring in your life right now and I want to change that. Kieran I love you, and I'm not saying that I want to get married right now," he popped the lid revealing the gorgeous rose gold and pink diamond knot promise ring. "Oh my god." I whispered covering my gaping mouth with my right hand as I felt tears begin to stream down my face. "But with this ring, I'm saying that I have every intention of tying the knot with you. You're the one for me, I love you so much and one day I want to call you my wife."

He stopped, looking back and forth from the box to my watery eyes his eyebrows risen in question. "Promise me Jamie. Say it and don't ever break it." I choked out. He smiled taking the gorgeous ring out and slipping it onto my ring finger, "I promise I'm going to marry you, you are going to be Dr. Kieran Benn one day baby." I grinned at the sound of that, Dr. Benn had a ring to it.

Throwing my arms around his neck I kissed him feeling so much love for the man in who had just given me his heart. "I love you so much Jamie, God this is perfect." I looked down to my finger, "It's so beautiful, I-you, you had a lot of help didn’t you?" I giggled, wiping the tears from my eyes. He gave a guilty face, "Believe it or not, Tyler's really good at picking out jewelry." Of course, Tyler would have been in on this I had even more to thank him for now. This had been a perfect ending to a very important day.

Driving back to Dallas was a blur, my mind was in another place thinking of graduation and of the most perfect promise . I slept most of the way home with the last thing I remember being Jamie kissing my ring as he drove. I only had 2 more days with my man before we left each other and I was only realizing now how hard this was going to be.

Notes

Not an engagement ring, but we'll take a promise right? As long as he doesn't break this one! ;) xoxo -Ally

Graduation