“I did not plan this out well,” I admitted. “And I probably should have given you a little bit of warning.”
Tears streamed down her face as she laughed. “Then you’re right on track for how we’ve done everything else,” she said.
I pulled the small paperclip ring out of my pocket, and when she saw it, she tipped her head back and laughed.
I kissed the top of her hand again and tried to sift through all the millions of things crowding my mind, all the different ways I loved her, all the countless ways she was perfect for me. Her quiet sniffles had me taking a deep breath.
“I know that this isn’t the big, over-the-top romantic gesture that you might have expected from this moment.” I swallowed around the emotions crowding my throat. “But I don’t think you and I have ever really needed those things. We fell in love with each other in all the simple, day-to-day moments. And I think that’s what I missed, in the early days when I was trying to get your attention.”
She smiled, eyes shining and lips quivering as she tried to contain her tears.
“That’s what makes our love story my favorite, Adaline. Our life together is the legacy I want to build, and I want to start now.”
“I do too,” she whispered.
“The best part of any day is you,” I told her. “No matter what happens, no matter where I am, or what else is going on.” I slid the metal ring over her knuckle, grinning when it fit. “And I want to spend the rest of my life doing what I do best—loving you. Adaline Wilder, will you marry me?”
She sank to her knees and flung her arms around my neck, sobbing a yes against my skin as she pressed kisses all over my face.
I exhaled heavily, cupping the sides of her face so I could take her lips in a searing kiss.
When she pulled away, I brushed the streaks left behind by her tears with the edge of my thumb.
“You will never stop surprising me, will you?” she asked.
“That’s what makes us so good for each other.” I kissed her again, brushing my tongue against hers as we knelt in the grass. “Someone’s got to keep you on your toes.”
She laughed. “Then I’m glad it’s you, Emmett Ward.”
I rolled my forehead against hers and sighed. “Always.”
The End