"Is it hot out?" She sticks her head out of the walk-in closet naked. Her hair is in a white towel on the top of her head. "Is it a shorts or pants kind of day?"
"I think it’s a shorts kind of day," I say, and she nods and goes back into the closet. It takes her thirty minutes to finish getting ready.
I’m texting Shelby when I hear her coming down the stairs and look over at her. She is wearing a pair of green linen shorts tied at the waist with the same-colored belt. Her white spaghetti strap shirt hangs perfectly and is tucked in with three brown buttons. She has never looked more beautiful; it’s crazy, but it’s true. Her hair hangs low over her shoulder, and I push it aside to bend and kiss her shoulder. "Are you ready?" I ask her, and she grabs her phone, and we walk out. I send Shelby a quick text that I’m leaving the house.
The sun is shining high in the sky without a cloud in sight. I open the car door for her, and she’s busy on her phone. "Who are you texting?"
"Everyone," she says, putting on her sunglasses. "And no one is answering me."
"Maybe they are busy." I put the car in drive and make the thirty-minute ride to the cabin. My heart hammers so hard in my chest, I swear she is going to hear it any minute. My hands grip the wheel so tight my knuckles are white.
When we pull up to the cabin, I’m happy she doesn’t see the surprise I had made for her. Her face is buried in her phone as she gets frustrated that no one is answering her. "How is everyone off their phones?” she huffs, walking up the steps, and I open the door.
She stops when she sees the rose petals at her feet. "What the hell is this?" she asks, looking around seeing balloons everywhere. She has a shocked expression on her face. "This looks like." She takes two more steps in. "The night of your wedding."
"Almost." Smiling, I grab her hand and pull her up the stairs toward the bed.
"Well, this is where we ended up." She laughs and gasps when she sees the MR. & MRS. that were not here the last time we came here. She looks at me. "What is going on?"
"Come this way." I pull her and walk to the door that leads to the balcony. Stepping out, I see the setup exactly how it was the first time I brought her here. The picnic basket sits on the cover and a bottle of white wine sits beside it.
"What is going on?" She looks around and puts her hands to her mouth.
"This is me doing what I should have done a long time ago," I say, as I pull her to stand in the middle of the blanket. She looks at me with tears in her eyes as she laughs and a sob comes out of her. She places her hand in front of her mouth to stop it but it comes out anyway. "Harlow," I say, my voice trembling as much as her hand in mine. "The first day I met you, something happened," I start to say and sniff my own tears back. "You literally knocked me off my feet." I smile at her as she wipes the tears away from the corner of her eyes. "And then by some fucking miracle we started hanging out. That night when I walked you home from the bar, the only thing running through my head was just kiss her." She puts her hand on my cheek now, her thumb rubbing back and forth. "We have so many memories together. But the one that holds a special place in my heart is right here. Right in this spot." I swallow down the lump in my throat. "You might not recognize this place. But it’s the place I first told you I loved you," I say and she gasps and looks around. "The time when you promised me to be here on the best day of my life. The whole time I pictured this very minute." I smile at her and get down on one knee in front of her and her hands go to her mouth as she cries and flips her head down. "When I came back home, I bought this land and built this cabin, knowing that it was the only thing I had of you left. Harlow, four years ago I let you go and it was the single worst mistake of my life. But fate had other plans and the universe brought you back to me. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, and I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you." I grab the red square box that has been weighing in my pocket for the last month. I open it and turn to show her. "Harlow Barnes, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"
"Oh my God," she gasps. "Is that my mother’s ring?"
"It is," I confirm. "I asked them for your hand in marriage at the barbecue the first time," I say, and her shoulders shake. "It was a lot more intense than that, but your mother called me the day after and asked to see me. She told me it would be her honor to have you wear her ring." I look down at the ring. "If you don’t like it, we can get you another one."