"What is it?"
"It's a contract." She looks up at me, eyes shining with tears. "For my book. They want to publish my book."
"Paisley, that's amazing!" I pull her into my arms, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. She laughs, the sound bright and joyful.
"I sent it off back in February when I finished it. I thought no one would want it. It's dark and weird and probably too intense, but..." She looks back down at the contract. "They want it. They actually want it."
"Of course they want it. It's brilliant. You're brilliant."
She kisses me, hard and fast. "Thank you for believing in me."
"Always."
She's so focused on the contract that she doesn't notice me reaching for the other small box that was in the mail. Well, not really in the mail. I put it there this morning when I knew Eli was coming.
"There was something else for you," I say.
"What?"
I hand her the small velvet box, and her breath catches.
"Chase..."
"Open it."
Her hands are shaking as she lifts the lid. Inside is a ring, an emerald surrounded by small diamonds. It catches the light streaming through the window, throwing green sparkles across her face.
"It reminded me of your eyes," I tell her. "How they're sometimes so green, it's like the grass in summer."
Before she can say anything, I drop to one knee. Her hand flies to her mouth, and tears are already streaming down her face.
"Paisley, I knew from the moment I saw you in that field that my life was about to change. I just didn't know how much. You've made me want to live again, not just exist. You've shown me that loving someone doesn't have to end in loss, that opening my heart isn't a weakness but a strength."
I take the ring from the box, holding it up to her.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to build something real here, something lasting. Will you marry me?"
"Yes." The word comes out choked with emotion. "Yes, of course I'll marry you."
I slip the ring onto her finger, and it fits perfectly. She pulls me to my feet and kisses me, and I can taste the salt from her tears.
"I love you," she says against my lips.
"I love you too. Somethin' fierce."
She laughs through her tears. "Did you really just say that?"
"I did. Because it's true. From the moment I pulled you out of that car, saved you from that field, I knew you were going to matter to me. I just didn't know you'd end up meaning everything."
We stand there in the kitchen, holding each other, the bread forgotten on the counter and Biscuit meowing for attention. Outside, Blackjack whines from the pasture, and the sun shines bright in the sky.
When I met her, I was a man just going through the motions, convinced that love was something in my past. And Paisley was a woman so broken she couldn't see a future worth living for.
But we found each other. We saved each other.
And now we have forever to figure out what comes next.
"So," she says, pulling back to look at me. "I'm going to be a published author and a wife?"
