They headed for the Sweet Everything Bakery, and they shared one of the huge black forest brownies. They’d just been able to grab the last one as the shop usually ran out of their signature treat even though they’d recently added a second bake every day after the lunch rush. The sun was almost set and he hated to see their time together go by so fast.
Noah glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she talked about some of the changes they were making at the local Rocky Ridge chapter of his charity. She had never known just how bright she shined for him.
He tugged a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a copy of the first page of the documents he had in that folder beneath his seat in his truck. Unfolding it, he leaned toward her and spread it out so the creases weren’t so noticeable.
Jane looked at him with curiosity, not understanding what he was doing.
Noah lifted his head. “What?”
She wagged a finger at him. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but you probably have some trick up your sleeve.”
One side of his mouth quirked upward. “No trick. I have something for you.”
Jane leaned closer, sucking on the tip of her finger to get the last of the brownie into her mouth. Her eyes dipped to the document before she picked it up and scanned it. Jane’s brows pulled together for a moment, then her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Is this… you didn’t… Noah…” she breathed out with surprise. “Is this what I think it is?”
Noah took her free hand and clasped it within both of his. “What does it look like?”
She swallowed thickly, and her focus shifted to the paper. She turned it around so she could read it. “Equine therapy services offered to residents and visitors of Rocky Ridge in collaboration with The Wounded Heroes Project.” Her eyes flicked up to meet his, and her voice cracked slightly. “It’s dedicated to my grandfather. And…” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed again, her whisper barely audible. “And it says that I’m the one overseeing the project.”
Noah watched her carefully. Emotion shone on her face, but it was the good kind. He’d done well, and his heart swelled with the knowledge of that. He offered her a boyish grin. “You said you’d consider marrying me if you could have a charity of your own.” He nodded to the paperwork. “I’d like to think this meets the requirements.”
Before he could utter another word or even retrieve the ring from his pocket, she flung herself into his arms. Jane peppered his face with kisses, tears tracking down her cheeks. “It’s. The. Most. Perfect. Offer. Ever,” she said between each kiss she placed on his lips.
He laughed, his hands finding her shoulders so he could situate her back on the bench where she’d been seated. “Good. Because it would have been really embarrassing if I had to take this back.” He retrieved the simple engagement ring and held it up for her to see. “You have been the one for me since we were kids. I knew it in my heart from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“Noah…” she whispered, her hand fluttering to her throat as she listened.
“You are my whole world, and I would give up everything I own if it meant calling you mine.”
She let out a teary laugh. “I won’t ask you to do that.”
“I know,” he murmured, retrieving her left hand and bringing it to his lips. “You’re perfect for me. No one could be better suited. I love you, Jane.” He studied her expression for a moment before he slid the ring on her finger.
Jane stared at it for a moment before meeting his gaze again. Wordlessly, she wrapped him up in a tight embrace. He rose to his feet to make it easier, loving the feel of her pressed againsthim. Then, with five simple words, she made his world whole again.
“I love you, too, Noah.”
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
“Three weddings down…”Noah’s mother leaned in closer to her sister-in-law. “Five to go.”
Jane glanced from one woman to the other with a grin. Sonya was Reese and Leo’s mother. She was the one related to the main Reese family, and finding out that she’d named her firstborn after her maiden name now made complete sense.
The two women chattered like little chicks while she continued getting her hair done.
“Not yet,” Sonya admonished. “Jane here could still run.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open, and she spun around to stare at Sonya with shock, much to the irritation of her hair stylist. “What?”
Tana laughed. Noah was her last child to get married. “We don’t think you’re going to run, sweetheart. Sonya is just bummed that her sons haven’t found their soulmates yet.”
Before Jane could respond to that, the door opened, and Jane’s mother floated into the room, flanked by her other two daughters. She looked about as flustered as Jane felt.
“When you said you were going to be married here, I envisioned something small and intimate.” She moved closer to Jane, her eyes darting to the two women who were hovering nearby. They all exchanged smiles. Jane’s mother seemed out of her element out here and surrounded by such a large family. She’d been an only child, so she didn’t have much experience with a big family beyond her own.
Jane reached toward her mother and took her hand. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
