I told Paige I need to do some work on my bike and I got Darryl to pick me up this morning for work. She’s going to come pick me up in her Jeep at the dock at sunset.
I’m currently sitting on one of Sylvester’s pontoons, waiting for her to arrive. I’ve got a ring in the pocket of my jeans and my heart is pounding already at the thought of what I’m about to do.
As soon as I see her pull into the parking lot, I hit send on a Venmo transaction for a dollar with a message for her:Can you come down to the dock? I need your professional expertise with a problem I’m having.
I watch as she parks, then checks her phone, and gets out of the Jeep with a grin on her face. She walks toward me, looking as gorgeous as ever in a flowy sundress. Emotion fills every cell of my body as she comes toward me, and even though a tiny part of me is terrified she’ll say no, the rest of me knows better. She loves me unconditionally, and she’s not going anywhere.
“Hey you,” she says, stepping onto the dock. I wait while she walks toward me, then reaches up onto her tiptoes and gives me a light kiss. “What do you need help with?”
I wrap my arms around her waist and smile down at her. “I’ve fallen madly in love with this amazing woman, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask her to marry me. But it can’t just be some mediocre proposal. This woman deserves something special. Unforgettable, just like her.”
Tears fill her eyes, but she plays along. “Oh, is that so? Well, I can see how that would be a big problem.”
“Exactly. I don’t want it to sound corny.”
“No, corny would be the worst,” she says with a grin. “Why don’t you run your ideas past me and I’ll let you know when you get to the right one.”
“Perfect,” I answer, my heart pounding in my chest, but I give her a grin as if I’m just asking her what she wants for dinner. “Well, I was thinking of telling her that she’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and that these past few months have been the most incredible of my life, and how I never thought this much joy was possible until I met her.”
“Oh, that would be a good start,” she answers.
I let go of her, then say, “Next, I thought I’d get down on one knee.”
“Oh yeah, definitely do that,” she says, laughing a little as I do exactly that.
“And I thought I’d say something like this: Paige Chadwick, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, talking and laughing and arguing and beating you at poker. Occasionally, I might let you win, but I’ve got to be honest, it won’t be often.”
She wrinkles up her nose a little.
“Should I leave the poker bit out?”
“Probably.”
“Okay, how about this? I want to know your opinion on everything under the sun. I want to help you whenyou’re struggling, and pick you up and carry you down a mountain when you somersault into a tree. I want to be there for everything—every moment, good or bad. And I want us to make it official so that the world knows you belong to me, and I belong to you. Forever.”
“Yes, that’s good stuff. I’d go with that.”
I take the ring out of my pocket and hold it up. “So, what do you say? Would you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”
She nods, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Yes. Yes, Mac, I will.”
I take her left hand and slide the diamond ring on it, then stand up and wrap my arms around her, picking her up and holding her. She lowers her mouth to mine and when we kiss each other, I can taste the salt from her tears. It’s the taste of happiness, of love, and of a future together that is as wide open as the sky above the sea.
When we pull back, she rests her forehead on mine and says, “So, two and done, then?”
I burst out laughing and lower to her to the dock without letting go. “Two and done.”
“I kind of figured you were full of shit that night.”
We both chuckle, and I shake my head. “Yup. I was. Totally full of shit. Do you want to hear the whole truth?”
She narrows her eyes but keeps smiling. “I don’t know. Do I?”
I nod. “This you’ll want to know.”
“Okay, go for it.”
“I decided to propose here because this is the exact place where I fell in love with you.”
