It had been a year since the festival. A year when he’d gone from being the Single Man of Severton, to living with a woman who was forever his reason to be.
It was time to put a ring on it.
They’d talked about getting married, discussed what sort of wedding they’d like. This had been as early as last year, when he’d gone with her to France for her cousin Ava’s wedding. He knew she’d rather get married in Severton and have a reception on their land, with a big honeymoon after with just the two of them. He knew she’d rather get married before they had babies, and had some more time just for them, but he also knew with the way she held Scott’s son, it wouldn’t be too long before she was wanting one herself.
Like him.
“Jake?”
Lainey appeared at the barn door, wearing the yellow sundress that was his favourite only he’d never told her that. He wanted her to wear what she chose, not to please him. Not that he thought she’d do that anyway; in fact, she’d probably not wear it on purpose just to irritate him.
“In here.”
“What’s this?”
He watched her as she took in the lights and the drapes he’d hung, which were just netting that would usually protect fruit from birds.
“I thought we’d have an evening out.”
“Wow. You have champagne.”
He knew she’d spy that first.
“And – is that lobster?”
One of her favourites.
“There’s homemade chocolate ice cream in there too. With honeycomb pieces.” He pointed to the cool box.
“What’s the occasion?’
He bit his lips together. There had been various scenarios he’d planned to ask her the question, some of them might’ve involved a stunt man. But what it had boiled down to was the right moment, and the right moment was when he could usually get her completely off balance. Like now.
“There’s an occasion, right?”
“There is.”
“What is it?”
Jake turned round to where he’d left a small, black velvet box.
When he turned back to her, her eyes were wider than ever before, her mouth open. Clearly, she’d got the gist of where this was going.
He dropped to one knee. “Lainey Green, you stole the farm and land I wanted from under my nose, and this seems like a really good way to make sure I can at least share it.” He pulled the ring from the box with fingers that did shake. “It also seems like a really good way to make sure I don’t spend any more days without you.”
She’d started to cry. He hoped that was a good thing. Please, let it be a good thing.
“I’m really hoping they’re happy tears.”
She knelt down in front of him, staring at the ring, then him.
“I wanted this to be the occasion when you agreed to marry me, and not just so we got to combine land.” She was laughing now, her eyes bright. “Lainey, will you marry me?”
She nodded, thrusting her hand towards him so he could push the ring onto her engagement finger. “Yes. Just… yes.”
“Thank fuck for that.” He let himself fall over onto the blanket, pulling her down with him. “That was the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done.”
She didn’t respond with words, just giving him a kiss that was filled with a lot of promise and an overspill of lust.
