She looks down at the ring again.
“You kept this for years?”
“Yeah.”
“For me?”
“For you.”
Silence settles heavy between us. The sunrise keeps climbing. Birdsong drifts faintly through the trees.
“You could’ve found someone else,” she says softly.
“I didn’t want someone else.”
“You’re stubborn.”
“Always have been.”
Her hand hovers over the ring but doesn’t touch it yet.
“This isn’t fake,” she says quietly.
“No.”
“This isn’t ninety days.”
“No.”
“This is forever?”
“That’s the idea.” Her lips tremble faintly, but she doesn’t look scared. She looks overwhelmed.
“Levi,” she whispers.
I take a slow breath. Then I step back and lower myself to one knee on the porch boards. The cabin, the trees, the entire mountain seems to fall silent.
“No more fake,” I say, looking up at her. “No more almost.” Her hands fly to her mouth. I keep going. “No more letting you walk away because I’m afraid of losing you. No more pretending I don’t know exactly what I want.” Her eyes shine. “I’ve wanted you since we were kids,” I continue. “I wanted you when you left. I wanted you when you came back. I wanted you when you stood on that stage and half the town thought they had a chance.” Her laugh breaks through the emotion. “I don’t want to win you,” I say firmly. “I want to choose you. Every day. And I want you to choose me.”
She steps closer. I can feel her trembling slightly.
“I won’t trap you,” I add. “I won’t cage you. I won’t hold you back from anything. But I will stand beside you through all of it.”
Her breath hitches.
“Sadie Marshall,” I say, voice steady even though my chest is tight, “marry me.”
She doesn’t let me finish the rest. “Yes.”
The word bursts out of her before I can breathe again.
“Yes,” she repeats, laughing and crying at the same time. “Yes, you idiot.”
Relief slams into me so hard I have to brace myself on the porch. I stand quickly and slide the ring onto her finger.
She stares at her hand like it’s unreal.
“You really kept this,” she says again.
