In the middle of the trees is a blanket, a picnic carefully laid out, and candles placed all around in the sand, flickering gently as the evening breeze moves through them.
I gasp. “Are we crashing someone’s proposal?” I whisper, eyes wide. It looks exactly like one. Too romantic to be anything else.
Nate laughs softly. “No, we’re not.”
“We’re not?” I turn to look at him, and the expression on his face gives everything away before he even says a word.
My breath catches.
He leads me into the circle of palm trees, the candles surrounding us like a quiet, glowing boundary between this moment and the rest of the world.
And then he drops to one knee, still holding my hand.
If I thought I’d gasped earlier, I’m completely out of air now.
Everything inside me goes still and loud all at once.
“Lizzie,” he says, voice steady but full of emotion, “I know this is soon. I know you weren’t expecting this. But after I told you last night we should pray… I did. And I felt peace from the Lord about this. Sometimes God’s peace might not make sense—it surpasses our understanding. But I knew it was unshakable.”
My heart is pounding so loudly I’m half sure he can hear it.
“I’ve been married before,” he continues. “I know what marriage is like. I’m not diving into this blind. But I know what I feel for you in the short time I’ve known you. And the fact that you match everything I’ve been praying for in a wife… I truly believe God sent you directly my way.”
Tears blur my vision, but I don’t even bother to wipe them away.
“I don’t need to know everything about you before committing to you for the rest of my life. I just know I’ve prayed, and I have peace. That you’re exactly who I’ve been asking God for. And I just know we’ll fall in love in the months to come, starting married life off by growing into that love together.”
His thumb brushes gently over my hand.
“Would you join me on the adventure of life, and spend the rest of yours with me?”
For a second, I’m frozen, trying to process everything he’s just said.
The breeze swirls around me, cool against my warm skin. My mind catches on one thought and one thought only.
He just asked me to marry him.
It’s been three days since we met… and he’s asking me tomarryhim.
And somehow, beneath the shock, there’s peace. Real peace.
There’s only one answer that feels true.
“Yes,” I say, voice breathless but sure. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
His face lights up, relief and joy flooding his expression as I pull him up from his knee. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into a kiss full of joy and anticipation. I loop my arms around his neck, holding on tightly, like this moment might float away if I don’t.
I can’t believe I’m getting married.
“Did you expect me to propose to you?” he asks when we finally pull apart, both a little breathless.
“No, not at all,” I laugh softly, our foreheads touching. I close my eyes for a moment, letting it all sink in. “After last night, I prayed too. And I felt the same peace you’re talking about. About us. About not going back to Belgium. It just felt like God was doing something new.”
And then my eyes fly open.
“Wait. What about my parents?” I ask, pulling back slightly.
Right on cue, I hear movement behind me.
