Chapter 10
Iris
The last six months have been a great adventure in my life. Getting to know Harrison each day is a blessing. He's a gentle, kind soul that caters to everything I need.
Today my family is coming over to see his surprise. He hasn't even let me see it myself. I know what it is. I've seen it from the outside, but I haven't seen it from the inside.
I love him more and more every single day, and I'm glad that I get to spend my days and nights with him. He stopped working full-time at the Park Ranger station, and now only volunteers in a case by case basis.
I wait eagerly for my family to get here and I'm making sure everything is ready for the surprise. There's enough food for anarmy and tons to drink. There's everything in order to have a fun, pleasant afternoon with family and friends.
Everybody from the park ranger station is coming. The ones that are not on duty, and many of the SAR team who volunteer.
I finally ended my sabbatical and quit my job at the high school where I was working. I'm going to teach art online while I work on my projects here at home.
I've submitted samples of my work to several galleries to see if I can show it, and some have answered and asked for more of my portfolio. I hear a car honk outside the house and I imagine that's my husband bringing my parents.
I'm glad he personally went to get them and brought them here so they didn't have to drive through that rough countryside all by themselves. I hurry up until I get to the front door and take a deep breath.
I haven't seen them since I came here to Hunter's Peak, and I've missed them so much, especially my mother. When I open the door, I see her coming out of the car and I just run to her.
"Oh my God, mom I've missed you so much."
"Baby girl, you look so good."
"That's because I'm deliriously happy."
"We've been getting to know Harrison well on the drive here. He seems to be a good man." She whispers in my ear.
"I certainly have no complaints. He's the most caring man I've ever met."
"Dad, here you are."
He comes into our embrace and we hug each other like crazy as if we haven't seen each other in a lifetime, but then that's how it feels like, like I haven't seen my parents in forever.
Going from living near your parents to living by yourself in a mountain is a big stretch, and then add in a delicious mountain man and you're just completely flummoxed.
As I let go of my parents, we usher them inside the house so they can get some food and relax for a little bit while people start arriving. It takes about 30 minutes for everybody to arrive and suddenly my boyfriend becomes the host.
He's ushering everybody around like the host he is and positioning them as if he knows exactly what he's doing. I think this is the first time he's hosted a party in his own home so I'm a bit unsure about things.
I don't mind him taking over because I am overwhelmed by the amount of people who have come this afternoon. Now he comes and gets me and pulls me up to the front where the door to the room is.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have this great thing that I've been doing for my girlfriend, and it's a surprise but not a surprise at the same time, but I actually have a surprise, so don't get confused."
He steps in front of the door and takes the sheet off it showing a really fancy door with glass panes where you can see in the inside and I can just barely see my new studio in there. It seems really large and I'm really excited to start using it, but then he does something unexpected.
He kneels down in front of me and opens a ring box in my face.
"Iris, from the moment I saw you, I knew we were meant to be together. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but it's the truth. Your bright light, your sunny personality, and your inner strength pulled me to you."
"After we spent that first month together, I went to the city and and got a jeweler to make this special piece for you."
He takes the ring from the box and pulls it up to me. I see it's a rose gold band with a beautiful, small diamond very tasteful, very 'you know that I'm gonna lose the ring so we're not gonna waste all that money on i just the way I like it.
"With all our family and friends here together today, I want to ask you the most important question I've ever had to ask in my life. Will you marry me? Will you become my wife?"
I start jumping up and down and put my hands over my mouth, so I do not scream, but my whimper is still audible.
