“Will you marry me?”
I stare at him.
The river shines behind him.
The quiet house waiting up the hill.
The future we’ve been building day by day.
“Yes,” I say.
“Of course I will. I love you so much.”
Boone slides the ring onto my finger.
Then pulls me into his arms.
The kiss is warm.
Slow.
Certain.
The kind that promises forever.
Behind us—
The river ripples gently.
The dock creaks softly beneath our feet.
And somewhere beneath the water—
A fish jumps.
I pull back slightly and laugh.
“Even the fish approve.”
Boone shakes his head.
“That’s definitely not what they’re doing.”
“Well.”
“I’m taking it as a good sign.”
He smiles.
“I think everything about this is a good sign.”
And for the first time in my life—
The future doesn’t feel like something to analyze.
Or predict.
Or control.
