“I told you, we’ve got this,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“I just want it to be perfect,” she murmured, her eyes sweeping the setup one more time. “Ms. Opal and Poppy have been together forever. They deserve a real fairytale moment.”
“They already have that,” Ethan said. “They have each other.”
Honey rolled her eyes but smiled. “Don’t start with the sweet talk, Mr. Hale. I’m trying to stay focused.”
Emma appeared from behind a row of trees, her hair in a loose braid. “Everything’s ready. The drinks are out, the musician’s tuning up, and Marlene swore she would keep everyone in the barn until I gave them the signal.”
Because of course the entire town needed to witness every proposal. Ethan would expect nothing less. Every engagement in Brim’s Hollow was a community event, and especially today, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Uncle Theo!” Emma whined. “You’re supposed to be in the barn with everyone else.
Ethan and Honey turned to see Theo standing with his hands cupped around the lip of the stone wishing well, looking down into the well.
“Sorry, pipsqueak.” He flicked a penny inside then followed Emma away.
“Did he just…?”
Ethan nodded, trying not to smile. “He’s been doing that a lot lately. Won’t say what he’s wishing for.”
She followed Theo with her eyes. “Maybe he found someone worth wishing for.”
Ethan pressed a kiss to her temple, heart thumping. He remembered the day he’d asked her to come home for good, how desperate he’d been, and how much he’d loved her even then.
He checked his watch. “They should be here any second,” he said, gently tugging her a few steps back toward the cover of the trees. “Come on, let’s get out of the way.”
Ms. Opal, in a lemon-colored dress, walked toward them on Poppy’s arm. Honey squeezed Ethan’s hand.
“They’re so sweet,” she whispered. “She’s going to be so surprised.”
But then, Ms. Opal and Mr. Bloom kept walking. Right past the arch.
Honey blinked. “Where are they?—?”
She turned to Ethan, confusion flickering across her face.
His palms were sweating. His heart was in his throat. And he wouldn’t have stopped it for anything.
He stepped back, just far enough to drop to one knee.
She gasped. The breeze hushed. The petals slowed.The music faded into a rhythm he swore was coming from inside his chest.
He looked up at her and saw the woman who had changed everything.
He took a shaky breath. “I used to think I had to do everything alone. I thought if I could just hold it together, I’d be enough. I didn’t realize how lonely that was…until you.”
Her eyes filled, but she didn’t speak.
“You saw everything,” he said. “You walked into our lives with your big heart and your endless lists, and you didn’t ask us to be anything but exactly who we were.”
He opened the box.
The ring inside was simple—gold, with a single opal in the center.
“Every day. Every season. For as long as you’ll let me love you. Will you marry me?”
Behind them, the town crept in.
