I nodded. “I am. I was just remembering this babysitter I had.” I told her the story about my parents’ best friends watching us kids, and she was cracking up.
“I would love to do that at the daycare, you know, if it wasn’t a major choking hazard and I wasn’t watching the babies,” she said.
Laughing, I said, “Luckily, we all survived.”
“Barely made it out alive,” she teased.
If only she knew some of the antics we’d gotten into growing up on the ranch. It was a wonder we never got seriously hurt jumping out of the barn into a pile of hay or wallowing in the creek mud pretending to be pigs.
As she sipped from her hot chocolate, she said, “You know this pond would be here at decent hours too.”
“Right, but then you wouldn’t get to see the stars and the sunrise.”
Her eyes lit up at the thought. “Okay, I see you.”
Her happiness was contagious, making me smile. I didn’t smile this much in my day-to-day life, I realized. Running a business like MyHome was stressful with so many people depending on us for their income.
“Tell me about growing up in the country,” she said.
I smiled again. I couldn’t wait to share it with her, and one day, our baby girl.
We talked for hours, conversation flowing easily between the two of us. Especially with no distractions—other than that fish that decided to jump up right next to the boat. Then I had to convince Jada there wasn’t a river monster trying to attack us.“First of all, we’re not in a river,”I reminded her.
Over time, the sky lightened from midnight to indigo to pale blue, and then colors burst across the horizon, mirroring on the smooth lake water.
We watched, enraptured, until most hints of pink and orange were gone from the sky. Jada smiled over at me. I noted her bare face—she looked so gorgeous without makeup, her tight curls still pulled back. It was like I was getting the raw and unfiltered version of her that few others were privy to.
“Thank you for this,” she said. “Really, I think I needed it.” There was a hint of emotion to her voice I couldn’t quite place.
“I’m always happy to watch the sunrise with you,” I said. I meant it. Being out here with Jada made the worries of the world fall away for a moment—I loved her laugh, her quiet vulnerability. That made what I was about to do even easier.
I reached into the pocket of my sweatpants, taking out the blue velvet box. “I know this might not be the love story you dreamed of, or even the one you deserve. We didn’t have a chance to fall madly in love and then get engaged the way most people do, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t fallen for you anyway. No matter the conditions of this marriage, it’s you I want. Will you marry me, Jada?”
I flipped the box open to show a shimmering vintage ring with diamonds and a single sapphire set amongst polished gold.Jada was different than most women—she needed a ring to match. This was a vintage find that couldn’t be purchased in stores, and no other ring carried a story like this one. I hoped we could add to its legacy.
Jada looked at me, a hint of surprise in her visage. “You’re proposing?”
“You deserve a proposal, Jada. You deserve a ring and romance on the way to marriage. I never want you to feel like you’re settling with me.”
A tear slipped over Jada’s cheek as she looked at me. “You’re too good for me, Bryce Madigan. You know, it’s not too late foryouto turn back now.”
Another tear slipped down her cheek, and I brushed it away with my thumb. “I’m not turning back when I can look forward to building a life with you.”
Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks, and she nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Genuine happiness and relief flooded my system as I slipped the ring from the box and slid it over her finger. It was the perfect fit, just like Rei said it would be. Emotion, so much joy, overwhelmed me, and I leaned in to kiss her. Her lips were soft against mine, the taste of her mingling with salty tears.
Crickets sang and water softly lapped against the side of the boat, mingling with the song of our breaths, our heartbeats, ourfuture.
When our kiss broke, Jada stared at the ring on her finger, the tears slowly drying on her rich brown skin. “Does your family know?” she asked. “Do they approve?”
My stomach knotted. “I was hoping to tell them today.”
53.Jada
When we got backto the house on the ranch, I could smell bacon cooking as soon as the front door opened.
My stomach growled loudly in response.
