“I thought everyone was staying to have dinner.” Ainsley’s brows are furrowed as she watches them drive away.
“Change of plans,” I say as I grab her hand and pull her around the side of the house. My initial plan was to tour the house and then land in the backyard, but I can’t wait any longer.
“By all means, just drag me around. It’s not like I can easily walk by—” Her snarky words stop the second the field comes into view.
“Ledg…”
“Every day, I see how much that field out back soothes you. How much it’s turned into your happy place, and I couldn’t take that away from you. This is the reason I wanted you to stay away while the addition was being built. I needed time for the flowers to grow.”
A calm has settled over me. There’s no anxiety, no nerves, no freak out.
I grab her hands, leading her to the perfect spot, just before the flowers start.
“Ains, baby, since I was seventeen, you’ve been my crush. When you came back to town, that crush seemed so small in comparison to how I already felt about you. You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of in a woman and so much more I never considered. All of it adding up to make you the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. We’ve been through a lot over the past year, lots of changes, lots of challenges, but being by your side made it all worth it. You’ve taught me how to grow, how to love, and how to live a life I never knew I could have.”
I draw in a shaky breath as I watch tears fall from her eyes.
“You are everything to me. Our life together is everything to me, and I think it’s time to make things more official.”
I drop down to one knee, still holding her hands, not wanting to let go even if it’s to get the ring in my pocket.
“I love you. I can’t imagine living this life without you. Will you marry me?”
“Oh my God!” she hiccups before tackling me to the ground with a hug. Kisses rain all over my face as I wrap my arms around her.
She finally pulls away enough to look down at me. “How the fuck did you pull this off? How did you find the time to do all of this?”
“Well, the thing about wildflowers is they are wild. I didn’t have to plan a lot, just scatter a ton of seeds onto the area and watch them grow.” My technical side is coming out before I can help it.
“You are the best kind of human, the best kind of partner,” she says.
“So, is that a yes?” I tease. My anxiety is still firmly in the back seat because I know with everything I am that this woman wants to marry me as much as I want to marry her.
“Yes! Of course, yes! I can’t believe you did all of this.” She leans back down and kisses me.
I lie back on the grass and pull her on top of me. Her head naturally rests on my chest, and I draw undiscovered shapes on her back.
I have no idea how much time passes, but when I hear the slam of a car door, I know our time for quiet is gone.
“Ready for the first family dinner in the new house?” I whisper against the curve of her ear.
“So ready. I wish we could just stay here all evening, but I’m excited to host in the new space.”
We didn’t only add to the house; we rearranged what was already there to make room for the extended family we have. We decided while we were making the plans for the house that we wanted to include both of our families in family dinner, so that meant making sure we had the room to do so.
She climbs off of me, holding her hand out to help me up, and I take it graciously, only so I can pull her to me when I’m finally on my feet and steal one more kiss.
“Y’all done out here?” Ainsley’s dad calls from the giant sliding doors in the back.
“Yes, dad!” Ainsley tries to yell back, but it’s muffled by burying her head in my chest.
Ainsley’s shoulders are shaking with laughter as she pulls back, but the smile on her face is breathtaking. Something clicks in my brain, and I realize I still have the ring in my pocket.
“Wait.” I pull her back to me. “I forgot the most important thing.” Reaching into my pocket, I grab the ring box, opening it up and pulling out the large, green, moissanite, oval solitaire.
We had talked a lot about finances and our future, and the one thing Ainsley was adamant about was not spending a ton of money on a diamond ring or a wedding. So, this is what I found as a compromise.
“Holy shit, Ledg,” she whispers in awe.
