I shake my head. “He said it was time we chased our childhood dreams.”
A small breath leaves her lips as I fish the box from my pocket and drop down to one knee.
“I was going to ask you sooner. Hell, I wanted to ask you the second I got you back,” I admit. “But I didn’t want to rush things and scare you off.”
My jaw tightens slightly as the memory of nearly losing her flickers across the back of my eyes.
“Then everything happened…” I shake my head. “And everything—” I pause, the weight of it settling heavily for just a second. “Everything that came after.”
Her expression shifts, understanding flickering there even if neither of us says it out loud.
“The plans came in last night, and I realized I’ve waited long enough.” I flip the box open, and she gasps at the oval-cut diamond nestled between tiny diamonds covering the white gold band.
Her hands fly to her open mouth as her eyes turn glassy.
“I don’t want to spend another day without knowing you’re mine. I don’t want another second where I’m not building something with you. I’m ready to spend forever with you.”
I hold her gaze. “Wren, will you marry me?”
She drops to her knees, hands grabbing my face as tears fall freely.
“Yes, Jett. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Relief slams into me so hard it nearly knocks the air from my lungs. Our lips collide as she wraps her arms around my neck.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I tell her before pulling away. Slipping the ring free from the box, I slide it over her finger before brushing my thumb under her eyes, wiping away her tears.
“Wait here,” I tell her as I jump to my feet, jogging off to the truck.
Reaching in the back, I grab the old picnic basket and blanket. The same one we used to use. Dropping the blanket on the ground, Wren works at spreading it across the grass as I dig in the basket and pull out two Coors Banquets.
She chuckles. “Never one for champagne.”
Clinking our bottles, Wren settles between my legs as I hold us up. The sun dips low over the river, painting the sky the perfect shade of gold.
We’ll always carry the scars of yesterday, but it’s how we move forward that matters.
Yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn’t promised.
All we can do is live.
I plan on living every day, loving the woman who stole my heart when we were fourteen.
And now, it’s time for her to steal my last name.
THE END
