As the balloon rises into the air, Summer grips my arm. I wrap mine around her. We lift higher up into the dark sky, only the fire above us providing light.
After a few minutes of flying, a sliver of light appears on the horizon.
“There. Down that way is a herd of zebras.” Felix points them out.
The black-and-white striped animals are running underneath us, barely visible in the low light. Summer is leaning so far over the side, I’m worried she’ll fall.
I tug her back. “Careful, baby. You’re scaring me.”
We’re inseparable at this point. We live in Coconut Beach the majority of the time until I need to go to New York for work. When I do, she always flies with me and enjoys everything the city has to offer. Hiring a manager to run things so I can work remotely was the best decision. I brush her hair every night before bed while she tells me about her day.
After three months together, we were having dinner with Henry at a little café in Uptown. He casually mentioned some big numbers that we had just made on a recent account. Summer’s fork clattered to her plate, her eyes growing wide. After dinner, she point-blank asked me if I was a millionaire. I had just assumed she’d figured it out by then.
“Look! Giraffe! Aww, there’s a mommy and a baby!”
She’s pointing farther out, and I can see them in the distance underneath an acacia tree. I squeeze her side, loving watching her excitement over this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Felix is snapping photos of us and pointing out different animals as they appear.
The sunrise is tingeing the sky a rainbow of oranges. The wind blows her beautiful honey hair around her shoulders. When she turns to me with a face-splitting grin, I don’t think I’ve ever felt a more perfect moment.
I drop down to my knee in front of her. Her smile fades, eyes widening. I reach into my pocket and pull out the diamond ring. It’s a simple emerald shape on a gold band.
“Summer, I’ve hoped for a long time that I would eventually work up the courage to ask you this question. You’ve held my heart in your hands since the day we first met. I’ve loved you for many, many years, but this last year, spending so much time getting to know you has only made me fall more in love with you.
“You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met. It goes without saying, but your beauty is much more than external. I love watching you be creative with your photography. I love hearing you teach yoga to the Bees and have girls’ night with your friends on the back porch. I love planning out a life and a future with you. I love experiencing all these incredible things with you. I want to spend forever checking things off our bucket lists together.”
I inhale, leaning forward.
“Summer Lark, will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears are spilling down her cheeks as she nods. “Yes, Dayton. Yes.”
I slip the ring over her finger. She jumps on me, throwingher arms around my neck. I stand up, holding her tightly. Emotion builds inside my chest as I hug her closely. My eyes are damp, making this the first time I’ve cried since my father died.
“I love you so much,” I whisper in her ear.
In the distance, I hear an elephant trumpet. We turn to look, seeing a massive herd of beautiful gray elephants with big pearl tusks beneath us.
She pulls back, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. “I love you too. And I have something for you.”
She reaches into the pocket of her pants and pulls out a blue-and-white marker. I raise a brow, until I realize it’s not a marker.
It’s a pregnancy test.
My world tilts on its axis, and my vision blurs. I grip her shoulders, staring at the plus sign.
“We’re going to have a baby,” she cries.
I drop down to my knees and lean forward into her stomach. I kiss her belly, in awe of the reality that this woman I love so much is carrying my child.
She wraps her arms around my neck. “Are you okay? I know we’ve been careful, but … I guess one got through.”
“He or she must be a fighter.” I look up at her. “I’ve never beenhappier in my life.”
summer
three months later
I rub my hand over my baby bump, smiling at Silvie. She’s breastfeeding one of the twins while Cal holds the other one and talks to Dayton near the open back door of our bungalow.
