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Mel is meeting me here in an hour, so I need to get everything set up quickly. She must be getting used to my spontaneity, because she didn’t even question me when I asked her to meet me at a random address.
I walk around the house, once again amazed by the beauty of the property. Right on the lake, surrounded by trees. The cabin itself is impressive, but it’s the grounds that sold it for me. I could instantly picture me and Melanie here. In my head, we’ll spend every summer at the cabin, away from the city and only twenty minutes from our families. I can visualize our future children running around by the lake, our parents coming over for bonfires… annnnnd maybe an indoor ice rink made with synthetic ice. For the kiddos, not for me. Okay a little for me.
* * *
Melanie
I'm sitting in my car in front of a rustic mansion… one might perhaps call it a cabin? But it’s a very, very fancy cabin. I check the address West texted me once more.
“What on earth?” I whisper to myself.
I can see a small white sign taped to the front door so I get out of my car to investigate. The property is obviously several acres, because I can’t see any other homes from where I stand, and the only sounds I hear are the chirping of birds followed by a light breeze.
When I reach the front door, I read the note.
Mel, come on in.
-W
“Hmm.” I purse my lips and twist the door handle. The door is heavy and nearly twice my height, but it opens easily and I walk inside the foyer.
I look down and see a trail of paper arrows. I’m assuming West placed them here, so I follow them with an amused smile on my face. West is always full of surprises. Who knows what he’s up to. Being with him has shown me that I don’t always have to be in control. Sometimes life is more fun when it’s unplanned.
I continue following the arrows down a long hallway until I reach a huge, open room. There’s an impressive kitchen and large island, but the rest of the space is empty, like the whole house seems to be.
Turning in a circle to glance around the room, I spot a projector screen above the fireplace. The video is paused, so it’s just West’s smiling face filling the screen.
Taking a few steps toward the projector, I notice there’s another note, and next to it lies a single red rose and a remote. I pick the note up to read it with a big grin. This is so fun… like a scavenger hunt.
Press play.
-W
Grabbing the remote with a big smile, I press play and the video of West starts.
“Hey, Mel. I thought it was fitting to do this via video.” He winks at the camera. “I realize we’ve only been dating for about seven months. But I don’t think I can wait another moment to make you my wife.”
I feel my eyebrows shoot up to my hairline and realize my mouth is open as I gape at the video.
West continues talking on the recording, “I love you more than anything in the world, Melanie.” Video-West is looking deep into my eyes like he’s here in person. How is it that just a recording can make my heart leap?
“You’re the only one for me. Marry me, please?” The recording stops, and I’m left standing there breathless.
Happy tears brim in my eyes and I hear the clearing of a throat coming from behind me. I whip around and West is standing there looking impossibly handsome in worn jeans and a D.C. Eagles jersey. His teary eyes are mirroring my own and we’re both grinning at each other like fools.
“Yes!” I yell as I rush toward him. “I’ll marry you.”
He catches me in his arms and spins me around the large, open room. He comes to a stop, sets me down and pulls a little box out of his jeans pocket. When he opens it I gasp. The ring is more perfect than I ever could have imagined.
“Are those sapphires?” I ask as he slips the ring on my finger.
He nods. “I wanted azurite since they match your eyes exactly… but I saw this with the sapphires and knew it was the ring for you.”
Realization dawns on me when he mentions azurite. “Are the stones on your mantle azurite?”
He chuckles softly. “Yeah. They’re the exact same color as your eyes.”
“And the painting above your bed?”
