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I had to admit, I was a little jealous they had beat me to the altar. But I supposed that’s what I got for being in love with a divorce lawyer who was skittish about taking the plunge. He’d assured me he would get on the same page as me about it. He’d better start skimming the pages. Though, thankfully, my ovaries were still functioning.
My ears perked up. If I wasn’t mistaken, and I knew I wasn’t because I would know that voice anywhere, I heard “Affair of the Heart” playing in the evening breeze.
“Where are we?”
“We’re almost there.”
The music got louder the more we walked. It was nothing like seeing Rick in concert—especially up close from the first row, with my man holding me while Rick serenaded us—but this wasn’t bad at all. In fact, this was perfect, even though I had no idea what we were doing. Anytime I was with Brooks, I was in my happy place.
Before I knew it, we stopped. Our song was playing on repeat, and I smelled something divine. Rosemary and grilled steak. I was more and more curious about where we were.
“I’m going to let you go so I can pull out your chair.”
“Okay.” I stood still, waiting for him to come back before he helped me to my seat.
The seat had a soft cushion, but the back felt more like metal.
Brooks kissed my cheek once I was seated. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Grace.” He whipped off my blindfold.
Before me was a cute white candlelit table. I looked around to see that we were seated in the city park, under a tree that had been strung with lights. Our plates were filled with steak, rosemary potatoes, and asparagus. There were flutes filled with champagne that sparkled in the flickering light. The candles were doing their best not to go out in the light breeze.
“When did you do all this?”
“Colette and Lorelai helped,” he admitted.
“It’s perfect.” I tugged on his tie and laid a lipstick-ruining, heart-pounding, slip-of-the-tongue kind of kiss on him.
“Mmm,” he groaned. “I love when we have dessert first.”
“Me too. I say we just skip straight to it.”
Brooks kissed my forehead and lingered there. “We’ll get to dessert, but first, I have something to show you.” His voice wavered as if he were nervous. So unlike him.
I leaned away from him. “You’re not thinking of any public shows of indecency, are you, counselor?”
“Not exactly,” he swallowed.
“Should I be worried?”
“Just look over there.” He pointed out into the dark across the pond. Suddenly, a flash of light lit up the night and illuminated Pecan Orchard’s water tower.
“It’s the water tower.” I was so confused.
Brooks knelt next to me and tilted my chin up. The most beautiful words ever came into my view, surrounded by a giant red heart. Brooks loves Grace.
I gasped and threw my arms around him, almost knocking him to the ground. “You broke the law for me?” It was the best gift ever.
He cleared his throat. “Well, I got a permit from the city, and I hired a contractor to do the painting.”
I giggled. “That’s my man.”
“Grace,” he spoke low. “I want to be your man forever.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little blue box. Like Tiffany blue. My favorite blue.
Before he even opened it, the tears poured down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe this was happening. After almost twenty-five years, the voice proved to be right.
He carefully opened the lid with shaky hands to reveal a stunning round brilliant diamond with a platinum band. “Grace, will you marry me?”
“Are you sure? I know how you feel about marriage.”
“Grace, if there is one thing in my life I’m sure of, it’s that you and I are meant to be together. Will you be my wife and the mother of my children?”
I gazed into the face I loved and recognized more than any other in the world. The answer was easy. “Yes. A million times yes.”
