Page 82 of Curveball

So, while she was buried in work, I was buried in planning my proposal.

Her being busy made it easier to sneak off to my parents' house to string lights throughout the hay loft in their barn and cover it in wildflowers. I’d had my mom lure her to their barn tonight under the guise of needing her design opinions on repurposing it.

I was waiting near the ladder up to the loft, fingers tapping the ring box in my pocket as if it might burn through my jeans. When I heard my mom’s voice and Farrah’s laugh, my heart tried to climb into my throat.

They stepped into view.

Farrah’s eyes found mine, and her brows pinched. “Walk? What are you doing here? I thought you were going out with the guys tonight.”

My mom was smiling so hard she looked like she might split in half. She swiped at the tears already sliding down her cheeks. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she said, and then practically sprinted back toward the house.

Farrah tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, gaze sharp. “Okay. What’s going on, Ace?”

I took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Come with me.”

I led her up to the hayloft—our place.

The last time we’d been up here, I’d let her walk away.

Not this time.

She stepped onto the boards, took in the lights, the wildflowers, the soft glow against the hay bales. She turned to me, confusion on her face right up until her gaze dropped.

To the floor.

To me.

On one knee.

The diamond winked in the light. “Farrah King,” I said, voice rough. “I knew you were it for me when I was fifteen. I just… couldn’t legally marry you then.”

Her mouth trembled, and her eyes flooded.

“We made mistakes. We lost time. But we grew up. We found ourselves. And we still found our way back to each other.” I swallowed hard. “You make me whole, and you give my life meaning—you and Hadley both do. I’m so lucky I’m what you wanted because now I’m telling you what I want.”

I opened the box.

“Farrah, I want you to marry me. Will you marry me, Wildflower?”

She nodded, choking on a sob. She swiped under her eyes and dropped to her knees, throwing her arms around my neck.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes!”

I slid the ring onto her finger. She stared at it like it wasn’t real. She grabbed my face and kissed me like forever.

Because this time it was.

“I've always wanted you, Ace.”

Bonus Epilogue

Farrah

1 year after that

It was wild what could happen in a year. If you’d told me back then where my life would end up, I wouldn’t have believed you—mostly because it felt too good to be true.

Walker and I went with a short engagement… because honestly, we’d waited long enough. We were married that spring, and the ceremony was small, family only. We exchanged vows at sunset on our property, horses grazing nearby, wildflowers swaying in the breeze, the rolling hills turning gold behind us.