Page 83 of The Other Plan

He’d regrown his hair, and his sun-bleached beach waves neared his chin. He pushed a hand through the wet, golden hair, tucking it behind his ears. His shirtless body glistened in the summer sunlight, and the rays amplified every muscular inch of his toned, tanned torso. He looked just like the guy I’d fallen in love with eleven years ago.

And now he was mine. I didn’t think I’d ever stop having my breath stolen away when I saw him.

The past year had been nothing short of magical. Carter had moved in with me and Arnold a month after Valentina and Eric’s wedding. It didn’t even feel rushed or too soon. It just felt natural. Normal. Like we’d always been a couple. Like we’d never missed a day apart from that first time we’d met on that beach. We’d settled into our new routine at home, and a month later, Carter had purchased his first piece of land on the waterfront along with his first fleet of kayaks and boards.

With my local connections spreading the word to send tourists his way, his new business had taken off immediately. So fast, in fact, he’d already found two more pieces of waterfront property we’d be renting to expand into more areas of Door County. Next summer, he’d have ten full-time employees taking tourists out around the shoreline. But he’d still be out there with them because he loved it and it wasn’t work for him.

Every day he told me he’d never been happier. And I believed him because I’d never been happier either. He was living his dream on the water, and every day I got to plan beautiful weddings in the place I loved. We’d taken two months off over the winter and had gone back to where we’d met in Hawaii. We’d loved it so much we’d even started looking at winter rental properties there so when Carter’s business shut down for the winter, and my weddings were over for the season, we could head south for a few months, and he could give paddleboarding and surfing lessons all winter long.

Life was perfect. A better dream than I’d ever have been able to imagine.

“Come over here, baby. There’s something in the water!” Carter called.

“What is it?” I stopped gawking at him and started paddling. “A fish?”

“I don’t think so. Come check it out.”

Curious about his discovery, I dug down into the water and paddled faster. Arnold wiggled beneath me, always excited when we picked up speed. When I got to Carter, he was kneeling on his board, staring at the water below him.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Do you see it?”

“What the hell am I even looking for?”

Then, suddenly I saw a little movement in the water, a shimmery flash that caught my eye.

“Oh! I saw something!”

It moved again, dancing and sparkling in the water as it rose toward the top.

“What is it? A fishing lure? What the hell?”

Confusion pushed my brow together as I tried to make out the object distorted by the ripples of water above it.

“It’s getting closer,” Carter said, excitement in his voice.

“What is getting closer? And how is it getting closer?” It didn’t look like a fish, but it certainly moved toward the top of the water like it was on a mission.

Arnold peered over the edge, the sparkling object catching his curious gaze. As it lifted to the top, I suddenly made out exactly what was rising to the surface.

“Oh, my God!” I dropped my paddle as I cupped a hand over my mouth.

A beautiful, sparkling diamond ring lifted out of the water, and I finally saw the thin piece of fishing line attached to it... the very same line that led right to Carter’s hand.

My gaze flew from the ring to him, and his charming smile met me as he kneeled facing me on his board.

He glanced at the ring, then back at me. “Oh, my God. A diamond engagement ring! What are the chances of that?”

“Carter,” I breathed.

His playful demeanor softened as he pulled the dangling ring into his hand. When he flipped it upright to present it to me, my heart sped up to racing.

“Jenna Parker, I love you. I have loved you since the first time I saw you, and I’m going to love you until my dying breath. And longer even. If you outlive me, I’ll be haunting you, still loving you from the grave like some lovesick ghost just following you around like a creeper waiting for you to join me in the afterlife where I’ll love you even longer.”

I laughed, shaking my head as he smiled back.

“But in this life, and the next, and the one after that, or whatever the hell awaits us, I’m gonna love you. Always. And I want you by my side for every step of this life and the next. I know you always like to have a plan, so plan on this... plan on me loving you until the end of time. Now please make me the happiest man who’s ever lived and say yes to being my wife. Will you marry me, Jenna?”