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Jacob had to laugh when CJ rolled his eyes at him and grumbled as he started to clear the table.
Once they were outside, he reached for Becca’s hand and smiled when she linked her fingers through his. This was it, from this day on, their lives were going to be entwined together forever. He didn’t doubt it. He touched the little box in his pocket, hoping that she’d love the ring inside it. He did. He’d planned to get in touch with Smoke Hamilton’s wife, Laura. She was a jewelry designer and had a reputation as being one of the best in the business. But last night had convinced him that he didn’t want to wait; not for a ring to be made, not for some asshole to try anything else with Becca because she wasonlyhis girlfriend, not for anything. He wanted to marry her, he knew that she wanted to marry him, and he wanted to get started on their future today.
He opened the box inside his pocket and ran his finger over the simple solitaire inside it. It was right. He’d had visions of asking Laura to design something unique – he had no idea what that might even mean. But when Chuck had called Emmie-Lou, who owned the jewelry store in town and asked her if she could meet them as a special favor, Jacob had been prepared to buy whatever she had. He’d known this was the one when he saw it. It was a classic solitaire. Nothing fancy, but its simplicity only made it more beautiful – just like Becca.
Chuck had nearly choked when Emmie-Lou told him the price. It might be simple, but it was a three-carat diamond. While Jacob had been concerned that he might be getting off too cheaply, Chuck had thought the price was exorbitant. He’d even made Emmie-Lou knock five grand off. Jacob planned to make sure that five grand found its way into her cash register some other way. And if he could, he’d like to find a way to give Chuck the five grand that he’d ‘saved’ him. He wasn’t so sure he’d get away with that, though.
Becca tugged his hand, and he looked down at her. “Are you okay? You seem like you’re a million miles away.”
He stopped walking and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. “Sorry. I’m just enjoying the moment, thinking how lucky I am to be here.”
She laughed and looked around. “You think you’re lucky to be tramping across a field full of cow patties on your way to a gazebo that I’m sure you have no interest in seeing?”
He laughed and kissed her. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do think I’m lucky. I know I am because I’m here with you.”
“Aww.”
“And I’m looking forward to seeing the gazebo.” He didn’t tell her that he was looking forward to seeing how well his other stop this morning had paid off. He’d thought it was a tall order, especially on such short notice, but Chuck had reassured him that Donny – who ran the nursery and garden center – would be able to pull it off.
As they approached the hedge that sheltered the gazebo from the wind, he wondered if Chuck was wrong. But once they were past the hedge, a big smile spread across his face when he saw just how right he’d been. Donny was going to get a huge tip for this!
“What the …?” Becca had stopped dead and was staring at the gazebo; it was decorated with hundreds of bright blue cornflowers.
She turned big green eyes on him. “I have no idea …”
He laughed and kissed her. “I do – they’re for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes.” He tightened his grip on her hand and led her inside. He’d never seen so many flowers in one space in his life – even his mom’s interior decorators had never pulled off something like this. The gazebo was only maybe ten feet in diameter, and every inside surface, including all the benches under the arches, was covered with cornflowers.
“Jacob?” her eyes shimmered with tears. “What … What’s …?”
He drew her to him and closed his arms around her. “Do you remember when you told me about the cornflower in Fred?”
She nodded.
“You said that they’re the flower that most reminds you of home.”
She nodded again. “But they don’t even flower yet, it’s too early.”
He smiled. “It’s not too early, Becca. I thought it might be, but it isn’t. This is the right time.”
“The right time for what?” She looked around at all the flowers. “They’re not supposed to bloom until the spring.”
“No. They bloom when the time is right.” He smiled as a thought struck him. “I thought the time was wrong for me – that my time had passed. And at first, I thought that it was too soon for you. But …”
“I don’t get it, tell me what you’re talking about.”
He laughed and pulled the box out of his pocket as he got down on one knee. He held the ring up for her to see as he took hold of her hand.
“I’m talking about this, Becca.”
“Oh my God! Jacob!”
He laughed. “Yes, Becca. I’m talking about asking you to marry me. Before I met you, I’d started to believe that I wasn’t capable of love, that my heart had died when my parents did. But you showed me that I was wrong about that. My heart didn’t die, it was just waiting – waiting for you.
“You made me fall in love with you. And you showed me that I’m capable of feeling and of caring. You and your love are the most important things in my life, the life that you’ve opened me up to seeing again – the life that you’ve made possible by being in it.
