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He laughs loudly. “Don’t worry; we’re staying in the compound.”
I place my hand on my chest and laugh. “Okay, I was worried for a second.”
“Not trying to get you lost again, honey.”
“Well, thank you for that, handsome.” I kiss him softly, and we walk through the town with his hand on my lower back. “Did you want to talk about something?” I ask, wondering why he wants an impromptu walk.
He shakes his head. “Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see you again before I went to work.”
I smile at him as the bustling main town center sounds reach my ears. I was going to come to the market later today, anyway, so I can pick up my food and seeds here before returning home. I think it’s sweet that he does things like this; he wants to go on a random walk with me, wakes me up with breakfast in bed, or gets me flowers for no reason other than he loves me.
We walk through the crowd, his hand on my lower back as I notice Bonnie, Ur, and Loki in the middle of the town square. I’m shocked and look at Hurian with confusion.
“Aren’t they supposed to be working? Is everything okay?”
Hurian smiles, and we keep walking toward them. “Everything’s fine.” He looks at me and winks. “We’re almost there.”
Almost there? Almost where?I try to look through the crowd to see more of them, and we finally push through the main center, and I see them standing around a large wooden stand. I cock my head to the side and smile at Bonnie as she runs to me and hugs me tightly. She pulls back from the embrace and walks me to the stand.
“What are you guys up to?” I ask with a sly grin.
“Happy birthday, Dana!” They all cheer and throw their hands up.
I smile, but I’m confused. Why are we in the middle of the town center? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I don’t understand what’s happening. Hurian chuckles from behind me and nudges me toward the stand.
“You should go see what’s over there,” he says gently.
I look at him skeptically and walk toward the stand, and I see a variety of plants, flowers, and herbs on the frame. They’re beautiful and are organized according to purpose…
“Hurian,” I turn around with my mouth wide open.
“It’s your stand,” he says as he puts his hands around my waist. “We already confirmed it with Loki and the other merchants. Congratulations, Dana.”
“What?” I cover my mouth and look at Bonnie, Ur, and Loki, smiling and laughing. “You’re kidding! I don’t even know where I’ll get more, though; I don’t…”
“I’ve had a garden started on the village's outskirts, right outside the gates. That, along with the one you’ve begun in our backyard, should give you more than enough supply to begin.” Hurian motions to the stand. “Once all these are bought, which…” he exhales playfully. “I can imagine they will be soon.”
I throw myself into his arms and begin weeping. I can’t believe this; I’m in shock. I’ve never known love like this from my friends and a partner. I feel Bonnie join our hug and hold onto her as tightly as I do Hurian as I cry.
Once the hug breaks, I wipe the tears from my eyes and look at them as I laugh. I turn to the stand again and examine what they’ve collected. In the middle of the table is a bunch of calendulas. I look at Hurian, and he shrugs with a grin.
I run my fingers over the wood on the stand and think about how much I’ll be able to help people with this. I grin and can’t control myself; I turn around, run and jump on Hurian, folding my legs around him as he catches me in mid-air and laughs.
“Thank you, oh Hurian, thank you,” I weep into his shoulder.
“No, baby, thank you.” I pull back from his shoulder and look into his eyes as he continues. “Without you, I would be miserable. If I hadn’t found you in the woods that day, the rest of my life would have been nothing but darkness and agony.Youare the light I needed, and still need, to keep going.”
“Hurian…”
He holds up a finger and smiles. “And the only thing I can think of that would make this even better is if you would be my mate. So…” He puts me down on the ground and wraps his arms around me. “Dana, will you be my mate?”
My mouth drops, and I look at Ur, Bonnie, and Loki, all looking on with broad grins. I turn back to Hurian and nod enthusiastically, tears spilling down my cheeks.
“Yes, Hurian, yes, of course, I will!”
We laugh, and he holds me tightly. I cry into his chest, tears of relief because I finally made it to have my dream job, find my true love, and live the happiest life I can with a fantastic man and friends by my side. I’ve never felt more safe, understood, or joyful than I do now. I guess I was wrong earlier today- I’m not already living my happily ever after. It’s just getting started.
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