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The four of us talked and laughed as we walked, but eventually, Jonas and Ella picked up their pace and left us behind. I tried to keep up with them, but Dylan slowed me down and held my hand tight.
I felt like something big was about to happen, and my chest got tight with anticipation. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much, but I feared it was far too late for that.
Dylan and I walked in silence for a few minutes, our fingers intertwined with one another in a familiar way. I jumped when a firework shot into the air above the water with a loud pop.
I glanced over at him, and he was trying to keep the smile off his face, but he was not doing a great job.
“Did you have something to do with this?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him as more fireworks shot into the air.
“Now, why would you think that?”
I rolled my eyes at him, even though I knew he couldn’t see me in the dark. He knew me well enough by now to know that I didn’t believe a word of his denial. We continued walking and came across a large blanket laid out in the sand. There was a bottle of champagne and two glasses nestled in the sand, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Shall we sit?” he asked, gesturing to the blanket.
I nodded and followed him to the blanket where he pulled me down in front of him and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into his chest and felt completely at home. Every time I was with him, it felt like it was exactly where I was supposed to be.
He held me as we watched the fireworks shoot off above the ocean. The reflection on the water was mesmerizing, and I got lost in my thoughts about how completely perfect life was in that moment.
As the pace and frequency of the fireworks began to pick up, Dylan slowly sat up and rose to his feet. He grabbed my hands and pulled me up to him and wrapped his arms around me. He held me close and kissed my cheek, neck, and hair until he eventually reached into his pocket and bent down onto one knee.
It only took a second for my tears to begin flowing. Even with my suspicions, it was still a complete surprise. I trembled as I held Dylan’s hand, waiting for him to say something. It took me a moment to realize that he was a bit choked up, too.
“Grace,” he whispered.
I smiled at the sound of my name, and waited for him to continue.
“From the very first day we met, my life changed in ways I could have never predicted. You brought a light into my life, and you've shown me a love that's pure and profound. I can't imagine a life without you by my side.”
I wiped a tear and waited with anticipation, knowing what was coming next. I had to bite my tongue to keep from shouting out my answer before he even asked the question.
“So, Grace, the love of my life. The most wonderful woman in the world. Will you please marry me?”
His voice shook as he spoke and for some reason, that small fact made me want to marry him even more. I couldn’t get a single word out, so I just nodded my head with all the vigor I could manage.
The last of the fireworks shot off behind us, lighting the sky with reds, blues, greens, and yellows as Dylan rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around me. He picked me up and spun me around in the sand, and I laughed as I realized that the rest of my life was going to be full of the same spontaneous and happy moments.
He set me down and slipped the ring onto my shaking hands, and I only had a second to admire it before his lips were on mine, and he was holding me tight against him.
Somewhere in the distance, music started playing. Dylan bent down and took his shoes and socks off, and I followed suit, tossing my heels into the sand. He lead me down towards the water where he wrapped his arms around me again and whispered into my ear all the things he loved about me.
We danced and swayed to the music and the sound of the waves hitting our ankles for a long time. I never wanted the moment to end, but eventually, he brought me back up to the blanket and poured two glasses of champagne.
“I cannot wait to live my life with you,” he said as the edges of our glasses touched.
As we sipped, I heard shouting and cheering coming from further up the shore. When I looked back, Ella was jumping up and down, waving her arms in the air.
“Can we come down there yet?” she shouted.
Dylan sighed and shook his head.
“Yes!” he yelled up towards her.
She grabbed Jonas’ hand and started racing down the sand towards us, nearly falling on her face multiple times. When she finally reached us, she jumped on top of us and wrapped us in a hug. Jonas stood behind her, watching her fondly.
“I’m so happy for you guys. And you’re welcome, by the way.”
“For what?” Dylan asked, an eyebrow raised.
“For setting you two up. I basically made this all happen, you know?”
“Oh, you did?” I asked, matching Dylan’s confused expression.
“Yep,” she said with a grin, “it was all part of the plan.”
The four of us laughed until our sides ached, and in that moment, I realized that life really doesn’t get better than this.
THE END
