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I follow her into the barn. She tosses me a carrot. By the time I get back from feeding Maximus, she’s got the saddle on Water. I grab the strap and pass it to her. Then I head back outside. Timing is going to be crucial. I need to be ready to go when she rides Water out of the barn.
We haven’t even started the competition, and my heart is already pounding.
“Race?” I yell as soon as I see her.
I take off before she can say anything.
“Hey, no fair!”
She gives chase, and I’m sure Water runs his heart out. But my head start was massive. There’s no way she can catch up.
When she crosses the finish line, I’m already off of Maximus. Bella pulls on the reins and slides off Water before he comes to a complete stop.
Then she marches over to me, eyes blazing. “What are you smiling about?” she asks.
I’m smiling because I executed my plan perfectly. As she gets close, I drop to one knee. “What are you…”
I reach into my pocket and pull out a box. I pop it open, revealing the ring I had custom-made for her.
“Will you marry me?”
She’s speechless. I’ve caught her off guard, just like I planned. She was about ready to kill me and now…
“Marry me. I promise to let you win every race for the rest of our lives.”
“No. I don’t want to marry someone who lets me win.”
“Good.”
She throws herself at me and kisses me. I catch her and she covers my face with kisses.
“Let me put it on you, Bella.”
I slide it onto her finger and hold her hand up so she can get a good look. The diamond is surrounded by alternating rubies and sapphires. I knew exactly what I wanted. Something special and unique. Like my Bella.
“Red for fire and…”
“Blue for water. Oh, Alex.”
“It’s like us. We shouldn’t be compatible on the surface, but where it matters, we are.”
We kiss for a long time, and then I pull out a blanket and spread it out on the ground. We stretch out together, and I wrap my arms around her. She lays her head on my chest, and we talk for what seems like hours.
The sun climbs higher. She pulls herself up and looks down at me. I trace the outline of her face.
“We have to go back. They need water. I do, too, in fact.”
“Plus, we need to tell Lily,” Bella adds.
Lily already knows. I told her, even showed her the ring. She was thrilled. Still, Bella should share the joy.
Since it’s hotter, we walk the horses back rather than race them. Lily’s waiting for us on the porch. My mom. My real mom. “He asked me to marry him, Aunt Lily!”
Lily claps her hands and comes running. Bella shows her the ring. Our eyes meet over Bella’s shoulder. “Wait.” Bella pulls away. “Did you know?”
“Guilty.” Lily hugs Bella tightly. “You’ve always been like a daughter to me. But this makes me even happier. It was a son telling his mom about the girl he’s in love with..”
The horses head right to the water trough. I wrap my arm around my girl.
