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“I promise you can be in charge of the next surprise.”
Hand still firmly in his, he tows me passed the kids rolling in the grass with the dog, barks and giggles drifting in the air, and up the steps. A waved finger serves to greet our friends because Dane hauls me around to the other side of the porch.
“What about Ophelia?” That little twinge in my gut kicks in, though far weakened from two months ago. The combination of therapy, self-care, and challenging my fears with action has considerably lessened my daily sensations to a manageable degree. Each day with practice, the sensations decrease until my heart rarely picks up without reason anymore.
“They’ll watch her. You’ve worked hard today and deserve a rest.”
A glance over my shoulder confirms. Evie winks and shoos me away.
Around the corner, two black Adirondack chairs face the sun sinking behind the pine trees surrounding our perimeter.
“When did you get these?” I sit in the one to his left, and he takes the one on the right, hands still firmly clasped.
“Duke and Ronnie made them in their shop as a housewarming gift.” His gaze shifts out to the waning daylight.
“They’re beautiful.” I run my fingers over the smooth surface.
“I want to spend every night with you just like this, in these chairs, watching that sunset.”
I look over to find him watching me with intensity. “I do too.”
Dane slips out of his chair, dropping to one knee on the porch. He removes his free hand from his pocket and glides a simple gold band over my left ring finger.
“Then marry me, Caiti. It’s my turn to love you. It’d be the greatest honor of my life if you and Ophelia carried my last name. I know this is probably scary for you, and fast, but when something feels this right, I can’t pass it up. I promise to be by your side and do my best to cushion you from the bad parts and love you for the rest of our lives.”
My heart slams against my ribs. I lurch from my seat, landing in front of him on my knees, and take his face between my palms. I don’t even ponder his request.
“Yes. The answer is yes.”
His lips touch mine, sealing our engagement with an intense kiss. Not a moment later, Rhett whoops, and Evie cheers behind us.
“I thought only the dude is supposed to get down on one knee,” Rhett jokes, a wide grin splitting his face.
“I’m sending you the video now. I got the entire proposal,” Evie says through a watery voice. “I have to send it to the girls.”
“We saw the entire thing from the window.” Cami rounds the corner with her hands folded against her chest, leading the pack of the rest of our friends. “But send the video anyway.”
Dane helps me to my feet, and Rhett moves in for a hug.
“You knew?” I ask over his shoulder, eyeing my sister.
“Of course I did. We all knew. I knew about the puppies too. Do you know how hard it’s been keeping secrets from you?”
“I’m surprised, honestly. I thought you might blab,” Dane jests.
Evie pulls him in for a tight hug. “Never about something as huge as this, but if you ever do anything behind her back and I find out about it, you better watch the hell out.”
“Noted.” Dane releases her, and she moves to me.
I tuck my face tight to the side of her neck, hiding my expression from the rest. “I have so many things I could thank you for. Thank you for being the best sister-in-law. Thank you for finding this town and the wonderful people here who’ve welcomed me with open arms. Most importantly, thank you for not giving up on me and holding space, even when I wasn’t around.”
“Stop.” Evie bursts into a loud sob. “I can’t hold it in when you say it like that. I love you too.”
I kiss her cheek and move smoothly back into my fiancé’s arms. The gold band on my ring finger glints in the fading sun.
I can’t predict what the future holds. But even if I had a crystal ball, I’m not sure I’d ask it for answers. After I lost Eric, I stopped living. I’d take each new day as something I needed to get through, only to wake up in the morning to do it all over again. For three years, I repeated the monotonous process.
But in the past two months, I’ve learned to stop fearing the future, and I no longer wake up wanting to simply get through the day unscathed. I wake up with anticipation and love in my heart, even if it still shares the space with a few quickened beats of discomfort.
I’ve truly survived the worst a person can experience—nearly twice. Even if I did have to double my therapy appointments to help me process after Dane’s accident. The journey, no matter how hard, has given me opportunities of hope that have made the pain of it all worth it.
Tucked in the arms of a man who loves me unconditionally and true, on the porch of the house we plan to spend the rest of our lives in, with our friends present and the family we’re starting together, I can finally admit what I’ve been trying to deny.
I’m ready for our turn to begin.
