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Janessa laughed as she slid over to where he indicated, then she closed her eyes, trying to guess what he might have bought her. She was wearing the necklace and earrings he’d given her for Christmas. The silver chain had a heart-shaped locket, and the earrings had matching hearts dangling from them. Each had a tiny diamond in the center.
As she waited for Will to tell her that she could open her eyes, Janessa reached up and fingered the locket.
“O… okay.” Will’s voice sounded strangely nervous. “You can open your eyes.”
Janessa popped her eyes open, expecting to see him standing there with a gift bag or a wrapped box. Instead, he was down on one knee in front of her, a ring between his fingers held in front of him. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at him.
“Janessa, you are the most wonderful woman I know, and I love you with all my heart. As we’ve been together these past eight months, I’ve fallen more and more in love with you. The strength you’ve shown as you faced your fears has been inspiring. The joy you’ve shared with me and the love you’ve given me have been a blessing. You are simply amazing, and I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
Janessa had hoped that she and Will would get married one day, but she hadn’t expected a proposal so soon. She’d thought that he’d want to wait until he could see for sure that she had a firm grasp on her fear.
But here he was, ready to pledge himself to her without the passage of time as an assurance that she’d be okay.
Janessa’s hands trembled as she reached out to cup Will’s face. “I love you so much, Will. Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife.”
The tension on Will’s face eased into a smile. He got to his feet and pulled Janessa into his arms. She clung to him as tears slid down her cheeks. Enduring that rough patch following the accident made being at this point in their relationship so surreal and such a blessing.
“You’ve made me so happy.” Will let go of her, then took her hand with a smile, his eyes looking suspiciously damp. “Can I give you your ring?”
“Oh, yes. Please!” She stared down at their hands as he slid the ring onto her finger. “Will, it’s beautiful.”
“Are you sure you like it?” he asked. “I got some input before I bought it.”
Janessa lifted her hand to look at it more closely. The ring was simple, with a modest sized diamond flanked by two smaller ones on each side on a white gold band. It was just perfect. “I don’t just like it, I love it.”
“Is it a nice enough birthday present?” His grin showed he wasn’t worried that she might wish he’d given her something else for her birthday.
“The ring is wonderful,” she assured him. “But the best present was your proposal.”
“Then this is like my birthday too, because you saying yes is also the best gift for me.”
That made Janessa laugh. “You’re going to have a very hard time topping this birthday celebration.”
“I know, but hopefully you realize that there’s really no way I can ever do that, so your expectations should be more realistic from this point on.”
Janessa moved to wrap her arms around his shoulders, then gazed up at him. “Tell me you love me, maybe buy me flowers and dinner, and you’ll be fine.”
“Thanks for cutting me some slack,” Will said. “Now I know you love me.”
“Always and forever,” she assured him.
When Will lowered his head to kiss her, Janessa felt a rush of emotion. Love. Joy. Happiness. And so much thankfulness.
Her ability to trust God had grown over the past several months, and it enabled her to look toward the future with confidence. She had no idea what their life together might hold, but she knew that good or bad, she wouldn’t be alone.
They swayed to the music for a couple of minutes before Will said, “I need to let everyone know that you said yes.”
“Was there any doubt?” Janessa asked as he picked up his phone from the table.
“Well, there’s always a chance.” He bent a little so their faces were close together. “Smile!”
After he took the picture, Janessa leaned against his arm, smiling as she read the message he tapped out to send to their families.
Happiest man on earth! She said yes!
Once he’d attached the picture, he pressed send. After he slid his phone into his pocket, he slipped his arms around her waist, and together they stared out at the darkening sky.
“So you told everyone you planned to propose?”
