The girls stay in the kitchen and finish seasoning the food. I hear Courtney and Viola chatting with my mother and Kayla’s in there too, talking about a dog that’d be just perfect for my parents. I walk away laughing, knowing they won’t be able to leave without agreeing to adopt at least one of her shelter dogs.
Larry, Dad, and I walk onto the deck where Travis and Logan are hanging out. I offer them a couple beers from the cooler and hand them over. My palms are starting to sweat as my plan starts to move into motion. The pan of meat is on the table, ready to go, but before I do, I lift the lid of the grill and set a single blueberry muffin down in the center. I look inside the house through the patio sliding doors to make sure Courtney isn’t coming out yet and when I see the coast is clear, I shut the grill down and pretend to light it.
“Fuck,” I curse just loud enough for my words to echo into the kitchen. The guys huddle around me as if they’re trying to help me figure it out. After a minute passes, I open the screen door and poke my head inside. “Hey, Court?”
“Yeah?” she shouts from the kitchen, although it’s only a few feet away.
“Were you messing with the grill? I can’t get it to light,” I tell her.
“No, I didn’t touch it. Not since the last time you had me light it.”
I smile at the memory of a few weeks ago when I pretended I couldn’t light it so I wouldn’t make her suspicious. Now she just thinks I’m incapable of lighting the grill.
“Well, it’s not working. I double-checked all the knobs and tubes.” I make sure to sound extra annoyed.
She comes around the kitchen island and meets me at the patio door with a scowl. “How is it you can kick down hotel doors, shoot guns, and keep control of a car going ninety miles an hour, but you can’t light a freaking grill?”
I lower my lips into a pathetic pout and shrug my shoulders. “Why must you make fun of me?”
She presses a kiss against my lips. “Because you make it too easy, Deputy.”
I smile and pretend to agree.
She pushes through me and steps out onto the patio. “Move out, boys. Time to let a girl show you how it’s done,” she shouts proudly.
We all step out of the way as she makes her way to the grill. I stay behind her so she can’t see me, and I kneel. Everyone is standing on the patio in a half circle, anxiously waiting.
“Now, you turn the igniter knob over here to the fire icon, okay? Then you put the burner to high and click this button until it lights.” She goes through the motions as she explains herself, except I’ve already disconnected the propane so it won’t light.
“What the hell?” she curses to herself and when she goes to lift the lid, my heart pounds loudly in my chest.
She’s playing with the knobs as she lifts it all the way up and it takes her a second to notice the muffin. “What in the world, Drew?” she shouts as if I’ve pranked her. “We’re grilling my muffins now?” It’s not until she lifts it and takes it in her hand does she see the engagement ring sitting on top. “Oh my God.” Her body stills and we all wait in silence as she finally turns around and sees I’m down on one knee. “What are you doing?” she asks as tears surface in her eyes.
“Sweetheart…there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank the Lord for putting you in my life at a time when I needed it the most—even when I didn’t realize it—you were always the one. You know me better than anyone, you’re my best friend, and the love of my life. I’ll even go as far as saying my soul mate. This past year hasn’t been easy for us, but one thing always remained. Loving you has and will always be effortless. I can’t see my life without you in it—nor would I ever want to—and there’s nothing in the world that’d make me happier than you becoming my wife.”
“Oh my God,” she cries out, covering her mouth with her hands. I can tell she’s smiling by the way her cheeks lift to her eyes.
“Courtney Rose-Marie Bishop, will you marry me and make all my dreams come true?”
She nods her head furiously before any words come out. I stand up and wrap my arms around her before she finally says the word just loud enough for me to hear—yes. I cup her cheeks and bring her mouth to mine, kissing her fiercely as tears of joy fall down her cheeks.