“Oh, I bet he was mad.”
“Surprisingly, he wasn’t. The next day he pulled it out and then proceeded to help Owen make the pit. The six of us then played around all day in the mud with the four-wheelers.” I chuckle. “I can still remember Mom’s face when we walked up to the front porch covered from head to toe in mud.”
“What did she do?” my girl asks, hanging on every word.
“She sprayed us with the water hose, then made us strip right there on the front porch before letting us inside.”
Her laugh surrounds us. “I’ll have to remember that.”
Finally, we approach the gazebo—the moment of truth. I remember being nervous when I asked Jennifer to marry me. Not because I was afraid she would say no, but because in the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure it was what I wanted. It was the next progression in life, so I went with it. This time it’s different. There are no jitters, no nerves, and nothing but absolute certainty that Sawyer is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.Epilogue SawyerSawyer“What happened to the lights?” I ask Royce as we walk toward the gazebo with nothing to guide us but the starry night sky.
“Watch your step,” he says, helping me up into the gazebo. “These lights,” he says as we’re suddenly bathed in a soft glow of twinkle lights.
“Wow,” I breathe, staring up at them. “These are different than before,” I say, noticing the new lights that hang from the ceiling, making them look like hundreds of twinkling stars. “Royce.” I turn to look at him only to find him kneeling on the same quilt we used that first night.
“You’re right. They are different. These are special, just for you,” he says, taking my hand in his.
“They’re beautiful,” I whisper.
“You’re beautiful,” he counters. “Sawyer.” He swallows hard. “You brought me back to life. You saved me from my past. I was living with the regrets of my past hanging over my head, but you changed all of that. You showed me that I have something worth living for.”
I run my shaking fingers over his hair. “You always did,” I tell him.
He nods. “But when I met you, it’s as if something just clicked into place. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s almost like my heart recognized that you were meant to be mine. Every day with you is better than the one before it. I can’t think of my future without seeing you by my side. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life loving you. I want to make babies with you. I want the future that we’ve talked about.”
I watch through tear-filled eyes as he opens the ring box and pulls the sparkling diamond out of it. “Sawyer Gibson, will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife? Will you live your forever with me, baby?”
I lose control of my emotions, and my tears begin to fall. Dropping to my knees, I kiss him hard. “Yes,” I say against his lips. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Loud shouts and clapping greet me. I look up to find his family, along with Hadley, Derek, Jase, Sam, and baby Aria, standing on the bank of the lake, watching us.
“She said yes!” Royce shouts.
“I can’t believe you pulled this off,” I tell him.
“I wanted it to be special for you. I wanted you to know that you have family and that it’s more than just me who loves you. They’re our family, Sawyer.”
“So many layers, Mr. Riggins,” I say, smiling.
“You love my layers.”
“Yeah, I do.”