I had placed a blanket, a basket, and a cooler right in the middle of the gazebo. I had packed wine, fruit, and cheese.
“Layton, when did you do all of this?” Whitley asked as she looked back at me.
“This morning. Do you know how hard it was to pack up that basket? I practically killed myself, trying to pack it and put it into the truck before you got out of the shower. ”
Whitley laughed as she shook her head. She sat down and moved her hand along the blanket. “This blanket looks so old. Where in the world did you get it?”
I walked up and slowly sat down on the blanket.
“Are you hurting, babe?” she asked as she reached over for my hand.
Even though I was, I smiled. “Nah, I’m all right. Just still moving a bit slow is all. ”
She raised her eyebrow at me, like she knew I was lying.
“This was my grandmother’s blanket. It’s a very special blanket that my mother used to wrap Mike and me up in as we watched movies with her and my father on the sofa. She always used it when we went on picnics, which was all the time. She loved picnics. ” I smiled, thinking about how many times I’d watched her take the blanket out and lay it on the ground for all of us to sit on.
Whitley’s face lit up, and she grinned bigger. “I wish I could have met her. ”
I put my hand on her cheek and moved my thumb up and down on her soft skin. “So do I, baby. So do I. ”
I cleared my throat and tried to stop the shaking in my hands. “Anyway, when my grandfather asked my grandmother to marry him, it was on this very blanket. My father took my mother on a picnic, and he also used this blanket when he asked her to marry him. It was on this ranch…in about this very same spot. That was why they built the house where they did. ” I looked out west and smiled. “I can almost understand why my father left. He loved my mother so much, and I can’t imagine the pain he felt when she’d left him. ”
Whitley’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh my God, that is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. ”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the blue velvet box. Whitley started shaking her head as tears fell from her eyes.
“Whitley, you changed my whole life that day I saw you on the side of the road. You helped me put the past where it needed to be, and you showed me how to push my fears to the side, so I could learn to love again. I was so broken, but your love healed me and made me a better man. I don’t want to live a single minute without you. When you’re not with me, I ache to feel your touch and hear your sweet voice whisper in my ear how much you love me. I want to go to sleep every night and wake up every morning to you telling me you love me. I promise to always love you and take care of you. Forever. You are and will always be my forever. My everything. ”
I opened up the box, and Whitley let out a gasp as she started crying harder.
She barely whispered, “The ring,” as she looked into my eyes.
“Whitley, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Layton Morris?”
She started nodding. “Yes! Yes, a million times over!”
I took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger as I silently thanked God that those were happy tears she was crying.
“Will you dance with me, baby?” I got up and reached for her hand.
She stood and tried to wipe away the steady stream of tears.
I walked over and opened up my laptop sitting on the seat. As I started up my laptop, I looked back at her.
“This song says everything that’s in my heart. ”
I hit play, and “Changed by You” by Between the Trees started playing.
Whitley walked over and slammed herself into my body as she repeated over and over again, “I love you, Layton. I love you so much!”
As we danced to the song, I had an overwhelming feeling that we weren’t alone. I looked up and saw light beams coming through the trees, shining directly onto the blanket. I smiled, knowing that Mike and my parents were with me, with us. They would always be with Whit and me.
As the song finished, Whitley pulled back and looked into my eyes. I reached down and wiped away the wetness on her face.
“I’ve never in my life been so happy as I am in this very moment, Layton. I…I…” She closed her eyes and then opened them again. “I never thought I deserved this kind of love. ”
“Whitley—”