She was going to be speechless when she saw it; I knew that much.
Hunter opened the door of the greenhouse and gave me a thumbs up. I walked over to the arch and stretched my hand out to Buck, an old friend from high school who was now referred to as Preacher Gale after he took over as lead pastor at the First United Methodist Church.
“Buck,” I said in a low voice. “Thank you for doing this.”
He grinned. “It’s my pleasure, Bishop. I’m happy for the two of you.”
Giving him a nod, I felt my heart race a bit faster at the sound of the Mule coming down from the house.
One quick look at Hunter confirmed he was ready by the small Bose speaker. Brighton had taken her role as photographer seriously, as well, and she was flitting all over the greenhouse snapping pictures of guests, the lanterns, the dogs. She even took a picture of Buck as if she was a professional.
Greer stood off to the side, in a good spot for filming Kyle and then Abby.
Lance and Karen, Kyle and Greer’s folks, had brought the puppy, who was now in the back corner sleeping soundly with Jack and Cat. The only way to keep the little rascal happy was to let her hang with the two older dogs. Lance had played with them outside for the last hour, throwing a ball and playing tug of war until the three of them had nearly collapsed in the snow from exhaustion.
Given where Hunter was standing, even if Abby looked that way, she’d most likely only see Jack and Cat. That wouldn’t surprise her, since Hunter and Kyle brought their dogs with them nearly everywhere.
I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. I looked over at Lance again and held up my ring finger and pointed to it. Hopefully he hadn’t tied the ring to the puppy’s collar until after she fell asleep.
He held up the ring box and gave me a thumbs up.
Then, the doors opened to the greenhouse and Kyle walked in. I could see Abby sitting in the Mule, a wide grin on her face as she watched him.
He had on black pants, a white shirt, a black tie, and the flower jacket. He looked and played the part of the flower guy like a pro.
Hunter hit play, and Abby’s favorite song, “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain, started up. Kyle unzipped his fanny pack, shot his hands out and made guns with his fingers before he tipped the cowboy hat he was wearing and started to dance down the aisle, tossing red rose petals in the air.
He took his time, in true Kyle fashion. It wasn’t a very long walk, with the greenhouse only being sixty feet long—which in Abby’s opinion, had not been long enough when we first built it. Brighton laughed her ass off snapping pictures. At one point, the bastard stopped and kissed the back of his mother’s hand as she wiped tears of laughter from her cheeks.
Once Kyle got to the end, he reached his hand out for me and I shook it, then pulled him in for a quick hug. “I love you, man.”
Kyle drew back and nodded. I could see he was fighting to keep from crying. “I love you, too, Bishop.” He gave me a nod and a slap on the side of my arm, then swiftly walked to his table and took a seat.
When I glanced back toward the door, Abby stood there with a wide smile on her face. With a slight chuckle, she announced, “I’m not sure I can top that!”
I, along with everyone else, laughed.
Hunter hit play again, and a Christmas instrumental song began as Abby made her way toward me. Tears burned at the back of my eyes before I finally just let them flow. I could tell Abby was also fighting to keep her tears under control. The song ended just as she stepped up next to me and I let my eyes wander over her. The cream dress she wore was stunning as the crystals that were sewn on it caught the flickering light all around us. And when she walked, I couldn’t help noticing the slit that gave the sexiest peek of her leg. My entire body caught on fire looking at her. Her upper teeth dug into her lower lip, and I reached up and gently ran my finger over her lips to get her to let go.
“You look beautiful, Abs.”
A sob slipped free, and she blinked rapidly as her tears fell. “You…look so handsome, Bishop.”
I cupped her face in my hands and brushed her tears away with my thumbs. “Don’t cry, angel.”
Her eyes closed and she let out a deep breath before she focused back on me.