Dare Me(78)

We enjoy a nice dinner, laughing and catching up. It is so nice to see Saige laughing and happy. I know this place has mixed emotions for her and I always worry how she’s going to handle being back here. After she helps her mom clear the table, she slides back into her chair next to me. “It’s going to get dark soon,” she whispers to me. “Let’s go for a quick walk.” She presses a quick kiss to my lips and smiles.

“Let’s do it.” I kiss her back.

Brent eyes me quickly, then turns to Saige’s mom. “Should we start a bonfire?”

“Yes!” Brenda answers him quickly. “I’ve been waiting to use the new fire pit.” She turns to Saige. “He finally installed a gas fire pit outside. No more smelly hair.” She laughs.

“We’ll meet you back there,” Saige says as she stands up. Grabbing her puffy vest, she throws it on and wraps a scarf around her neck.

I throw on my wool blazer and follow Saige out the back door and across the newly paved patio. She laces her fingers through mine, and we walk the trail she blazed over the years trekking to and from the creek.

The late afternoon sky is beginning to darken as the sun lowers. The trail is stunning, lined by giant trees just beginning to spill their colorful leaves. Saige’s cheeks and nose are tinged pink from the cool autumn breeze.

She pulls me down the trail until we hit the clearing, when she drops my hand. The large boulder sits off to the left and the creek flutters along. This place truly is majestic. Saige bounds down the remainder of the trail, stopping at the creek’s edge. She bends down and picks up a rock, tossing it into the water, causing small ripples.

The sky is bright orange, the color of fire. Nowhere in my life have I ever been somewhere so perfect. I walk toward Saige, my hands stuffed in my front pockets. I pull out the oval diamond ring and hide it in my enclosed palm. As I approach Saige, she slides her arm into mine, hooking it around my elbow, and rests her head on my shoulder.

“I’m so in love with this place,” she says peacefully as we stare into the amazing sky. “Have you ever seen anything this beautiful?”

I swallow hard and pull away from her, positioning myself in front of her. “I have,” I say gently, my voice hitching.

She looks at me, confused, sensing my nervousness. “What’s wrong?”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Then I open them to look at her. She’s breathtaking anywhere, even on her worst day. But there’s something about being back here that lights her up, makes her simply stunning surrounded by the simplicity of this farm. Her long, dark hair is blowing in the breeze. Her lips are pressed together, and her green eyes shine in the remaining rays of the glowing sun.

Stunning.

Without another thought, I drop to my knee. Her eyebrows shoot up, her hands covering her mouth. Her entire body trembles as she takes in the realization of what is about to happen.

“Saige . . .” I start, having to pause and clear my throat.

Tears fill her eyes, and I find myself getting emotional. “For the rest of my life, I want you by my side. I want to be your husband, and I want you to be my wife. I want my children to have your eyes and your outgoing personality. Everything in my life that I’ve ever wanted, I want with you. Will you marry me?”

She drops to her knees in front of me and wraps her arms around me. Burying her face in my neck, she cries softly. Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

“Saige?”

“Yes.” She pulls back, her eyes sparkling. “I’ll marry you.”

I feel the relief like a flood, and I can’t stop smiling. She wipes her tears and we stand up. Her chin is trembling as she stares at me, not saying anything.

I frown. “Is everything okay?”

“I just keep reassuring myself that this is real life. I’m afraid I’m going to wake up from a dream and not be your fiancée.”

Well, if that’s her only worry, that’s easily remedied. “Oh, you’re my fiancée,” I chuckle, “and then you’re going to be my wife—”

“I knew you’d use those words against me someday.” She laughs as more tears spill from her eyes. I’ll never forget her spitting out those words on my patio . . . that she’d never be my girlfriend turned fiancée turned wife. I made it my mission to prove her wrong and, proudly, she’s mine. My fiancée.

I wipe the tears from her cheeks and pull her into a hug. “I couldn’t wait to.”

I savor this moment with Saige in my arms while I envision our future. Nothing is certain, but with Saige by my side, everything will be perfect.

After a long moment, she wiggles out of my embrace. “Come on; let’s get back to the house before we get stuck out here in the dark.”

We walk briskly back toward the house, the wind picking up slightly as we go. Brent and Brenda are waiting for us, Brenda bouncing on edge of her toes. Saige drops my hand as we clear the trail, and she takes off running like a little girl. I laugh as she jumps into Brent’s open arms, and he swings her around. Her mom wraps herself around both of them. I laugh at their yelps and laughter, and join them on the patio when I finally catch up.

“I’m getting married!” Saige squeals over and over again.

“Welcome to the family, brother.” Brent shakes my hand.

“I’m not in quite yet,” I tease.