As we walked for a little bit, we talked about the baby and the plans to make the guest bedroom downstairs the nursery since I couldn’t bear the idea of the baby being upstairs and so far away from us.
“Do you want to find out if it’s a boy or a girl??
? I asked.
Scott came to a stop and turned as he took both of my hands in his. “Do you?” he asked.
I giggled. “Yes! I don’t think I could stand the wait. Plus, we can decorate the room either for a boy or a girl.”
Scott grinned. “Then, it looks like we’ll be finding out.”
I looked out over the river. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The sun still had a good thirty minutes before it would set, giving us plenty of time to walk back to Scott’s truck.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I watched the sunrays dance along the top of the water.
“Yeah, it is,” Scott replied back.
Then, I turned to see him getting down on one knee as he reached into his pocket. He took out a small blue velvet jewelry box, and my mouth dropped open as I instantly began crying.
“Oh, Scott…” I put my hand up to my mouth to hold back the sobs.
He let go of my other hand and opened up the ring box.
I let out a gasp. Oh…it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.
“Jessie, I think I’ve known that I wanted you to be my wife from the first moment you smiled at me. I want to have kids with you, grow old with you, fight and make up with you.”
He wiggled his eyebrows up and down, and I let out a giggle.
“I want to be able to tell you every day that I love you. I want to prove to you every day that I’ve never loved and cherished anything in my life like I do you. I love you to the moon and back, baby. I always have, and I always will.”
I couldn’t control my sobs. Damn hormones. I smiled and wiped the tears away as he took the ring out and held it up.
“This was my grandmother’s ring, and I know she would have loved you, Jessie. You would have captivated her, just like you have me.”
He took my left hand and went to put the ring on my finger, but he stopped and looked back up at me with tears building in his eyes.
Scott tried to talk, but his voice cracked. He cleared it and smiled. “I know the last few months haven’t been exactly how we would have liked, but if I had the choice of whether or not to do it over again, knowing it would put me right here in front of you, I would do it again. I’d rather die than ever lose you. You will always be mine. Forever. Jessica Ann Rhodes, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I could hardly see him through my tears as I nodded. “Yes…oh, Scott, yes.”
He stood, and I threw myself into his arms. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around him. I pulled my head back and slammed my lips against his.
Then, I kept repeating, “Yes,” over and over again.
We kissed each other like crazy fools. I had dreamed of this day for so long, and I’d never imagined it would make me as happy as I was.
“Baby, I love you so much,” Scott said.
“I love you…oh god, I love you so much it hurts,” I said in between kisses.
After we kissed for what felt like forever, he slowly let me down. I felt his erection, and I wanted nothing more than to strip down and tell him to take me up against a tree. I wanted him so badly.
“I’ve been so damn nervous about asking you,” he said with a small laugh. “I’ve been carrying that ring around with me for a few months now.”
I sucked in a breath of air. “You were going to ask me before the baby?”
He gave me that crooked smile of his and nodded his head. “I was going to ask you on Christmas Eve, but…well, shit happened, and then I remembered that day we came down here. I thought it would be kind of cool to do it here.”