Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Yes. It will do us some good to stretch our legs,” Crosby agrees.
“Can we pick some flowers?” Blakely asks.
“Of course you can, but you have to stay with us,” Kennedy tells her daughter.
We spend the next ten minutes strapping babies and toddlers into strollers and wagons and packing water and bottles, and we’re off.
There is no method to our madness. We all help out, pushing strollers, carrying cranky babies who want to be held and not pushed, and reminding Blakely to not get too far ahead of us.
We come to a sign that says Hidden Drive, which is a road that circles back to the campground. It’s the path we’re taking to get back to the cabins.
“I think the sign people need to go back to school,” Blakely announces.
“Why’s that?” Crosby asks.
She points to the sign. “It says Hidden Drive, but it’s not very hidden because they told us. They definitely need to go back to school.”
“Blakely, the driveway is hidden, and when you’re driving a car, you might not see it. That’s what the sign means,” Scarlett explains.
“I still think they need to go back to school,” she grumbles. “This is the longest walk ever,” she whines.
I look down at my watch and see that we’ve been gone for over an hour. It’s getting dark, so that should have been a clue as to how long we’ve been walking. All the kids have fallen asleep except for Blakely, and something tells me if she had a stroller or wagon to ride in, she’d be conked out as well.
When we reach the row of cabins, I notice the back of one of them all lit up with fairy lights. As we get closer, I see that it’s the cabin in the middle. The one I’m staying in with Merrick. My heart starts to race as we get closer.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“What do you mean?” Jordyn asks. She’s a terrible liar.
“The lights?”
“Oh, those are pretty,” Carol says.
“Very,” Stella and Alyssa agree at the same time.
Just as we reach the edge of the backyard of the lit-up cabin, Merrick steps out of the shadows from around the side of the building.
“Merrick?”
“Hey, gorgeous,” he says. He holds his hand out for me, and with hesitant steps, I make my way toward him, taking his offered hand.
“What’s going on?”
“I love you.”
I soften at his words. I can feel my face heat at his open declaration in front of his family, but I don’t back down from it either. “I love you too.” My voice is a little softer than his, but I know his family heard me.
“When we started... dating—” he winks “—we thought we were just hanging out. We didn’t put boundaries or expectations on spending time together.”
We kind of did, but I’m keeping my thoughts to myself. There is clearly something he’s trying to say, so I’m going to keep my mouth shut and let him say it.
“With each day that passed, I fell for you. I can’t name the exact moment, but I know that I craved your smile. I savored your laughter, and I wanted all of your time. I found myself seeking you out if I had a bad day, and if I had a good one. I didn’t make plans for the weekend. Instead, I thought about what plans we could make together.”
“Mer—” I can’t even say his name without the tears forming in my throat.
“I knew I loved you long before I told you. I was taking my time, because I wanted the moment to be perfect. I wanted it to be a piece of our past that molded our future that we would always remember.”
“I love you.”
His eyes soften. “I love you too, baby.” He leans in and kisses the corner of my mouth. “You made our house a home. You’ve brought our place to life. Brought me to life, and I want that forever.”
I open my mouth to tell him I want the same thing, but I freeze with my mouth hanging open when he drops to one knee. In his hands is a sparkling diamond ring. I can’t make it out through the tears, but I know it’s beautiful. It has to be because of the man offering it to me.
“I want forever, Court. I want you beside me for the good days and the bad. I want to have babies with you and grow old with you. You’re my best friend and the love of my life. Will you do me the incredible honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?”
I’m nodding, but my tears are falling so hard I can’t speak.
He takes my hand and slips the ring onto my finger. The weight feels as if it was always supposed to be there.
“I need your words, baby.”
“Okay,” I croak, and he tosses his head back in laughter.