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When we walked far enough, he stopped, then turned us so that I was facing the direction we’d just come from. “Okay, are you ready?”
“Just remember I warned you that I might pee my pants,” I teased.
Distant chuckling from multiple sources clued me in to the fact that there were more people out here to witness whatever surprise Tripp was gifting me with. That worried me. What if I hated it? What if it was embarrassing?
“Okay, 3… 2…”
“Just get on with it!” I shouted excitedly while tugging at his hands to move them from my eyes.
“Surprise!” He called out as other voices echoed the sentiment. Then, Tripp’s hands moved away to reveal a beautiful wooden gazebo right in the spot where I used to come to fantasize about the life I wanted.
I moved closer, and while there were people on the periphery, one of them being my brother, none of them registered. My eyes were for the gorgeous wooden structure that stood before me. Especially when I got closer and was able to read the plaque that rested just above the entrance to this side of it.
Kim’s Dreaming Spot
“Oh my God!” I sniffled on the last word as my eyes welled up with tears. Then, I finally managed to look around and see who all was there watching me. Tripp was still at my back. My brother stood just to the left of the gazebo. Ratchet had come outside too, so his little office door slam was a ruse to throw me off.
Grady, Tinker, and a few other club members stood off to the side grinning like lunatics. “Those boys done good!” Grady announced.
I turned to Tripp. “You did this?”
“Your brother helped me build it. Tinker helped with the design, when it was obvious that rebuilding an engine didn’t equate to knowing how to build a gazebo.”
I laughed at his admission before moving forward and wrapping my arms around his middle. I rested my head on his chest and hugged him tightly. “Thank you so much.”
“I’d do anything for you, beautiful. Without a doubt, know that now.”
“I believe you,” I whispered.
“Statement piece,” my brother said from somewhere at my back. I had no clue what he meant but wasn’t bothered to find out either. This was a wonderful gesture that took time, effort, and care. It was also thoughtful beyond measure, because they understood what it meant when I came back here and stared at the stars and the darkened tree line.
“Come on, Kim, there’s more to see inside,” Tripp whispered into my hair before he kissed my head.
“How can there be more?” I’m woman enough to admit that I was still choked up as Tripp pulled my hands from around his waist and guided me to the gazebo. Once we were inside, just the two of us, he showed me the handmade benches.
“They’re lined to keep the moisture out,” he explained as he lifted a latch and opened the top of the bench. I looked down inside and there were blankets and pillows stashed in there.
“That’s perfect,” I praised.
“Not done yet.” He pulled me over to the other bench and I noticed all the other men gathering around the outside of the gazebo and looking in. Tripp unlatched that bench and pulled it up to. Sitting there, on top of another stack of blankets and pillows, was my cut. That wasn’t all.
“You don’t have to answer yet. Just know that I mean it when I say that I want you, Kimberly Eunice Cross, to still be my old lady. And maybe consider becoming my wife so we can change your name to Kimberly Cross Martin.” He grinned as I looked up at him. “You kind of have to say yes to get rid of Eunice,” he teased.
I smacked him lightly on the chest and turned back to pull the black box up from where it sat on top of my cut. I opened it and found a gorgeous square cut diamond with three diamonds on either side that got smaller as they ran down the band, almost like they were trying to point to the big stone in the middle.
“I don’t think I can wear it yet,” I admitted. “My fingers look like summer sausages.”
“Or maybe you’re still hungry?” Tripp suggested.
“Shut up, before you ruin all the work you did to surprise me.”
“I love you, Kim. Don’t think I’ve told you that yet. Hell, I think I’ve been a little bit in love with you since that night at the party. Dancing with you was more temptation than I’ve ever faced. It was the reason I got drunk that night because I thought if I just numbed it all away…” He cut himself off, trying to think of the words. “I was trying to do the right thing and wait for the perfect time…”
“Don’t say anything else. Leave it there, before you ruin everything like a dumbass man.” I demanded.
Everyone around us heard though and they all started laughing. “Those two belong together like peanut butter and fucking jelly.”
“Not the fucking jelly. You put that together with peanut butter and shit gets too kinky,” Tinker said. We both turned to glare at him.
