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"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.” -Persuasion, Jane Austen
I swipe my tears away and grab the flower, pausing for a moment to gaze at the photo of us on the table. I didn’t even know he took that one. I’m asleep on his chest, the glow of the sunrise filtering the photo. I bite my lip and keep going.
“We loved with a love that was more than love.” -Annabel Lee, Edgar Allen Poe
This one makes me laugh through my tears. Adrian thought this poem was too dark to be a love poem, but I argued that it was wonderfully romantic.
Final flower in hand, I rush to cross the distance between us. Adrian drops to one knee as soon as I step under the shade of the tree, making me suck in a breath. I don’t even have a moment to collect myself before he speaks.
“Jules, you are everything to me. Your soul is made up of sunshine and sugar and silk. Being with you these past few months has been the greatest joy of my life. I don’t have the words to express how beautiful and utterly amazing you are. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
A breathless laugh escapes my lips at his quotingEmmaby Jane Austen.I love him so much.
“I love you, everything about you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He opens up a velvet ring box and a diamond shimmers under the lights.
“Yes,” I whisper and he grins up at me. He quickly stands and slides the beautiful ring on my finger before lifting me into his arms and spinning me around. I drop the sunflowers, but Adrian doesn’t seem to mind.
I squeal and giggle at his elation and then our lips collide in a kiss that makes heat rush through my whole body. His teeth graze my lip when we pull apart, sending a shiver down my spine. His gaze meets my own, pure happiness swirling in his irises.
“I love you,” I say and he brushes his lips against mine.
“I love you.” He sets me back on my feet and takes my hand. “Come on, I have something to show you.”
“There’s more?” I ask and he smiles. We set out toward our cottages. In the distance, I notice more fairy lights hanging above Adrian’s deck.
“You should know by now I’d go to great lengths to give you everything you deserve. If you said you wanted a star out of the sky I’d start building a rocket.”
I shake my head in disbelief. The joy coursing through my veins is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
“I don’t think there’s a happier woman in the world than me right now.”
“Good. I hope that never changes.” He pulls our joined hands up to kiss the back of mine.
We walk in a peaceful silence that I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few months. Being around Adrian has taught me that silence isn’t bad. I grew up in a home where silence usually felt like the calm before the storm. But with him, it’s just calm. True serenity.
He leads me up the steps to where there’s a table set for us. A carafe of tea and a plate of almond croissants sits in the middle of it.
“This is wonderful,” I say and take a seat across from him. I stare down at the ring on my hand, admiring the beautiful marquise-cut diamond. He must have talked to Caroline, she’s the only one who knows this was my dream ring.
It hits me suddenly that I wish she were here. That I could celebrate with her in person. The thought makes some of the glow within me dull.
“Everything alright?” Adrian asks, pouring us each a cup of tea.
“Yes, this is amazing.” I look around, smiling at the loveliness of it all. I couldn’t have planned the proposal better myself.
“But?” he asks, not looking upset at all that I might be wanting something more after he went to all this trouble.
I sigh. “I’m just wishing Caroline was here. You don’t have her hiding in a closet somewhere by any chance?” I ask with a laugh and his mouth hitches up in a grin.
“No, but I do have this.” He pulls out an envelope and slides it across the table to me.
Inside of it are two plane tickets to California. The flight leaves in a few hours. I look up from the papers, blinking back tears once more.He thought of everything.
“I thought that if you were ready to go back to California, we could go see her and celebrate in person. If not, I’ve also bought tickets for her and Josh. They have their bags packed, ready to leave on a flight tomorrow morning.”
“Sunshine, I-I don’t know what to say. You’ve done too much.”
“Nothing is too much for you, Jules. Anything for you, remember?”
I stand up and walk around the table, throwing myself into his lap and hugging him tight.
“I love you,” I murmur into his neck and he rubs my back.
“I love you, too.”
I pull back and meet his eyes. “I want to go to California. I’m ready.”
“Then let’s go pack our bags.” He cups the side of my face with his strong hand. “I’m so proud of you, Jules.”
And just when I thought I couldn’t get any happier, I do. I have a feeling the rest of our lives will be like this. Each new day will add to the joy from the day before, just by being with each other. After spending most of my life lonely and afraid, I finally get to experiencetrue love. I’m never going to let this go. I’ll carry it like a torch and pass it down to our kids and grandkids. They’ll know the love I didn't have as a child, and it’ll be in part because of the man holding me in his arms. The man who called me worthy when I didn’t feel it. The one I’ll spend the rest of my days with. My future husband,Adrian Carter.
