Page 118 of Love for a Lifetime

“I have an idea,” she whispered.

“I like ideas. Do tell.”

Olivia leaned back and watched the chickens roaming the yard, then the goats hanging around the barn. “Want to make a video with me?”

31

OLIVIA

Olivia cuddled Henrietta and showed her the new chickie fountain. It was an elaborate fake-stone fountain with gently flowing water. “This is your new bath. You’re going to love it.”

Dawson had just turned it on, and some of the other hens ambled over to check it out. They’d spent the afternoon playing with the chickens and goats and making a ridiculous amount of photos and videos. It was exactly what she’d needed, and now that she’d had time away from her intrusive thoughts, all of Dawson’s advice hit home.

Letting Henrietta investigate the new playground equipment, Olivia brushed her hands off on her jeans and met Dawson by the feed shed where he’d been watching her play with the hens.

They’d both laughed more over the last few hours, and the appointment from earlier seemed like a lifetime ago. The shadows and dread weren’t hanging over them anymore.

She slid her arms around his waist and tilted her head up to look at him. His arm wrapped around her, and the intensity in his eyes raked over her like a warm touch.

She took a deep breath and said, matter-of-factly, “I love you. I thought I couldn’t love you more, but I was wrong. You’re teaching me things I didn’t know I needed to learn.”

Dawson chuckled. “Not exactly what I was going for, but I’ll take it.”

“I’m serious. You’re right about the way I’ve been looking at this whole thing. I was being selfish, and I wasn’t trusting God. If I was, I would have gone to others for help. I would have put my fate in God’s hands and trusted Him. You made me see that.”

His strong hands cradled her face as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes drifted closed, and she cataloged the moment.

“You’re a wise woman. You would have figured it out on your own eventually.”

Olivia shrugged. “Maybe, but I wasn’t even close. It’s so freeing to tell you about it.”

“Feel free to share other things. You know, if you’ve secretly thought about our wedding or where we’ll go on our honeymoon.”

She laughed and pressed her forehead to his chest. “I may have thought about those things.”

“Really? You think we’ll spend a couple of weeks on a beach in the Pacific or cruising the Mediterranean?”

“Hmm. What about the French countryside or a tour of Spain?”

Dawson hummed deep in his chest. “Sounds perfect.”

Pressing her eyes closed, Olivia tried not to read too much into how easily they’d slid into the conversation of marriage. Dawson had already hinted that he hoped their relationship would end in marriage.

Not end. Begin. It would only be the beginning. They hadn’t even scratched the surface of the life waiting before them.

Olivia tilted her head up, propping her chin on his chest. “Though, I wouldn’t say no to the beach.”

“You just want to see me shirtless,” Dawson said, pecking a small kiss on her forehead.

“Not gonna lie. That would be a selling point.”

It was all just a fantasy, wasn’t it? They’d barely begun to truly date, and Dawson would have them married by the end of the year.

He hadn’t even asked her to marry him, but he talked about their future as if it were already decided. As far as she was concerned, it was.

“Are you thinking winter or summer?” he asked.

“For what?”

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