Page 73 of Loving Decker

“Okay, yeah, you’re right. Well, if you go out past the North Star, there’s a cluster with one bright star and a cloudy, hazy mass, do you see it?”

She looked for a second and then nodded. “It’s faint?”

“Yes. Sometimes if you look slightly to the left of it you can see it better.”

“Okay, yeah, I see it. What is it?”

“They found a new star in there. I just thought we should name it. It’s just further out from north, and it’s constant. It’s been around a long time. And I thought it would be a good reminder of a theme I’ve noticed with us lately.”

She cleared her throat.

“Okay, well, I started showing you that I care.”

She nodded up against him. “Right.”

“I just think there have been so many times when I wasn’t sure what to do or things seemed difficult, and then something would happen and I would know it had to have been from God, you know?”

“His hand is stretched out still.”

“Exactly. Have you noticed?”

“All the time. Once I started paying attention to all the ways God was in my life, I saw Him everywhere. I mean, life has not been perfect by any stretch, but there are so many times I’ve seen God helping.”

“Right. So in my mind that star cluster can always help remind us of that. Life will be tough. We might not always have the answers. We might have to move forward in the dark. But we can remember that through all that His hand is stretched out still. And we can follow what we already know to do and wait to learn what more is out there for us.”

“I love that.” She was quiet for a long time. “And when we can’t see it, we will still know it’s there. The North Star can remind us.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

He sat up and dug in his basket. “I brought us some snacks and drinks.”

They munched on Mama’s muffins and drank her hot cocoa while staring out over the Milky Way, which stretched out above them. “That’s really something.”

Then he turned on his music and tugged her to her feet, and they danced. The music played and they danced as long as they wanted to, song after song, slow, fast, medium tempos. And they loved it all until he lifted her into his arms, climbed down to the dirt, and got down on one knee. “Faith Haws, I love you. I have loved you my whole life. And I will be loving you forever. I’m as constant as that star in the sky. Will you marry me?”

She broke down into tears. But she smiled joy down into his face, so much so that he could only laugh with happiness.

“Yes, Decker Dawson. This is right where I have wanted to be my whole life. Yes, I’ll marry you.” She tugged him back up. And then he pulled her into his arms, tasting once again those lips he’d wished to kiss for so many years.

Her mouth was soft, welcoming, and smelled of strawberries. He kissed her over and over, pulling her as close as he could, mumbling against her mouth, “I love you.”

During a beautiful pause, she smiled up into his face. “I love you too.”

---