Page 94 of Wandering Closer

“You literally have an envelope in your hand, too, dummy.” I hand him mine, my anxiety spiking. “You first.”

With careful fingers, he opens the envelope and pulls out the small packet of folded papers. It’s not the official documents, those are hidden in the safe upstairs, but I made copies for this. I watch his face carefully, as his expression morphs from confusion to surprise.

“I really hated that you sold land for me, so I bought you some more. Specifically, the rest of the land and the other cabin on our lane. The owners took some convincing, but we reached an agreement. I thought we could rent it out or renovate it.Maybe as your parents get older, we can convince them to move in there so we can keep a closer eye on your mom.”

Thoren looks up at me with glassy eyes and the softest expression. “You bought us a cabin to take care of my parents?”

I nod, my throat thick with emotion. I may not have my parents around, but David and Evelyn have taken me in with no questions asked and shown up for me constantly. Of course I want them close to us and want to show them an ounce of the kindness they have shown me.

Thoren pulls me into his lap, kissing me deep. “It will take a miracle to get them out of their home, but I love it. I love it so much and I love you. Thank you, baby. This is amazing and so thoughtful.”

“Good,” I croak, “Because my next gift is not nearly as thoughtful.”

He places me next to him, turning me sideways so he can see my face. “Your turn.”

I take the envelope from him, pulling open the tab and taking out the papers inside. My hands shake as I read the itinerary for a trip for two to Iceland next month. It is a week-long trip with hotels and activities all planned out for us. It is even better than the trip I dreamed of.

I turn to find him kneeling beside me on one knee, a small black box in his hands. His smile is nervous, but the glint in his eye shows pure love.

“Lily, I know we are doing this all sorts of backwards, sideways and upside-down, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. From the moment you walked into my life, you have captivated me, heart and soul. You are the reason my sun rises in the morning. The reason the flowers around me bloom, the leaves turn, and the rain falls. You are the reason my life makes sense and has purpose. Without you, I can't breathe, I can't think. You are my reason for everything, Lily. With you by my side, I havefelt true peace. I want to spend the rest of my days making you feel that, too. Marry me, Lily Wilks.”

With tears streaming down my face, I tackle him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Yes, Thoren, yes!” His arms hold me tight as I try to pull myself together. I finally pull back to take in the ring, causing more tears to fall.

Inside the small box is an oval diamond with purple gems along the band. It’s dainty and shiny, something I would have picked for myself. His hands tremble slightly as he slides the ring onto my finger before bringing it to his lips.

“It looks perfect on you, Lily James,” he muses, as he pulls me into his lap again. “I know the honeymoon is supposed to come after the wedding, but we’ve done everything else backwards; living together, trying for a baby, so I just thought we could do this the same.”

“I love you so much, Thoren James. You have shown me every day what true love looks like. You make my life bigger and brighter just by being in it. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

I kiss him deep, letting him feel the strength of my love. “But I kind of hate you right now. This really puts my other gift to shame.” I already struggled with what to get him, but went practical. I’m a practical person, and he has mentioned needing a new one of these a few times over the last month. I felt fine about the gift until now.

“Hand it over, baby.”

I pull the box from where I was sitting and place it in front of him. I watch as he rips open the wrapping, opening the box to pull out a new axe.

“This is exactly what I needed,” he says, inspecting it like a prized treasure.

“It’s no ring,” I grumble under my breath. His laugh is hearty as he puts down the axe and squeezes me tighter. “It was a selfish gift, really. I like sitting on the porch while you chop wood.”

“You just agreed to be my wife. There is no gift on this planet that can top that,” he nips at my ear. “But if it’s a close second, it’s you letting me bend you over the stump again,” he smirks. “Now you get to plan the wedding of your dreams.”

“The wedding of my dreams is right here, in our backyard, surrounded by our friends and family, and the prettiest flowers around.” I never really wanted a big wedding. I didn’t have a whole huge list of family and friends that I want to attend, and I want the day to be about Thoren and I. A beautiful white dress on a warm spring day in the place that we love sounds like a dream.

“That sounds perfect, baby. Come on, let’s go tell the family.”

thoren

EPILOGUE

April 25th

River pulls up to the house in my truck, a wide smile on his face. He steps out, throwing my keys to me before walking around to the bed. “Go figure, mom had them all prepped and cut in buckets. When is the flower lady going to be here?”

“She’s been here for an hour. Do you think Lily will like the surprise?” The truck bed has six large black buckets filled with freshly cut lilacs for the florist to add into the flowers Lily already picked out.

When I discovered Lily loved lilacs last summer, I asked my mom if I could plant some extra bushes along the edge of their property. I had plans to bring Lily a fresh bouquet of them every day this spring before replanting them here, but this worked out better.

Lily asked for so little for this wedding, that it almost broke my heart, until I realized that’s just who she is. She’s a quiet love and quiet strength. She doesn’t need a big show of things, but I want to give it to her anyway. I agreed to the backyard weddingthat she wanted, but what she doesn’t know is that there will be a few added surprises.

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