Page 36 of Spring Forward

Even though he’s always formal, almost obtrusively so, he’s started to relax more during his sessions. It’s subtle and if you weren’t looking for it or had seen how rigid he held himself at first then you wouldn’t notice it.

But he’s learning to relax because of the horses. They don’t like tense normally, but it seems like with Teddy they’re willing to tolerate it more without it ramping up their own anxiety.

The man has no idea that he has a special kind of magic about him. Hopefully, one day, he’ll be able to see it in himself.

I give him a wave and suppress a chuckle as I think about the last time Noel was around when Teddy was saying goodbye to me. My man did not like anyone calling me Ms. Reeves, even though it’s my name. Nope, it ignited a fire in his eyes.

But he has no one else to blame but himself. The man hasn’t put a ring on my finger, and we haven’t walked down the aisle which kind of needs to happen before I can be an official Burns.

Buttercup takes the extra treat I have for her after her session with Teddy even though she doesn’t need the extra reward. She’s a sweetheart and would be more than happy to be the only horse to work with Teddy.

Strong arms wrap around my waist and tug me until my back is pressed against a very hard chest. I glance up but know who it is. Noel’s dark eyes are looking at me with so much reverence that it makes my knees weak.

“You’re amazing,” he murmurs.

My cheeks heat with his praise. Even though the man is always showering me with pretty words, ensuring I know just how he feels about me, it still surprises me. I know he means every single one of them too.

“It’s not me,” I insist, “Teddy has been working really hard during his sessions and the horses love him.”

Noel makes a humming sound as he buries his face in my neck and kisses the spot that makes my knees almost give out. I can feel the way his lips curl into a smirk against my skin. He knows exactly what he does to me, and he likes it.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one, Freckles,” his lips graze my skin with every word. After standing to his full height, he turns me gently and I get lost in his eyes for a moment. I’m still not used to being his entire focus; it’s intense. “Come with me,” he doesn’t phrase it like a question, but it’s not quite a demand either.

I nod slowly, uncertainty curling in my gut. I know this man loves me, but it’s hard to shake every worry you’ve ever had. The last year together has been amazing, and I wouldn’t change a thing. We made a few trips for short term work over the summer, but once August started school, I didn’t want to leave.

At least not this first year.

The thought of being far away from my brother while he transitioned from homeschooling to going to school wasn’t something I could stomach. Noel just supported me through it. He even listened to all my concerns and fears without faltering. Then he held me and reassured me. It didn’t matter whether it was the first time or the hundredth time, he was steady.

It’s gotten easier to believe the other shoe isn’t about to drop as the months have marched on, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a little part of me worried that it’s just a matter of time. To have it happen now would be even worse because I know everything I would be losing and how much Noel’s love has given me the freedom to be who I was always meant to be.

Noel leads me out of the barn and over to an ATV which is already holding a very familiar cooler. I have to bite my lip to stop myself from smiling. My man loves taking me out to the lake for a picnic. I’m pretty sure he cursed winter every day because it was too cold to go out there.

That’s when he would just push the furniture in the living room of our house to the side, the same house he made sure was built before the weather turned, and we would have a picnic at home. It wasn’t the same, but there’s no way I was ever going to say such a thing to him. It would have just set him off and the grumbles would have been epic.

We’re quiet as we ride out to the lake, but it’s not uncomfortable or awkward. The silence between us is filled with peace and love. It’s nice to be able to be sitting next to the man I love, the man who has become my best friend, and not feel like I need to entertain him or fill the air. Just being is a special kind of freedom, one I don’t think I could experience with anyone other than Noel.

Once we’re parked, Noel stands and offers me a hand. I don’t hesitate and the feel of his calloused fingers gripping my hand with a possessive hold makes me forget all about the picnic in the cooler. All I want to do is spread out the blanket and have my way with my man.

“Delaney,” there’s a warning in his voice and when I look into his eyes I can see a fire there, the same fire burning in me whenit comes to the other half of my soul. He exhales loudly and then my face is being cupped in his large hands as his eyes search mine. “I had a whole plan,” he sounds annoyed, but more at himself than me.

“A plan for what?”

Before I can process what is happening, Noel is down on one knee and he’s pulling a ring out of his jeans pocket. My mouth drops open, and my hands fly up to cover it as tears fill my eyes.

No. Fucking. Way.

“Noel,” I croak, the sound not at all attractive, but the man in front of me doesn’t even blink.

“You’re mine,” he says it like it’s a foregone, inevitable by all the fates in the universe, conclusion. “There’s not much else left to say. I know I could slide this ring on your finger, and you would wear it with pride, but I also know you’re a woman who knows her own mind and deserves to be asked instead of told.”

“Even if you’re sure it won’t change the answer?” My eyebrow is arched in challenge, my voice teasing.

My man smirks, the expression knowing and filled with a self confidence that would not be attractive on anyone else. But on him? My panties are instantly ruined.

When Noel reaches for my hand, his grip is possessive. I don’t mind; I crave the way he touches me. “My Freckles,” his voice is a raspy groan, “do me the honor of being my wife?”

“Of course,” I blurt the words, barely waiting for him to get the entire question out.

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