Page 100 of Only Ever Yours

My hands tremble, and the dam breaks, because I can’t control my tears any longer.

He stares at me, his expression so genuine it steals my breath.

“Peachy,” he says softly.

That’s all he says, and I know…

I’m forever his.

“Yes,” I whisper, because I want so badly to be his forever.

My leg shakes. I’m a ball of nerves and excitement, just praying he asks the question that I’ve been dying to hear.

“I don’t have to tell you how much of a struggle we've had to get where we are,” He starts, his voice raw. “You already know. But something you might not know is… I loved you long before that. I think I fell in love with you the first time you ever came over to my house to visit my sister. I remember I couldn’t take my eyes off you that day. There was just something about you—the way you lit up the room when you walked in, the way you always made me laugh, even without trying.”

He pauses for a beat, letting the weight of his words settle over me.

“Even when you thought I didn’t want to be around you… I did. But it took a lot of growing up for me to finally be man enough to admit it—I want you. I need you.”

I bite my lip, nodding along way too fast, trying not to turn into a snot-nosed mess at his words.

“You don’t know this, but when you were in that accident, I wanted to change places with you. I wanted to be the one to go through it if it meant you didn’t have to suffer. When you were in the hospital, and we didn’t know why you wouldn’t wake up, that was the scariest fucking day of my life.” His eyes brim with tears, and he reaches up, swiping them away with the back of his hand. “Dammit, I don’t cry,” he mutters, trying to pull himself together while I giggle. His thumb rubs circles on my wrist as he speaks. “I had no idea what I was going to do if I lost you. I was already so gone for you—needing you in ways I had never needed anyone before. I don’t know what I would have done, Peachy.”

“These past few months have been the best of my life, spending all my days and coming home to you. I want to spend my life with you, Ellie. You also don’t know that this land we are standing on… well, I bought it a month ago. It’s ours. And my dream is to one day build a house with you and raise a family.”

I sob while staring into his eyes, because I want all of that with him—especially a family. I didn’t have both parents growing up, and I know with this man by my side, he won't leave us.

“So,” he continues, still kneeling in front of me, pulling something from his front pocket. He opens it slowly, glancing down at the box. My heart can’t take this—pounding out of my chest, my breath catches in my throat when I see the peach-colored ring box.

My hands tremble as I watch him reveal the most beautiful marquise diamond I’ve ever seen, glittering with his promise to me.

“Ellieanna,” his voice cracks, full of emotion, “I love you. So much. Will you please marry me?”

My heart races, and I can’t stop the tears from falling. Because after all we’ve been through this past year. And all the fighting we did when we were younger makes this moment so much more special.

The answer is so obvious.

So damn easy.

But I still struggle to get the word out.

“Yes,” the word barely escapes my lips as I stand here, trembling and nodding, and I’m a complete mess.

But that’s all I need to say.

He slides the ring onto my finger.

I watch, trying to remain patient while the precious stone catches the light. Before I can even breathe, he’s already rising to his feet and lifting me into his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist, and smash my lips to his.

We’re lost in each other, but I pull back just enough to whisper against his lips, “I love you so much.”

And right here, with him holding me in the middle of the field…

I know that our forever has only just begun.

Epilogue

Two years later

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