Page 20 of Cider Kissed By the Mountain Man
“You made me believe in forever,” I continued, reaching into my pocket. “You made me want things I never thought I’d want. A family. A future. A partner to share all of this with.”
I dropped to one knee right there among the fallen apple blossoms, and Abby’s hands flew to her mouth.
“Abby Foster,” I said, opening the ring box to reveal the diamond that sparkled in the morning light. “You fell into my life and turned it upside down in the best possible way. You brought laughter and light and love to every corner of my world. You made this house a home and turned my carefully ordered existence into the adventure I never knew I wanted.”
Tears were streaming down her cheeks now, but she was smiling through them.
“I want to spend the rest of my life catching you when you fall,” I said. “I want to grow old with you in this orchard, watching the seasons change and the trees bloom year after year. I want to build a family with you and pass down everything my grandfather and father taught me to our children.”
“Trent.”
“Marry me, Abby. Be my wife, my partner, my best friend, my everything. Make this official and let me love you for the rest of our lives.”
For a moment, she just stood there staring at me, and I felt my heart hammering against my ribs as I waited for her answer.
Then she launched herself at me, knocking us both backward into the soft grass and apple blossoms.
“Yes,” she said, laughing and crying at the same time as she covered my face with kisses. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”
I rolled us over so she was beneath me, framing her face with my hands and kissing her properly. She tasted forever, and when we finally broke apart, we were both breathless.
“I love you, Trent Lawson,” she said, looking up at me with eyes full of joy and love and promise.
“I love you too, future Mrs. Lawson,” I said, and slipped the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly, just like everything else about us.
She held her hand up to catch the morning light, watching the diamond sparkle among the falling apple blossoms. “It’s beautiful. It’s perfect.”
“You’re perfect,” I said, and kissed her again because I couldn’t help myself.
“When?” she asked against my lips.
“When what?”
“When do you want to get married? Please tell me you’ve thought about this beyond just the proposal.”
I laughed, rolling onto my back and pulling her with me so she was sprawled across my chest. “How about here? In the fall, when the apples are ready to harvest. We could set up chairs between the trees, have the ceremony under this old tree where we got engaged.”
“An apple orchard wedding,” she said, grinning down at me. “Very fitting.”
“Think your kids would like to be in the wedding party?”
“Are you kidding? They’d be devastated if they weren’t included.”
“And Martha can help coordinate—”
She cut me off with a kiss, pouring all her love and excitement into it. When we broke apart, we were both smiling.
“I can’t wait to be your wife,” she said.
“I can’t wait to be your husband,” I replied. “Though I should probably warn you—I’m still going to be grumpy sometimes.”
“I’m counting on it,” she said. “I fell in love with a grump. I’d be disappointed if you changed completely.”
“Never going to happen,” I assured her.
We lay there under the apple tree, surrounded by fallen blossoms and the promise of our future together. And as we whispered about our future, I thought about how perfect this moment was.
