Page 63 of Country Mist

She dropped to her knees before him, ignoring the hard tile. She threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes! Oh, my God, yes.”

He gathered her close and hugged her. He leaned back, and she tipped her face up to his. “Thank you for saying yes. I love you more than anything on God’s green earth.”

She smiled. “My love matches yours. I can’t imagine anything better than you being my husband and me being your wife.”

He kissed her deeply, and she fell into it, so happy she could burst with it all. The studio was incredible, running his nonprofit a wonderful thing, but best of all, he would be hers forever.

* * *

Haylee leaned back in Tyson’s embrace on the deck of the riverboat as it cruised along France’s River Seine. A soft breeze blew strands of hair around her face and brushed her cheeks with a feathery caress.

Along the Seine, the riverboat slid past green shores crowded with trees and bushes, with homes peering through here and there and occasional towns with a small dock. The river went through several locks and continued on to flow into the English Channel.

“It’s so gorgeous here.” She breathed deeply of the cool air. “It’s so different from Arizona. The desert has its own beauty, but this is incredible.”

Tyson rested his chin on the top of her head. “It is beautiful, hon.”

The cruise had been Tyson’s wedding gift—two weeks starting in London, then the bullet train to Paris, where they boarded the riverboat. Now, they were halfway through the trip along the Seine, and at the end of the cruise, they would head back to Paris.

“I love the swans.” She watched a pair of wild swans swimming in a small alcove. The lovely white creatures inhabited the banks along the green waters from outside Paris to the river’s end in Normandy.

Tyson gave a soft laugh. “You wouldn’t have ended up with geese at a bridal shower if they were wild back home.”

She grinned at the memory. “I can still picture one of the little monsters nipping Helen’s bottom.”

The boat had left Paris earlier in the week, and they’d made stops at medieval towns and tiny jewels of places to visit.

And art—she was submersed in art everywhere. They had started at the British Museum in London, then in Paris the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay before the cruise. She had reveled in more art than she’d been exposed to her entire life.

Haylee turned her attention to her surroundings. The captain had begun docking the boat.

“We’ve reached Giverny.” Haylee turned in Tyson’s arms to face him. “It won’t be long until we visit Claude Monet’s home, gardens, and art studio.”

She thought about yesterday when the riverboat had stopped at Auvers-sur-Oise, a picturesque village where Vincent Van Gogh spent the last couple of months of his life.

“I still can’t believe that yesterday we stood in so many places Van Gogh had painted and the room where he’d lived.”

Tyson nodded. “It was great seeing his painting of that room back at the museum in Paris.”

“It’s fascinating they haven’t rented the room since his death.” Haylee thought about the ivy-covered gravesite where he was buried. “It was an interesting story of how his beloved brother, Theodore, was interred next to him.”

“And now for Monet.” Tyson took her hand. “Let’s get downstairs and get ready to go.”

As Haylee and Tyson rode in the tour bus with other Spirit passengers to Monet’s home, she could hardly contain herself. He squeezed her hand as she looked from the window to him. His sexy grin made her feel warm all over.

“I’m so excited to visit the places special to Monet.” She smiled. “I never dreamed I’d do so many things I’d only read or heard about before. This is the most amazing trip. Thank you.”

He kissed her softly and drew back. “I’m happy you’re enjoying yourself. I love doing all these things with you.”

“How could I not enjoy myself?” Haylee leaned her head against Tyson’s shoulder, feeling content and loved. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have found a man like him who cherished, loved, and appreciated her.

And how lucky she was to experience everything she’d done so far with Tyson. She had thought of traveling to Europe but wasn’t sure she’d ever get the opportunity to. Experiencing art and culture in this way was incredible.

She looked out the window as the bus slowed and pulled up to Monet’s Giverny estate. Lush gardens filled with brilliant flowers, arching vine-covered walkways, and willow trees were near the entrance. “Oh, my God. This is amazing.”

They left the bus with their group, following their guide. Haylee looked around her—there was so much to see. Tyson took pictures for her so that she could spend the time enjoying every bit of the experience.

They followed the crowd and their guide and soon entered the most beautiful gardens Haylee had ever seen. The guide told them that Monet had designed the gardens and had everything planted once he made enough money with his art.

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