She looked appreciatively at his nicely sculptured chest beneath his t-shirt, her gaze sliding down to his jeans hanging low on his hips. He sure was a fine-looking man, for a single dad. Ahotsingle dad, she thought with a grin. She parked and got out of the car. “Where’s Bailey?”
“My dad is watching her and Queenie.”
“Then he definitely has his hands full.” The puppy and Bailey were inseparable and now that she could crawl, she was chasing that puppy everywhere. “So, why are we here?” she asked, joining him on the porch.
“Old man Hickman is finally selling this place.”
She looked at the weathered porch with its buckling boards and the peeling paint on the side of the house and grimaced.
He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. “I know it needs a lot of work, but it’s a good thing we know a great contractor.”
“And he works cheap,” she added.
“See right through there?” He turned her and pointed to the trees on the far side of a meadow facing the front of the house. “The river is right beyond those trees, and on the other side—”
“Are our parents’ houses. Think how much Bailey would love being able to ride her bike to Grandpa’s house whenever she wants.”
“You know, there’s enough land here for a horse,” she said. “And there’s already a barn.”
“Remember how we used to come over here after school and feed Hickman’s horses?”
“How could I forget?” She smiled, remembering those days when playing outside and running through the woods were the best times of her life.
He stepped in front of her and took her hands in his. “Gillian, I’ve known you my whole life. You’ve been my neighbor, my best friend, and my lover, but now I want to share my life with you.”
She didn’t know what to say.
“Be my partner in life. Be Bailey’s mom. Help me run our business. Let’s buy this house together and raise a boatload of kids. Did I mention there are four bedrooms?”
Tears filled her eyes as she imagined sitting on this front porch and watching their kids play in the yard.
He dropped to one knee. “Gillian Jones, will you be my wife?”
She nodded, her heart filling with joy, and tears falling so hard she could barely speak, but she didn’t need to. She’d always been able to trust Nick with her feelings, her heart, and her future. She didn’t have to hold anything back with him. He saw her, all of her, and he loved her anyway.
He took a ring box out of his pocket and opened it, showing her a princess-cut diamond surrounded by a sprinkling of blue stones. “They remind me of the stars in a winter’s night sky and how we used to lie on the roof and watch for falling stars. As soon as I saw it, I knew this was the ring I wanted to place on your finger for you to wear for the rest of your life.”
“I love it,” she said, “and I love you.”
He stood and she threw her arms around him.
“So will you marry me, Gilly, and make this old farmhouse our home?”
“Yes!” she cried. “I want that more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. You reminded me who I was, and who I am inside. You showed me who I can be. You saved me,” she whispered through her tears. “I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”
He put his forehead to hers and smiled. “And I’ll always love you more.”
The End