"I knew the moment Jason laid you on my exam table you were someone special. You’re so full of life and have such a good heart. I loved watching you learn to fit in here in Rock Springs. And today you'd never know you weren't born here until you go do something like building a helicopter pad in the middle of a cow field."
She giggles at that, making me smile too.
"There was a time I didn't think we would be able to be here today to work this out. The mountain we had to climb seemed too much. But I know now it was too much because we were trying to do it on our own instead of together. I want to climb every mountain with you at my side. Will you marry me?"
When I open the box holding the ring, she gasps, falling to her knees.
"How did you afford this? It’s so beautiful."
"Well, I asked your dad for your hand, but I also talked to Walter. He kept me hostage for three hours before giving me his blessing and then gave me this ring. It was the one he gave his wife on their thirtieth wedding anniversary. When he told me he wanted you to wear it, I thought it would be better than a store bought ring."
"You asked Walter?" She looks up at me with tears in her eyes.
"Yeah, I did. I need an answer, City Girl."
"Yes. Of course, I'll marry you. Yes!"
When I slide the ring on her finger, it's a perfect fit. She throws herself into my arms and I hold her right there on my knees in the bed of my truck.
She pulls back to stare at her ring again. "This is perfect, Brice. It means so much more than anything you could have bought. The size doesn't matter to me, it's the story behind it."
But the diamonds are not small, either. Walter's said it was upwards of four carats on the main stone and two more carats on the surrounding smaller stones. Not wanting to be apart one moment longer, I pull her into my lap, holding her tight as she moves the ring in the moonlight.
"You will have to ask Walter for the full story. But he said after he made a few money making advertising campaigns, he took her to the store for their anniversary and told her to pick out anything she wanted. He hadn't told her yet about the big payday he had. She picked out a much smaller version of this ring and he bought her this one with the biggest stone they had at the time. All the way home, she cried."
"I love that story."
"He has photos to go with it." I smile, and when she looks up at me again, those tears are still there in her eyes, but she looks so damn beautiful. I kiss her, a gentle kiss that turns heated fast.
I'm still in shock that I get to spend the rest of my life with her doing just this.