Love at First Sight

by Kelly Elliott

  Laughing, I said, “Tell me the story.”

  “Gosh, we were little, maybe we had just turned six. Jonathon and Daddy brought us to the river to go swimming.”

  The memory hit me like a bolt of lightning. “That’s right! We were in the water, and you pointed to the tree. I said it would make a great tree for a secret tree house.”

  She giggled. “Yes, and I said there was no way I was letting my daddy put nails in it.”

  “We asked your folks to bring us there so many times. Your dad finally put up the swing you kept asking for.”

  “Yeah. How many times do you think we’ve been to this spot?”

  “Hundreds.”

  “We’ll have to bring our kids here.” Her voice cracked like she’d gotten emotional.

  “You okay, Chloe Cat?”

  She nodded as she looked at me and smiled. “It’s been a crazy morning.”

  “I have to pull over really quick.”

  She drew her brows in and asked, “Why?”

  Pulling out a handkerchief, I held it up.

  Chloe’s eyes went wide. “Are you into outdoor kinky sex?”

  I laughed. “No, but I can be at a moment’s notice if you’re interested.”

  “Maybe on our property, not my family’s.”

  “Turn around, I don’t want you to see my surprise.”

  “Well, this must be some picnic if I need to be blindfolded.”

  “It’s something special all right.”

  Once I had the blindfold on, I put the truck in drive and made my way around the bend. I had been onsite earlier. Jonathon had his best crew working on this project and I was shocked by how much they had gotten done. I was working on the inside along with Mike and Jonathon when I had spare time. Mike had insisted on doing the interior wood, and I was glad Jonathon had taken a chance on him after seeing the cabinets Mike built for the farmhouse.

  I drove for a bit to give everyone time to get to the chapel. Jonathon had already made plans for the crew to cut out for a few hours and head into town to eat. It was just family and friends.

  “We have to be almost there!” Chloe said.

  When I came around the bend, I smiled at the sight before me. The large white chapel looked finished from the outside, but still had a way to go on the inside. The large, blue, antique doors were one of my favorite features, and I knew Chloe would love them, since she had unknowingly picked them out.

  “Okay, we’re here.”

  “I’ll come around and help you,” I said, opening my door as Chloe replied she wasn’t going anywhere.

  Everyone stood off to the side so that when I took the blindfold off, Chloe would only see the chapel first.

  I walked her up to our tree with the swing we had swung on so many times.

  “Ready for your surprise?” I whispered against her ear.

  Chloe nodded and pulled in a breath. “Wait. Rip. I have something I need to tell you.”

  “Um, right now?” I asked, glancing over to the large group of people.

  “Well, I’d rather look at you as I told you.”

  “That would really ruin my surprise, Chloe Cat.”

  She chewed on her lip. “Okay, right. Then I can wait.”

  I smiled and untied the blindfold. “Keep your eyes closed until I say to open them.”

  Chloe giggled. “Got it!”

  Reaching into my pocket, I took out the ring my mother had given me. It was my great-grandmother’s wedding ring, and since neither Jonathon nor my older brother Dalton wanted it, it went to me. It was an antique, and I knew Chloe would cherish it.

  I didn’t go down on one knee, I stood next to Chloe so I could see her reaction. The way my chest was squeezing, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I went to talk and nothing came out.

  Clearing my throat, I whispered, “Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

  Chloe did and gasped at the sight. Both hands came up to her mouth, and she instantly started to cry. When she turned to face me, I got down on one knee and opened the well-worn, blue velvet box. When Chloe cried harder, I fought like hell to keep my own tears at bay.

  “Chloe, I know we took the long way on this journey, and like you said the other day, we’re doing it all backwards and we are moving at warp speed.”

  She laughed.

  “But I’ve known, probably since I first pushed you on that swing, that I wanted to marry you. You happened to say it first, but I’m asking you first. Will you do me the honor of marrying me, Chloe Parker?”

  Chloe dropped to her knees and threw herself into me.

  “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

  Everyone cheered, but I was glad no one rushed right over.

  Smiling, I took the ring out and slipped it onto her finger. I heard the photographer clicking photos. She let us be natural, which was something I had stressed. I wanted it all to play out first, and then she could pose us however she wanted.

  I stood and pulled Chloe up with me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I lifted her off the ground.

  “I love you so much.”

  “Oh God, Rip. I love you too, and I really have to tell you something.”

  “Tell me anything!” I said, hearing the happiness in my voice.

  “I think I might be pregnant,” Chloe softly said, but not soft enough.

  The photographer was close enough to hear and stopped taking pictures for the briefest of moments. Then I heard the camera going again.

  Oh yeah, sure, capture my shocked-as-hell expression.

  Chloe pulled back to look at me. I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off by the influx of family members.

  Gage grabbed me and slapped me on the back. “Welcome to the family, brother!”

  “Oh, Chloe!” Waylynn exclaimed. “You should have seen your face. It was beautiful.”

  Steed reached for my hand, then pulled me in for a hug, “Well done, son. Well done.”

  “Thank you, sir,” I managed to reply.

  Chloe was being tossed from one set of arms to another. Demands to see the ring were coming from all sides. Had Paxton put out the all-call for the entire Parker clan to show up?

  John Sr, Chloe’s grandfather, walked up to me and smiled. He was the monarch of the family and clearly the one with the most patience. With a firm handshake, he said, “Welcome to the family, my boy. You’ve always felt like a grandson to me.”

  A lump formed in my throat. “Thank you so much, sir.”

  Then he jerked my arm toward him and whispered, “You hurt her, and I will break both your arms.”

  I tried to form words in my suddenly dry mouth. Finally, I said, “I would never hurt her.”

  He lifted a brow. “I’m holding you to that.”

  Chloe’s gaze caught mine. She looked desperate to talk to me.

  I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled. Everyone’s eyes were now on me. “I love that y’all were a part of this moment, but my fiancée needs to get some food in her. If y’all will excuse us.”

  Catcalls and claps were heard as a few people gave us their final congratulations and hugs goodbye. Alyssa and Mike were the last to leave. Alyssa held up the picnic basket as Mike handed Chloe the large quilt.

  “Congratulations, y’all. It’s about damn time!” Mike said.

  “If y’all are up to it, want to hit Cord’s Place tonight?” Alyssa asked.

  “I’d love to, if Rip feels like it,” Chloe said.

  “Yeah, a night out would be nice. I feel like all we do is go home and work on the farmhouse.”

  Mike nodded. “I need a break from church pews and cabinets, anyway.”

  “You’re making the church pews?” Chloe asked.

  Pointing to the chapel behind him, Mike said, “You’re gonna need places for your friends and family to sit when y’all tie the knot.”

  I could see the tears in Chloe’s eyes building.

  “We’re going to head out. Y’all enjoy this beautiful day. It’s unusually cool for mid-
August. That little front moved down just in time to take the heat out of the air,” Alyssa said, clearly aware that Chloe was holding back her emotions.

  Chloe walked up and kissed her best friend on the cheek. “Thank you so much for the picnic stuff, Alyssa. Love you.”

  “Love you back. See y’all later tonight!” Alyssa called out as Mike took her hand and led them to his truck.

  “See y’all!”

  “Bye!” we said.

  When Mike and Alyssa got in the truck, I turned to find Chloe laying out the quilt. I set the basket down and walked up to her, taking her in my arms and holding her. It didn’t take her long to start crying.

  “It’s okay, baby. I swear to you, everything is beautifully okay.”

  She grabbed my T-shirt and attempted to stop crying but only made herself sob more intently.

  Smiling, I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her closer to me. “A baby, huh?”

  Chloe drew back. Those big ol’ sky blue eyes sparkled as her gaze locked on mine. “I guess my confidence in the pill was slightly overrated.”

  Laughing, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her with everything I had. Chloe moaned into my mouth as she held onto my arms. When I withdrew from her lips, I rested my forehead on hers.

  “What are you thinking?” she softly asked.

  “I’m wondering about the likelihood of you having twins.”

  Chloe busted out laughing. “Let’s hope not too high.”

  I stepped back and took her hands in mine. “Tell me what you’re thinking, Chloe.”

  “Well, I’m not sure. I could just have a stomach bug, but I feel different. I feel content. Happy. Overjoyed! We’re getting married!”

  Smiling, I placed my finger on her chin. “No matter what happens, if we’re pregnant or not, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life.”

  “Rip, you had a chapel built at our spot! When? How?” she asked with a chuckle.

  I glanced at the white building. “About a week after we moved into the farmhouse, I got to thinking about our spot. I knew someday we’d be married here. We were at the antique store in Waco, and you were looking at those blue doors. You made a comment about how pretty they would look against a white building, like an old chapel. The idea struck me to build a little chapel here on the ranch. I remembered hearing you and your father talk about capitalizing on the ranch in other ways to bring in money. I talked to Trevor, Steed, and your grandparents about my idea for the chapel and suggested that it could be used for other events. Maybe even possibly a wedding venue if that was something they wanted to look at in the future.”

  “Rip, that’s a great idea! And the cabin is not that far away from this spot. We might even be able to even put a few other cabins on the property. A bridal suite, somewhere the bridal party could get ready.”

  “That old barn around the bend could easily be restored as a reception hall. Hell, even the spring fling could be held there.”

  “Yes!” Chloe cried.

  I could see her mind swirling with ideas.

  “May I see the inside of the chapel?” she asked.

  “Yes! It’s not finished yet, but come on, I’ll show you.”

  With her hand in mine, we walked over to the chapel.

  “It’s an open-air chapel. The sides will all have a heavy-duty vinyl that can be either lifted to let the breeze blow through, or drawn down to keep heat or air in. I wasn’t sure what time of year you wanted to get married.”

  “Rip! Those are the same doors we saw in Waco!”

  “They are indeed. The same ones that sparked this idea.”

  Chloe squealed next to me. “I told you they would look beautiful against white!”

  I chuckled. “You were right.”

  Opening the doors, we walked into the large room. At the very end was a high rock wall with three cathedral windows. A small raised altar area sat under the windows. That would be where Chloe and I exchanged our vows.

  “Those windows. They are beautiful.”

  “They are stunning. The vaulted, open ceiling adds to the large room and we will have ceiling fans as well as chandeliers.”

  Chloe looked up. Then around the room. “How many pews will fit in here?”

  “Hopefully enough for the whole Parker clan.”

  She scoffed and hit me lightly on the stomach. “Fifteen long pews on each side. It will fit about three hundred people in here. The bell tower, will it hold a real bell?”

  I smiled. “Do you want it to?”

  “Yes!” she replied, excited. “As the married couples leave, they can ring the bell.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  “Rip, I know the perfect antique table that could fit under those windows. It could serve as an altar. It’s long enough that it would fit under all three windows.”

  I nodded. “Chloe, do you want to dig into this project when we have the farmhouse remodel going on as well?”

  She faced me. “Do I want to? I have to! This is where we’re getting married! This is going to be the most beautiful place within a hundred miles for many couples after us to get married!”

  Smiling, I asked, “So I take it you like it?”

  “Like it? Rip Myers, I love it! Our baby, whenever we have one, we can have him or her baptized in here as well.”

  My arms wrapped around her. “I love that idea, Chloe.”

  Her head dropped to my chest. “Rip, this is the most beautiful gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you.”

  “Anything for you, Chloe. Anything.”

  Rip

  AFTER LOOKING THE chapel over from top to bottom, Chloe pulled out her phone and started making notes.

  “Jonathon isn’t going to be upset, is he?” she asked as I poured water into a plastic cup. We were sitting under our tree with the chapel to our left, and the view of the river farther down the pasture directly in front of us.

  “Why would he be upset?”

  She shrugged. “Well, I’m coming in and starting to toss around ideas.”

  “It’s my project…our project. John and I hired Jonathon as the contractor.”

  “Granddaddy? Is he financing it all?”

  I nodded. “When I told him my idea, he was the first to jump on board. Of course, I think the idea of his first grandchild getting married on the family ranch was good motivation.”

  “I imagine. Trevor was on board with it? I thought they were letting more cattle on this side of the ranch.”

  Rip pulled his brows in tight then he laughed. “Oh, the whole ‘building a new barn’ thing.”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “That was a fib to throw me off!”

  “Yes, ma’am, it was.”

  I took a bite of the egg salad sandwich Alyssa had made for us. Chloe followed my lead and then stared at the chapel.

  “The old barn, how many square feet would you say it was?”

  “Don’t know. Maybe six thousand. It was one of the original barns on the ranch, Trevor said. It’s pretty big on the inside. It would really make a great reception hall.”

  Chloe was deep in thought before she spoke. “I don’t think we could have that done in time for our reception.”

  “When did you want to get married? You know there is no rush.”

  “I’ve waited nearly my entire life for you to ask me to marry you, and you want me to wait? You have heard about us Parker women, right?”

  “Darlin’, I’d marry you right now if you wanted to.”

  She tilted her head. “What about your chapel?”

  I shrugged. “We can have two weddings.”

  Chloe’s eyes seemed to light up. “If I said I wanted to run to the justice of the peace right now and get married, you’d do it?”

  “Yes! Hell, Chloe, I’ve been waiting for the moment I could make you Mrs. Rip Myers.”

  Her cheeks flushed red. “How long would it take to get a marriage license?”

  “Wait. Are you serious?”

  “We’ve
shared our entire journey with everyone on the outside looking in. Yes, I want to have a wedding with my parents and our families there, but a part of me wants it to be just you and me.”

  “And baby makes three?”

  She grinned. “If that is the case, then yes.”

  “Today?”

  “Right now.”

  “Right now. Then we can plan our perfect wedding here in our spot.”

  “You’re crazy, Chloe.”

  “Crazy in love with you.”

  I looked at the chapel, then back to her. I stood and reached for her hands. “Let’s do it.”

  An hour later, Dorothy Hilder in the county clerk’s office stared at Chloe and me. “You want a marriage license today?”

  “Yes,” Chloe said with a polite smile. “We have an appointment with Judge Brody Brodbeck in an hour.”

  “To be married?” Dorothy whispered.

  “Yes,” Chloe and I replied at the same time.

  Dorothy’s eyes bounced between us. “Your parents are going to whip your behinds if they find out you eloped!”

  “They won’t, Dorothy. I mean, as long as you can keep a secret.”

  “We’re having a wedding. We just want to take the pressure off,” Chloe stated.

  “I was not born yesterday, and I know the two of you have been itching to be with each other. Truth be told, Chloe, when we all heard you were engaged to a city boy…well, we wondered if he done hit you on the head and made you lose your memory.”

  Leaning in closer, I whispered, “I thought the same thing.”

  Chloe punched me in the arm. “Dorothy, please, can we get the license?”

  With a long, loud sigh, she pushed back in her chair. “Well, I suppose. It is sort of romantic.”

  Wrapping her arm around mine, Chloe looked up at me, a wide grin on her beautiful face.

  “You’re sure about this?”

  “We’re practically married now. We live together. Own a house together.”

  Neither of us said what we were both thinking.

  Could be having a baby together.

  After a few minutes of waiting, Dorothy appeared with a piece of paper. “Here you kids go. Congratulations. I better be invited to the fake wedding.”

  With an excited giggle, Chloe took the paper and then threw herself into my arms.

  As we walked out of the county clerk’s office, I called Mike while Chloe called Alyssa. An hour later, the four of us stood in Judge Brodbeck’s office. Mike was covered in sawdust from not having enough time to change. I was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt with my favorite cowboy hat that had seen its best days back in high school. My shirt had the name of Jonathon’s construction company on it, which added a nice family touch. Chloe wore dress pants and a dress shirt and was the only one who looked dressed for the occasion of an elopement at the justice of the peace. Alyssa had us all beat. She had gone home after I asked Chloe to marry me and changed into cut-off sweat pants with a white tank top that had purple paint dripped on it. And her hair was piled on her head with two pencils sticking out on either side.