One and Only Boxed Set

by Melanie Harlow

She rolled her eyes. “When you know, you know. And trust me—she knows.”

  “Thanks.” I stood up and gave her a hug.

  “Okay, I’m getting out of here. The champagne and cake are in the fridge and the food will be delivered as soon as I let them know to bring it, so text me when that ring is on her finger.” Beatriz, Evan, and a few other friends were going to wait at a bar down the street, then come back to celebrate with us.

  “I will.”

  She gave me one last smile as she headed for the front. “Good luck.”

  I double-checked my station to make sure I had everything I needed, then wandered up front to wait for Maren.

  It was just after nine, and already dark outside. Autumn had come quickly—it seemed like we’d barely had time to blink, and summer was over.

  After the surgery, Maren had remained in Boston for several days, and she hardly left my side while I was in the hospital. We agreed to table any major decisions about moving until after I got stronger, but having something to work for motivated me to follow all instructions and recover as quickly as I could.

  I moved in with Finn’s family for a month, and Maren visited every weekend. We all celebrated together when the biopsy results came back indicating the tumor was indeed benign. Subsequent scans showed that Dr. Acharya had been able to remove it all, and the seizures, headaches, and dizzying memories had ceased. Yes, I had a big bald patch and a bunch of staples holding my scalp together, and at first I couldn’t even take a shower without help, but that was all temporary. I felt unbelievably lucky and grateful.

  When I felt strong enough to go home, I asked Maren again about moving to Portland. My feelings for her had only grown deeper and stronger, Finn and Bree adored her, and even my parents—when I finally felt well enough to handle a visit from them—fell under her spell. My mother started hinting around about grandchildren as soon as she saw how natural Maren was with my niece and nephew, and even though I rolled my eyes and shut her down, it was in the back of my mind too.

  We talked about it a lot, and although she loved Detroit and had a really hard time moving away from her sisters, she wanted to be with me and was up for starting a life somewhere new. I fucking loved that about her. She sold her studio to one of her instructors in August, got out of her lease, and moved out here right away—without even seeing the house. I asked her if she wanted to visit first, but she said, “I trust you. If you say the house is perfect for us, it is.”

  Waking up next to her every morning was better than a dream. She was patient and kind and forgiving, but she was tough on me too—she made sure I took all my medications, refused to let me skip checkups and therapy appointments when I tried to say I felt fine, and she calmed something in me that had been restless and unsettled without her in my life. She brought a sense of peace and clarity to my life that I’d never had before. And she made me excited about the future.

  Together we’d decided to take Evan up on his offer to buy property adjacent to the ranch and build a home. All that would take a while, but she was as excited as I was about living in the country, working on a responsible, sustainable ranch (she and Evan were of similar minds on that), and teaching yoga and mindfulness as part of the youth program. In the meantime, I was back at the shop several days a week, and she was teaching yoga at a couple different studios. Life was good.

  But I wanted more.

  Every time I looked at the lotus necklace around her neck—which was often, since she rarely took it off—it gave me a thrill. I couldn’t imagine how happy I was going to be when I saw a ring on her finger.

  Maren wasn’t the kind of girl who waxed poetic about big diamonds or poofy white dresses or having all eyes on her as she walked down the aisle, but I was hoping she wanted to be my wife as much as I wanted to be her husband. But I couldn’t just come right out and ask her—not my style at all, and I knew how much Maren loved a surprise.

  So I’d concocted a little plan.

  When I saw her coming down the street, I pushed the glass door open. A cool October breeze blew in with her, carrying the scent of fallen leaves and her lavender oil. “Hi, beautiful.”

  Her face lit up. “Hi. How are you feeling?”

  I kissed her lips. “Like a million bucks. You ready?”

  “Yes! You’ve been promising me this tattoo forever. Since high school, I believe.”

  “You’re right,” I said, letting the door close behind her. “Let’s do it.”

  I took her over to my station and had her sit in the chair. “Okay, put your arm up here.”

  She extended her left arm across the table, and I prepared her skin.

  “Did you make the stencil?” she asked.

  “Uh huh.” From my desk, I pulled out the stencil of the words she wanted inked on her forearm in script, going from her inner wrist toward her elbow.

  I am not afraid of love.

  I held it up. “Like this?”

  She nodded happily. “Yes! I’m so excited.”

  “Okay, close your eyes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want it to be a surprise.”

  She giggled and gave me a strange look. “You’re goofy, but okay.”

  Eyes closed, she leaned back in the chair and I silently pulled a second stencil and a ring box out from my desk. I set the box in my lap and carefully applied the secret words to her arm. My pulse was racing.

  When I was finished, I lifted the paper and saw the words I’d temporarily transferred.

  Will you marry me?

  “Okay,” I said, closing my trembling hands around the ring box. “You can look.”

  She opened her eyes and dropped her gaze to her arm. Her smile faded. Her mouth fell open. “Oh my God.” She stared at the words, almost like they didn’t make sense. “Is this—are you—?” She looked up at me, an astonished expression on her face. “Is this for real?”

  I took the ring box from my lap, moved the table aside, and got down on one knee. Then I opened it.

  She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as she stared at the ring.

  “It’s real. And maybe it seems a little sudden, but I feel like I’ve spent my entire life waiting for you. I thought it was too late for us, but you’ve shown me that it’s never too late when you love someone the way I love you. Some things are just meant to be, some people are just meant to be together, and sometimes, love is forever.”

  “Oh, Dallas,” she whispered, her eyes tearing up.

  I took the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. “I never want to be without you, Maren. You make me a better man. Will you marry me?”

  She nodded as the tears began to spill over.

  “Is that yes?”

  “Yes. Yes!” Laughter bubbled out of her, even as she wiped her eyes. “I can’t believe this.” She held out her left hand and stared at it. “Oh my God, it’s stunning. I’ve never seen one like it.”

  “It was my grandmother’s,” I said quietly, my throat feeling a little tight. “My grandfather left it to me. It’s been in a safe deposit box at the bank for years. I never once thought I’d need it.”

  Her eyes met mine. “Oh, honey. I love it.”

  “Are you sure? I had it reset with a champagne sapphire because I know you like color, and the jeweler said that stone is perfect for rose gold. The little diamonds on the band are original to the ring—I liked that. But if it’s not what you want, I’ll get you a new one. I know it’s not very modern.”

  She cradled her left hand against her chest as if I’d tried to take the ring from her finger. “You want this ring back, you’ll have to pry it off my cold, dead hand. It’s perfect. Perfect.”

  “Good.”

  She leaned forward, taking my face in her hands and pressing her lips to mine. “I’ve never been so happy in my entire life. My heart is going to burst right out of my chest.”

  “Mine too.”

  “So happy or so shocked!” She giggled and looked at her hand again. “I thought I w
as coming here for a tattoo!”

  I laughed as I got to my feet. “You can still have your tattoo. I just couldn’t wait to see that ring on your finger. And you know I love to surprise you.”

  She jumped off the chair and threw her arms around me, and I held her tight, lifting her right off her feet. “Never stop surprising me,” she whispered as she clung to me.

  “Never,” I promised. I closed my eyes and breathed her in, feeling overwhelmed with love and luck and gratitude. “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “I’ve never been so thankful for that stupid brain tumor.”

  She laughed as I set her down. “Thankful? Why?”

  “Because it brought me back to you.” I cradled her beautiful face in my hands. “And it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

  “I love you,” she said, her eyes filling once more. “I loved you then, and I love you now, and I’ll love you forever.”

  I kissed her lips. “I’m counting on it.”

  Maren

  I couldn’t stop looking at my left hand. Even in the dark, the ring sparkled and shone. Everyone at the impromptu engagement party at the shop had commented how gorgeous and unique it was, and when we had time, I was going to ask Dallas to tell me all about the woman who’d worn it before me. I loved that my ring had a connection to his history.

  Dallas chuckled as he pulled into the garage at our house. “You really do like it, huh?”

  “I love it.” I hugged my left hand against my heart. “I can’t get over how perfect it is for me. In a million years, I’d never have been able to describe it. I’m not like Emme, who had her ideal engagement ring picked out by the time she was sixteen. I wasn’t even sure I’d ever get married.”

  “Me neither.” He turned off the engine and we got out of the car. “I thought that ring would sit in the box forever.”

  “Can you give me the real tattoo tomorrow?” I asked. I hadn’t wanted to wash off the stenciled proposal tonight, because it was such a fun piece of the story. I’d taken a thousand pictures of it, and sent some to my sisters, who were thrilled and weepy and sent their congratulations and hugs. I couldn’t wait to show them the ring, which I’d be able to do next week when we went back to Michigan for Emme’s wedding.

  We held hands as we walked toward the house. It was an adorable two-bedroom place in a lovely old neighborhood that was perfect for a couple like us, but I was glad we’d have more space eventually. Already, I was thinking about a family, which was another thing I’d never been sure about. Now I wanted a whole tribe. “What do you think about kids?” I asked. “Or is it too soon to talk about that?”

  He gave me a look as he unlocked the door. “You’re not trying to tell me anything, are you?”

  I laughed. “No. It’s just a question.”

  “Okay. Good.” He pushed the door open and let me go in first, then he closed it behind him and wrapped me up in his arms from behind. “Because I feel like I just got you all to myself and I’d like to enjoy that for a little while.”

  I smiled as he walked me from the shadowy kitchen into the living room, where we’d left one lamp on. “But after that?”

  “After that we can talk.” He kissed the side of my neck.

  I spun around in his arms to face him. “How many can we have?”

  His gorgeous blue eyes widened. “How many?”

  “Yeah. Now that I’ve seen where we’re going to live, I want a whole gaggle of kids.”

  “A gaggle?”

  I nodded happily. “Yes! I’m picturing like eight adorable little hippie children running around the ranch, dirt on their faces, flowers in their hair, planting vegetables, picking fruit off the trees…”

  He shook his head. “Oh my God. You are not putting flowers in my son’s hair.”

  “I will if he wants me to. And who knows, maybe we’ll have eight girls.”

  His eyes closed. “I’m in so much trouble.”

  “But you love me.” I kissed his lips. “And I love you, and whether we have eight children or twelve or twenty or none—”

  “Or two,” he said, backing me toward the stairs. “Two is good.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Two isn’t even enough for a game of hide and seek, let alone enough to tend a farm. Hey, can we have peach trees? I love peaches.”

  Groaning, he bent down, picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Me too.” He bit my ass cheek through my long cotton skirt. “I’m in the mood for some right now, in fact.”

  I shrieked as he carried me up the stairs and into our moonlit bedroom, tossing me on the bed. “No! Don’t eat me!”

  “But I’m so hungry,” he growled, reaching beneath my skirt and tugging down my underwear. “And you’re so sweet.”

  I laughed as he disappeared under my skirt and buried his head between my thighs, but before long I was sighing with pleasure, my hands in his hair, his tongue and fingers working their magic.

  Then he was sliding up my body, shrugging out of his clothes, lifting my shirt over my head. For the millionth time, I marveled that this was real—this man inside me, this love reborn between us, this future we had imagined. I held him tight as he brought me to a place where we were the only two people in existence, where we’d been made only for each other, and the whole world was ours alone.

  I would cherish this feeling forever.

  Bonus Epilogue

  Maren

  “Will you at least give me a clue where we’re going?” I asked, trying to make my voice as sweet as possible. When Dallas had asked me to take a surprise road trip with him, I’d had no idea he was going to blindfold me for part of the drive.

  He was firm. “No. You’re not peeking, are you?”

  I giggled, lifting an edge of the scarf tied around my head. “No. But I’m tempted.”

  He pushed my hand down. “Don’t you dare. I’ll pull this car over and spank you.”

  “Is that supposed to scare me?”

  “Yes.” His hand squeezed the top of my leg. “Now stop trying to ruin the surprise. I’m not telling you anything.”

  I sighed and leaned back in the passenger seat. Normally, I adored surprises, and Dallas was so good at them, but it was driving me nuts that I couldn’t even look around to see where we were headed. We’d been in the car for five hours already.

  Not that I’d recognize the landscape anyway, even if I weren’t blindfolded. I’d only been living with him in Portland for about six weeks, and we hadn’t really left the city much. Frankly, we hadn’t left the house much. But we were making up for lost time in each other’s arms.

  There was no place I’d rather be.

  “Are we going somewhere far?” I asked. “You said we’d only be gone one night. I packed almost nothing.”

  Dallas laughed. “Good.”

  I felt for buttons on the passenger door and put down the window. Then I stuck my head out, inhaling deeply, trying to see if I could smell anything that might tip me off, but I couldn’t.

  “Maren, what the hell? Get back in here!”

  “Sorry.” Laughing, I rolled the window up again. “I was trying to sniff out a hint.”

  “You’re relentless. I should have handcuffed you.”

  “I can’t help it,” I said, bouncing in my seat. “I’m excited. I love going places with you.”

  He reached for my hand and kissed the back of it, then he kept it in his lap. “I love that ring on your finger.”

  Warmth blanketed my skin and pooled at my center. “Me too.”

  True to his word, Dallas refused to give me any clues. Eventually the car slowed down, and I could tell we’d exited the highway. Soon the road grew bumpy, as if it wasn’t paved. “This is killing me,” I whined. “Can I please look?”

  “Just a little bit longer.”

  “It must be dark by now! What will I even see?”

  “It’s not dark yet. Patience, darling.”

  Finally, the SUV rolled to a stop, and Dallas cut the engine. />
  “Now can I look?”

  “Nope. Wait there.” He got out, came around to the passenger side, and opened the door. “Okay, give me your hands.”

  I held them both out, and he guided me from the car, shutting the door behind me. Carefully, I walked in the direction he led me. The breeze was cool, wherever we were, and I was glad I’d worn a jacket. I inhaled deeply—the air smelled woodsy and earthy and autumn-like. I heard wind moving through trees, birds and bugs chirping, and maybe water sloshing softly. No traffic, no people talking, no city sounds at all.

  “Okay, stop here.” Dallas untied the scarf and it fell from my eyes.

  I opened them and gasped. Stretching out before me as far as I could see were acres and acres of sloping green grasslands ringed by evergreen forests. The sun was setting, bathing everything in pink and amber light. I turned, covering my mouth with my hands. Behind us, in the distance, was a large ranch with one main house, a handful of smaller log cabins, and several barns and outbuildings. To our left was a small lake, its surface rippling gently. My eyes filled as I turned to Dallas again. “Is this …?”

  He nodded. “It’s going to be ours. What do you think?”

  I shook my head. “It’s unbelievable.”

  Wrapping his arms around me from behind, he kissed my cheek and turned me to face the west. “I thought we could build the house there, with a big deck off the back to watch the sunset every night.”

  I hugged his arms to me. “Yes.”

  He angled us in a different direction. “And over there we can plant your garden and orchard, where our twenty-four kids with flowers in their hair will run around barefoot and wild.”

  My smile grew. “Yes.”

  He shifted again. “And maybe we’ll hang a swing from that tree—or a hammock between two of them."

  “Perfect.” I shivered in his arms, but not because it was chilly—because I could see it all so clearly, and it filled me with pure joy. I turned around to face him and slipped my arms around his waist. “It’s so beautiful, Dallas. I love it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “My heart is happy here. I know this is right.”