by Ivy Jordan
“You can see where our bedroom is now,” he said, pointing at the upper level.
I’d been so enthralled in my studies, I hadn’t noticed how far along he’d gotten on the house. He’d only started it six weeks ago, when the rain finally started to slow down, and it already looked like a house.
“I added something for you,” he whispered.
I searched the wood frame, looking at each board, each opening, each room, until I saw it. I gasped, my hands pushing over my mouth as I muffled my scream of excitement.
“I can’t believe it,” I sighed, turning in his arms.
“You said you wanted Gulliver and Queen closer to the house,” James smiled.
I hadn’t noticed it until I looked past the house, what I thought he was pointing at. Behind it, there was another structure, one quite large, and I instantly knew it was stables for our horses. I’d only made the comment last week about how nice it would be to have them nearby, for evening rides, or just to share with them the carrots in my garden that I planned to grow for them.
“You’re amazing,” I gasped, tiptoeing to reach his mouth.
I jumped up into James’s arms, my legs straddled around his waist tightly as our mouths locked together. He walked from the water, drenched, our clothes clinging to us, and made it to a sunny spot in the grass, under our large tree. There, we made love, something I hoped to do time and time again. I wanted to be in his arms forever.
James
I lifted up in the bed, my muscles aching as I held my weight on my left arm to turn and watch Evelyn sleep. She was so peaceful snuggled into the blanket. I reached out, touched her silky skin, letting my finger trace the outline of her shoulder, down her arm, and to her petite hand that rested on the curve of her hip.
Her fingers were bare, empty, and I knew I wanted to change that.
I reached under my pillow, as she started to stir, pulling out the little black velvet box. Inside, a ring that I bought a couple weeks earlier, one that I’d stressed over time and time again about how I’d present it to her.
The ranch was doing great, thanks to Evelyn’s smart business sense. She hired a couple men to renovate the house I’d bought, and it was now bringing in a steady income from its rental. The fields were producing a larger amount of wheat, plenty to supplement income after I used what was needed on the farm. We were growing our own food for the animals, and for ourselves. Evelyn even started a small farmer’s market in town, which brought in people from all over. The kids loved seeing the baby animals that were brought for sale, and the local farmers and ranchers loved the added income to their bank accounts.
Her eye twitched as she squirmed towards me, her hand slid to my side, and her face nuzzled into my chest. My heart beat so hard I feared it would wake her before I had a chance to gather my thoughts.
I carefully opened the box, took out the ring, and let the sunlight from the window bounce from the diamond, creating a beautiful rainbow arc. I knew this was a simple proposal, but Evelyn wasn’t the type to appreciate a big fuss. She appreciated simplicity and honesty.
Her eyes opened as she stretched her arms above her head, a sweet array of tiny noises rolled from her lips before she finally turned towards me, her eyes opened wide and filled with surprise.
“We’re you watching me sleep?” she grumbled sleepily.
My eyes drifted to her breasts, perfect, round, and just above the sheet she’d stretched out of. I laughed as she busted me checking her out, covering herself with her hands modestly.
“You were just checking out my boobs,” she teased, playfully slapping me on the shoulder.
“They are nice boobs,” I insisted.
Her giggle was so sweet, such a perfect sound to wake to in the morning.
“How long have you been awake?” she asked.
I reached my hand from behind my back and placed the ring around her nipple, leaving it there.
She looked down, her hand frantically seizing the ring, pulling it to her wide eyes. Evelyn let out a squeal as she quickly pushed herself up in the bed, her eyes shifting from the ring to me, back to the ring, and then back to me.
“Evelyn Pierce. I love you, and it would make me the happiest man in the world if you’d be my wife,” I vowed, happy that I didn’t stutter or choke.
I was so nervous. I wasn’t sure why. She was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and I was pretty sure she felt the same about me. Until she screamed out “yes” and wrapped her arms around my neck so tight I could barely breathe, I wasn’t sure.
When she finally released me, I placed the ring on her finger, gripped her tightly in my arms, kissing her neck, her shoulder, and then pulling back to stare into her eyes, my future wife.
“Wait, were you asking me, or my boobs?” she teased.
My cheeks hurt from the wild smile she brought onto my face. I glanced down at her breasts, still perfect, and shrugged.
“Well, they are two big reasons,” I teased.
“You’re so bad!” Evelyn howled, pushing herself into me until I fell back onto the mattress with her pinned above me.
“I love you,” I whispered as she lowered to my mouth.
“I love you, too,” she breathed, her hands already searching between us for what poked her in the thigh.
We would gather her stuff from her apartment, get her out of the lease, and get busy on finishing our dream house so we could move in after the wedding, which would happen on the ranch, of course.
Evelyn’s parents would not be pleased, we were both aware of that, but it didn’t matter. They’d come around eventually, and if not, we still had each other, and that’s all we needed to live happily ever after…