“Are you ready?” I finally ask Skylar.
She made me show her around the property. She said she wanted to save the inside of the house for last. As we walked down to the stream, I practiced my speech over and over again in my head. Now that we’re here, I’m anxious.
I’ve proposed once before. I wasn’t nervous then. Maybe it was because I was young. Or because everyone assumed we would get married someday. The fact is, I don’t remember being anything other than excited when I asked Chelsea to marry me.
Skylar is different, though.
She’s the opposite of Chelsea is almost every aspect, except one. Her heart is huge. She loves taking care of other people. She would do anything for anyone, no questions asked, without the expectation of anything in return. She’s completely selfless.
So was Chelsea.
Maybe that’s a part of why I fell in love with her, but not the full reason. She’s also funny and smart. She’s always in a good mood except when you wake her up. She’s always positive. Even when we fight, she’s sexy as hell. She has no idea how beautiful she is, and if you tell her, she brushes the compliment off. She’s just… her. She’s amazing.
“Are you going to open the door, or are you going to stand there and stare at me all day?”
Realizing I zoned out, I take a deep breath and smile at her. This is one of the biggest moments of my life. I’ve never been more ready to open a door.
Inserting the key, I pop the lock and turn the handle, only opening the door a crack. Any farther and she’ll see her surprise.
“Before we walk inside, I just want you to know how much I love you. Before you, I wasn’t sure I would ever find love again or that I even wanted to. Chelsea was my everything for a long time. She’ll always be a part of my life, of my heart, but you’ve consumed the rest of me. My heart is yours, Skylar Cook, and I hope yours belongs to me.”
“Aww, babe. I love you, too.”
“Good, because here’s your surprise,” I say, pushing the door open wide so she can walk inside. Reaching in my pocket, I get ready to pull the ring box out when I see the disaster in front of us.
Purple rose petals cover the floor, leading from the front door all the way to the back of the house, where the kitchen is. They no longer line up in an arrow like I originally placed them. The banner I hung from the ceiling above the entrance to the kitchen is hanging loosely by one tie, the words facing away from us.
This is not going as I planned.
“This is… nice.” Skylar says, confused.
“Damn it. This isn’t supposed to be how this happens,” I say. Cursing under my breath, I pull the box from my pocket and drop to one knee, crushing a few petals into the new wood flooring.
When Skylar catches on, she turns to face me, tears appearing in her big doe eyes. Opening the box, her ring catches the natural light filtering in from the open door.
“Skylar Marie Cook, I can’t imagine a day without you. I love you so much and plan to spend the rest of my life showing you each day how much I love you. If you let me. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
“Yes!” she exclaims, tears in her eyes.
Taking the ring from its resting place, I slide it on Skylar’s finger. Once it’s securely in place, she takes the opportunity to push me to the floor and slide on top of me. As her lips take mine, I hear clapping. It takes me a moment to realize it’s real.
“I’m guessing she said yes,” Owen says, clearing his throat.
Skylar smiles against my lips before rolling off me and running to Bliss. The two embrace in a hug and begin giggling like little girls. Skylar shows Bliss her ring and they walk toward the kitchen, pushing my fallen sign out of their way before disappearing.
All I can do is watch her walk away in awe from where I’m sitting on the floor. She’s mine. She’s going to be my wife. There’s a happiness in my heart that has been missing for years. A feeling that I thought I’d never find again after losing Chelsea. A feeling I wasn’t sure I wanted to find.
Skylar isn’t replacing Chelsea. I’ll always keep a special place in my heart for the love we shared. My relationship with Skylar is my second chance at something great in life. It’s going to be an adventure every day.
Extending his hand to help me up, Owen pats me on the back, and we silently head in search of our women. Losing Chelsea was hard on me, but it was even harder on Owen because he blamed himself. Everyone blamed him. I hope this doesn’t cause a new ripple in our friendship.
“You’re okay with this, right man?” I ask as we watch Skylar and Bliss open the cupboards and check out the kitchen.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because our original plan included Chelsea.”
He’s silent for a moment. I’m not certain what he’s going to say until I see the look on his face. His smile is crooked, but genuine.
“I would give anything to have her back, but I think she would be happy for us. Both of us. Each of us found someone who makes us happy. We’re living our life each day like it might be our last. I’ve already told you she wouldn’t have approved of you mourning her like you had. This is what life is about, Jay,” he says, motioning around us. “New beginnings. Everything ends at some point in time. It’s what you do after it ends that matters most. After we lost her, we were both a little lost ourselves. But here we are now, back together, moving on in a way that would make her proud of us.”
Nodding once, I think about what Owen’s words really mean while he joins the girls.
For six years, I spent every day thinking about what I lost. I chose not to move on. It was my decision to live a solitary life that revolved around the one person I couldn’t have. The moment I met Skylar, it was like I woke up from a bad dream.
She’s the light in my life. She makes every day worth living. I want more than I ever have. My dreams are bigger, for her and for us.
In a way, losing Chelsea and mourning my loss for so long led me to finding Skylar. I’ll never forget the life I planned to have with Chelsea or the part she played in who I am today. I’ll be forever grateful for that time in my life. But I’m also glad it’s over.
It was time for me to move on.
About the Author
Rachael Brownell is an award-winning author of both young-adult and new-adult romance. She resides in the midwest with her husband, son and their fur-babies. To learn more about Rachael and her books, follow her on social media or sign up for her monthly newsletter.
For more information…
www.AuthorRachaelBrownell.com
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Also by Rachael Brownell
Holding On (Holding On series book 1)
Unglued (Holding On series book 2)
Weakness (Holding On series book 3)
Flawed Reality (Holding On series book 4)
A Secret Life
Secrets & Lies
Dark Bishop
Lucky 13
Jumping Puddles
Saving Bliss
Chasing Fate
Sticks & Stones
Losing Chelsea (Saving Bliss #2) Page 7