"That's awesome."
"What about your day? Anything special happen?"
"Uhhh, I wouldn't say special. More like difficult. I started working with a new client today who is… get this… even more particular than Mrs. Donovan."
"Noooo."
"Yes! Except in this situation, the husband and the wife both have strong opinions about what they want, and they don't see eye-to-eye."
"Oh, boy."
"Oh, boy is right. But enough about work. I miss you so much; I just had to see you."
"Cole Miller, we just saw each other two nights ago, and we're going to see each other again tomorrow at my parents’ house."
"And that's still not enough,” he said in a playful voice.
He picked me up, threw me over his shoulders, and started running towards the water.
"Say you're sorry, or I'll toss you in."
"I'm not sorry." I laughed uncontrollably.
"I'm giving you one last chance. Say, Cole, I'm sorry. I want to see you every single day." He was so playful.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I want to see you every single day."
He returned to dry ground and put me down on the sand.
"Good. Now come here and give me a kiss."
I don't think I could ever get tired of Cole's embrace. It always felt right. It was exactly what I needed.
"Turn around,” he said.
He turned me toward the sunset, kissed me on my neck and held me from behind. Tonight's sunset was the most tranquil blend of pink and yellow I had ever seen.
"How's that for a view?"
"It's stunning. Absolutely stunning."
We stood watching the sunset and listening to the crashing waves.
"Payton?"
"Yes."
"Is it okay to finish our little talk? About the future."
I turned to face him.
"I was hoping we would."
"Emmie's been asking a lot of questions lately. She's very discerning. I've been honest with her about my feelings for you, but I find myself holding back on the one thing I really want to say most."
"What's that?"
"I want to tell her that I'm ready to ask for your hand in marriage. I know she would be thrilled. She adores you. But in order for me to have a serious conversation like that with her, I need to make sure you're fully on board with the idea as well."
"I'm fully on board with the idea," I said with confidence.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. You two mean the world to me."
He picked me up again and spun me around.
"I'm going to do this the right way and give you a proper proposal."
"Cole, you know I'm a simple kind of girl. Remember our first date? I was the one who brought flat shoes and put them on before we arrived at the restaurant."
"Your definition of simple is beautiful to me. And just because you prefer simple doesn't mean you don't deserve the very best. Alice Miller would never forgive me if I didn't do this the right way. Now, enough about that. Come here and give me a hug."
I prayed that night that our love would always remain this strong. I hoped we would always love each other faithfully and beyond measure, dream the unthinkable, and reach what was previously unreachable. I was looking forward to what life had in store for us.
Cole
Emmie and I have been admittedly spoiled by my mother over the years. Ever since Laura's passing, she's made it her business to watch Emmie and cook dinner on my late nights. As a widow, she says it's always given her something to do. I had a big task in talking to Emmie about my plans to marry Payton. Somehow, I knew it would be just as important to have a conversation with mom too.
I made arrangements to come home early to talk to them.
"Hey, Dad. I think grandma is going to be really surprised that we're cooking something healthy for her tonight."
"Is this another joke about my burgers?"
She laughed at me.
"No, silly. I'm being serious."
"I know. If it weren't for you and Payton showing me how to make your special salmon dish, we would probably be eating burgers."
"We wouldn't because grandma would definitely have something to say about it."
"You're right. You know her well, Emmie. Speaking of your grandma, where is she?"
"She's still resting. She should be up soon. Every day around this time, she goes upstairs to have a little rest and trusts me to be responsible. She says that girls need their beauty rest, but I can't fall asleep, so I let her rest for both of us."
"That's cute, Emm, but somehow I don't think it works that way."
I shuffled around in the refrigerator to see what I could find.
“While grandma’s resting, would you like to help me prep the food?"
"Sure. How about I take veggie duty, and I'll help you when it's time to season the fish?" Emmie was a natural.
"Sounds like a plan, Stan."
"Who's Stan?" She said.
"It rhymed. Plan…Stan… get it?"
"That was corny, Dad."
"What's the matter, you don't like my jokes? I have more where that came from."
"Oh, boy. How about we focus on the seasoning? Don't pour too much. Remember what happened to Payton when she accidentally spilled extra seasoning on the fish?"
"I sure do, but I also remember you saving the fish with your handy rinsing trick."
"Yep."
Emma passed along the seasoning and started to pull the vegetables out of the bin. If left to her own devices, I was one hundred percent certain she could cook this meal better than me.
"Hey Emms, I actually wanted to ask you about Payton."
"Is she coming over for dinner again?"
"Not this time. We'll see her on Sunday when we go over to Mrs. Matthews’ house."
"Cool. What do you want to know?"
"I was wondering how you feel about Payton? You know, as far as your relationship is concerned."
"It's great.”
"I'm glad you feel that way."
"I was thinking about changing up the vegetables. Instead of asparagus, why don't we try peas and carrots? It's grandma's favorite,” she said.
"If it works for you and grandma, it works for me, honey."
Emmie
