He pulled me tighter against his side. "Trust me, the last thing you are is just another girl."
His words warmed my heart like they always did, especially because I did trust him. In spite of his wild past, he'd been the most loyal, wonderful boyfriend I'd ever had.
And the hottest.
Go figure.
As we continued walking along the festival midway, he pointed off in the distance. "Hey, look."
When I looked to where he pointed, I saw the barn – yes, that barn, where we'd gotten to know each other intimately all those months ago.
Tonight, the barn was seeing a lot more action – meaning the family-friendly kind, not the other kind – with festival goers lined up for a traditional hayride.
With a grin, Chase asked, "So, how about it? Wanna take a ride?"
I laughed. "Seriously?"
"Sure, why not?"
It did sound like fun. With a wistful smile, I said, "I haven't been on one of those in years."
"And me never," he said. "So come on, let's go."
Hey, I was game if he was.
Our timing was perfect. By the time we reached the barn area, a new group of riders was already climbing into the big, wooden wagon for a trip around the festival grounds.
Chase and I joined the others – mostly younger couples and families with kids – in climbing into wagon. It was filled with straw on the bottom and large bales of hay that served as rustic seats for everyone on-board.
Chase and I claimed a bale near the middle, and off we went.
Even though it was a simple pleasure, the hayride was even more fun than I recalled, because this time, I was with Chase, a guy who made life fun no matter what we were doing.
We were riding side-by-side, jostling with the other passengers, and I leaned into him, enjoying the feel of his body, the scent of the hay, and the sights and sounds of the festival going on around us.
But then, as we turned onto the main midway, I grew slightly puzzled when Chase pulled away and crouched in the straw in front of me.
I blinked. No. Wait. He wasn't crouching. He was kneeling.
On one knee.
Oh, my God.
Was he going to…?
Yup, he sure was. Even now, he was pulling a small velvet box from the pocket of his jeans. Around us, everyone in the wagon had gone completely silent.
Already, my heart was racing. I stared into Chase's eyes, wondering if this was really happening.
And then he smiled. "Mina?"
I swallowed. "Yeah?"
"You're the only girl I've ever loved. The only girl I will love. And I want to be with you forever, if you'll have me."
Oh, boy would I ever.
And then, he gave me the cockiest smile ever. "So…will you marry me?"
Already, my eyes were filling with tears. I didn't even have to think about it.
Judging from Chase's expression, he knew darn well what I was going to say. But I said it anyway. "Oh, yeah. I mean, yes, totally. A hundred percent."
Was I babbling?
Yup. Definitely.
But I could hardly care as Chase removed the ring from the box and slipped it on my finger. Oh, wow.
I might have called the ring the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, if only something more beautiful wasn't claiming all of my attention.
It was the look of pure joy in Chase's eyes just before he stood and pulled me up into his arms for one heck of a kiss.
Normally, I might've felt funny about kissing him like that in front of so many kids and families, but the way I saw it, a little public spice – especially in times like these – wasn't all bad.
And judging from the cheers and congratulations all around us, no one was bothered in the least – unless I counted Ginger and Emory Hawthorne, who we happened to pass just as our kiss was ending.
They were standing along the wagon's path, looking decidedly miffed, even more so when I gave them a happy wave.
Oh, well.
I was thrilled enough for all of us, and I told Chase so repeatedly as he once again claimed the spot beside me and pulled me tight against his side.
As the wagon rumbled along behind the tractor, I couldn’t help but hold out my hand and admire the gorgeous ring, even as I leaned into the guy who'd given it to me.
I loved the closeness. I loved him. And now, I could love the thought of being with him always.
I smiled. Always.
It had a nice ring to it, didn't it?
Pun totally intended.
And just then, I recalled something – something I'd never mentioned to Chase. I turned to him and said, "You wanna hear something crazy?"
"Always."
"Do you know this was exactly how Grandpa Lipinski proposed to my grandma?"
Chase grinned. "I do."
Oh, boy. I loved the way that sounded, even more so when I considered that I'd be hearing those two wonderful words in a totally different context sometime in the near future.
I loved weddings.
During the past year, I'd been a bridesmaid two times – first for Arden and Brody, and then for Cami and Mason. And of course, I'd stood with you-know-who.
By now, all of us felt like one big happy family, except for when the guys gave each other grief.
But hey, a little excitement wasn't all bad.
As my thoughts swirled, Chase's last statement finally caught up with me. "Wait a minute," I said. "So you knew that's how he proposed?"
"Oh, yeah." His gaze softened. "It's a family tradition, right?"
His words warmed me to the core, and yet, there was something I still didn't understand. "But how did you know?"
"Your dad told me."
Over the last year, my dad and Chase had been getting along a lot better. Even so, I was a little surprised to hear they'd been talking about family traditions.
Normally, they just talked about tools.
I studied Chase's face. "Seriously? When?"
"A couple weeks ago, when he returned my hammer."
Now I couldn’t help but laugh. "That hammer?"
By now, Chase
