Wyatt grinned at her affectionately. He could sense the serenity within her. Part of him thought to let her stay just like she was for as long as she desired, head leaned back and blissfully enjoying the sunlight. Still, he needed to show her what he’d prepared for her. If she loved it, then there would be countless more opportunities for peaceful moments. “Are you ready for your surprise?” he whispered in her ear.
A light shiver ran through her body as Wyatt’s words danced along her ear. She loved that surprises could now be something she looked forward to instead of hid from. “Yes,” she answered softly.
Instinctually she closed her eyes as she felt Wyatt turn her back towards where they had come. Once pivoted, he removed his sash from her eyes. That piece of fabric had played a significant role in their journey, and it seemed fitting that it was part of this one as well. Nev, not wanting her first glimpse of the surprise to be blurry, looked down towards the ground. She blinked her eyes a few times as they got reacquainted with the light. As she pushed her eyes to focus, she felt Wyatt release her hand and kneel before her. Her breath stopped as she raised her head and saw him on his knees with a silver ring outstretched in his hands. Everything else around her immediately dropped from her sight.
“Nev, I know I brought up the idea in the palace and then asked you once we appeared in the cave, but you deserve more than that. You deserve everything—including a ring and a real proposal,” Wyatt stated tenderly before he smiled at her. “Nev, I never could have imagined meeting the love of my life in the way that I met you. Nor could I have imagined the crazy path we would travel down. Now, however, the only thing I can’t imagine is to not have you in my life. I love you with all that I am. You were and are worth it. Always. Would you do me the great honor of choosing to marry me?” he asked with bated breath. The adoration in his tone and expression were more than evident.
Tears were running down her cheeks as Wyatt’s words pulled at her heart. She’d already told him she wanted to marry him, but this was so much more touching. He had planned this moment, and she loved him for it. Nodding quickly and affirmatively, she emphatically replied, “Yes. Yes. Always, yes.”
Wyatt deftly slid the silver band on her trembling finger and then rose to kiss her. Pulling her into his embrace, he pressed his lips to her adoringly. Leaning back slightly, he smiled at her. “I love you. Now, are you ready for your other surprise?” he inquired with a broad grin.
Nev looked at him, stunned. “Another?” she stammered. The sweet proposal would have been more than enough, but somehow there was more. Wyatt really had surprised her.
“Got you, didn’t I?” asked Wyatt, feeling very pleased with himself.
Giggling softly, Nev nodded. “You did, indeed. So… where is it?”
Wyatt grinned mischievously and took her hand in his before gently turning her around. Her back was now facing where their little walk had originated from. He smiled as he heard her gasp.
“How? Is this? I can’t believe it,” Nev finally managed to stammer out.
“You remember when we shared our first dance? You told me you wanted to live in a place just like that, with me. Well, you just agreed to marry me… again. So, the ‘with me’ part seems to be squared away. That only left the ‘place’ part to figure out. So, I got Addi to agree to keep you distracted at Nellis’ place, and I got Nellis to agree to help me build this,” noted Wyatt before pausing briefly. “You would be amazed how quickly you can construct something when you have a master builder directing things and a Tinkerer for a laborer,” he added, laughing. “Still, you didn’t give me a lot of details beyond the location. So… I hope you like the choices I made,” Wyatt explained with anxious enthusiasm.
Nev could hardly believe her eyes. A cabin with a large front porch and a purple door stood before her, with flower boxes hanging from the windows. A large garden rested between the front door and a rippling stream. There were even rocking chairs on the porch and a training station for swordplay. The cabin was perfect, and she had not even seen the inside yet. She wanted to thank him, but words were escaping from her mind before she could speak them.
Studying her face closely, Wyatt asked, “Do you like it? We can change anything you don’t want. I left the inside mostly untouched except for the basics. Well, the basics and one more thing. But that can wait a bit. You do like it, don’t you?”
Smiling and hugging him tightly, she responded, “I should probably tease you a bit and draw out my answer, but I just can’t. Wyatt, I love it. I love you.”
Squeezing her in his arms, he let out a sigh of relief. “That is very good to know. I thought you would, but then I started to worry. Addi and Nellis tried to reassure me. They actually seemed to think it was less crazy than I did. Although, I wonder if they were just excited to get us out of their house,” surmised Wyatt before laughing softly.
Nev cupped Wyatt’s face in her hands and smiled at him. “Wyatt, you have been my foundation since the moment I met you. Even if it took me a while to realize and appreciate that. But now… with all of this. You’ve given me a future and a home, two things I thought had been lost to
