Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Next season is another matter.
But for now, I am on official vacation for the next few months until training camp starts, and while my season has ended, my life is really just beginning.
“Okay,” I warn Calliope playfully as I pull into the driveway. “No peeking.”
“I won’t,” she grumbles, pulling down the dark scarf I tied over her eyes. “But, seriously…I have to pee, so I hope wherever it is you’re taking me, we get there soon.”
“We’re here,” I tell her as I put the car in park. “Don’t move, though. I’ll be right around to you.”
Before she can reply, I turn off the engine and exit the vehicle, hustling around to the passenger door. I open it, take her by the hand, and gently help her out.
I carefully walk her toward the front of my car, making sure there’s nothing for her to trip over, but it’s only smooth concrete. I position her body and then place my hands on her shoulders from my place behind her.
“Okay…ready?”
Calliope nods, and I pull the blindfold from her face. I lean to the side so I can see her expression as she takes in the ginormous house in front of her. It’s white brick with a sweeping front porch, shuttered windows, and almost fifty-six-hundred square feet of space that sits on its own private pond.
“What do you think?” I ask her, unable to hide the tinge of pride in my voice.
“It’s gorgeous,” she replies in awe as she takes it in. “Who lives here?”
“We do,” I answer her simply, and it causes her to whip around and face me with disbelief. “I bought it. We can move in at any time.”
Calliope’s mouth drops open, and it’s the perfect opportunity to kiss her. I do so without hesitation or regret and get lost in the way she kisses me back.
But all good things come to an end, and she pulls away, shaking her head. “Wait a minute…you bought a house. A beautiful mansion, and you want me to move in with you? Don’t you think that’s moving really fast?”
Oh, dear Calliope. You have no idea how fast I can move.
Without hesitation, or a moment’s fear—and my mind flashing back to the beautiful girl I pushed on the tire swing and told boldly that I loved her—I pull the black velvet ring box out of my pocket.
Calliope’s eyes bug out of her head.
I open it slowly…with a flourish, and I know she’s not only dazzled by the moment but by the size of the diamond nestled inside. Four carats pack a whopping punch.
I sink to one knee, wincing slightly at the bite of concrete through my jeans. “Poppy…I love you so much, and there’s been a lot of bad in my life lately. But finding you again…loving you again…has made everything infinitely better. There’s no life without you in it, permanently by my side. So, please say you’ll marry me, and that you’ll move into this house with me, and that we’ll have kids one day.”
Calliope just stares agog at me, her eyes cutting from me to the ring to the house, then back to me again. “This is so fast,” she mutters.
“No, it’s not,” I say firmly as I move to a standing position and take the ring from the box. I grab her hand, slide it easily onto her appropriate finger, and watch her as she stares down at it. “We’ve known each other for a lifetime. Loved each other for years. Made mistakes, fell apart, and found each other again. No one knows me the way you do, and no one will ever know you half as well as I do. And if there’s anything I’ve learned over the last few weeks, it’s to never live life on the verge of regret. We have nothing to lose. Let’s do this, Poppy.”
She touches the ring with the tips of her fingers, twisting it slightly. Then her head tips up, and she smiles at me. “Okay. Let’s do this.”