Promise Me Always (41 page)

He stood up with me still in his arms and placed me on my feet. It was a good thing he was still holding me or I swear I would have fallen over, my legs were so shaky. Removing the ring from the box, he placed it on my finger.

“I hope you like it,” he whispered. “When I saw it, I knew it was meant to be on your finger,” he said as he slipped the ring into place. It was a perfect fit. “I did add a little something to it, though.”

I held the ring up, admiring the sparkling diamond
. My God, it was huge! This must have cost him a fortune!

My eyes drifted to the sides and my heart leapt when I noticed the red, pink and yellow sapphires, alternating with diamonds, in the lining of the band. He must have had the colored stones placed in the ring.

“Oh, Blake!” I gasped, my right hand covering my mouth. “It’s stunning. I love it,” I said, tears still spilling down my face. “I love you.”

He held my hand in his as he looked down at the ring. My hand was trembling. The tears just wouldn’t stop flowing; he reached up and wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. Leaning in, he kissed me and I could feel him pouring all of his love for me into it.

I cupped his face with my hand and return his kiss with just as much intensity. As he broke away, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars drifted from the truck. Slowly, he started swaying us to the music. I laid my head on his chest as we danced in complete silence. And, even though we weren’t speaking, a million words were being said.

When the song ended, Blake tilted my head up with his finger and pushed a stray piece of hair away from my face.

“I love you, baby girl, more than you’ll ever know. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, for as long as I live,” he said softly, sincerity ringing from his words.

“Promise me?” I asked.

“Always.”

I woke up the next morning in a state of bliss—I couldn’t believe I was engaged! When I rolled over, I was a little disappointed to find Blake missing, but then I noticed three daisies and a folded piece of paper lying on the pillow.

“Read me first” was written in Blake’s handwriting across the paper. Each flower had a red ribbon wrapped around it and a note. The notes were labeled with a number, one, two and three. I reached for the folded piece of paper first and unfolded it.

To my soon to be wife,

You looked so peaceful this morning, I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I couldn’t sleep thinking about what the future holds for us. Last night surpassed every night of my existence and I couldn’t imagine it happening any other way.

I was so anxious about proposing that I almost fucked up the entire thing. I’m so grateful that fate somehow managed to sneak in and turn it around because you deserve to have all your dreams come true. Come to think of it, maybe it wasn’t fate at all—maybe it was just you. You are the definition of perfection. Everything is always so effortless when you’re around and I can’t wait until the day you become my wife.

I don’t think you know it, but there is a reason why I only ever give you red, pink and yellow flowers. Each color represents something specific and now you will carry those with you every day on your hand. Hopefully, when you look at your ring you will see everything I have ever seen in you and be reminded of how strong my love is.

Love Always, (Yes, I promise!)

Your soon to be husband,

Blake

I wiped away the stray tears that had rolled down my cheeks. I was the luckiest woman in the world! Blake may have had his issues in the past, but now the past is where they would stay. I knew we still had a long road ahead of us and I was sure there would be struggles and heart aches but, above all, there would be love.

I folded the note back up and placed it on the pillow before reaching for the yellow flower that was labeled with the number one.

I stared at the note for a second, taking in the words I had just read. Taking a deep breath, I tried to blink away the tears that were threatening to escape. I put the flower down and moved on to the pink daisy that was labeled number two.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading. In my heart, I had loved Blake since that first time we were together, but I never knew that he felt the same. I couldn’t help but wonder where we would be if we would’ve just pushed aside our fears that day and confessed our true feelings. After setting the flower down, I reach for the final daisy and slowly unfolded the note labeled number three.

Tears were spilling down my face as I finished reading. I had never felt so much love before in my life. My gaze shifted to my hand—my ring sparkled in the morning light that was pouring through the window. It took on a whole new meaning in my eyes after reading what Blake had wrote. He had put so much thought and energy into this ring and I loved it even more than I already had.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Blake standing in the doorway. His stare was fixed on me. He must have gotten up early so he could work out. He was in nothing but gym shorts and sneakers. Beads of sweat dripped down his chest and I quivered with desire as one rolled down the crevice of his abs.

“Good morning, sexy,” he said as he sauntered into the room. “I see you got my letter.” He nodded his head to the pillow sitting beside me.

More tears formed in my eyes as I recalled the beautiful words I had just read. “I did and it was beautiful. Thank you.” The tears spilled over my lashes and he was at my side instantly.

“I’m hoping those are happy tears,” he said, almost like a question.

“They are,” I laughed, attempting to wipe them away.

He leaned down and kissed the watery streaks that were staining my face. “I’ll always be here to kiss away your tears, baby girl.”

How did he always know just what to say?
I grabbed him by the face and kissed him, his light stubble rough against my hands.

When I pulled away, he looked at me and asked, “Are you ready for one more surprise?”

“Another one?” I said as I raised my eyebrows at him in shock. He smiled that famous grin that did bad things to my lady parts and I nodded yes, unsure how he was going to top himself.

He smacked me on the ass, then pushed to his feet. As he headed for the bathroom, he looked over his shoulder at me. “Today starts the first day of the rest of our lives together, so let’s start it off right. Get your sexy ass up and shower with me.”

I was excited and nervous as we pulled up to the Sweetwater Grill in downtown Steamboat. The restaurant over looked the Yampa River and I remembered floating by it yesterday on our way down the river. I had no idea what Blake had in store, but I knew whatever it was, I would love it.

“So my surprise is a lunch?” I teased as we got out of the car. Blake looked over and shot me a dirty look before he took my hand.

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But no matter what it is, you’ll love it,” he said playfully, putting the back of my hand to his lips and kissing it.

We walked into the restaurant and I immediately liked it. It was contemporary with just a touch of mountain flare. Off to the side, there was a massive lounge with large doors that opened up to a spectacular deck overlooking the river. The dining area itself screamed modern elegance with sleek tables, blue napkins and yellow accents.

The whole restaurant was packed and I was relieved when Blake told the hostess that we had reservations. She nodded politely, then escorted us through the restaurant to the back where the stairs led to the upper level. Once at the top, we walked through a set of doors and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Standing before me was everyone I loved—Palmer and Cole, Lexi, Avery, Devin, Matt, Cam, and even my parents. Above their heads there was a large white banner with silver hearts and diamond rings that read “Congratulations Tessa and Blake.”

My eyes pooled with tears as Blake came up behind me. He placed his hand in the small of my back and leaned into me. I could feel his warm breath on my ear and a shiver ran through me.

“Welcome to your engagement party, baby girl,” he whispered, just before he kissed me on the temple.

Everyone yelled “Surprise!” as Blake ushered me further into the room. I was still in shock when my parents walked up to us. I couldn’t believe they were here! My dad shook Blake’s hand as my mom embraced me in her arms.

“Congratulations, darling!” she shouted as she held me at arm’s length. “You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”

“Awe, thanks, Mom. I can’t believe you guys are here!”

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she proclaimed, her eyes twinkling.

I looked over to see my father staring at me with tears in his eyes. I launched myself at him and he encircled me in his arms. He didn’t say a word and he didn’t need to. I knew he wasn’t good with this sort of thing and the look in his eyes said everything.

One at a time, people congratulated us. Matt, Cole, Cam and Devin came up and shook Blake’s hand and slapped him on the back while Avery, Palmer and Lexi admired my ring.

“Holy mother of diamonds!” Lexi shrieked. “It’s stunning!” She wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me as she jumped up and down like a little school girl. “Tess, you’re getting married! Eek, I have so many ideas. You have to let me help you with it!”