Without You

Will started following her, but I grabbed his arm.

“Dinner?” I shook my head. “Will, did you plan this or something?”

He gave me that panty-melting smile of his as he winked at me. He took my hand and pulled me along as he followed Cassie up a flight of stairs.

The house was just as I remembered it. The log beams through the house gave it such a rustic feeling. The deer, moose, turkeys, and ducks mounted all over the walls screamed hunting lodge.

“This place is amazing,” Will whispered.

I giggled. I knew he would love it!

Cassie walked up to a set of double doors and pushed them open. I let out a gasp as I walked into a grand ballroom.

“It’s more beautiful than I remembered.” I turned and looked at Will. “Grace and I used to pretend we were princesses, and that our Prince Charming was going to scale the castle walls and set us free…but not before he danced with us.” I let out a sigh as I shook my head. “Silly romantic dreams.”

Cassie walked past us and pushed a button. Classical music began playing as she walked up to another sent of French doors. She turned and gave me the sweetest smile before turning back and opening the door.

The lodge house had a wraparound porch on the first floor and the second floor. My mouth dropped open when I saw the white lights hanging down with a round table in the middle of the deck. It had a white linen tablecloth on it, and the table was set for two. In the middle of the table was a beautiful arrangement of flowers, and two tall candles were lit. It was stunning.

I walked up to the table and then turned to Will. “Will…” I whispered.

Will

Lex’s eyes looked amazing against the backdrop of the blue ocean. When she turned and looked at me, I thought it was the first time it really hit her that I had planned all of this.

“Will…” she whispered.

I walked up to the table and pulled out one of the chairs. “Lex, will you do me the honor and have dinner with me this evening?”

She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and nodded her head. “Yes,” she barely said.

I pushed her chair in and then handed her the napkin. When our hands touched, the bolt of lightning shot through my body. Lex’s eyes widened, and she began breathing slightly harder. She’d felt it, too.

I sat down opposite of her and placed my napkin on my lap. I glanced out and looked at the amazing view. When I peeked back over to Lex, she was looking out over the ocean as well.

“The sunset is going to be breathtaking,” she said with a smile.

“That’s not the only thing that is breathtaking this evening.”

Lex’s chest began moving up down faster and heavier. “I love you, Will. This is all so beautiful”

“I love you more, Lex.”

The evening progressed along as Cassie brought us out salads first, then soup, and finally grilled salmon and steamed veggies. I hardly ate any of my food because my stomach was in knots. I hadn’t made up my mind if I wanted to ask her on the beach or up here. I was leaning more to staying here and then taking her to the beach with a blanket like Mr. Shelton had suggested.

The sun was slowly starting to sink further down. Lex kept looking over and watching it. We had a perfect view of the west sky.

Cassie cleared the plates. Then, she came back and placed two glasses of champagne down on the table. Lex was so focused on the sunset that she didn’t even see the glasses.

“Oh, Will, look at how the sun is reflecting off the water.” She stood up and moved to the rail.

Perfect.

I stood up and pulled the ring from my pocket. I walked up behind her.

I got down on one knee and took in a deep breath. “Lex, baby, I need to ask you something.”

When she turned to look at me, she was surprised to see me kneeling down. Her mouth dropped open, and her hands slowly moved to cover her mouth.

I saw the tears beginning to build in her beautiful blue eyes.

Alex

My heart had never beat this fast or this hard in my life—not even that day next to the small pond when Will had asked me to marry him.

“Lex, I know we’ve already told each other how we feel when we were at the pond. I want you to know that everything I said that day holds true today, if not more. You are my life. You are my world. And I love you fiercely. Alexandra Eryn Mathews, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife—but not until you’re finished with college and well on your way to being an independent woman?”

I pulled my head back and looked at him. “What?”

Will chuckled as he looked at Cassie and then back to me. “Your dad. When I asked him if I could have your hand in marriage, he said I had to make it very clear that you were to finish college first before I could officially make you mine.”