Epilogue
- One Year Later -
“I can’t believe you convinced me to do this,” Nate grumbles as the ground below us grows further and further away.
“They’ve been operating this thing for almost a year now. It’s perfectly safe.” I grasp the edge of the metal cage that’s carrying us up to a platform at the top of the arch.
The bungee jumping experience at the zoo opened eleven months ago, and ever since, I’ve been trying to persuade Nate to jump out of his comfort zone, quite literally. He has creatively avoided my hints up until this week when he brought it up himself and said he was finally ready to take the leap. I’m not sure what changed, but his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel the entire drive here tells me he’s still not so sure.
He looks down at the harness he’s strapped into and gulps. “They’ll check it again at the top, right?”
I grasp the tether that holds us together and tug him a little closer to me. “They’ll check everything again before we jump.”
When he lifts his eyes to mine, they’re a strange mix of anxious and determined. “Are you nervous at all?”
I shrug. “Just a little. But we’re not jumping alone. We’re in this together.”
He takes a deep breath and attempts a small smile.
When we reach the top, the waiting instructor reaches through the cage to attach the safety tether to us. “Alrighty! Are we ready?” he asks enthusiastically.
“Not particularly,” Nate forces out as the instructor opens the door and helps us step onto the platform.
“You’re gonna love it,” the instructor says. “I’ll have you two stand here next to the railing while I get the bungee attached.”
It’s windy up here, and I wipe loose strands of hair from my face as I watch Nate peer over the edge, gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles are white again.
“I don’t understand how you can climb trees and still be afraid of heights,” I laugh.
“I don’t climb trees this tall,” he gulps, still looking toward the ground. “The ones for competition were like fifteen feet. And we didn’t jump from them.”
While the instructor fastens the bungee to our harness and checks all the clasps, I reach up and place my hand on the side of Nate’s face, coaxing him to meet my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re doing this with me.”
“You’re good to go.” The instructor finishes his work. “When you’re ready, I’ll help you step over to the edge of the platform.”
Nate squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his jaw.
“Take your time,” I smirk. He’s always so calm and confident, it’s amusing to see him so rattled, even when it’s at his expense.
“You sure you’ve got everything hooked up right?” Nate murmurs through his teeth.
“Yes, sir. Checked everything three times,” The instructor confirms with a laugh.
After a long, deep breath, Nate opens his eyes and lets go of the railing to take my hand. We shuffle to the edge of the platform while the instructor holds tight to our harness. He positions Nate’s heels at the front of the platform. He’ll be the one falling backward, which is probably only making this more terrifying for him.
I step closer to Nate as he wraps his arms firmly around me, then I slide mine around his waist and peer up into his eyes. “Ready?”
“Give me a minute.” He swallows hard and peers toward the ground again. His body is rigid and his lips have lost most of their color, and briefly, I feel a little bad. Maybe I’ve pushed him too far. I chance a glance at the ground too, and my stomach leaps. We’re really up here.
“When you’re ready, I’m going to give you a little push,” the instructor says from behind me. “Lean out to go headfirst. It’ll reduce the jolt you’ll get at the bottom.”
“Not ready yet,” Nate says as he starts to breathe faster and his arms around me grow tighter. He meets my gaze for just a moment before his eyes dart aimlessly around the space behind me.
He looks like he’s about to back out, but I speak up. “Nate.”
He doesn’t say anything. He just turns his attention to the drop again.
“Nate, look at me,” I say quietly, and slowly, he returns his eyes to mine. I smile. “I love you.”
Something resolute touches his expression and he leans in to kiss me firmly. “I love you too…” He squeezes his eyes shut, shakes his head once, then lays his cheek next to mine and says, “Ok, I’m ready.”
“Alrighty.” The instructor places one hand on my back. “Going in three, two, one.” Then he pushes us off the edge.
It’s the feel of Nate’s arms around me that holds me together as we leave our stomachs on the platform and plunge toward the ground. I squeal and Nate yells, and if I die right now, at least I’m dying with the love of my life. But before we know it, we reach the limit of the cord, and then we rebound upward, tumbling and dangling chaotically.
It surprises me when Nate starts to laugh, and I pull back to look at him as our bounce grows steadier. The color has returned to his face and he looks euphoric. He’s a man who’s just conquered his greatest fear.
And he did this for me. I have no doubt he would have never made this jump out of his own interest, but he knew it was something I wanted to do with him. Nothing says love quite like taking a leap of faith, and that love is growing exponentially in this moment.
The blood rushes to our heads and I take his face in my hands and kiss him determinedly as we’re lowered to the ground.
“That was…” he gasps as he reaches for my hand and takes it in his.
“Fun?” I grin at him.
He smirks as crew members guide us onto an inflatable mat on the ground. “Yes, but I’m never doing it again.”
I laugh and hug him tighter just before we touch down and the crew begins to unlatch our harnesses. “So, I’ll be the one to jump with Kara when she’s old enough, then? Because you know she’s gonna want to go.” Kara is turning into an absolute daredevil. After she was given a clean bill of health from the neurologist earlier this year and the ringing in her ears ceased, she’s been begging for rollerblades, a pogo stick, and a trip to the Mall of America to ride the coasters.
Nate peers up at the platform and chuckles. “Yeah, that’ll be your job.”
“You’re all set, guys,” one of the crew members says.
Nate stands and extends his hand to pull me up. “I need a cool down from that. Want to take a walk before we head out?”
“Sure,” I reply, falling in step alongside him as we turn toward a paved path overhung with pale pink flowering trees. Kara is at school, and Nate and I both took the day off work so we could do this on a weekday and avoid the crowds. We’re alone on this path, and I lean into him with a smile. “Has your heart rate returned to normal yet?”
“No,” he says simply, and when I peer up at him, he’s staring straight ahead, biting his lip.
“But at least you can say you did it, now,” I laugh.
He squeezes my hand and comes to a stop, then he turns to me and inhales slowly. “Thank you…for encouraging me to do this.”
“Well, like you said, we all need to step out of our comfort zone a little,” I grin. “For me, that was tending a few chickens” —who I adore now, by the way— “and for you, it was jumping off a 150-foot tower. Same difference.” I wink.
He smiles warmly and takes my other hand. “You’ve opened my eyes to a lot of things.”
“Like brand names and fine wine?” I grin.
He inhales slowly. “For a long time, I had trouble imagining I could build a new life for myself…something different than before.”
Suddenly, the world quiets around us, because when I look up into his eyes, my gut tells me he’s not just making casual conversation.
“I truly never thought I could love someone the same way again.” He blinks and shakes his head. “No, not the same way. It’s completely different with you Rose. I love you in a way I could never love anyone else.” He squeezes my hand. “Your gentle nature, your incredible drive, the way you challenge me…the way you are with Kara…you’re her friend and her role model at the same time. These are things that could never compare.”
I watch him as a knot forms in my throat and pink petals drift softly to the ground around us.
“And I know it probably hasn’t been easy for you to accept the history I have—”
“Nate…” I step closer to him and shake my head slowly.
“Really, though,” he continues. “I never want you to feel like you were a second choice…because that’s… so far from the truth.”
“I know,” I say quietly.
“I am so…” he pauses and gulps, “so thankful everything happened the way it did. I wouldn’t change anything… none of it … because it brought me you. You’ve always been part of my story, and I want to love you for the rest of my life.”
Tears prick the corners of my eyes, and I try to blink them away, but one drops down my cheek. Nate wipes it away with his thumb and then reaches into the zippered pocket of his jacket and pulls out a small velvet box.
“And more than anything,” he continues. “I want to make you happy for the rest of your life, too.” He drops down to one knee and opens the box as I lift my hand to my mouth. “Rose, will you marry me?” He smiles with so much joy I think I might drop to the ground in front of him too. This is the man I love more than absolutely everything . And he’s asking me to spend my life with him.
“Yes,” I breathe. “Yes, yes, yes,” I repeat it like a mantra as I take his face in my hands and bend down to kiss him fervently. “Let’s love each other for the rest of our lives,” I whisper against his lips.
Without breaking our kiss, he stands and wraps his arms around my waist, lifts me from the ground, and spins me in a circle. And it’s magic. I’m home. I’m finally home.
When he sets me down, he steps back and lifts the box to me again. Inside is the most elegant ring I’ve ever seen; a delicate yellow-gold band featuring a single solitaire diamond. A large diamond.
“Oh, Nate…” I gasp, peering up at him.
“Do you like it?” he asks carefully. “I asked your mom, and she said you’d want a simple setting.”
“It’s beautiful.” I look down at it. “You didn’t have to…it’s so big.”
“Yes, and I won’t have you telling me I shouldn’t have.” He removes it from the box. “You deserve it.”
I lift my shaking hand to his and he slides the ring onto my finger. It catches the sunlight that filters through the trees and another tear drops down my cheek. Nate’s never been one to pursue me with expensive gifts, and that’s one of my favorite things about him. Our love is not material. It’s so much deeper. Yet, this ring is so perfect and gorgeous and exactly what I would have chosen for myself—for our love story—I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Thank you,” I whisper as I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him again.
His hands, warm and strong, slide up my back, across my shoulders, and then down my arms until his fingers link with mine. When he steps back, the kindest blue eyes find mine; warm, sincere, and sparkling with the future that’s now laid out before us.
He takes a long, content breath. “I can’t believe I get to call you mine.”
My story couldn’t be more different from the one I once imagined, but it’s better than I’ve ever dreamed. “Forever, Nate. I’m yours .”