Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nate
N ate revved the engine of his motorcycle and pulled away from the curb, the roar of its power echoing along the empty dirt road. He glanced over his shoulder at his passenger. Daisy smiled back at him, her face aglow with excitement. It didn’t take much for her to agree to a bike ride to test out his restructuring.
He’d gone onto the runway like his dad had suggested making sure it was road worthy and then asked if Daisy wanted to go out. She didn’t hesitate to say yes.
It was the night before they were getting married.
“Ready?” he called.
“Always,” she shouted back, though the engine nearly drowned her voice out.
He gave her a wink and gunned the engine, sending them careening down the track and up to the Turner Estate, the setting sun casting long shadows in their wake.
Daisy held on tight as they raced along, the wind and the road beneath them a blur, the surrounding treeline of bare branches.
Each bend in the road brought something new to admire, and each straight way was a chance to sit back and take in the beauty of the passing scenery. He couldn’t go as far as he wanted as it was the private land. For his plan, he went somewhere familiar and where he knew he could take the bike.
Nate had been planning this day since he suggested they got married, but there had never been a chance once Daisy’s brothers turned their backs. Now, as they sped along, he had only one thought in his mind.
Propose.
Nate knew that when he reached the spot he had chosen, the cliffs above the sea, he would have the perfect setting to ask her to be his wife. Even though they had already agreed and would be in front of the vicar the next day.
As they arrived at the cliffs, the sun had all but set, its dying rays painting the sky a deep pink. Nate stopped the motorcycle and took Daisy’s hand, squeezing it tightly as he got off.
“Come,” he said, leading her to the edge.
The cliffs rose steeply above the sea, their jagged edges silhouetted against the twilight sky. Nate and Daisy stood at the brink, looking out in awe at the majestic landscape.
Nate stepped forward and scooped Daisy into his arms, spinning her around and kissing her deeply. When he finally put her down, he reached into his pocket and produced a small, velvet-covered box.
“Daisy,” he said, his voice wavering with emotion, “I’ve known you only a couple of months, and we’re getting married tomorrow. But in that short time, I’ve grown to love you more than I ever thought possible. A girl needs a proposal, so will you do me the honour of turning up tomorrow and becoming my wife?”
He opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring, his grandmother’s ring. Daisy gasped in delight as she saw it. Nate remembered she said she just wanted a wedding band, but he wanted more for her.
“Yes!” she said, her eyes bright with tears. “Yes, Nate, I will turn up tomorrow!”
Nate slid the ring onto her finger, then kissed her again, this time with even more passion than before. They stood there, holding each other tightly, until the last of the light had faded completely. As they turned and made their way back to the motorcycle, Daisy smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
“We must be mad,” she said.
Nate smiled back. “We can be mad for the rest of our lives,” he answered.