CHAPTER 25
Forever Was Never the Plan
Brad — POV
Brad didn't plan the proposal.
That was the first thing he made sure was true.
No boardroom logic. No strategic timing. No perfect setup.
Just a moment.
Real, simple, uncalculated.
He stood outside the flower shop longer than usual that afternoon.
Not because he was nervous in the way people usually meant it.
But because he knew this mattered in a way nothing else ever had.
Kathy was inside.
Of course she was.
Where she always seemed to belong now.
He stepped in.
The bell rang softly.
She looked up and smiled automatically.
"Hey," she said. "You're early."
Brad shook his head slightly. "I don't think I am."
Kathy raised an eyebrow. "That sounded deep. Should I be worried?"
He exhaled a small laugh.
"No," he said. "Just... present."
That made her pause slightly.
Because that was still new.
He didn't bring flowers today.
Not even a small bundle.
Just himself.
Kathy leaned on the counter. "So what's the reason this time?"
Brad looked at her.
And for a second, everything around them quieted.
The shop.
The street of Hood River.
The world he used to run.
All of it faded just a little.
"I used to think forever was something you built," he said quietly.
Kathy tilted her head slightly. "And now?"
Brad stepped closer.
"Now I think it's something you choose," he said.
A pause.
"Every day."
Kathy didn't speak.
Not yet.
She could feel something different in his tone now.
Not controlled.
Not rehearsed.
Just... honest in a way that didn't leave space for hiding.
Brad reached into his pocket.
Not slowly.
Not dramatically.
Just naturally.
Like he had already decided.
He pulled out a small ring.
Simple.
Not flashy.
Not extravagant.
Nothing like the world he came from.
Just a circle of metal that meant one thing.
He held it in his hand but didn't kneel.
Not yet.
He looked at her first.
"I'm not asking you because I think I deserve you," he said.
Kathy's breath caught slightly.
"I'm asking because I don't want to spend my life pretending I can walk away from you," he continued.
Silence.
Heavy, but not painful.
"I used to control everything," he said. "My work. My life. People around me. Even situations I thought were small."
He swallowed slightly. His throat felt dry.
"But I can't control this."
He looked at her directly now.
"And I don't want to."
Kathy didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just watched him.
Brad finally exhaled.
"Forever wasn't part of my plan," he said softly.
A pause.
"Until you."
Silence stretched between them.
Kathy's eyes softened — but carefully.
Not rushing.
Not breaking.
Just feeling.
"You're still you," she said quietly.
Brad nodded. "Yes."
"And I'm still me," she added.
"Yes," he repeated.
Another pause.
Then she asked softly, "No guarantees?"
Brad shook his head.
"No control," he said. "Just choice."
He took a breath.
"Kathy Morgan, will you marry me?"
Kathy looked down at the ring in his hand.
Then back at him.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
And Brad didn't rush her.
Didn't fill the silence.
Didn't try to guide it.
He just waited.
For the first time in his life —
without controlling the outcome.
Kathy finally exhaled slowly.
"You really changed," she said.
"I'm trying to stay changed," he replied.
That made her smile faintly.
Not fully.
But real.
Then she reached out slowly.
Not for the ring.
But for his hand.
She held it.
Firm.
Grounded.
"And if I say yes," she said softly, "it's not because everything is perfect."
Brad nodded. "I know."
"It's because it's real now," she added.
He tightened his grip slightly.
"Yes," he said.
Kathy looked at him one more time.
Then nodded.
"Okay," she said.
Just that.
No dramatic moment.
No explosion of emotion.
Just a simple word that changed everything.
Brad let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
Not relief.
Not victory.
Just something quieter.
Peace.
Then he pulled her close.
His hands found her face, tilting it up toward his. And he kissed her.
Not the careful, restrained near-kiss from before. This was different. This was a kiss that said finally. A kiss that said forever.
Kathy's fingers curled into his shirt, holding him there, keeping him close.
When they finally broke apart, her eyes were bright.
"That," she said softly, "was worth the wait."
"I've been waiting to do that since the first time I saw you," he admitted.
"Why didn't you?"
"Because I was an idiot who didn't know how to stop controlling everything."
She smiled. "You're not anymore."
"No," he agreed. "I'm not."
He finally slipped the ring onto her finger.
It fit.
Of course it did.
Outside, Hood River carried on like always. The Columbia River kept flowing. Mount Hood kept standing.
But inside the flower shop on Merrow Street, everything had changed.