Chapter 54 Sawyer
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Sawyer
We’ve been planning this for a while, the three of us. More than just a proposal. More than just one simple “Will you marry me?”
Because it’s never been simple for us. It’s always been more than that.
It’s been a journey. A complicated, beautiful, messy, amazing journey. Dakota, Charlie, Clint, Reid, and me… we’ve been building something together. Something stronger than any of us thought possible.
And tonight? Tonight is the night we make it official.
Well, hopefully.
I’m standing in the kitchen, trying to look calm while the chaos swirls around me. But I’m anything but calm. My heart’s racing.
Reid’s outside, finishing up some final touches. Clint’s on the patio, double checking the setup.
And Charlie… well, Charlie’s been carrying around a small, velvet box for an hour now, acting like he’s got the biggest secret in the world.
“Everything’s ready?” I call out to Clint through the open window.
“Almost,” Clint replies, sounding as cool as ever. But I know him too well; he’s just as excited as the rest of us.
Reid gives me a thumbs up from the doorway, and I give him a nod. We’re getting close now. I can feel it.
I’ve always known that Dakota’s the one for me. She’s my heart. But so are Clint and Reid. They always have been.
We’ve built something strong together. And now, we’re finally ready to take the next step as one.
She’s in the living room with Charlie, laughing at something he said. That laugh of hers, it still catches me off guard. It’s the sound of everything falling into place.
But I can’t get too caught up in that now, because Reid is ushering me outside.
I head out to the backyard, beside Clint and Reid. My heart’s thudding in my chest, but it’s not fear I’m feeling. It’s anticipation.
It’s the certainty that this is right. That this is what we were meant for.
The three of us stand together, waiting for her, and I feel that fluttering excitement, the kind that makes you believe anything is possible.
Clint glances at me, and I give him a nod. We’re ready.
It’s Clint who calls her outside first. His voice is calm, but I know him well enough to hear the emotion underneath.
“Dakota. Can you come here for a moment?”
She steps out, and everything else fades. The candlelight catches her hair, making it glow. Her eyes, those brown eyes, scan the backyard, first landing on us, then on the scene we’ve set. The wonder in her expression is enough to make my breath catch.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
I see the hint of a smile on her lips, but there’s a spark of confusion in her gaze. She knows something is coming, but isn’t sure what.
Clint steps forward, the words he’s been rehearsing tumbling out with a quiet strength. “We’ve got something to ask you, Dakota.”
His eyes are warm, sincere, and the world is holding its breath with us.
Reid moves to her side, his smile tender, his eyes full of affection.
“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a long time,” he says gently.
I take a step forward, my pulse racing. I reach out, my hand brushing hers as I speak, full of conviction.
“Dakota, everything we’ve been through… the ups, the downs, all of it… it’s brought us here, to this moment. And we’re here, together, because we want something real with you. Not just for us, but for you. For Charlie. We want to build a life with you. A family.”
Her eyes flicker with understanding, but she’s still silent, as though she’s processing what we’re saying. I see her trying to make sense of it, and I realize this moment is so much more than we’ve ever said before.
Clint moves closer, his hand gently resting on her shoulder, his gaze unwavering. “We’re asking you to be ours, Dakota. All of us. To be a part of something bigger. To be the heart of this family.”
Reid steps beside Clint, his eyes glistening with a soft affection. “We’re not asking you to choose between us. We’re asking you to choose all of us. Every part of us. We want to share this life with you, in every way that matters.”
I see the subtle tension in her shoulders, but I also see the way her breath catches, the way she’s looking between us, trying to make sense of what we’re offering.
It’s a lot, I know. But it’s what we’ve always wanted. What we’ve been working toward all along.
“All of you?”
Clint nods, his face softening. “All of us.”
Reid smiles, a quiet kind of joy in his eyes. “We’ve built something strong, something worth holding on to. And we want you at the center of it.”
I step closer, my heart in my throat. “We want you to be ours, Dakota. All of us, together. We’re asking you to be our family.”
I can feel her hesitation, the quiet pull in her chest as she tries to sort through everything we’ve said. I don’t want to pressure her, but the hope in my chest won’t be quiet. Not now.
For a long moment, she says nothing. Then, slowly, the smallest of smiles appears on her lips. It’s unsure at first, but it grows until it lights up her whole face.
Her eyes move from Clint to Reid to me. And then, slowly, she steps forward, as if the decision is already made.
“I… I never thought this would be possible,” she says softly, trembling with emotion. She takes a deep breath. “But yes. Yes, I want this. I want you. All of you. I want to be with you. Together.”
And in that moment, the world shifts. The years we’ve spent finding each other, building this life, make sense. We’re a family now. All of us.
Clint takes her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers gently, lovingly. He pulls her into his chest, and Reid is right there beside them, his arms wrapping around her too.
I step in, my arms joining the embrace, pulling her close and feeling the warmth of her against me.
But just as the moment feels it’s about to settle into forever, we hear a little voice from behind us.
“Mom!”
We all turn as Charlie, wide-eyed and brimming with excitement, runs toward us, holding something carefully in both hands. His tiny fingers grasp a velvet box, and he holds it up to Dakota with a grin so big it’s practically contagious.
“Charlie?” Dakota says, laughing softly.
He beams, practically bouncing with energy. “I’ve got something for you, Mommy! It’s for the family! You gotta put it on!”
Without waiting for an answer, Charlie opens the box and presents it to her: a ring. A delicate band with a tiny stone in the center that catches the light just right.
It’s small, a bit quirky, but in the best way. Something only Charlie would pick out with his kind of excitement and heart.
Dakota’s breath catches in her throat as she looks at the ring, then at us, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Is this—?”
Reid’s smile is pure affection as he looks down at Charlie, his hand resting gently on her son’s shoulder. “He needs to be part of the proposal, right?”
Clint chuckles softly. “Of course!”
Dakota’s smile is radiant as a sunrise, and I feel the world settle into place. This is it.
“Welcome to our family,” I whisper against her hair.
She laughs, a sound that melts the last of the tension. “I never thought I’d be here,” she says softly, her arms tight around us, “but this feels… this feels right.”
Charlie is practically vibrating in our arms. “So, does this mean we’re a family now?”
“Yes, baby,” Dakota says. “We are.”
I hold her tighter, feeling the moment, the depth of our love, and I know without a doubt that this is our beginning. Our forever. All of us. Together.
This is home.