Chapter 8
OLIVER
Spending so much time with Emma when we don’t have to hide our relationship has only proved to me what I already knew: she’s it for me. I can’t let her go, and I’d have to kill anyone who tried to take her from me.
Once Emma finishes her Masters, we’ll be free to be ourselves, but I’m not waiting until then to start planning our life together.
I already have a plan to look at apartments when we’re back home and when we went into town to get me a pair of hiking boots, I saw a ring in the window of a jeweler that I immediately knew was meant to be hers.
It was a sign, and what better place to prove my commitment to us than a place that means so much to her, a place nearly as beautiful as she is.
“Maybe I’ll make a country boy out of you yet,” Emma teases as she comes out of the bathroom after putting her hair up in some elaborate braided bun.
I laugh, raising a brow at her. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be, pretty girl,” I tell her, watching the way pink spreads across her cheeks. I love making her blush. It’s my favorite hobby.
“What if all I want you to be is mine?” she asks, stepping closer to me and tipping her head back to meet my gaze.
I wrap my arms around her waist and tug her close to me. She fits fucking perfectly, made for me. “I’m all yours, gorgeous,” I promise her. “And you…you’ve always been mine.”
It pains me to pull away from her rather than kiss her senseless, but if I do that we won’t leave the room and I have important plans.
“Come on,” I say, taking her hand in mine and tugging her out of the house.
The sky is clear and there’s a cool breeze that makes the air feel fresh, making for perfect hiking weather. The only hiking I’ve done is in humid, hot weather back home and the climb up the green hills here is far more pleasant.
We chat the whole way up, taking our time wandering the winding path to the summit.
We talk about our plans for the future, what Emma wants to do when she graduates, the house we want to live in one day.
By the time we reach the top, I can picture the rest of our lives together clearly.
Our wedding, Emma pregnant, a baby that looks just like her.
The walls of our house lined with our photos.
Not having to hide our love for each other ever again.
Fuck, I’ve never been able to picture my future so clearly. The thought of a family with her makes me feel feral, and I have to stop myself wanting to sweep her off her feet, take her back to our private bed and put a baby in her belly right now.
Emma inhales deeply, sighing happily as she twirls around, looking out at the view from all angles, her hair windswept and her cheeks pink. I grab my camera and quickly, while she’s not looking, I set it up on a timer and place it to the side, knowing she’ll want this moment captured.
“God, I love it up here,” she says, still facing away from me. I grin as I lower to my knee, knowing she has no idea what’s about to happen. “It’s one of my favorite places on earth—”
She turns to talk to me and freezes, her eyes going wide and her mouth dropping open as she locks eyes with me.
“Oh my God, Oliver….” she breathes, her eyes beginning to shine with tears as she slaps her hand over her mouth in shock.
I hold out the ring I bought at the boutique, a vintage emerald and diamond on a delicate gold band.
“Emma McMann, when I saw you on campus this year, I couldn’t believe my luck,” I start, smiling at her. “I’ve wanted you since the second I first saw you all those years ago, and the time I’ve had with you has been the best of my life.”
She takes a step towards me. “I love you so much,” she whispers, the words coming out a little choked up.
“I love you, Emma,” I promise her. “Will you marry me?”
“Of course I will!” she shrieks, her excitement overriding her shock as she throws herself at me. I catch her with a laugh, both of us tumbling to the grass. I manage to keep a hold of the ring, kissing her deeply before I pull away to slip it on her finger.
“It’s stunning,” she gushes, tears overflowing as she stares at it. It sparkles in the Scottish sun, glowing as brightly as the woman who wears it. “Dammit, Oliver, you’re perfect.”
I laugh, rolling onto my back and taking her with me. I kiss her breathless, only stopping because I hear the chatter of another set of hikers closing in.
“Come on,” I say, gathering up our stuff and taking my fiancee’s hand. “Let’s go show your family our engagement photos.”
Emma gasps. “You set up the camera? And here I was thinking I was done crying,” she says, happy tears streaking down her cheeks once more.
“We’re going to need a huge house to decorate all the walls with,” I muse, kissing her once more just because I can’t help myself.
“Sounds perfect,” she answers, and she’s right.
Any life with her sounds perfect to me.