Chapter 20
Lizzie
It’s almost five o’clock, and I’ve changed into my favorite dress I bought this summer.
It’s a cream maxi with a hem of yellow and green and delicate green spaghetti straps.
The rest of the dress is a joyful chaos of prints—palm trees, tropical fruits, seashells, little aquatic animals scattered everywhere.
It feels like wearing a love letter to Brazil.
I slide on a pair of sandals that match the colors perfectly and grab my favorite red lipstick. The mirror by the front door catches me mid-swipe, and I pause for just a second to really look.
There’s something about a good outfit and a bold lipstick that makes a girl feel confident. Like you’re stepping into the evening already ready for whatever it holds.
Everyone else is out, so the house is quiet—just the faint hum of the fan and the distant sound of birds settling for the evening. I finish my lipstick right as the doorbell rings.
My stomach flips.
I unlock the door, grab the handle, and pull it open to reveal Nate standing there in a pale blue linen co-ord with boat shoes.
If I thought cream looked good on him… blue is right up there with it. Maybe even higher.
His skin is lightly tanned, and the pale blue contrasts in a way that makes my brain short-circuit slightly.
“Hi, Nate,” I breathe out, probably a little softer than intended.
“Hi, Lizzie.” His smile is wide, like he’s just as happy to see me.
I step outside, locking the door behind me, and he offers me his arm as we head down the steps. My heart does a small, traitorous little skip at the gesture.
“So, where are we going this evening?” I ask.
“It’s another surprise,” he says, glancing over at me with a smile that says he knows exactly how much that answer will both delight and frustrate me.
“Do you always do surprises?”
“Honestly, no.” He chuckles. “I’m more of a routine kind of guy. But I think you inspire me.”
My cheeks heat instantly, warmth spreading across my face before I can stop it.
He opens my car door, and I climb in carefully, tucking my dress in so it doesn’t catch. He walks around, gets in, and we both buckle up. The engine hums to life, and he checks his mirrors before reversing out of the drive.
“You inspire me in a lot of ways,” he continues, eyes on the road. “I’ve been stuck in a pretty systematic routine for a while. Fun isn’t something I do regularly. But it’s something I’ve really enjoyed with you… and about you.”
I stare down at my hands for a moment, suddenly very aware of how fast my heart is beating.
“Thank you,” I say sheepishly. I’m not great at receiving compliments. But words of affirmation make such a big difference to me. They sink deep, settle somewhere warm and glowing inside me… and then I never quite know what to do with them. Maybe that’s something I need to work on.
“So,” I say, shifting slightly to face him, “are your nice words a strategic distraction so I stop trying to guess where we’re going?”
He laughs, the sound easy and genuine. “You’re clever. That’s another reason I like you.” He pauses. “All I’ll say is that it’s not far from here. About fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, so anything within fifteen minutes is still Recife,” I say, mentally mapping every possible option in my head.
“I don’t think you’ll guess it,” he says with a shrug.
“Is that based on the location… or the activity?” I narrow my eyes playfully, trying to piece the clues together.
“A little bit of both. I just don’t think it’ll make sense until we’re there.” He glances over at me, hands on the steering wheel.
“Hmmm.” I tap my chin dramatically, as if deep in detective mode.
I start guessing anyway. Parks, cafés, beach walks, rooftop restaurants, wildly imaginative options that make him shake his head with a grin every time.
“Okay, okay, I give up,” I finally say, sinking back into my seat. “Clearly, I’m terrible at guessing games.”
“Well, that’s good,” he says, glancing at me briefly, “because we’re about to pull up.”
I look out the window.
The sunset stretches over Boa Viagem beach in a wash of gold and pink. Palm trees line the sidewalk, their silhouettes swaying gently in the breeze. Further ahead, I spot soft lights clustered together.
“Ready to get out?” he asks.
I nod, climbing out and shutting the door, my brows furrowing in confusion as I look around.
“I’m still confused,” I admit, rounding the car toward him.
He offers me his arm again, and I slip my hand through, letting him guide me forward. The air is salty and warm, brushing against my skin and tugging lightly at my dress.
The lights come closer, and I glance at Nate, whose face gives nothing away.
Fairy lights. Wrapped around the base of a small cluster of palm trees, glowing softly as they sway in the wind like they’re dancing just for us.
My steps slow.
In the middle of the trees is a blanket, a picnic carefully laid out, and candles placed all around in the sand, flickering gently as the evening breeze moves through them.
I gasp. “Are we crashing someone’s proposal?” I whisper, eyes wide. It looks exactly like one. Too romantic to be anything else.
Nate laughs softly. “No, we’re not.”
“We’re not?” I turn to look at him, and the expression on his face gives everything away before he even says a word.
My breath catches.
He leads me into the circle of palm trees, the candles surrounding us like a quiet, glowing boundary between this moment and the rest of the world.
And then he drops to one knee, still holding my hand.
If I thought I’d gasped earlier, I’m completely out of air now.
Everything inside me goes still and loud all at once.
“Lizzie,” he says, voice steady but full of emotion, “I know this is soon. I know you weren’t expecting this.
But after I told you last night we should pray…
I did. And I felt peace from the Lord about this.
Sometimes God’s peace might not make sense—it surpasses our understanding. But I knew it was unshakable.”
My heart is pounding so loudly I’m half sure he can hear it.
“I’ve been married before,” he continues. “I know what marriage is like. I’m not diving into this blind. But I know what I feel for you in the short time I’ve known you. And the fact that you match everything I’ve been praying for in a wife… I truly believe God sent you directly my way.”
Tears blur my vision, but I don’t even bother to wipe them away.
“I don’t need to know everything about you before committing to you for the rest of my life.
I just know I’ve prayed, and I have peace.
That you’re exactly who I’ve been asking God for.
And I just know we’ll fall in love in the months to come, starting married life off by growing into that love together. ”
His thumb brushes gently over my hand.
“Would you join me on the adventure of life, and spend the rest of yours with me?”
For a second, I’m frozen, trying to process everything he’s just said.
The breeze swirls around me, cool against my warm skin. My mind catches on one thought and one thought only.
He just asked me to marry him.
It’s been three days since we met… and he’s asking me to marry him.
And somehow, beneath the shock, there’s peace. Real peace.
There’s only one answer that feels true.
“Yes,” I say, voice breathless but sure. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
His face lights up, relief and joy flooding his expression as I pull him up from his knee. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into a kiss full of joy and anticipation. I loop my arms around his neck, holding on tightly, like this moment might float away if I don’t.
I can’t believe I’m getting married.
“Did you expect me to propose to you?” he asks when we finally pull apart, both a little breathless.
“No, not at all,” I laugh softly, our foreheads touching. I close my eyes for a moment, letting it all sink in. “After last night, I prayed too. And I felt the same peace you’re talking about. About us. About not going back to Belgium. It just felt like God was doing something new.”
And then my eyes fly open.
“Wait. What about my parents?” I ask, pulling back slightly.
Right on cue, I hear movement behind me.
I turn—and there they are. My parents. Gabby. The rest of my siblings. All standing just beyond the palm trees, grinning like they’ve been waiting for this exact moment.
Apparently, the theme of tonight is me gasping.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask. Then quickly say, “did you know?” I point to my mom. “Did you know?” and then to my dad, “Did you know?” and then finally to Gabby, “Did you know, too?!”
My mom laughs. “Of course we knew!”
Every ounce of stress I didn’t even realize I was carrying melts instantly. Phew.
“He asked for your hand in marriage earlier today while you and Gabby were making dessert,” she adds. “And when he asked, I told him, ‘don’t just take the hand—you’ve gotta take the whole thing!’”
“I approve of him,” my dad says simply, giving me a nod, then Nate another.
Nate nods back. That quiet, wordless exchange between them somehow says more than a whole speech ever could.
And I’m so relieved my dad approves.
Before I can say anything else, Gabby almost wipes me out with a hug attack..
“I only found out an hour ago when Nate asked me to help,” she says dramatically. “He gave me more details than you did about yesterday.” She narrows her eyes at me, hands on her hips.
I laugh and wrap my arms around her neck, squeezing tight.
“I know, but I wanted to make sure he was on the same page as me. I needed to know he was all in if I’m not going back to Belgium.”
The group goes quiet at that.
“So, you’re okay with not going back?” my mom asks gently.
I nod slowly. “I prayed last night about it. I wanted to talk to Nate first… but I was willing to stay if it meant exploring whatever this is between us. But I think this kind of one-ups my original plan.” I laugh softly.
All my siblings pile in for a group hug then, and I’m suddenly wrapped in warmth and noise and love from every side. I look up at Nate and see his radiant smile, joy clear on his face.
Sometimes God’s way is slow. My life leading up to this moment felt slow at times—waiting, wondering, asking what He was doing, trusting that He hadn’t forgotten me. He loves patience, after all.
But sometimes… God moves in a single second.
And in those moments, you just have to trust. To take the risk. To follow where He leads, even if the path looks wildly different than what you imagined.
Both Nate and I knew the kind of person we wanted to marry. We prayed about it. Surrendered it to God.
And now we get to start an adventure—falling in love while planning a wedding.
I smile, looking around at the lights, the candles, the man holding my hand, and the family gathered behind us.
I love that.
I love that God writes stories better than I ever could.
So much more surprising. So much more fun.
And I’m so excited for whatever comes next.