Chapter 33
The rest of the car ride is quiet, but I can see a multitude of thoughts swirling around the mind of the man behind the wheel—not that I don’t have a million of my own.
It was Brooks’s laugh from the backseat that made the knot in my stomach grow ten times bigger.
Not to mention Savannah’s friend saying, We were waiting all night.
Was I right? Was he about to propose at the Taco Drop?
There have been times over the last few days when I thought something was bothering him, but I chalked it up to whatever happened at breakfast a few days ago with Rae and Nash.
There’s definitely something going on around here, a twinge of restlessness in the air the whole weekend.
I watched Savannah and her oldest brother sneak out of the kitchen that morning, following their brother after a quiet (and very tense) conversation.
Not long after, Ben followed, saying he was going to unload our bags, but it was obvious what he was really doing.
My suspicions were only confirmed when he returned with Savannah and Crew about ten minutes later.
I can’t blame him. The journalist in me wanted to do the same, but considering this was my first time around the Williams family, I wasn’t going to step on toes.
Ben takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.
He reaches across the front seat and wraps his hand around the back of my neck, squeezing gently.
I smile at him before his hand falls to my lap, where it remains the rest of the drive.
As we approach the farm, my body tenses beneath his touch when he flicks the lever, turning left into the driveway.
There’s nothing for miles on either side of the Williams gated property, with cream-colored pillars and a stone wall flanked by beautifully curated garden beds.
Willow Pond Farm hangs over the open gates in bold, wrought-iron letters, illuminated by the SUV headlights.
The rest of the landscape is shrouded in complete darkness.
The winding drive seems endless beneath the canopy of trees, until we finally reach the house, where a light in the living room window illuminates the front lawn, meaning the rest of the family hasn’t arrived yet.
Savannah is the first to jump out of the backseat when we park, moving the seat forward so her friends can follow.
Brooks reaches over the back of the driver’s seat, patting Ben on the shoulder, before he follows suit.
He meets his wife on the other side of the car and whispers something in her ear.
She laughs before he waves at us over his shoulder. “We’ll see you in the morning!”
They’ll see us in about five minutes inside the guest house we’ve been sharing, which is so big it feels like we’re the only ones residing there. I was surprised when Ben told me we’d be staying at the farm. I thought surely there wasn’t enough room for all of us, but boy, was I wrong.
I was extremely nervous to show up for their annual trip to Celestia for New Year’s, but the Williams family has been nothing but welcoming, and Laine reminds me so much of Esther. I understand why Ben enjoys coming down here so much.
“It wasn’t dumb,” Ben says, turning the key to kill the ignition.
“What you thought, what you said, it wasn’t dumb.
” He leans across the center console, grasping the back of my neck again and covering my mouth in a hard kiss.
His tongue delves inside, tangled in a desperate embrace with my own.
He bites down on my bottom lip when he pulls away. “Come with me.”
“Come with…” I barely get the words out before he’s closed the driver’s side door.
What in the hell is he talking about? It’s almost two in the morning!
We need to go to bed. Correction, I need to go to bed.
He will probably be up for another hour with Brody and the Williams brothers.
“Ben, what are you talking about?” I ask when he opens my door, offering me his hand.
“Do you trust me?”
Of course, I trust him, but this isn’t about trust…this is about the pillow-top mattress waiting for me on the other side of this field. Still, I know there’s no way I’m getting out of this without going along with whatever plan he’s just concocted.
“No funny business,” I say.
Ben makes an X-motion across his chest. “Cross my heart.”
It reminds me of our first date, when I didn’t know it yet, but the man sitting across from me would end up being the most important person in my life.
At the time, I told myself it was just for the story, but now looking back, I think there was a part of me that always knew there was something worth exploring here.
He guides me toward the tree line behind the garage, and my mind wanders to all the different possibilities of why we could be wandering into the middle of the woods this late at night and how this relates to the question I asked in the car.
His thumb skims over the back of my hand, lighting a familiar fire in the wake of his touch, before he brings our steps to an abrupt halt. “Close your eyes.”
“Close my eyes? Ben, we’re in the middle of the woods! It’s dark outside. What—”
“Just close your eyes,” he says, and a low grumble of thunder echoes above our heads.
I sigh but do as I’m told. His hands land on my waist, guiding me forward until I no longer feel the extra warmth of the surrounding forest. A breeze wraps around us, and I fight to keep my eyes closed.
His breath is warm on my skin when he leans in close, whispering in my ear, “Okay, open.”
My breath catches when I do.
Candles illuminate a path inside a greenhouse, ending in the center—the interior path along the black-and-white tiled floor is outlined by white camellias and white roses.
I take one step forward and then another, until I’m standing in the center of it all, while Ben stands only a few feet away, watching.
He smiles when I meet his gaze, meeting me there.
He pushes my hair behind my ear. His dark brown eyes are locked on mine as he moves in slowly, and when his mouth covers mine, it’s soft and slow, completely different from the kiss we shared five minutes ago in the car.
“I love you,” Ben mumbles against my lips, and retreats.
A small gasp rushes past my lips when he lowers down to one knee.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a black velvet box and opens it to reveal a princess-cut diamond atop a silver diamond-studded band that sparkles in the candlelight.
“I had a whole speech prepared, but fuck, I can’t remember a single word—”
“I don’t care,” I say, kneeling to his level to cradle his face between my hands. “I don’t need a long, drawn-out speech to know how you feel about me, Ben. Yes. My answer is yes.”
“You didn’t even let me ask the question.” He laughs, mumbling against my lips when I kiss him again.
“Ask it, then.”
Leaning back to look me straight in the eye, he asks, “Sloane Elise Jenkins, will you marry me?”