CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Planning Forever
The engagement news spread faster than either Luke or Emily expected.
By the next morning, both of their phones were buzzing with calls and text messages.
Luke laughed as he set his phone down.
“My mom has called three times already.”
Emily smiled.
“My mom wants to know what colors we’re using.”
“We haven’t even picked a date.”
“I know.”
Luke shook his head.
“I think everyone is more excited than we are.”
Emily laughed.
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
? ? ?
That Sunday afternoon, both families gathered at the farmhouse.
Luke’s mother hugged Emily the moment she walked through the front door.
“I’ve been waiting for this day.”
Emily smiled.
“So have I.”
Ryan walked over and gave Luke a playful shove.
“So…”
Luke looked at him.
“So?”
“You finally asked.”
“I finally asked.”
Ryan grinned.
“I was starting to wonder what was taking you so long.”
Luke laughed.
“I wanted it to be perfect.”
Emily slipped her arm through Luke’s.
“It was.”
? ? ?
After lunch, the conversation turned to wedding plans.
Emily opened a notebook.
“First things first.”
Luke looked at the blank page.
“We should probably pick a date.”
Ryan smiled.
“That’s usually a good place to start.”
Everyone laughed.
Emily wrote a few ideas down.
“What about late spring?”
Luke nodded.
“The weather would be nice.”
“And everything will be green.”
“I like that.”
? ? ?
The afternoon quickly turned into organized chaos.
Venues were discussed.
Food ideas were suggested.
Cake flavors sparked a friendly debate.
Ryan immediately voted for chocolate.
Luke’s mother insisted on vanilla.
Emily looked at Luke.
“What do you think?”
Luke smiled.
“I think we should have both.”
Ryan pointed at him.
“That’s why he’s the smart one.”
? ? ?
While everyone talked inside, Oscar wandered through the living room carrying one of Luke’s boots.
Emily laughed.
“Oscar!”
The little dachshund proudly paraded around the room as if he had found buried treasure.
Kira calmly followed behind him, almost looking embarrassed for her little brother.
Outside, Winston was asleep on the porch swing.
Nobody knew how he had climbed onto it.
Luke looked out the window and laughed.
“I don’t even want to know.”
? ? ?
As the evening came to an end and everyone headed home, Luke and Emily stepped onto the porch.
The farmhouse had grown quiet again.
Emily looked down at the engagement ring sparkling in the fading sunlight.
“It still doesn’t feel real.”
Luke smiled.
“It does to me.”
She looked at him.
“What are you thinking?”
Luke glanced across the pasture where the horses grazed peacefully.
“I’m thinking…”
He took her hand.
“…that planning the wedding will probably be stressful.”
Emily laughed.
“A little.”
“But when the day finally gets here…”
He smiled warmly.
“…it’ll be worth every minute.”
Emily leaned against him.
“I don’t care if everything is perfect.”
Luke looked at her.
“I just care that you’re standing beside me.”
She smiled.
“I’ll always be beside you.”
As the sun disappeared beyond the hills, the farmhouse settled into another peaceful evening.
Ahead of them were invitations, cake tastings, suit fittings, flowers, and countless little decisions.
But beneath all those plans was something much more important.
Two people who had already built a beautiful life together…
Now preparing to promise forever.