CHAPTER 16
Reaching the lookout point at the highest point on the trail, Bryce again stepped behind her—allowing Beth to once more feel the warmth of his presence. This time she leaned back, enjoying when his hand came to rest lightly on her hip, as they enjoyed the view from the mountain top.
After a moment, Bryce asked, “Are you hungry?”
Beth nodded against him but didn’t turn around.
“Stay. Enjoy the view, I’ll get the picnic set out.” He gently kissed her temple before removing his hand and made quick work of spreading out a blanket and setting out food.
At one point, Beth laughed, pointing at a pair of squirrels darting around a tree. “I’ve always thought they look like giant rats with fluffy tails.”
Beth heard his deep chuckle and turned to look at him. Her smile froze on her face when she saw Bryce on one knee holding out a single white rose.
Capturing her hand, Bryce lifted it to his lips and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to her left ring finger, just like before.
Beth’s pulse skittered.
Their eyes met, and in that charged, silent moment, he knew she remembered.
Remembered the way he had kissed her finger that night in Vegas, the teasing smirk, the recklessness wrapped in laughter. The moment they had sealed their fate based on nothing more than too much tequila and the desire to be together.
Today, there was no laughter. No alcohol. No impulsive rush into the unknown. Just Bryce—certain, intentional.
“Elizabeth Jean Stoner,” he said, his voice steady, rich with something she wasn’t sure she was ready to name. “Will you marry me?”
Beth’s breath hitched, her heart hammering so loudly she wondered if he could hear it.
She swallowed. “I already did,” she whispered, an attempt at lightness.
Bryce smirked, a whisper of the same teasing grin from that night—but instead of cockiness, there was tenderness.
“True,” he admitted. “But this time, I’d like a ceremony we both remember.”
The words were playful, but the meaning beneath them was anything but.
Bryce squeezed her hand, his expression turning serious with a hit of playfulness.
“Lizzy, without the influence of Jose Cuervo, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you stand beside me, not just as my wife on paper, but as the woman God intended for me? I don’t want our wedding day to be a blurry mistake. I want us to have a day worth remembering.
Her chest tightened. “You want another wedding ceremony?” she asked softly.
“Yes, I want a day we treasure, a day we look back on with joy—a day where we vow before God and the people who love us that we will walk this life together, hand-in-hand, following His guidance.” He paused, his voice dipping lower.
“I don’t want us to do this because we have to, or out of embarrassment.
I want it because I want you to know, fully sober, I choose you. Every day. For the rest of my life.”
Beth closed her eyes for a beat.
“Will you walk this life with me?” he asked. “Push me closer to God when I need it? Trust that He has a plan for us—one bigger than either of us imagined?”
She opened her eyes again, meeting his gaze, letting his words settle into the broken parts of her.
“Please say yes, because Lizzy…” He grinned, shaking his head slightly. “I have never wanted a life like that with anyone more than I want it with you.”
The sincerity in his voice wrapped around her, stealing her breath more effectively than any flirtatious act ever could.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady the chaos of her heartbeat. “A real marriage?”
Bryce nodded, a soft smile curving his lips.
“A real marriage.”
“And a real honeymoon.”
At his words, a startled laugh escaped her mouth, warmth flooding her cheeks.
Bryce grinned, “I’m still waiting for an answer.”
Beth’s lips parted, but the weight of everything made it hard to speak.
Then, finally—
“Yes.”
The word came out breathless, stunned. Then again, more certain: “Yes, of course, I will marry you… again. Sober.”
But even as she said it, a flicker of hesitation remained.
She bit her lip, fingers tightening in his. “Bryce, we’re still getting to know each other,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I—I’m not at a point yet where I can tell you I love you.”
Saying it felt wrong—too soon, too much.
She hesitated, then added, “I don’t remember giving you my… other first, so saying I love you for the first time feels too special to say just to say it because I think I ‘should’.”
For the first time since she’d met him, Bryce didn’t tease. Didn’t deflect with charm or a wink.
Instead, he lifted her hand again, pressing another slow, lingering kiss to her fingers.
“I don’t want you to say it until you’re ready,” he said softly, his voice steady, patient.
“But you should know… I have no problem saying it because I’ve been falling in love with you since the first time we did rounds together.
I don’t plan on stopping. I look forward to earning those words and giving you a reason to say them. ”
Beth’s nerves settled.
He wasn’t asking her to match his feelings. He wasn’t pushing her into something she wasn’t ready for.
He was just… cherishing her.
Sliding the ring onto her finger, Bryce stood and studied her.
Soft, teasing, but still gentle, he asked for permission to kiss her.
Beth let out a laugh, the tension in her chest gone, replaced with something different.
“I thought you were terrified of cooties?”
“I’m willing to risk it.”
He leaned in—slowly, reverently, giving her every chance to pull away.
She had never really been kissed before. Not like this. Not by someone she was insanely attracted to, engaged to, married to.
Her heart pounded so hard she swore he could feel it.
But she didn’t pull away.
Instead, she let her eyes flutter shut as Bryce closed the space between them, his lips brushing hers so gently it sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn’t rushed, wasn’t overwhelming—it was a quiet, steady promise.
Beth exhaled against him, her fingers curling slightly in his shirt as warmth spread through her, slow and sure, chasing away the last of her fear.
Bryce kissed her like she was precious, like he understood what this moment meant.
A sigh escaped her lips before she could stop it, and his hand came up, cupping her face with aching tenderness, his thumb grazing her cheek in a touch so light it nearly undid her.
Beth wasn’t sure how long they kissed, wrapped in something fragile yet unshakable, but when she finally pulled back, breathless, she didn’t step far.
Eyes closed, she let her forehead rest against his chest, her heart still racing.
Bryce let out a soft breath, his thumb still tracing slow, reverent strokes against her skin. “You okay?” he whispered.
Beth let out a shaky laugh, nodding.
“More than okay.”
Looking at her hand on his chest Beth’s eyes widened.
“How did you know?” shock laced her voice.
Bryce tilted his head. “Know what?”
“This is my ring.”
“Yes,” he said slowly, amused. “I know. I just gave it to you.”
“No, you don’t get it.” Beth looked up at him, stunned. “This is my ring. The one I’ve always wanted from the Diamond Factory in Castle Rock. I never told anyone—not even. Kim. How could you have known?”
Bryce chuckled, his thumb running over the back of her hand. “Truthfully? God. When I saw it, it practically screamed your name. I had to guess at your ring size, but there was no uncertainty on which ring to get you.” She lifted her hand, admiring the way the sun played over the diamond.
“It looked just like the watch you always wear to work.”
Beth’s jaw dropped. “I bought the watch because it looked like this ring.”
Bryce grinned.
Beth laughed, shaking her head in wonder. “I can’t believe this.”
He tugged her closer, tucking her against his side. “Believe it.”
She snuggled into him, again watching as the sunlight danced off the diamond. As a little girl, she had dreamed of this moment, of a proposal filled with love, laughter, and the promise of forever.
Somehow, despite the chaos of how they started, despite all the uncertainty still ahead—Bryce had given her that moment.
Pressing lightly on his chest, Beth leaned back just far enough to see his face. When their eyes met, she grinned. “Are you hungry?”
Bryce’s pupils dilated as his gaze flickered to her lips. “You have no idea,” he practically rumbled as he pulled her tighter against his chest and lowered his head.
Beth’s eyes widened, her head falling back as shocked laughter bubbled out of her. Arching her back and pressing both hands on his chest, she leaned away from his “hunger.”
“Food, Bryce! Food!” she exclaimed. “I meant are you hungry for food? I’m starving.”
Bryce didn’t release her just yet, his hold still gentle.
“Pity,” he grumbled, before leaning in to graze the underside of her jaw with his lips, then moving to her earlobe, his voice devastatingly low. “Are you sure it’s food you’re hungry for?”
A shiver skated down her spine, unexpected and almost unwelcome. She could still feel the warmth of his breath on her skin, and it sent a strange mix of nerves and excitement curling in her stomach.
“Yep!” she squeaked, shifting away before she could analyze it too much.
Bryce chuckled as he slowly let her go. Before she pulled away completely, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
“Yep, it’s food I’m hungry for,” she said with a decisive nod.
Bryce wasn’t sure if the words were for him or for her.
Laughing, he bent and retrieved the rose she had dropped during their kiss, then led her over to the flat area where he had spread out their picnic—cold fried chicken, pasta salad, cheese and crackers, grapes, snap peas, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.
They held hands as Bryce prayed for their meal, then dug in. The sun was bright, and the conversation light.
“How do you think we should tell people we’re married?” Beth asked after she swallowed her first bite. “I mean, aside from sending out the announcements.”