Chapter 33 #2
We slow before long, the entrance point of the trails up ahead.
Oakley doesn’t head back in the direction of the horse barn.
Instead, we walk along the edge of the woods, past the petting farm.
When Oakley steers us toward the river that cuts through the ranch land, I look his way.
He’s biting his lip, and my pulse ratchets.
Oakley slows once we reach the river’s edge. He hops fluidly down off Clover’s back and waves for me to do the same. “C’mon.”
I dismount, smoothing a hand over Prairie’s neck before flipping the reins to the front of her. Oakley leads me toward an old fence line that’s sturdy enough to tie the horses to. Their tails swish in the shade, Clover nudging the grasses with his nose in search of something good to eat.
We walk a little ways along the river, the water shallow here. We used to play in this spot, the current nearly nonexistent, so our parents didn’t mind. I can almost see a shipwreck in the broken log stuck along the river’s edge, white sails blowing gently in the breeze.
I smile at the image in my head, Oakley’s footsteps leaving a trail ahead of me. A crack of a twig. The imprint of his boot in the mud.
It’s no surprise when he stops outside our willow tree.
It’s a little more gnarled than it used to be.
Some of the branches are barer, and one side of it broke off years ago in a bad storm.
It never quite recovered, but new branches started to grow in the scars of the old.
Oakley takes a breath before setting his hat on the ground and stepping forward.
The green branches sway behind him, hiding him from view. Following his lead, I set my hat down beside his and walk into our safe little cove.
My breath catches the moment I’m through the curtain of leaves. Oakley is standing near the big trunk of the tree, the expression on his face a mixture of anticipation and…I’m not even sure what. Nerves?
But it’s the hundreds of acorns lying scattered around our feet that have my eyes pooling real fast.
“Told you I’d give you another,” Oakley says, his voice rougher than usual.
It takes me a second to speak. “This is a lot more than ‘another.’”
His laugh is just as rough as his voice. “One didn’t seem like enough. Not for the number of promises I wanna give you.”
“When did you do this?” I ask, bending down to pick up one of the acorns. It’s tiny in the palm of my hand. A token that’s worth so much more than its weight.
“Spent some time collecting them the past couple days while you were packing,” he says. “Maybe it doesn’t replace the one you lost, but I figured it was a start.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “What’s this one for?”
Oakley’s lips twist. “I promise I’ll kiss you every night before bed.”
I add another to my palm. “And this one?”
“Promise I’ll make beef stew anytime you want it.”
My chest squeezes tight. “This one?” I ask, picking up another acorn. The cap is rough against my skin.
“I promise I’ll love you even when you feed my cow snacks you know she shouldn’t have.”
The crinkle beside Oakley’s eyes belies his amusement. I try to hide my own.
I hold up another, and he says, “I promise I’ll worship you, Law. Any way you’ll let me.”
Another. “Promise I’ll do my best not to wake you each morning when I get up at three.”
Another. “Promise no matter how much we argue, I’ll never let you walk away.”
Another. “I promise there isn’t a single thing in this world that could stop me from loving you.”
I stand slowly, my palm filled with acorns, Oakley watching me all the while.
“And us?” I ask. “Which one means forever?”
“They all do,” he says simply. “Every one of these acorns means forever with you.”
I suck in a shallow breath as the wind rustles the branches around us. The sun winks in and out, shafts of gold lighting Oakley’s hair and the side of his face. There’s pixie dust dancing on the breeze around him, the shimmer of it undeniable.
My gaze is drawn to the willow branches above us, the brown spreading out like a star, blue sky peeking through in a way that reminds me of Oakley’s eyes. Of all the times I’ve looked into them and felt utterly content.
It’s summers past and the warmth of sunlight on my skin. It’s safety and home and the excitement of battling pirates. It’s knowing my heart is safe with this man. As safe as the memory of two eleven-year-olds sharing their first kiss under the shade of a willow.
I bring my gaze back to Oakley. This man, once a child, who has always made me feel as if I could fly.
“Marry me.”
Those blue-and-brown eyes of his flare wide.
It’s two words. No ring. No finesse.
But it couldn’t feel more right.
Oakley pulls in a shuddering breath as I step closer. His nod is a slow thing, but there’s no hesitation in it.
“Yeah, Law,” he says, his voice nothing more than a whisper.
I hold out my pinkie, my palm full of promises. Oakley twines his with mine.
Our kiss, this time, isn’t two boys holding on to Neverland. It’s men who recognize the adventure has only begun.