EPILOGUE
BELLA
ONE YEAR LATER
I’m plunged into complete darkness as Noah secures the blindfold around the back of my head and I can’t control my hand as it instinctively moves toward my face.
“Leave it,” he whispers against my ear, the low rumble of his voice sending a shiver racing down my spine.
“But I don’t like it,” I whine, shoulders dropping.
“I don’t care. You only have to wear it for a minute, I promise.”
“You’ve been making a lot of those lately. I’m yet to see them upheld,” I grumble under my breath, only to be met with a chuckle as Noah takes my hand and begins leading me away from our horses.
“Baby, you can’t blame me for that. You know how hard I’ve been trying,” he responds and I roll my eyes behind the black fabric.
“Yeah, and you’ve been having a whole lot of fun doing it, too.”
His lips touching mine startles me and I stumble forward a step before he quickly steadies me. “Well of course I’m having fun. I always have fun when I fuck you.”
I gasp. “Noah!”
This time he fully laughs, a loud booming sound in the otherwise quiet outdoors. “What? It’s the truth. And it will happen. We’ve only been trying for a month, Bells.”
I mean, he has a point. But like hell am I going to tell him that.
I’m being completely irrational here, of course. It’s not his fault that I haven’t fallen pregnant yet, and it was bold of me to believe that I could come off birth control, and it would happen instantly.
I’m just acting out because he’s being secretive and won’t tell me what we’re doing out here.
The only thing I know is we were coming for a ride out to our spot in the forest when he stopped me and told me to get off the horse where he then proceeded to blindfold me.
All of a sudden, my stomach sinks.
Oh my God.
I stop walking, heart racing in my chest.
Hands land on my shoulders, making me jump. “Keep moving we’re almost there.”
“What are you doing, Noah?” I ask, breathless as my pulse kicks up a notch.
“You’ll find out in about five more steps,” he replies and that gets me moving. With a chuckle, he guides me through the trees safely before stopping me and turning my body slightly to the left.
His hands disappear from my shoulders, and I hear rustling as he moves away from me.
Excitement bubbles up inside of me and I grow antsy with the need to get this godforsaken blindfold off.
I’m just about to speak when he says, “Okay, you can take it off now.”
I don’t waste a second. I blink against the light and when my vision finally clears, a gasp flies from my lips, my hands coming up to cover my mouth.
The entire forest floor in front of me is covered in hundreds of white petals. There are electronic candles lighting a short pathway on either side and at the very end, just before the grassy bank we always sit on, stands Noah with a small black velvet box in his hand.
Behind him, there’s a giant love heart shaped arch made of white roses with small, flickering lights wrapped around the entire thing.
Tears spring to my eyes and my hands shake as I take a tentative step toward him.
The smile on his face is wider than I’ve ever seen, but as I get closer, I don’t miss the unmistakable shine of tears in his eyes.
He holds his hand out to me as I approach and I take it, allowing him to pull me toward him. He leans in and places a quick kiss on my lips before straightening again and dropping down onto one knee.
“Oh my God,” I whisper.
“Bells,” Noah starts, blowing out a nervous breath.
“Right here in this very forest, you asked me a question. And I asked you one back. I asked you if you ever saw yourself with a husband, a white picket fence and two point five kids. You told me you used to. And when I asked you if you ever saw yourself moving on, you said you doubted it, not in this town at least. I never told you this, but in that moment, I wanted to grab you, kiss you and beg you to move on with me. I wanted it to be me that you had all of those things with. And I know I don’t have a white picket fence, and we don’t have the two point five kids yet.
” Noah raises a brow pointedly at me and I give a watery laugh.
“There is one thing I can give you. I can give you me. I can give you a husband. And if you asked me to, I’ll build you the fence. I’ll wear the damn tutu. Anything. You could ask me for anything, and it’s yours. But there’s one thing I have to ask of you first.”
Tears roll down my cheeks as Noah opens the box, revealing a beautiful radiant cut diamond that sparkles beneath the twinkling lights.
“Will you marry me, baby?” Noah’s voice cracks and his own tears roll down his face slowly as he looks up at me with so much hope in his eyes.
I nod my head frantically, a sob catching in my throat as I kneel in front of him and take his face in my hands. “Yes.”
A long exhale escapes him, as though he thought there was actually a chance I’d say no and he wraps his arms around my lower back, pulling me against him in a breath-stealing kiss.
“I love you.” Kiss. “So.” Kiss. “Fucking.” Kiss. “Much.”
I laugh, using my hands on his face to stop his attack as I respond. “I love you too, baby.”
With trembling fingers, he pulls the ring out of the box and slides it onto my finger, and I stare down at it in awe.
It’s absolutely perfect.
And so is he.
Noah stands and offers me a hand, helping me up from the ground. He holds me against his body for a long time before we finally part and head back to the horses.
Once we get back to the ranch, we lead the horses to their individual stall and as I close the lock on Chance’s, I turn to find Noah standing behind me, a look of pure mischief in his eyes.
I cock a brow. “What are you up to?”
“Wanna make a baby with me, babybell?” He wiggles his brows suggestively and I glance around, confused but also amused.
“Come with me.” Noah takes my hand and begins dragging me toward the tack room.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask with a giggle.
Noah’s steps don’t falter as he grins at me over his shoulder. “To see what all the fuss is about.”
Without another word, my fiancé drags me into the tack room of the main barn, wraps my legs around his waist, walking us back until my back is pressed against the wall and then, he fulfils his promise.
THE END