I shake my head. “All a part of our journey, babe.”
He squeezes me tight, then takes my hand and leads me deeper into the garden. It’s positively magical.
“I think this might be the best birthday I’ve ever had,” I whisper, turning in a slow circle. A fat, lazy snowflake drifts in front of me, and I look up at the sky. “It’s going to snow tonight, huh?”
“We can stay in bed all day tomorrow,” Scott says from behind me. “Celebrating, I hope.”
I turn around.
He’s down on one knee, holding a ring in his hand.
I don’t cry. Not unless my heart is broken.
And apparently, when I’m proposed to. “What are you doing?”
He grins at me. “Taking a really big risk, because I don’t want to f*ck
up another birthday.”
I laugh weakly, swiping at my wet cheeks. “Okay.”
“Ali, the last year has been the best of my life. You are the best in my life. The best late nights and early mornings. The best texts, the best jokes, the best serious conversations.” He looks up at the sky. “The best walks. The best adventures. I want to share all of that with you, for the rest of my life.”
“Okay.”
He reaches for me with his other hand and I stumble forward, squeezing my fingers around his. “Will you be wife? The mother of my children and the savior of my world?”
“That’s a big ask,” I mumble through the tears.
“The kids can wait a while if you want.”
I shake my head. “That’s not the big ask. Of course I want to have your babies, you dork. Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, I’ll share my adventures with you. Yes, yes, yes. I need you by my side, always and forever.”
He slides the ring onto my finger before tugging me onto his lap. “Forever sounds perfect.”