Page 95 of Incomplete
Soft musical sounds accentuated with crisp, round piano notes filled my ears, and I immediately recognized the iconic song filtering through the portable speaker on the tailgate.
“May I have this dance?” Boden held his hand out as he appeared back at my side.
“You may.” I slid my fingers between his while his other arm circled my waist as he pulled me tight into his chest.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as the warmth of Boden’s embrace and the magnetism of the emotional pull that bonded us sent my emotions into overdrive. My eyes welled while the lyrics from Lonestar’s “Amazed” hit me deep in my soul, nearly bringing me to my knees as the song’s essence encapsulated everything I felt in my heart.
Boden was a rarity. Everything he did was with purpose and intention. You could not know him and not be amazed by the size of his heart or the integrity of his character.
“Despite my tears of joy, I’m having a severe case of déjà vu right now,” I told him.
“I did double-check the forecast before we left, and there’s zero chance of rain.”
“Aw, but I loved dancing in the rain with you.”
“It sure was memorable, but I’ve got something else up my sleeve for tonight.”
“Oh?”
Just then, the rumble of something off in the distance faintly caught my attention before the largest, fluffiest snowflakes I’d ever seen started to fall.
“Boden,” I gasped, “how did you?” The level of sheer amazement plastered across my face likely still couldn’t adequately articulate the pure jubilation pumping through my veins since snow in California wasn’t exactly a common occurrence. “It’s so magical.”
His hands gripped the back of my thighs before he hoisted me up, prompting me to wrap my legs around his back.
“There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for you because when you smile, it’s like all the colors of the rainbow awaken your soul and illuminate the beauty in your heart, your grace, and the fierceness in which you know your worth.”
Worth I hadn’t always accepted.
Boden didn’t give me a chance to respond before he kissed me passionately, affirming one of the most challenging lessons I’d come to realize—that I was enough.
I’d always be enough.
But finding Boden, he was the rhythm for which my heart beat, the air in my lungs, the missing piece of my puzzle, the cherry on the whipped cream.
Life had a funny way of revealing itself when the time was right and in the proper order. He was proof positive that the universe truly shines light down on you when you are ready to embrace it free from uncertainty, revealing your path as you set your intentions on your journey forward.
“Hmm,” he murmured across my lips. “What did you say about whipped cream?”
My cheeks heated as I pulled back and scrunched my eyes closed in embarrassment. “Just ignore me.” I waved him off.
“Nah, I like when your inside voice slips out to play.” He playfully squeezed my backside as I tightened my hold around him. “I love you so much. I’m pretty sure I started to fall for you the moment you rolled into town with your sassy, independent girl attitude shield in place.”
I giggled and smirked. “And here I thought it might have been when I almost flooded your house?”
“While there’s no denying you left a lasting impression on me that night, and not because I learned you have a mean right hook.” We both chuckled. “No, it was when I then found you sitting in the dark on the back deck the first night. Your touch stole my breath. It lit a spark in me that I didn’t understand at first, and while we built a connection through solace and understanding from our past grief, the pull I felt toward you surpassed anything I could have ever imagined. It was also the first glimmer of hope I’d ever had that maybe the once-in-a-lifetime love my parents had was a real possibility.” Boden steadied me back on my feet and took my hands in his. “Because finding that one special person that you’re drawn to is the gift of a lifetime. And now that I’ve experienced it, I can’t walk away. I promise to never leave your side for as long as you’ll have me, because falling in love with you has taught me that there’s no one else I’d rather walk through this life with.”
My breath hitched with excitement as I watched Boden lower himself to one knee.
“The direction of my inner compass will always point to you because I choose you, Lakelyn. I will always and forever choose you. Would you do me the greatest honor by becoming my wife? Will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes.” I nodded incessantly with enthusiasm while my eyes blurred as tears of happiness rained freely down my cheeks.
Before I could reach for him, Boden lifted me off the ground and spun us in a circle as I squealed excitedly.
“You haven’t even seen the ring yet,” he murmured in my ear.
“Honestly, you could tie a piece of string around my finger, and I’d still say yes.”
