Page 95 of Never Let Me Go

“No. I’m coming to get you. Just hold on.”

She scowls and crosses her arms over her chest, making me laugh, as I jump out and run around to her side, pulling the door open.

“Take my hands,” I instruct and she places her hands in mine. I help her slip out of the truck before guiding her around the front to the perfect spot that overlooks the lake. “Are you ready?”

“I don’t know,” she huffs, her patience wearing thin and I laugh as I untie the blindfold, letting it fall from her eyes. She blinks as the world comes into focus and gasps. The lake stretches out in front of us, framed by tears and glistening with moonlight and it’s the perfect backdrop for this night. “Oh, Sawyer. This is incredible.”

“You think so?”

She glances over her shoulder. “Yes! I could stay here for hours.”

“What about living here?”

“What?” she asks, glancing around like she’s missing something and I laugh.

“The property is for sale and we’re in the market for a new place to live so I thought we could build our dream house here.”

Sucking in a breath, she nods. “With big windows that look out over the water…”

“Exactly.”

“It’s perfect,” she squeals, spinning around in my arms and pulling me into a hug. I grin and bury my face in her neck, breathing in her scent as I slowly work up the courage for the next part. Releasing her, I step back and reach into my pocket.

“There’s one more thing.”

She nods. “What?”

I pull the ring from my pocket and drop down on one knee, my eyes locked with hers the entire time as my hands shake like crazy. Her gaze flicks to the ring and she gasps as tears spring to her eyes.

“That ring…”

I smile. “Do you remember it?”

“Yes. I designed it… but…” She scrunches up her nose in confusion and I know she’s struggling to piece it all together. More memories have started coming back in the last couple of day but she is still missing huge gaps of information.

“Mercedes told me it was special to you and as soon as I saw it, I knew I couldn’t ask you to spend the rest of your life with me without it.”

She gasps, pressing her fingers to her lips as tears spill down her cheeks. “Oh, Sawyer.”

“Juliette Kathleen Shaw,” I start, my heart racing and my skin tingling with awareness. “I love you. In fact, I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you from across the parking lot of that diner. I love the woman you are today, so fierce, funny, kind and generous and I love the woman you’re going to be tomorrow or the woman you’re going to be five years from now. If you never get all of your memories back, I’ll love you then and if you wake up tomorrow with those five years you’re missing, I’ll love you then too. You are everything and you made me believe in myself and in love again with just a look. So, what do you say, angel? You want to marry me, have babies with me and built our life together in this spot that was so clearly meant for us?”

Tears spill down her cheeks as she smiles down at me, so much love in her eyes that it smashes into me and almost knocks me over. I can see it all now. Our kids running through these fields, laughing and playing. Our home, filled with love and our future here together. She opens her mouth and I suck in a breath, so eager to hear her answer.

“Well, isn’t this touching,” someone sneers and we both turn as a woman steps out of the woods with a gun in her hand, aimed at Juliette.

“Nico?” Juliette gasps and my eyes widen. Her friend? Why the hell is her friend pointing a gun at her? “What are you doing?”

Nico scoffs. “What am I doing? I’m getting what I’m owed because you ruined everything.”

“What you’re owed?”

My eyes never leave the gun in Nico’s hand as I stand up and tuck the ring back in my pocket. She turns to me, pointing the gun in my direction.

“Don’t you fucking move!”

I hold my hands up, happy to have the gun off of Juliette. “Okay. I’m not moving.”

“Nico… what is it you think you’re owed?” Juliette asks and I bite back a curse as Nico turns back to her. The gun in my waistband feels even heavier as I slowly move my hand behind my back, careful not to move too quickly and alert Nico.