Temporarily Yours

Chapter 38

"Honey, are you almost ready?" I hollered towards the stairwell.

"Just a minute," Caroline responded.

I just chuckled, reminded of a song by Brad Paisley- I don't mind watin' on a woman, especially if she's a beauty like Caroline. My eyes danced about the family room, landing on an abundance of picture frames adorning the fireplace mantle. My soles on the bottom of my boots clicked across the hardwood flooring as I approached the photographs, my mind reminiscing. One picture was missing though- a picture of Caroline and I on our wedding day.

"Okay, I'm ready to go." I heard Caroline say from behind me.

She always took my breath away somehow, so easily she could do that. As I turned around, I just gazed upon her. She was dressed so casually, yet she looked beyond gorgeous. Her hair was down, and in loose curls, which was my favorite.

"You look great, babe," I said, placing a quick peck on her forehead.

She smiled. "Thank you! So where are we going?"

I chuckled as we headed out to my truck. "It's a secret."

  I opened the passenger side door and gave her a little boost before running around to my side. As I slid in she groaned. "Aw, come on, just tell me."

I turned the keys in the ignition and my truck rumbled to a start. Shaking my head, I smiled playfully. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?"

Caroline shrugged. "I'll forget you told me if you tell me!"

After I pulled onto the highway, I rolled my eyes. "Nice try, but I'm still not telling you."

Caroline giggled and reached over the center console to grab my free hand in hers. "No, but in all seriousness, I'm sure I'll love whatever you have planned for us."

"I sure hope so." I said, doubts suddenly clouding over me. I gulped, praying.

  The sun was just above the horizon, just begging to sink low so the moon could shine with all its glory. I'd say it'd start to set in about an hour which was perfect for what I had planned.

  Once in Nashville, I parked a few blocks from Centennial Park. Caroline looked around at our surroundings, to which gave nothing away to what I had planned.

  "So," She spoke up, pausing to look around once more before asking, "What's the surprise?"

  I chuckled. "Come on, get out and I'll show you."

  I hopped down from my truck and got into the back, grabbing the picnic basket and blanket before walking around to Caroline. I'd been able to sneak them into my truck minutes before we left without Caroline noticing. Caroline gasped as she saw what I was holding, causing me to smile wide.

  It was the little things that mattered most to Caroline, the simple things. She's the type of woman who would rather cook a meal together rather than a fancy night out on the town. She'd rather dance about the living room with the kids and I than go out to some club. It was all about simplicity and detail with Caroline, and I tried to keep that in mind for today.

We walked hand in hand together to the park, finding a grassy area to sit down in. I spread the blanket out onto the grass and plopped down onto it, patting the spot next to me for Caroline to sit. I pulled out the food I had packed and the bottle of wine and glasses.

  "This is lovely, thank you Luke." Caroline said, taking a sip of her wine.

  I smiled. "It's my pleasure. I figured you'd like this so I thought I'd surprise you."

   "I do, I love it." She said, skooting closer to me. Resting her head against my shoulder, she sighed contently. "I love you, Luke. More than I ever thought I could love somebody."

  My heart thudded when she said that and I swear it was pounding so loud I thought it was going to beat right outta my chest. I kissed the top of her head.

  "I love you too, Carol."

Once we'd finished our food and guzzled down the last drops of wine, I packed everything up before pulling out a blindfold from the basket and tossing it to Caroline.

  "Put this on." Caroline shot me a look. "I'm serious." I chuckled.

    "At least put it on for me." She said, handing it back to me.

  I did so and reached deep down into the basket, fishing for a little box. A black, velvet box to be exact. I grasped it in my hands, my breathing quickening, and placed it into my back pocket.

  "Okay, let's go." I said, leading Caroline to the Parthenon on the other side of the park.

I can remember Caroline always having and admiration and love for the Parthenon replica here in Nashville. So that's where I was going to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.

  The sun was setting behind the Parthenon, making it a gorgeous sight to see. I stared in awe, my palms begging to sweat. This was it. I was going to ask her to be my wife.

  "Are we there yet? We stopped." Caroline took notice, shuffling her feet from her lack of patience. One of her many quirks I loved.

  Taking a deep breath, I got down onto one knee.

  "Okay, you can take your blindfold off now." I said quietly, reaching for the ring box.

My eyes followed her hands as she reached around her head to untie the blindfold. I watched as she removed it from her face, letting it fall to the ground as she realized that I was on the ground. Her hands cupped her mouth as she gasped.