The Bride

Epilogue

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5 months later

Madison's POV

I can't help but giggle a bit as Ahren excitedly leads me through the maze of the gardens, pulling me past the colorful flowers that have blossomed during the height of spring. The colors - ranging from red, green, pink, and orange - rush past me as I hurry to keep up with Ahren's fast pace.

I had no idea where he was leading me. He had only vaguely told me about a surprise he had for me, and that was the only information I was granted when I had pressed for more. Now, my curiosity was piqued as he led me deeper into the gardens.

Ahren slows to a stop, and I stumble to a stop next to him as I take in the sight before me with a breathless smile.

He's led me to the center of the garden, where a lone stone bench is situated. During winter, the tree hanging above it hadn't been anything magnificent. But during the warm air of spring, the tree was no longer bare of any leaves or flowers. Now, pink petals hung suspended over the stone bench, some falling to create a beautiful storm of flowers.

"Ahren..." I can only whisper his name, too awed by the sight. In the corner of my eyes, I can see Ahren smile.

"I thought you might want to see this," he says with a cheeky grin, making me laugh. He offers me his arm, and I loop my arm through his and let him lead me to the bench.

We sit in silence, both of us staring up at the tree.

"It's beautiful," I admit as I look back at Ahren. I'm a bit startled when I catch his eye, realizing that he hasn't been looking up at the tree like I had suspected. Instead, he had been looking at me. Embarrassed at being caught, he casts his eyes downward, and I see a silver blush paint his cheeks. My grin broadens as I look back up at the tree.

"Madi," Ahren starts. I turn to look at him curiously. He fidgets a bit, but then stills as he looks at me. He scoots closer to me on the bench, turning to me so that he can face me. He takes my hands in his.

"I didn't just bring you out here to show you this," he admits. I raise a brow. "I also want to talk to you about something...something that has been on my mind for a while."

I stay silent, waiting for him to continue. "Madi, I know we haven't known each other that long. But, I feel the most happiest when I'm with you," he confesses softly.

I smile. "Me too," I admit, clasping his hand in mine tighter. At my words, he looks at me and grins.

"I feel absolutely blessed every time I get to be with you. Sometimes, I think I don't deserve someone like you. A kind, loving, and beautiful girl like you." Ahren swallows. "Every day, my love for you grows more and more. You make me want to be a better person, both for myself and for you."

"Madi, I want to be there for you for the rest of your life. I want to be there with you when you're happy, sad, angry. I want to be with you through it all," Ahren says gently as I smile. Tears start to gather in the corner of my eyes, and I do my best to blink them away.

"You deserve the very best, someone who will back you up without limits, let you grow without borders, and love you without end," Ahren says with an intent look in his eyes. My breath catches in my throats as gets off of the stone bench and kneels in front of me.

The tears that I had tried so hard to keep in escape my eyes as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small box. He opens it up, revealing a ring set with two stones of deepest blue and golden yellow. My birthstone of citrine and his birthstone of sapphire.

"Madison Williams, I know you're the only one I want to share the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?" Ahren asks, anxiously waiting for my answer.

A gasp sounds, but it's not from my lips. Both Ahren and I turn our heads sharply in the direction of the sound, which had emanated from a rose bush that had a suspiciously large amount of noise coming from it. I narrow my eyes in thought; the gasp had sounded strangely familiar.

"I knew it! I knew he was going to propose to her!" A frenzied whisper sounds from the bush, and a giggle follows it. Ahren and I exchange looks, and I stand up from the bench at the same time Ahren stands up as well.

We both march over to the rose bush, pulling it back to look at the two giggling forms of Sydney and Juliet. The two of them squeal in surprise at the sight of us standing above them.

"What are you guys doing?" I ask them incredulously.

"N-nothing," Sydney stammers out, nervous at having been caught. But Juliet is less abashed about it than my sister.

"We knew you were going to propose to her!" she exclaims as she jumps up from where she and Sydney had been hiding. She pulls Ahren and I into a hug, knocking the breath out of the both of us.

"Oh, I'm so happy for the both of you!" she shouts in my ear, making me wince as I struggle to breathe.

"I - didn't - give - an - answer - yet," I wheeze out between clenched teeth.

Juliet lets me go, and I breathe deeply, glad for air. She frowns at me.

"Of course you gave an answer. Didn't you?" she says doubtfully as she starts to think back to what had happened.

"No, Juliet, she didn't," Ahren says with a grimace. "The two of you interrupted before she could."

Sydney gasps, clapping a hand over her mouth. She turns to look at me with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry we interrupted, Madi, we didn't mean to."

I shake my head at her, smiling. "It's okay," I reassure her, hoping to make her feel less guilty than she already did.

"Okay, okay, carry on! Pretend we never interrupted! We'll just stand here and watch!" Juliet says excitedly as she shoos us over to the bench again. Ahren and I share incredulous looks before bursting into laughter.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this for them," I say to Ahren.

"I can't believe Juliet is my sister," Ahren groans, shaking his head as he glances back at his sister who nods back encouragingly at us.

I laugh at the encounter, sitting back on the bench. Ahren kneels down in front of me again, a grin engulfing his face. None of us can keep a straight face anymore.

"Madison Williams," Ahren starts again, making me grin even more. "Will you marry me?"

It's as if all of the memories I shared with Ahren flash before my eyes. I remember how I had met him at the swimming pool, the deal we had made over dinner, the date at the movie theater, the moment we had shared on my birthday, and more memories. The answer to his question came easily, and I answered without hesitation.

"Yes."

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