Page 77 of Some Things Never Change

Andy’s cheeks flushed, and my smile grew broader. I thought I had the upper hand until a grin stretched across his face. He reached across the table to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear only to brush his fingers against my ear, where the pearl drop earrings he gave me hung from.

“Don’t worry. That’s exactly what I plan to do,” he said. His voice was husky and warm. “Because it seems like you never got the memo.”

He made me completely speechless as my face burned and his smile tipped into a triumphant smirk. I tried to look at anything other than his bright hazel green eyes and his beautiful face.

Luckily, our food and coffee arrived just in time. I dug in to stuff my mouth to save myself from saying something stupid, and the food was amazing. I began to savor every bite. Between the extra waffles on the side with the eggs Benedict I ordered and the omelet Andy got, we were bound to be full most of the day.

“Everything is amazing at this place,” I said, sipping on the vanilla latte I got. “The food isn’t Danish, but it’s good at least.”

Andy laughed. “Right? Mom and Dad loved this place when I brought them here last year, too. I knew you’d like it when I was thinking of what we could do for our first date.”

I gave him a shy smile. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

His cheeks were still dusted pink from my comment earlier. “You’re welcome.”

The coffee was great, and the pastries were buttery and sweet. The café was warm and cozy. It had the perfect ambience, and we could’ve stayed there all day if we wanted to. But we were there to explore this place. After we finished our food and drinks, we headed out. We walked around hand in hand and looked around.

The streets and shops were filled with activity as tourists walked in and out of cute little shops and lined up for quick bites or to get seated in restaurants. There was even a Christmas shop filled with tons of Christmas memorabilia. According to the shop owner, Solvang was even better around Christmas with all the lights and decorations.

By late afternoon, we were pretty much done looking around. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a restaurant. We also made sure we got some freshly made aebleskivers, which were traditional Danish pancake balls, before heading out.

“We should come back in December,” I suggested as we headed back home.

“We should,” said Andy. “It’ll be fun.”

The sun casted a warm, golden light over the lush and green rolling hills surrounding the town. I loved it all and how Andy brought me here on our first date. It was such a cute day trip.

“This was fun, Andy. Thank you.” I turned to smile at him.

He stole a quick glance at me. “I’m glad you liked it, even with the ostrich and emu ranch. I’m still surprised you even suggested that we go.”

I got a little defensive. “I was curious, okay? I’ve never seen an ostrich before.”

Andy’s chuckle became a hearty laugh. “Maybe you should just stick to watching them on the TV. I was worried the one you were feeding might think you were cute and carry you off.”

“I know I’m cute, but you’re the only one crazy enough to try to steal me away.”

“Like when we first met?”

I shook my head, thinking back to when we were kids. “How could I forget about the way you convinced me to sleep over when we’d only known each other for a few hours?”

Andy shrugged. “You said yes! And I really wanted you to sleep over because you’re cute and smelled like strawberries. I didn’t care if our parents said no.”

We both laughed at the memory. We reminisced more about old, but still vivid memories from our shared childhoods. I looked out the window and watched as the sun slowly dipped a little lower in the sky. It was a beautiful sight, and I couldn't help but feel content.

Chapter

Thirty-Two

As we pulled into the garage, I let out a sigh. "I don't want this day to end," I said, turning to Andy.

He laughed and squeezed my hand. "Me either, but don't worry. There will be plenty more days like this to come,” he said. “I was thinking about us this whole week and I realized I haven’t asked you something important.”

He turned off the car, and the garage door came to a rumbling close behind us. We were now finally alone.

“Yeah?” I asked, turning to him.

There was a moment of silence as Andy looked down at our intertwined hands and back up into my eyes. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

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