Page 33 of Dragon Daddy's Second Chance

CHAPTER 19

***BLAKE***

Blake didn’t want to move, wasn’t ready to give up his connection to Wren, but he felt her skin begin to cool in the breeze and reluctantly shifted position so that he could shelter her body. “This wasn’t the sunset picnic I was expecting,” he said, smiling down at her. “It was even better, but you’re getting cold and it’s dark. I suppose we should think about heading back.”

“I wish we could stay here forever, sheltered from world, just the two of us, but I would miss Theo,” Wren said, with a sigh. “Susan took Theo back to your cabin for the night, but I guess we can’t stay here all night.”

“It’s a beautiful place, I wish we’d come prepared,” he said. “Some food and a couple of sleeping bags are all we would have needed; there’s plenty of wood around here for a fire.”

“Umm…that would have been nice,” she said. “Just the two of us all night in this beautiful place.”

Remembering the ring in the pocket of his shorts, Blake felt a moment of regret and decided to wait to propose; he wanted it to be special, and as wonderful as the night had been, it didn’t feel right. The breeze began to pick up as he lay there trying todecide, and he started to get up, thinking that it was time to go home; he’d just have to wait. But before he could sit up, the wind began to swirl around them, getting stronger and stronger, and he rolled over on top of Wren to shield her with his body.

Almost as quickly as it had come, the wind died away, and he picked his head up to look around. “Blake, that was strange,” Wren said, her voice shaking slightly. “Where did that wind come from?”

“I don’t know, maybe the temperature is dropping or something,” he said, sitting up and looking around. “Everything looks normal now.”

Wren sat up next to him and looked around, then pointed across the clearing at a dark lump on the ground. “What’s that?” she asked. “I don’t remember seeing it there before.”

“Me either,” he said, looking around for his shorts. “You stay here. I’m going to go investigate; it’s probably nothing.”

He found his clothes scattered on the shore, picked up Wren’s and handed them to her, got dressed, and pulled the flashlight he’d stuffed in his pocket earlier that night out. Flipping it on, he walked over to the lump, then stood staring down at it, not quite believing what he was seeing. Then, he turned back to Wren and signaled that it was safe.

“What’s under there?” she asked after studying the lump for a second. “Should we take the tarp off?”

“I don’t see why not,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I can’t imagine it’s anything that would hurt us. I’ll take a corner, and you take a corner, and we’ll pull it back on the count of three.”

Wren rolled her eyes at him. “Let’s just pull it off,” she said. “You’re making me even more nervous.”

They pulled the tarp back, revealing two sleeping bags, a stack of pillows, a big wicker basket, and a lantern. Then, they stood staring at the supplies for several minutes insilence, both shocked. “Maybe this was here before,” Wren finally said. “We might not have seen it.”

Blake looked at her. “You don’t believe that, and neither do I,” he said, walking over to the basket. “What do you want to bet that this is full of food?”

“Open it and see,” she said, trembling a little. “Isn’t this freaking you out a little?”

He reached down and lifted the lid off the basket, then let it fall with a bang before stepping back and pulling Wren into his arms. “Well, maybe a little,” he said. “But magic is real. It’s everywhere around us. I don’t know where this came from, but it’s just what we asked for; maybe it’s a reward for everything we’ve been through.”

Wren looked up at him, then sighed. “Well, in that case, it’s about time,” she said. “I’m starving. Let’s see what there is to eat.”

He laughed, realizing that he could still propose, and said a silent thank you for the gift they’d received. “I’ll get a fire started,” he said, giving her a quick kiss. “Why don’t you set up camp.”

“That’s a deal,” she said, kissing him back.

It wasn’t long before he had a cozy fire burning next to the comfortable bed Wren had created from the sleeping bags. “Let’s see what’s for dinner,” Wren said, opening the basket and peering inside. “There’s enough food for a week in here. We’ll never be able to eat it all.”

“But we can sure try,” he said, grinning at her. “I’m starving.”

By the time Wren packed away the last of the leftovers, the fire had begun to burn down, the moon had begun to rise in the sky, but the stars still shone brightly. When she was finished, he pulled Wren into his arms and settled her there, his heart suddenly pounding. The moment had come. Sixyears in the making and long overdue, he was finally going to slip a ring onto Wren’s finger.

“I don’t think that I’ve ever been happier,” he said. “This has been a wonderful night.”

“Considering how it started, I would have to agree,” Wren said, smiling up at him. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”

“Good, because I want you right by my side for a long time,” he said, pulling the ring box out of his pocket and flipping it open. “I want you to marry me, Wren. I want you to be my wife, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please say yes.”

***Wren***

Wren had been waiting for this moment, knew that it was coming, but was still overwhelmed with emotion and couldn’t answer for several long seconds. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she finally managed to croak, tears blurring her eyes. “I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than to be your wife. I love you, Blake, so much that sometimes it scares me.”

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