Page 142 of Lily In The Valley
I rolled my eyes. Still. I knew Khalil too well. He was hiding something.
Later, we walked the trail behind the cabin, just us and Karter. The little bulldog bounded ahead of us through the trees, like he was on a very important mission involving moss and squirrels, fetching the lone stick Khalil threw seconds ago. Khalil reached for my hand as we walked. His grip was firm, like he was anchoring himself. I squeezed back, saying nothing. We reached a clearing overlooking the lake. The view was postcard perfect. Blue water mirroring an even bluer sky. Golden light slanting through pine branches.
Khalil stopped beside me, a hand in his coat pocket, breath slow.
“I brought you here for a reason,” he said, voice a little louder than a whisper, yet echoing in the clearing.
I turned to him, my pesky brow raising. “Because of the view?”
His eyes met mine and didn’t move.
“Because of what you once said, about chasing peace. How you were always running toward it but never catching it.” I stilled. The wind tugged softly at the edge of my jacket. “It made me think…Maybe peace isn’t something we find…It’s something we choose. A person. A decision.”
The wind rustled through the pines around us. Not cold, just present, holding space for us.
“But then you…” he exhaled; the sound caught between strength and surrender. “I’ve seen you grieving and soft. Seen you fierce and focused. Afraid. I’ve watched you hold everyone around you, even while you were falling apart. I’ve watched you rebuild yourself and still show up for love.”
My throat tightened. My eyes burned.
“And I want to spend the rest of my life learning to love you like that,” he said. “In every season. Without condition. Without hesitation.”
He whistled once. Karter leaped over dropped branches, the stick in his mouth. Khalil kneeled, taking the stick, fiddling with a string wrapped around it. As the string untwisted, a gold ring caught the light. Simple. Stunning. A clear, round-cut diamond set in rose gold. Beautiful, not flashy. It looked like it belonged only on my hand. A few feet away, Karter sat with his head tilted, ears perked up to the sky, like even he knew what was happening.
“I don’t need perfect,” Khalil said, his voice breaking just slightly. “I just want real. And I want it with you. All of it. Always.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks. I didn’t wipe them.
“Kelly…Lily-girl,” he whispered.
I didn’t wait for him to finish. I stepped to him, heart first. “Yes,” I said. “Yes. Yes!”
He laughed, a low breathless sound that only came when he forgot to guard his joy. He stood, hands shaking as he slidthe ring onto my finger. When our lips met, warmth bloomed, history course-corrected. The lake stretched wide behind us, gold spilling across the water like a promise too sacred to be spoken. Karter barked once then trotted over, pressing his snout into my shin like he was claiming both of us as his family.
We laughed into the kiss.
In the stillness that hung between us, tangled in pine-scented air and morning light, love in every breath, I knew peace didn’t live in a destination. It lived here. In the man that stood in front of me. In the life we were building.
Where did we go from here?
Anywhere.
Together.
Always.
