Page 79 of Hearts in Circulation
My heart clenches at the words. How has he managed to find quotes that are romantic, speak to us and our relationship, while also pointing me forward to the next clue? He is the sweetest, most adorable man I’ve ever met.
The quote is fromWinniethe Pooh. He wants me to go into the woods behind his house. Anna Leigh and I were exploring back there a few months ago and imagined it was the Hundred Acre Wood. We imagined we found the treehouse where Piglet lived, and then Anna Leigh told me how Fancy and Jolene would never live in a tree. Levi had teased her, saying it was actually my treehouse since I was really a woodland sprite—one of the nicknames he calls me on occasion.
I smile at the memory and collect the bouquet of paper flowers as I make my way toward the wooded hillside. The tree with a hollow section at the base is near a hedge of wild mountain laurel. In the spring, the flowers are a snowy white with purple markings and give off the scent of grape soda.
Leaves crunch under the soles of my shoes as I blaze a path through the underbrush. My pulse ticks steadily against my ribs, picking up speed with each step that I take. Intuition thrums within my veins. Kind of like how I knew the first time I laid eyes on Cletus that my future was about to be changed forever. It’s not ominous this time, however—the intuition.More like a happy knowledge that something good is waiting for me right around the corner.
Levi steps out from behind Piglet’s tree at that exact moment.
I was right. Something good was waiting for me.
No, something amazing.
Levi’s gaze captures mine, and his golden eyes melt at the sight of me. I don’t think it will ever get old, being looked at in this manner. I’ve never had to guess, never had to doubt this man’s love for me. And that’s the greatest gift he could have ever given.
He steps forward and takes my hands in his. “You made it.”
I quirk my brow mischievously. “Did you doubt me?”
“Not even for a second.” His smile spreads wide. He dips his head and captures my lips in a sweet kiss, as if he couldn’t hold himself back another second. “Sorry,” he says when he pulls back.
“Never apologize for kissing me like that,” I say dazedly.
He grins for a moment, then sobers. His throat works as he swallows hard. “Hayley, I love you.”
My heart melts. “I love you too, big guy.”
“I’m not always good at expressing myself, though I wish I could tell you all the things you mean to me. All I can say is that I love you. I’ve loved you even before anyone thought it was logical for me to do so. Maybe at the first sight of you or the first touch, I don’t know. But I do know I’ll keep loving you for the rest of my days.” He lowers himself to the forest floor until he’s down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”
A velvet jewelry box materializes, a dazzling engagement ring nestled inside. His heart is in his eyes as he looks up at me, and my vision begins to swim with happy tears.
“Yes!” I shout, then launch myself into his arms.
The impact punches the air out of him, and he loses his balance because of my attack. He falls to the ground, and I landon top of him, peppering him with kisses anywhere my lips can touch. His chest rumbles with his laughter, and his arms come around to band behind my back, squeezing me tight.
I lean back to look into his eyes. “One day at a time.”
“Every day. For the rest of our lives.” Then he seals the promise with a kiss.
