Page 124 of Finding New Dreams

Rose

Ten months later…

I hummed a jaunty tune as I walked to the school. In one hand, I clutched the lunch bag Flynn had forgotten this morning. In the other, I held the leash of our rescue pup, Dasher. He was an adorable little mutt with giant ears, a pointed nose, and red fur. And, just like his name, he loved to dash, which made him the perfect running partner.

Although now I had two of those, since I’d cajoled Flynn into running with me every morning.

That was actually why he’d forgotten his lunch this morning.

We’d gotten back from our run and took a little too long showering each other off. He’d had to rush out the door of our cute rambler to make it to the school on time.

A house with a yard. A new dog. The best boyfriend in the world. And a booming business that now boasted classes and art by Rose Rafferty and Flynn Higgins.

Yep, I had it all.

Still humming to myself, I entered the school with Dasher—who had special hallway privileges—and navigated to Flynn’s classroom.

It still gave me such a thrill that he’d become a teacher here. The pride and joy he came home with every evening, chattering about everything that happened in class and boasting about how well his students were doing.

I glanced down at Dasher. “Who knew that two people living their best lives with each other could create such beautiful happiness?”

He looked up at me and smiled, his tongue hanging out.

A flurry of movement met my knock when I reached Flynn’s door.

“Come in!” Flynn called.

I opened the door. “Hello, everyone!”

“Hello, Miss Rafferty!” they chorused back.

His fifteen students sat at their desks, clutching small canvases to their chests and staring at me.

I smiled brightly. “Don’t mind me. Just dropping off Mr. Higgins’ lunch. Are you all having a good day?”

They nodded. A few giggled. All of them looked between me and Flynn.

I glanced at Flynn, who simply grinned at me. His long hair was tied back, and he wore a black, long-sleeve shirt under his smock. Even months later, his mere presence made my heart pound a little faster.

I set his lunch bag on his desk. After giving him a quick kiss, I whispered, “I should go. Hope you’re having a good day.”

He caught my hand before I could go. “Wait, stay a minute.” He leaned down to scratch Dasher behind the ears, and the puppy’s tail started banging against the desk. “Would you like to see what we’ve been working on?”

“Of course! I love seeing everyone’s work!”

Flynn stepped forward and made a beckoning motion. “Okay, everyone. Now!”

In unison, his students stood up and flipped around the canvases they’d been clinging to.

At first, my eyes bounced around the paintings. But when my brain finally caught up, I gasped.

Each little canvas was painted with a letter or symbol. They’d been done in a myriad of colors and fonts. But the message was clear:

Will you marry me?

I clapped my hands to my mouth, dropping Dasher’s leash. My vision swam as Flynn faced me, a nervous smile replacing his usual one.

He gently pried away one of my hands and held it as he lowered onto one knee. “Rose, love of my life. You already made me the happiest man on earth when you told me you loved me. And every moment with you before that and after that has opened my heart to a whole new world of possibilities and dreams for this life. But I want to explore all of them with you, forever.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “I love you with everything that I am and promise to do so as long as I live. Rose, will you marry me?”

Tears fell thick and fast down my cheeks, and I let out a garbled, “Yes!”

His face lit up with pure joy. He shot up and kissed me soundly while his students cheered. Along with an “aww” and “eww” here and there.

Laughing, we broke apart. Flynn dug a small box out of his smock pocket and plucked out the ring inside. He slid the perfectly simple band with its jeweled, twining flowers over my finger. Then he kissed it as Dasher wriggled between us, desperate to be a part of the love fest.

And here it was: my romance of a lifetime.

THE END

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