He opened the box, and I wiped the tears from my eyes and face. In a very unladylike fashion, I used the back of my right hand to wipe under my nose.

When my vision finally cleared, I let out a gasp. “Garrett…” I whispered.

“Em, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you. I promise to always be faithful to you and to love you and take care of you to the best of my ability. Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Garrett Thomas Mathews?”

I let out a sob and fell to my knees before throwing myself into his body. “Yes! Oh my God, yes! Yes! Garrett, I love you so much.”

I held on to him as tight as I could, and he wrapped his arms around me.

Nothing would ever top this moment. Nothing.

“Thank God,” Garrett barely said.

I couldn’t help but giggle. Now, I knew why he had been so nervous for the last few days.

I pulled back, and he took my left hand in his. Before he took out the ring, he kissed the back of my hand and looked up at me. He smiled, and my heart melted on the spot.

He slipped the ring on my finger, and I got a good look at it. It was beautiful. I had to take in a deep breath as I looked at the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen in my life. It was a round cut diamond surrounded by a halo of diamond accents. Two smaller diamonds on the side led to more accent diamonds that moved down the band. The way the ring sparkled in the sun was amazing.

A sob escaped my throat as I looked up at Garrett. The moment I saw a tear moving down his face, my whole world stopped.

“It’s the most breathtaking ring I’ve ever seen,” I said as I reached up and wiped away his tear.

He slowly took in a breath of air and let it out. “My father designed it. It was my mother’s engagement ring.”

I placed my hand over my mouth and began crying harder.

Garrett pulled me into his arms. “No, Buttercup, please don’t cry. I don’t want you to cry.”

“I’m not crying because I’m sad. I’m crying because I’ve never been so happy in my life. For this to be your mother’s ring just makes it all the more special. I swear, I can feel your father with us at this very moment.”

Garrett pulled me even closer to him, and he just held me. As I kept my face buried in his chest, I was pretty sure I could hear him crying as well. Nothing needed to be said between us. It was almost as if this was a healing process for Garrett. He’d held it together for so long after his father died. I thought it was finally all coming to the surface. If this was where it needed to happen, then I would be here for him. I would always be here for him. I could feel Garrett’s body as he slowly let it all out.

“I miss him so much, Em. I wish he were here, so I could tell him how much I love him, how proud I am of the things he built for my mother and me…for us. He would have loved you so much, Em.”

He began crying again, and I held on to him as tightly as I could. If I could crawl into his body right now, I would. I didn’t say anything. I remembered my father had told me that sometimes, words were not needed to comfort those who had lost so much. Instead, the loving touch of someone who cared would be all the comfort needed.

After a few minutes, Garrett released his hug on me and pulled back. I frantically began kissing his face as if I could kiss away hurt.

He placed his hands on the sides of my face and brought my lips to his. “You’re mine, Emma.” He pulled away and looked into my eyes.

“Yes, I’m yours, Garrett. Please…” I said, knowing he would know I needed to feel his body become one with mine.

“Buttercup…here or home?” he asked me as he searched my face.

As much as I wanted to make love to him right this very second, I wanted him to take me back to our future house.

“Home,” I whispered.

He quickly stood and helped me up before lifting me and carrying me back over to the truck. “Emma, I’m taking you home and making love to you.”

As Garrett opened the door to the truck, I looked back at our quilt and smiled. “Garrett, don’t forget our quilt.”

He placed me on the seat and kissed my forehead. “Never.”

He ran back over and grabbed the basket and the quilt. Then, he reached for one bouquet of daisies. He walked back to the truck, and the smile I saw on his face was one I would never forget. Garrett Thomas Mathews would be forever mine. He handed me the flowers and put the basket in the back of the truck.

He quickly folded up the quilt and gave it to me. “This quilt, I do believe, is our good-luck charm.”

I laughed. “I thought it was our sex quilt.”

Garrett shrugged. “It’s both.”

I’m never, ever getting rid of this quilt.

I walked into the house, carrying Emma in my arms. The next time I did this, she would be my bride. I wanted to run up the steps two at a time, so I could get inside her faster. I kicked open the bedroom door and then shut it with my foot. I didn’t think Billy or Margie would be here anytime soon, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

I walked up to the bed and dropped Emma on it, causing her to let out a laugh.

“Undress yourself, Em,” I said in a seductive voice.

Emma’s smile faded, and she quickly began taking off her clothes. I smiled slightly, knowing that I probably had the sweetest, kindest fiancée in the world, but she sure had a side of her in the bedroom I loved. She was completely nude in less than a minute. She slowly lay back on the bed and began rubbing her legs together. My dick was harder than a rock, and I couldn’t wait to be so far inside her while she screamed out my name.

“Your turn, Mr. Mathews,” she purred.

I stripped out of my clothes faster than I thought I ever had. I reached into my pocket, pulled out three condoms, and threw them onto the bed.

Emma looked at them and laughed. “Feeling lucky tonight?”

I silently prayed I could keep up with Emma as I nodded my head. I slowly lowered my body down and on top of Emma. I covered her body in kisses as she let out sweet moan after sweet moan. I loved making her feel good, and hearing her call out my name was one of my favorite things ever. As I kissed her nipple, I moved my hand down and began touching her. She bucked her hips and whimpered as I pushed two fingers inside her. She was always so ready for me. I moved and began teasing her with my tip.

“Garrett…I can’t wait until we are married, and we have nothing between us. I just want to feel you inside me. Please, just once,” Emma said as she wrapped her legs around me.