Wanted (69 page)

I didn’t know what to say. I felt tears running down my face. To think I almost lost this just a short two weeks ago. I loved this woman mor
e than I ever thought possible.

“Emma, I love Drew also….more than I love anything. He has the same effect on me but much more…so much more. His smile melts my heart and makes me long to do everything in my power to keep it on his face. His touch, well….
I’m
sure you can imagine how that makes me feel!” I felt my face blushing.

“
I
really
should be the one thanking you for helping to raise such an amazing man. He not only has made me the happiest woman on earth but h
e……he literally saved me Emma
,
i
f that makes any sense.”

She nodded her head and we both started crying and laughing at the same time.

Garrett and Gunner walked into the living room and the
y both looked so damn confused!

“Women!
I’
ll never figure y’al
l out no matter how old I get!”

Emma walked over and kissed Garrett and I just happened to catch the quick slap on her behind he gave her. Gunner was just staring at me
with those beautiful blue eyes.

“Are you ready for your surprise sweetheart?”

My heart started poun
ding. He looked so
handsome standing there but he also looked scared as hell! He was probably worrying himself sick if I was going to like what he picked out for me. I reached up and felt my daisy necklace he gave me for my graduation.
Then I looked down at my bracelet. I never took either of them
off and threw a fit in the hospital when I found out the
y took them
off of me.

I walked over and took his hand and nodded yes.

I was so confused when Gunner started to lead me out to the Jeep. He helped me in and then gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. He jogged around to the other side and
hopped in.

“Where’re we going?”

“
We’
re going to the hunter
’
s cabin.”

“The hunter’s cabin?
The one you showed me on my first tour of the ranch?”

“Yep!
That’s the one.”

When we rode by it I remembered making a comment to Gunner about how romantic it was having a cabin out here in the middle of the ranch. It was a small cabin and was so rustic looking. It looked like at one time someone might have had a garden out front. It just screamed romance to me. Gunner laughed and said it was a dump and no one had been in it for years. Why the hell was he taking me there?

Gunner must have sensed my confusion. He reached over and placed his hand on my leg. The tingles instantly started in my leg and went right to my stomach. How did he do this to me still? I m
ean we had been dating for
six
months now. I thought it would wear off
,
but sometimes it felt li
ke it was getting more intense.

The sun was starting to go down now
as we drove on the gravel roads of the ranch
. It was breath
taking. We came around a giant live oak and I saw the cabin.
I’m sure my gasp was loud because Gunner snapped his head and looked at me.

It
was the most beautiful thing
I had ever seen. The whole outside of the cabin was covered in white Christmas lights. As Gunner got closer I started to shake. OH MY GOD……
I could see the inside lights w
er
e on in the cabin but I couldn’t see in the cabin
.

Gunner pulled up and parked. I just sat there stunned. He walked around and helped me out of the jeep. I looked up at him and was at a loss for words.

“When did you do all of this? How did you do
all of this? My god Gunner it’
s beautiful!”

Gunner let out a small laugh.

“I didn’t do it. Aaron and Jenny did it for me. Do you like it so far?”

“So far?
There’s more? I mean YES! It’
s so beautiful but I thought you said this place was a dump.”

“When you mentioned how romantic you thought it was I got an idea so I talked to Gramps about getting it fixed up and he
agreed.
”

He took my hand and started to lead me to the front porch and when we stepped up on the porch I was stopped in my tracks.
Daisies
…..they were everywhere. In flower vases, buckets, laying on a bench and even in a
bouquet of
daisies
in a
cowboy boot…
….
holy hell…
..
..I t
hought I loved this man before but
now my heart felt like it was going to burst open from the love I was feeling.

I turned to look at Gunner who was watching my every reaction. “Gunner I….I
don’t
even know what to say this is
all
so beautiful!”

“There’s more inside Ellie…..”

OH…..
there was
more?

Gunner tol
d me to close my eyes so I did as
he led me into the cabin and I heard him shut the door. He turned my body just a little and then I felt his warm breath up against my ear as he told me to open my eyes. I held them closed another few seconds before I
slowly opened them.

HOLY HELL
…..oh my god….

I started to cry as soon as I saw the small one room cabin. I looked around the room and was not sure what I loved the most. I quickly
noticed a giant King size bed to
the left side corner of the room. It had beautiful white linens on it and the whole bed was covered with daisy
and
rose
petals. Next to the bed was a side table that had a few
white
candles on it that where already lit and a vase full of purple
daisies
.

I moved my eyes and they landed on a small writing table that had
more lit
candles on it and
an
iPod player.
Just then Gunner reached up with a remote and
“
Magic
”
by
Colbie
Cailla
t
starting playing. I threw my hand up to
my
mouth…
…
how did he remember me saying I loved that so
ng. I started to cry even more.

Gunner leaned down and asked against my face as he wiped a tear away if they were happy tears. All I could do was shake my head yes. I kept moving my eyes to the right. There was a
small kitchen and every surface was covered in more
white candles and vases of daisies in ever color you could think of.
There was a small dining room
tabl
e on the right side of the room
and it was covered in chocolate
covered strawberries, fruit, more white c
andles and red and white roses.

I started to shake. Did Gunner plan all of this? I looked on the floor and it was covered in daisy
and
rose
petals.

I closed my eyes to control the tears t
hat were falling like rain.
I spun around and looked into those beautiful blue eyes.
Gunner leaned down and kissed me. I was lost in his kiss and I’m not sure how long we k
issed for but now
Colbie
Cailla
t’s
“
Stay
With
Me
”
was playing.

“Drew…..oh my god…..did you plan all of this?” I knew Gunner loved it when I said his real name. I said it every morning to him because he told me h
e loved to hear it
from my lips first thing each
morning.

“Yes sweetheart. I told Aaron exactly how I wanted everything to look and he and Jenny started early this morning and did it all. Do you like it?”

I just stared at him. He reached over and pushed my mouth sh
ut with his finger and laughed.

“Gunner…I don’t even have the words to describe to
you how wonderful this is. It’
s…..” I turned around and looked at the entire room again. “It is magical.”

“G
ood…that’
s what I was going for! Now, for your Christmas present my sweet Ellie.”

“This is not it?”

Gunner threw his head back and laughed.

“No baby this is just the beginning.”

Oh my….my heart was pounding. I stopped dead in my tracks.

OH MY GOD! O
h
holy hells bells
! Gunner turned and looked at me.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?”

“Gunner….when you
said you had a plan…..you….we’
re going to…..oh my god…” I pu
t my hand up to my mouth again.

Gunner grabbed me and held me close to him. His heart was beating just has fast and hard as mine. No wonder he has been nervous all day.

“Yes baby…
…
I pl
an on making love to you over and over again tonight
.”

OH. My.
God.
My knees felt weak. Fina
lly……I jumped into his arms and he held me so softly.

“OH….oh my god…you couldn’
t have made it any more speci
al Gunner! I love you so much!”

“Oh but you are wrong Ellie. I still have your Christmas present to give to you.” He pulled away and took my hand again. H
e brought me over to the table.

I could only imagine what he was going to give me. OHH
……
maybe something sexy to wear since he
told me
this morning he
couldn’t give
me my present in front of everyone
!
I wanted to jum
p up and down I was so excited.

Gunner had me sit down in the chair. I noticed there was a bottle of champagne on ice sittin
g on the table. Oh hell yes! I’
m going to celebrate me finally losing my virginity and to the most wonderful man in the world. I smiled as I looked at the champagne and all of the fruit on the table.
The roses smelled so good!

I never even noticed Gunner getting down on the floor. I looked back at him and sucked in
a breath of air when I saw that he was
kneeling down on one knee and he had a jewelry box in his hand. I couldn’t breath
e
….oh my…
…
I looked down at the box and then up at his eyes that
were filled with so much love.

“Ellie
,
I had this whole
thing planned out to say
all
of
the reasons why
I wanted you to be my wife. I’
ve been practicing it for a week now. But…all those words….they cannot even begin to describe to you how much I love you. How much I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
To be able to
wake up every morning and look at your smile that turns my world upside down. To live on the ranch with you, have children with you…..
to
rock on the fro
nt porch with you when we’re in our 90’s
. I love you Ellie so much
and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you sweetheart
. Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Gunner opened the box and
revealed
a beautiful
vintage style
oval
blue sapph
ire
engagement ring. The sapphire was
framed wi
th an intricate scalloped border and
was circled by white diamond begets that continued down part of the white gold band. It
was the most beautiful ring I’
d ever seen.

I looked up at Gunner
and just started to cry. How does
this man remember
every single thing I tell him?
I told him once
that
I loved blue sapphires.

“YES
! YES of course
!
Nothing would make happier than to become your wife
Drew
!
” I had never seen him
smile so big in my life! I slid
down onto the floor with him and we slammed our lips together. I had to kiss him with as much passion and love that I possibly could
!
I need
ed
to sh
ow him with this kiss how much h
e meant to me, how much I loved him.