with his head for me to follow him down a narrow path. I could just make out the faint sound of flowing water, and we emerged from the brush to come upon a rocky creek bed with crystal clear water running over the rocks.
“I know this place,” I said.
The big boulders alongside the water were familiar, as was the path on the opposite side. Ethan had brought me here a couple of times, only not on horseback. The last time we were here we’d pledged to stay together forever, and I smiled at his romantic gesture.
“This is my favorite spot,” he said.
“How did you find it?” I asked, wondering what this place meant to him.
He led me to a smooth rock and sat me down, telling me that when he was a kid he used to ride his bike up here when he wanted to be alone.
“Being here always made me feel better,” he explained.
“When your mom left?” I prodded gently.
I’d been trying to draw him out about it for a while, but he always changed the subject, deftly sidestepping any attempt I made to find out more. He always acted like it was no big deal, but whenever I brought it up it was pretty clear that I was treading on forbidden ground. I of all people could understand his reluctance to talk about it, having a secretive side myself. Still, it was frustrating, knowing that he was keeping a part of himself hidden away from me. I couldn’t help but wonder what that part was really like.
“Just whenever I wanted to be alone,” he said lightly, looking around, “Now, I’d call it the happiest place on earth.”
“I thought that was supposed to be Disneyland,” I said, elbowing him gently.
He smiled at me affectionately, and got up to kneel alongside me.
“Ethan?” I was confused, watching as he reached in his pocket for a small box, presenting it to me.
“I love you,” he said, opening it, “Will you marry me?”
I looked down to see a large diamond sparkling as it caught the light. It looked to be well over a carat, flanked on the band by two aquamarines flashing blue and green. I was shocked speechless when I looked back up at his earnest face.
I finally managed to sputter out, “What did you do?”
I don’t think it was the reaction he was expecting.
“I got you an engagement ring.”
“But… but… this must have cost a fortune,” I gasped.
His eager eyes met mine, “Don’t you like it? I had it made especially for you.”
I took a deep breath, “Ethan it’s beautiful… but it’s too much…”
“I wanted you to have a nice one,” he said.
“What were you thinking? You need to pay off the land… And what about building your house?”
“Our house,” he said firmly, “And it can wait.”
“What on earth made you think I needed something so… so…” I stopped myself.
“I want everyone to know that I’m serious…”
“Who’s everyone?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew who he meant.
“Evie doesn’t think you should be with me… And when your dad comes back I want–”
“So you got it to impress Evie? And my dad?”
“No!” he sounded hurt, and his face fell in disappointment. I felt terrible.
“Ethan…”
“I want them to know I can take care of you.”
“We can take care of each other.”
“I wanted you to have it when you told them.”
“I already told Evie,” I said, “In Paris.”
He looked surprised, “What did she say?”
I paused, not wanting to hurt him anymore, “It doesn’t matter what Evie thinks. The only thing that matters is me and you.”
He stumbled over his words, “What… what if your dad feels the same way Evie does? I mean, it’s like, I… I want them to know that I’ll do my best to be good enough for you…”
I took his hand and pulled him up to sit beside me. I slipped my arm around his waist and rested my chin on his shoulder, “You’re perfect for me, and my dad is not Evie. He’s going to love you.”
He looked doubtful.
“Ethan, it’s just…” I groped for the words, afraid to say anything else, knowing how touchy he could be when it came to money. I’d already hurt his feelings. We sat there awkwardly for a moment.
And suddenly I understood what had been going on, “OH MY GOD! So this is why you’ve been working like a dog!”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both. A massive wave of relief washed over me when