of our relationship.” She reeled in her fishing line and set the rod aside. “That’s not true. Destroying the boat was good, too. And having that constant reminder in the barn about why I don’t want to change who I am is a good thing for me.”
“How did you two even end up together? You’re so different.”
“On a dare,” she said, remembering the way Marshall had challenged her to one date. “‘One date,’ he said. ‘Give me one date and see what happens.’ What happened was that I kept trying to be the person he wanted, and it was a big mistake.”
“He’s a fool. I love who you are, Pipe.” He turned his handsome face toward her and said, “When I look at you, I see the brazen blonde who strutted into the pub those first few weeks I was back and took the time to ask about how my family and I were doing. The girl who showed up with a plow on the front of her truck after every snowstorm because she said she was in the area and thought she’d clear the parking lot—and then proceeded to go to my mother’s and sister’s houses to make sure their driveways were clear. I see the woman who helped me see the light on some of my saddest days after I lost my dad and wasn’t sure I’d ever be happy again.”
She was getting all choked up again.
“I see the woman who has spent three years giving me hell about everything from sports to the way I pour her drinks. The woman who I thought was kidding when she told me she was going to join me and the guys for a game of basketball, then proved why she was damn near better than all of us.” His gaze moved slowly over her face, and then he said, “When I look at you, I can’t see past you. You’re all I see.”
The emotions in his voice and in his eyes felt as tangible as the man beside her. She wrapped her arms around one of his and rested her head on his shoulder. “Your brother never saw me at all.”
He pressed a kiss to her head and reeled in his fishing line.
“Thank you again for tonight, and for all the gifts, and dinner, and talking. I love this night. If I were the type of girl to dream about romantic nights, this would be on the top of my dream list. You did good, Dutch. Like our first da—Oh my gosh! You never opened your present.”
“Present?” he asked, setting his fishing pole aside.
“Yes! I totally forgot I brought you one!” She jumped to her feet to retrieve his gift, and he moved to the bench seats.
She stood before him, nerves tingling as she fidgeted with the gift. “When I got you this, I didn’t expect to find you on the boat with a big surprise planned. It seems silly now, but in my defense, I’m new at choosing boyfriend gifts.”
He pulled her down to his lap, and his strong arms circled her. She loved how he always wanted her right there with him.
“Babe, you got me something and it’s not my birthday. You can’t possibly know how much this means to me, no matter what it is.”
“Oh yes I can,” she said, looking at the rosebush and all the wonderful gifts he’d given her. “You say that now, but this gift isn’t nearly as good as all the things you gave me.”
She handed him the gift and held her breath as he opened the framed picture of them from their first date, when they were on the kiss cam. They were sticking out their tongues and wiggling their hands with the hang-loose hand gesture. She’d written World’s Best First Date on the frame with a Sharpie, and she’d used Photoshop to add Piper + Harley and the date to the picture.
Laughter bubbled out of him. “Babe, this is fantastic!”
She was elated by his response. “Since you have those pictures of us on your fridge, I thought you should have one of us now that we’re a couple.”
“I can’t get over this. It’s awesome!” He was smiling so hard, his whole face brightened. “How did you get it?”
“I found the nerd-reel footage on YouTube and took a screenshot. Then I added our names and the date using Photoshop.”
“I love it, and I love that you took the time to find the picture, added the text, and wrote on the frame.