After what felt like several minutes of stunned silence, Rylee managed to pull her mouth back open. “Marry you? But it’s been so long… We’ve changed so much!”
To his credit, Cole didn’t seem upset at her hesitancy. Of course, she’d have reservations after so long. Also to his credit, he’d stayed in that same position, down on one knee, barely even breathing, the entire time she’d been in shock. It was almost eerie.
Cole sat beside her, resting the ring between them. “I know it has been a while,” he said. “But the truth is, I love you even more than I did on the day we parted. I don’t care if you’ve changed. I understand if you want to slow things down, but I also want you to know where I stand. I’m ready to pick up where we left off, if you are. I’ll quit the real estate business and start offering 4×4 alumimium canopies for sale. You know that’s my true passion.”
Thor’s hammer struck an anvil in her chest. Was he really willing to do that? Was she? Cole had been all she’d ever wanted. Now he was back, and technically they were still engaged anyway. With everything that had happened in the world, maybe she deserved to settle down with the one she loved.
“That’s not all,” Cole continued. “I’ll be busy with my new job, obviously. Businesses selling ute toolboxes close to Melbourne don’t build themselves, after all. I’d be even busier, though, since we’d probably want to move in here. There’s a lot to fix up.”
“Here?”
Cole nodded. “When my grandparents passed away, they gave this place to me in their will. Sure, it requires a lot of work, but it’s ours if you want it. We could make this a real home. What do you say?”
Rylee thought she knew what she wanted, but how could she be sure? She supposed that with these things, one never could be sure with complete certainty. Perhaps it required a leap of faith.
“Let’s do it,” she said.
As the words came out of her mouth, she knew she had made the right decision.