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you need me and I’ll protect you until the day I die.
    Love,
    Jackson
    “Jackson, I love it—I love you!” I say, letting a tear fall.
    He hugs me. “Happy birthday, Tay.”
    I have a feeling this will be the greatest birthday in history…at least in my history book.
    ***
    It’s exactly 5:05 p.m. when Mason pulls up to my house. I’m wearing a short, white dress with silver, open-toe heels. This is only the second time I’ve dressed up since I’ve been with Mason. Thefirst time was for Mason’s party. If I must say, this outfit is much more conservative, but I make sure it’s still appealing to the male eye. I open the door for Mason, and he greets me with a kiss.
    “You look beautiful,” Mason says with an admiring stare.
    “And you look handsome,” I reply.
    I have to admit, Mason is a total turn-on. His look is laid-back, but nice enough for a formal date. He’s wearing a jet black six button vest, gray dress shirt, and matching black tailor-like fitted slacks that give him a front window display look found in one of those trendy almost metro men stores.
    “Where are we going now?” I ask as he helps me into his car.
    “To eat,” he says lightly. Then he shuts the door and walks over to the other side of the car.
    “Well, I know we’re going out to eat, but where?”
    “A really nice place here in Arizona.”
    “Well, that’s not telling me much.”
    He looks at me, smiles, and says, “I know.”
    I know he’s up to something. He continues to smile to himself, and I know that means it must be something really nice. It’s great to see how excited he gets whenever he plans something for me. It makes me feel like he really cares for me.
    The restaurant is fantastic, and afterward he takes me out dancing. I’m not much of a dancer, but I do it for Mason. We sit in the car for a while in silence when I notice Mason staring at me.
    “What are you thinking about?” I ask in a soft voice.
    “How much I love you,” he replies very seriously—in almost an intimidating way.
    I put my hand over his. “I love you, too, Mason Taylor.”
    “Will you marry me?” he asks in that same serious voice.
    Before I can answer, he speaks again. “Tonight? Will you marry me tonight?”
    “Mason are you—”
    “Yes! I’m serious. That’s your surprise.”
    “That day on the beach when you asked if I’m willing to go the mile with you, you were testing me?”
    “Pretty much,” he says with a smirk on his beautiful face.
    “So, will you marry me, Taylor Caldwell?”
    “How are we going to get away with this? We’re underage! I just turned seventeen today!”
    “It’s Arizona! The law here is you can get married at the age of sixteen as long as you have consent from a parent or legal guardian.”
    “But I don’t have consent from either of my parents, nor will I get it,” I say, almost panicking.
    “Babe, I have that all taken care of. My parents already approved it. They gave the needed notarized consent. Everything else, I already handled,” he says with that beautiful smile that makes anything he says hard to resist.
    There is a long pause. I’m not too sure what he means by he “handled” everything else but my mind told me not to ask any questions. Mason’s family holds more power than my mind could even digest.
    “So, Taylor Alexandria Caldwell, will you marry me tonight? Because if you do, I will make tonight—and the rest of your existence—the most wonderful days of your life. You are the love of my life, and I will never find anyone better or anyone like you. You’re the portrait that I paint in my mind every time I think of perfection, and I would love to draw you for the rest of my life.”
    Once again, Mason Taylor has found a way to leave me speechless. This is obviously his specialty.
    “What do you say, Tay? Will you marry me tonight?”
    “Mason Dale Taylor, I would love to marry you tonight,” I slowly respond through tears of excitement.
    ***
    We end up on the beach