Simple, normal, and really falling into place for everyone.
Tyson and I celebrated ou r one-year-anniversary in November by going back to that little church where we’d first met. We had a picnic in the grass and just talked for hours.
“You think we’ll get married here?” he asked me as we watched the sun set. I looked at him, smiling.
“You want to marry me?” I asked him. He laughed.
“What moron wouldn’t want to marry you?” was his reply, followed by a sweet kiss on my lips.
Six months later, at the beginning of the summer after my freshman year in college, Cassie and I decided to give up the dorm life and move into an apartment five miles from the VSU campus. After a long day of unpacking our dorm into our awesome new place , Tyson told me he wanted to go grab some thi ng to eat, just me and him . An hour later, on the way back from stuffing our faces at the Sonic drive-thru , I was surprised when Tyson pulled off the road and parked the truck in this field that was covered in clovers and poppies.
“What are you doing?” I asked him, puzzled.
“Let’s go look at the stars,” he said simply, giving me a sly smile and getting out of the car. He went to the bed of his El C amino and pulled out a blanket for us to lie in the grass. Clearly, this had been planned. He spread the blanket out on the grass.
“Tyson, you’re insane,” I laughed, as I sat down on the blanket.
“I have to tell you something,” he said, smiling at me. “We got a recording deal! ”
“That’s great!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. “Oh, Tyson, when did you find out?”
“Today,” he told me. “The record label called Pete and said they loved the demo we sent them. They want us to come in on Thursday and look at some contract papers for us to sign on their label.”
“Oh, baby, that’s so fantastic!!” I squealed, kissing him. His hand cupped my jaw and his lips lingered on mine.
“There’s something else, too,” he said softly, his eyes searching mine when we’d pulled away.
“Yeah?” I whispered. He took my hands in his.
“What if I told you that I’ve found my forever?” he asked me. I didn’t reply, but instead, just stared as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, red box.
“Tyson,” I whispered, my hands covering my mouth and my bottom lip beginning to quiver. He opened the box and inside was a sparkling engagement ring.
“I think about you in more than just the now,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. “I think about you and how you looked when I first met you —falling out of that church window. I think about you and how you looked today — in just jeans and a t-shirt. I think about how you’ll look t omorrow, or six months from now, when you’re graduating from college, or when you’re going to your first day on a new job that you’ve wanted all your life. Or when you’re walking down the aisle towards me in the most beautiful white wedding dress I’ve ever seen…I even see you playing out in the backyard of a house we have yet to buy with the kids, in just a pair of dirty sweatpants and a hoodie.”
Tears were streaming down my face now. He took my hand in his again and slid the ring on my left third finger. It was a perfect fit. The sparkle on that diamond reminded me of the sparkle that was always in Tyson’s eyes.
“I told you the first night we met that I hadn’t found my