He smiled and slapped my back. “That’s my boy. I’m not going to lie, son. I can’t wait to see you kicking ass on that football field.”

I laughed and nodded my head. “Yes, sir.”

“Daddy, are you talking football again?” Emma asked as she walked up and hooked her arm with her father’s.

“Yes, darling, I am. I think Garrett is going to make a hell of a good linebacker for the university. Number eighty-eight—that’s a solid number.”

“Yes, it is, and I’ll be his own private cheerleading section, cheering him on at every game.”

I grinned and shook my head. I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be playing for A&M, but there was no way I was going to tell Emma’s daddy that.

“Well, I hear Garrett has a surprise planned for you, so I will let the two of you go. Your mother wanted me to ask if you could both come over for dinner on Sunday night?”

“Yes, of course. Five o’clock?” Emma asked.

Her eyes met mine. She knew something was up because her parents hadn’t invited us over for a formal dinner before. I shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head.

“Five o’clock indeed. We will see you kids then.” Emma’s father leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Then, he reached his hand out for mine. We shook hands, and he winked at me before walking away.

I took in a deep breath. “You ready?”

She gave me an innocent grin. “My father didn’t ask where I would be staying this weekend.”

I took her hand in mine and began leading her out to the car. “He didn’t have to. David told him that a bunch of us are staying at my house and that the girls would be upstairs while the boys stayed downstairs. I don’t think your dad liked it too much, but David said it would be just like the coed dorms at school, and your dad didn’t really say anything after that.”

I opened up the car door and held her hand as she got in. I shut it, took a deep breath, and said a silent prayer to God that I wouldn’t mess this up.

As Garrett drove back to the Mathews’ ranch, I could tell something wasn’t right. He was a nervous wreck. If his hand went through his hair one more time, I was going to crawl over, sit on his lap, and make him release this tension building in the pit of my stomach.

He pulled up and parked the car. Looking over at me, he asked, “Do you want to change into something more comfortable?”

I nodded my head. “Yes, I need to get out of this dress as soon as possible!”

I waited for Garrett to get out and come around to my side of the car. He would get upset if I didn’t let him open the door for me, so it was just easier if I waited. He opened my door and reached for my hand. The moment our hands touched, I felt the jolt of electricity move through my body. I looked into his eyes, and they were sparkling. He slowly gave me that crooked grin of his that just melted me on the spot. I looked at the house and then back at Garrett. I raised my eyebrows up as I bit down on my lower lip.

He began laughing. “Oh no. Don’t even think about it. I have somewhere I need to take you, and we are running out of time.” He opened the back door of the car and pulled out my suitcase. He carried it into the house.

When he started to make his way up the stairs, I stopped short of the steps. “Garrett, are we not staying together this weekend?”

He turned around. “Of course we are. Why are you asking me that?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, you’re taking my suitcase upstairs, and I thought we would be staying down here in your parents’ room.”

His mouth dropped open. “In my…you want to…stay in my parents’ room?” he asked, stumbling on his words. He shook his head like a five-year-old boy who had just been told he did something wrong. “Oh, hell no. There is no way I’m making love to you in the same bed where my parents conceived me. No way. No. That is not happening.”

He turned and started back up the stairs as I let out a giggle.

I sat in Garrett’s truck with a hanky covering my eyes. Since we were in his truck, I knew he was taking me somewhere on the ranch. Why he wouldn’t let me see where we were going was beyond me. As we drove in silence, I tried to guess what my surprise would be. My stomach was in knots, and I wasn’t sure why. I’d tried to see if Peggy knew what the surprise was, and she had been a dead end. Margie had seemed to know what was going on, but she had been locked up tight like Fort Knox.

The truck came to a stop, and I heard the driver’s door open.

“Don’t move,” Garrett said.

I chuckled. “Okay!”

Then, my door opened, and I was about to get out, but then Garrett scooped me up and began carrying me.

I let out a little squeal and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Mr. Mathews, where could you be taking me?” Then, a thought occurred to me. “Garrett, if you even think of throwing me in the river, I will never talk to you again. Do you hear me?”

He didn’t say a word. His silence was killing me.

“Garrett? Garrett! I’m going to rip this thing off my eyes if you don’t talk to me.”

Then, I felt him slowly lowering me down onto solid ground. I let out a sigh and tried to reach for him.

“Garrett, where are you? Stop with this silly silence game and tell me where you are right now.”

“Take off your blindfold, Em,” Garrett said, his voice sounding different.

I couldn’t tell if he was upset or if it was because he hadn’t really talked to me the whole way here.

I reached up and took off the blindfold, but I kept my eyes closed. I wasn’t sure what I was afraid of. Maybe I was nervous. Whatever it was, I stood there with my eyes closed.

“Emma…” Garrett whispered.

I snapped my eyes open. I looked down to see Garrett on one knee…on our quilt…under our tree. My eyes instantly filled with tears as I stared at him while he held a small box in his hands. I quickly looked around at everything. Small bouquets of daisies had been placed all over. Daisy petals and a few rose petals covered the quilt. I brought my hands up to my mouth and attempted to hold back the tears. I looked to the other side of the quilt, and a basket was sitting there. I was instantly taken back to the moment when we had gone on our first date—the picnic where Garrett had given me my first orgasm and when I’d fallen even more in love with him.

I looked down into his eyes, and he smiled so big and beautiful.

“Emma Rose Birk, the first time I saw you in that drugstore, I knew…I knew I would love you for the rest of my life. You captured my heart the moment your beautiful eyes met mine. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed of this moment along with all the other ones—making you completely mine, making love to you under the stars, marrying you, and living in the house my father built for my mother. I just want to make all your dreams come true, Emma. I want to love you like I’ve never loved anyone. I want to make you laugh. I never, ever want to make you cry because it would destroy me if I hurt you. I want to see your belly swell up with our children. I want to tell you every chance I get how much I love you and how beautiful you are.”