The ring was more beautiful than Emily remembered. A twisting band of silver was interwoven with blue that reminded her of the ocean. A family of pearls nestled together. It was gorgeous, unique, and so utterly perfect.
A snowflake landed on Emily’s hand, bringing her back to the moment. She glanced at Daniel, still down on one knee on the beach, black waves crashing behind him, stars twinkling above him, sand clinging to his pant legs. Tears glittered in his eyes and Emily felt her own eyes well up in response. She couldn’t move, couldn’t stand. The only thing she wanted to do was hold Daniel and never let go.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his body close to hers, kissing the exposed flesh on his neck over and over again and then winding her fingers into his hair.
“I’m so in love with you,” she whispered.
“I love you more than words can say,” Daniel replied, breathlessly. Then, with a small laugh, he added, “You’re shivering.”
Emily giggled too, feeling girlish, carefree. “That would be the snow,” she said.
They finally pulled apart. Daniel grasped Emily’s hand and pulled her to standing.
“Should we head back?” he asked.
Emily thought of the Thanksgiving party taking place in her B&B at this very moment. Practically the whole town was congregated there; surely her and Daniel’s absence would have been noted by now. But she didn’t want to go back. Not yet. She wanted to stay here with Daniel in this perfect moment for as long as possible.
Emily shook her head and rubbed the goose pimples on her arms. “Can’t we stay here a bit longer?”
Daniel smiled tenderly. “Of course.” He wrapped her in his arms. Together they rocked back and forth, as though dancing to music only they could hear.
“I can’t wait to tell Chantelle,” Daniel murmured after a while.
At the mention of Daniel’s daughter, Emily felt a sudden surge of excitement. The little girl would be so happy for them. Suddenly, the idea of getting back to the B&B seemed much more appealing. Emily desperately wanted to see Chantelle’s face when they broke the news. It would be like a fairytale ending for the child who’d had such a terrible start in life.
“Come on, let’s head back,” Emily said, moving out of the embrace and taking both of Daniel’s hands in hers.
“You sure?” he asked.
She nodded. Breaking the news of their engagement to Chantelle was now Emily’s greatest desire. She was feeling suddenly confident and proud, and she wanted the whole world to know it. She wanted to stand on the widow’s walk of her inn and shout the news across town so everybody could hear for miles around.
But as they strolled along the beach in the direction of the B&B, Emily felt her nerves begin to creep up on her. Making announcements wasn’t exactly her favorite thing to do, and there would surely be no way to sneak in without people questioning their absence. That’s not even to mention the ring. It was hardly inconspicuous. Anyone with eyes could see it sparkle from a mile away.
Emily couldn’t help but imagine all of those faces gazing at her, some with supportive expressions but others with judgmental ones. Right now, their engagement belonged to her and Daniel and no one else. It was a private thing, a shared state of bliss. But as soon as they broke the news to others they would be inviting opinions into that sacred space.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be like that at all, Emily thought as she strolled. Maybe the townsfolk would have been liberal with the mimosas in their absence and would all be so engrossed with their drinking, dancing, and merriment that they wouldn’t even notice them return.
They reached the small path that led from the beach up to the street where they lived. Emily climbed up the steep bank first, Daniel following. As she emerged through the trees onto the sidewalk, she could see the lights of the inn glowing and hear the sounds of music and laughter floating through the air. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
“Ready?” Daniel asked as he drew up beside her.
Emily took a deep breath. She was nervous but also felt more confident than ever, like she could take on the world.
Hand in hand, they slowly walked along the drive, past the carriage house that was once Daniel’s home, then up the porch steps and in through the front door of the Inn at Sunset Harbor. Immediately, warmth and brightness enveloped them. The comforting smells of Thanksgiving foods – turkey, cranberries, corn, pumpkin pie – permeated the air. Emily instantly felt the love ebbing through the inn.
Just then, a laughing Serena burst out of the dining room and into the hallway. When she saw Daniel and Emily standing there, she smiled at them through her ruby red–painted lips. She was blushing a little, and Emily wondered if it had something to do with an evening of reciprocated flirting with Owen the piano player.
“Oh hey,” Serena said, catching Emily’s eye. “I was wondering where you guys had gone off to.”
Emily and Daniel looked at each other coyly. Caught red-handed.
Emily found that she was suddenly tongue-tied, like a naughty child who must own up to stealing cookies from the jar. She looked at Daniel for help, but he looked worse than her, with a deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face.
Serena frowned. Then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously and a small smirk appeared on her lips. Clearly she could tell they’d been up to something.
“Hmm,” she said, pacing up to them like a detective. “Snow in your hair. Sand on your jeans. My guess is you’ve been to the beach.” She tapped her chin. “But why?” She paused for a moment, and then a look of realization flickered into her eyes. Gasping, she grabbed Emily’s left hand, searching for confirmation for the thought that had hit her. At the sight of the ring, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.
“Oh. My. God! You’re engaged!”
Emily felt the heat rising into her cheeks. It was the first time she’d heard someone say the word “engaged” in relation to her and it felt so bizarre. All those years of wishing for it and dreaming about it, and she was finally here, in that abstract state of “engagement.”
She nodded quickly. Serena squealed and pulled them both into a clumsy embrace, elbows and arms flailing.
“Am I the first to know?” Serena asked when she let them go, the excitement in her tone growing.
“Yes,” Daniel confirmed. “But can you get Chantelle? I want her to know before the rest of them.”
