Run Wild Horses

Chapter 36

Ryan's POV

Blue as the water,
Bright as the sky,
Deep as the river,
I get lost in those eyes.
Just like the sun rising,
The stars in the night,
She shines through the dark and lights up my life.
Magnolias blooming in the soft southern breeze,
That bayou moon coming up over the trees,
Cypress wind singing a sweet melody,
My Louisiana lady next to me.

"I told you there was something special about Louisiana girls. Perfect combination of sweet and spicy." Chase commented with a smirk as we watched Sam and Courtney lying in lounge chairs next to the pool, soaking up the sun.

"You better be watching those burgers instead of your fiancé." I teased. But then my palms began sweating and I felt myself tense up as soon as the word fiancé left my mouth. Maybe it was just the heat and humidity. Most likely though, it was the sight of my gorgeous girlfriend in her turquoise bikini. Well, that and the words I had uttered at her fathers grave. Was I really ready to marry her?

"Relax. I've got it under control." Chase said, as he flipped a patty on the grill for emphasis.

"When did you know Courtney was the one?" I asked him.

"Probably our first date." He laughed.

"When did you know you wanted to marry her?" I rephrased the question.

"Second date." He replied without a trace of hesitation.

I whipped my head around fully expecting to see his trademark smirk, but his face was dead serious.

"So why did you wait two years to pop the question if you knew for that long?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to make sure I was ready. I'm young and didn't want to rush into anything. Looking back on it though, I wish I would have popped the question a long time ago."

"That anxious to tie the knot?" I laughed.

"Yeah. I mean look at her...she's perfect. It's more than that though. Drop dead gorgeousness aside, she's everything I always wanted and more. What's with all the questions man? Are you thinking about marriage now?"

I wasn't ready to tell Chase about what had happened in the cemetery that morning, I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him at all. It just seemed too...personal. Hell, I hadn't even told Sam about that brief moment when she gone to the car. First it was me talking to the bird and wondering if I had gotten some kind of blessing, but then the t-shirts confirmed it in my eyes. Chase would think I was crazy. I hadn't even fully sorted it out in my own head. He and Courtney had surprised us by showing up hours earlier than expected. I knew I wanted to talk to him about what I was feeling, I just hadn't figured out how I was going to approach it with him.

"It's not too soon is it? To be thinking about marriage?" I asked

"Well, I know it's only been a few months for you and Sam, but all I can tell you is if it feels right, then do it. It's not like there is a timeline or anything on when you should do something in a relationship, you just go with what you're feeling. What your heart is telling you." Chase answered, in his usual practical manner. In other words, he was telling me to follow my heart, something I had told Sam on multiple occasions. I felt it in my heart that I was ready, but was she?

I looked again at the lounge chairs next to the pool where Sam and Courtney were lying. Sam was the one. Of that, I had never been more certain. I couldn't help but think of our conversation weeks back about children. I had nearly lost her. I knew then that I saw a future with her, but I didn't think it would be happening this soon. Something changed that moment in the cemetery. Now all I could think about was that I wanted to put a ring on her finger.