Song of the South

Chapter 45: Engagement

After a while, her tattoo had healed with Eric’s help. It never failed to make her smile when she saw it. She always had this goofy grin on her face whenever she saw Eric’s tattoo which made everyone else smile too. They spent a week at home before heading off to Europe. Naturally all the kids were excited to see both Kinsey and Eric. She even had to explain about the tattoo she was now sporting. Daisy thought it was really sweet when Eric explained why they had gotten them.  

Eventually the band had finally convinced Kinsey to play all the keyboard parts so that Eric could actually play bass for that song. At first, she was nervous as hell about it but after several shows she started warming up to it. The crowd always loved her and responded quite positively! It always made her uncomfortable when she was hanging out with Jake at the meet-and-greets and people actually asked for her autograph! 

While they were sitting at the airport, Kinsey confessed her nervousness at being out of the country. Eric was quick to tell her that things were going to be great and that she was going to get to see things she’d never even dreamed about before. He had done some research on cool and interesting things to see in all the countries they’d be visiting. He’d asked Jake to schedule him for as few interviews as possible because he wanted to experience these sights with Kinsey. The tall blond understood and said he’d do his best.  

The flight itself was long. Eighteen and a half hours to be exact. She was surprised to see that they were flying first class too! Eric and Kinsey were sitting together with Brent and Zach sitting in front of them while Barry and Jake were sitting behind them. The seats were much more comfortable than she had believed they would be. They would be starting out in Glasgow, Scotland.

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They had a few days off in Paris, France. Kinsey was absolutely loving getting to see all these countries! She documented everything she could for her siblings. She’d sparked a love of travel and seeing other cultures with Daisy when she started sending photos home. Eric loved watching her explore and see “the sights” for the first time. It sparked a sense of wonder and awe in him that he somehow missed since they didn’t often get to go out and be tourists.  

Jake did all he could to get them as much time as he could so that Eric could show her these places. Everyone knew what Eric was planning so Barry was preparing a surprise engagement party for their return. They’d been seeing the sights most of the day and thought going out to a really nice restaurant would be a good end to the day. They headed back to the hotel so they could shower and get ready for their evening. Being a gentleman, and to check to make sure everything was going according to plan, he let her shower first. 

Having showered, shaved, and dried her hair, Kinsey picked out her seductive long red dress for the evening. She was doing her hair, having done a simple black eyeliner and white-silvery eye-shadow for her make-up. He went to take his shower and get ready for the big night out. There was nothing like seeing Paris at night, especially with the one you loved! He opted for a plain black suit with a red vest and red tie that matched as closely to her dress as he could find.  

Once they were ready to head out, he took her by the arm and led them to the elevators. As they were waiting, he leaned over and whispered how beautiful she was making her blush. It wasn’t quite dark yet but when he told that there was somewhere he wanted to take her before dinner, she began to wonder what he was up to. He liked surprising her with things like trips and such so she just walked along with him until they made it to what looked like a very beautiful church. He had led her to the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre at sunset.  

They had to walk through this magnificent church and she took her time as she looked around. He could only smile as he watched her. This was why she wanted to come on this leg of the tour and he was so happy that he had convinced her! The view from the top takes in the whole of Paris she noticed, and the sun was setting in front of them casting the whole city in a magical light. She gasped at the beauty of the whole scene as she simply looked around.   

He moved them so they could see as much of Paris below them as possible. He was a song-writer but he had been having a hard time finding the right words for this moment. The ring box was in his pocket, he could still feel it there, and all that was missing was him opening his mouth. He was standing behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, and he was leaning his chin on her shoulder. She was leaning back into him, enjoying the view and his company. It could have been the beauty and magic of the city or just being with him but she had all these lovey feelings that were just bubbling there under the surface. 

“This place is just so…. so beautiful!” She gushed 

“It’s only half as beautiful as you, Kinsey.” He retorted with a smile 

Could she see how nervous he was? Why was he more nervous now than when he’d popped the question to Kellie?! Perhaps it was because there was the distinct possibility of Kinsey turning him down. She was barely 22 years old, after all! 

“It’s just the magic of Paris.” Kinsey retorted as he took her hand and turned her towards him 

“It’s not the magic of Paris. It’s you. Your inner beauty shining through.” He replied making her both smile and blush 

He dropped to one knee as he slid the ring box out of his pocket. With a deep breath, he looked in her eyes and smiled. 

“Kinsey, you captured my heart, my soul, and my mind. There’s nothing about you that I don’t love. You make me a better man. You push me to be the best me I can be, to continue growing in all aspects of my life. You make me happy. You spark a creativity in me that I never thought possible.” He stated, making her tear up, “I want to spend the rest of my life showing you just how amazing you are and how much I truly love you. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you all the wonders of the world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Kinsey Marie, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” 

Her shocked gasp made him smile. She looked at him and no matter what excuses she tried to make with herself, her father’s words rang in her head. One word kept coming to the forefront of her mind and before she knew what she was doing, she squeaked out a ’Yes!’. He grinned as he stood up and pulled her into his arms. His lips crashed hers passionately while her arms slid around his neck. Just a few years ago she was certain she’d be raising her siblings, running the farm and taking care of her father all by herself for the rest of her life. Never in a million years did she think she would ever been engaged! 

As they pulled apart, he slid the unique engagement ring onto her finger. She gasped as she looked at it making him smile at her yet again. 

“I’ve never seen anything like this!” She gushed, looking up at her new fiancé 

“I wanted to find something that was unique yet beautiful. Just like you.” He grinned 

“It’s absolutely beautiful! I love it.” She replied before leaning up to kiss him again 

Kinsey was positively glowing, the sun was setting, and Paris was their back drop. Eric wanted to take her photo so he could remember this moment forever. She giggled at him as she stood there. Looking at the photo he had just taken he smiled. This was going to be his laptop’s background. And probably his phone’s background.

 “We should get going. We have dinner plans.” He finally stated, pulling himself out of looking at her