Beyond: Beyond the Lights

Chapter 39

JAMES

The whole thing had been weeks in the making. It wasn't easy pulling together a proposal that involved almost every person in my life-and Madi's. There were football practices to work around, school schedules to navigate, and the delicate art of keeping Madi completely in the dark. But this day wasn't just any proposal-it was going to be the culmination of everything Madi and I had built together. It was about her, me, and Maria. Our family.

Kian had been on board from the start, of course. He'd spent the better part of a Saturday afternoon helping me brainstorm the perfect way to propose. It had to be something meaningful, something that captured every bit of our journey.

I had been pacing our apartment, running my hands through my hair, already nervous just thinking about it. "I don't want it to be some generic proposal, you know?" I'd said, turning to Kian. "It has to show her that every moment with her has mattered."

Kian leaned back on the couch, tossing a football in the air and catching it. "You've got a pretty epic love story already, bro. Just lay it all out for her. Make her see how much she means to you and Maria. And do something that's personal to you guys."

That's when the idea struck me. The tennis courts. That's where we first connected, where we went to just escape everything. And it was perfect.

"The tennis courts," I'd said suddenly, stopping mid-pace. "We'll decorate the tennis courts-pictures, letters, ticket stubs, everything that shows our story. I want her to walk through our memories before she gets to me."

Kian grinned, tossing the football aside. "Now we're talking. That's something Madi will love."

After that conversation, the planning began. I'd gotten the whole team involved, including Fitz, Sebastian, and even Madi's parents. The goal was to create a timeline of our love, one that Madi could walk through, taking her back to every special moment we shared before she found me waiting at the end with Maria.

The first thing I had to do was get the okay from Xavier and Sarah, Madi's parents. I'd already asked for their blessing to marry her a few weeks ago, but now I needed their help in planning the proposal.

I remember standing in their living room, trying to explain everything while keeping my nerves in check.

"So, I was thinking about proposing at the tennis courts," I started, pacing slightly as I spoke. "Madi and I have a lot of history there, and I want to turn it into a timeline of our relationship-pictures, memories, letters, all leading to me asking her to marry me. But I could really use your help setting it up."

Sarah had smiled, already excited. "Oh, Jamie, that sounds beautiful! Of course we'll help. Madi will be blown away."

Xavier, as always, had been more reserved. He studied me for a moment, then nodded. "It's a thoughtful plan. Just make sure you don't leave anything out. She'll appreciate the details."

Once I had her parents on board, I reached out to the team. Kian and Fitz immediately stepped up, offering to help with decorating and organizing the whole thing. We spent a Saturday with Sebastian, pinning photos to the fence that surrounded the tennis court, carefully arranging them in a way that told the story of our time together.

Each picture had meaning. There were shots of us on our first date, a candid photo of Madi laughing at one of Maria's soccer games, and a Polaroid from the day we spent at the beach. I even pinned up the concert ticket stubs from when we saw her favorite band together. Everything was there, from the little moments to the big ones.

As we worked, Kian kept the mood light, cracking jokes and making sure I didn't freak out from the pressure.

"Dude," he said, as he hung another photo of me and Madi on our first Valentine's Day together, "she's going to lose her mind. You've set the bar pretty high."