The Preacher's Daughter

Chapter 1

It was Sunday morning in he midst of the ice cold winter. The bright sun against the crystal like snow on the roof outside my window made it seem brighter than it really was. I lay on my stomach for a few minutes before sitting up on my elbows the rub the sleep out of my eyes. I looked at the clock that read 9:30.
It seemed to early for the sun to be out and even earlier to be getting ready for my dads pointless preaching service. Lifting the blanket off my legs and touching my bare feet to the hard wood of my bedroom floor seemed like I was going to freeze to death. I stood and shivered to the bathroom to shower.
I turn the water nozzle to hot and pull the handle to make the shower head start streaming water. Turning around to be sure not to face the mirror as I peeled my sleeping shorts and tank top off. Stepping beneath the hot water I shampooed my hair and washed my body.
I stepped out of the shower grabbing the towel on the rack and drying my face and then flipping my hair down and putting it in the towel and flipped it back over. I wrapped my body towel around my bust and walked quietly to my room.
"Mary" I heard my dad yell from the kitchen as I got dressed in my Sunday morning church clothes my momma had bought me for my birthday.
"Yes daddy" I hollered back to him.
"Are you ready for church?" He was walking up the stairs to my door. I quickly finished getting dressed. I opened my door calmly.
"Almost. I gotta do my makeup and hair and I'll be ready." I said holding my arms against me because my dear Lord it's freezing in this house.
"Alrighty. Well I'm gonna go ahead to the church for Sunday school. Can you drive over there yourself?"
"Yes daddy I'll be fine. I did learn how to drive from the best." I said sucking up so he wouldn't think I had a bad attitude.
"Okay, love you I'll see you when you get there. Don't be late" he said turning to go back down the rickety steps in our old house. "Oh and take it was easy on the makeup. Sister Adams said its too much and it takes away your natural beauty." He said pointing his key at me and winking.
"Okay daddy" I said closing my door and sighing in relive that he hadn't questioned me about any weird noises last night.
I rested my back against the door until I heard the car start and pull down the gravel drive way. I stood there in my room alone and smiled as I thought about last night.
*Flashback*
"Goodnight dad" I said as I walked upstairs and shut my door. I waited laying in my bed in the dark to hear the loud creak of the stairs and my door to open. He checked on me every night before he went to bed.
"Goodnight angel" I heard him whisper as he shut the door. Little did he know I was far from an angel. I'm the standard preachers daughter if you will. I am by no means the best child in the world but I stay out of trouble, for the most part. I guess the saddest part of all of my life is when Momma died. She was diagnosed with stage four thyroid cancer a short three months before she died. That was three years ago. I was fourteen. Daddy didn't know what to do with himself. I'd only seen him cry once before.
I sat up and tip toed to my window. I looked at my phone. I flipped the switch so it wouldn't make any sound as I texted my boyfriend Tyler.
I'm ready
I texted. I waited only a short minute for the reply
I'm coming around the corner go ahead and come out on the roof.
I smiled as I opened the window and stepped on to the roof. I watched as he pulled up and backed up to the porch. I climbed down to the tailgate of his truck. He grabbed my waist and lifted me down and kissed me.
"Hi"
"Hi" I replied as he walked me over to the door. He opened it letting me in and waited to close it until we were down the road a ways. He pulled out and I shut the door about 50 feet away from the house. I made sure I had locked my door and my dads light was out before I had gone.
Tyler was like me. His parents super strict, super close minded, and completely different from him.
"Let's pump the tunes shall we" he said looking at me. I knew he wanted me to play something like Luke Bryan or something within the same genre. I plugged the auxiliary cord into my phone and opened Spotify and played Night train by Jason Aldean. He looked at me and smiled entwining his fingers with the arm that was resting on the console.
"Where are we even going?" I asked squeezing his hand slightly.
"You shall see my love" he kissed the back of my hand and continued to drive the curvy back roads of the small Kentucky town we lived In an hour outside of Lexington.
I smiled as we pulled up to the parking lot that over looked the small and seemingly lifeless town.
"Come on" he said opening his door. I opened mine excited to see the sky. I stepped out and looked directly up at the constellations. I loved stars. One of the many things that my Momma and I shared in common.
"I know how much you love this stuff" Tyler said from behind me wrapping his arms around me. Kissing my temple.
"I don't know what to say it's just so amazing." I said turning to face him.
"You don't have to." He paused "hold on" pulling away from me and going to the tool box in the bed of the truck.
" What are you doing babe?" I asked walking over to the where he's standing rummaging through the (I'm almost certain) mess that is in that tool box.
"Ah stay there" he said peeking around and pointing to me.
"Ty what's going on?" I asked
"Hold on. Gimme a second Mary"
I waited until I saw him shut the silver tool box lid with one hand. He held something in the other.
"What's that?" I asked as he walked back towards me. He passed me looking at me and grinning. I followed him to the picnic table that was just over from where the truck was sitting. He set what was in his hand on the snow covered table. I began getting cold as it was the midst of January and negative a million degrees out.
"Open it" he said as I walked closer seeing that it was a gift bag. I looked at him suspiciously. He knew I hated presents. And surprises. I knew it was our two year anniversary and everything but he still knew. I looked at the bag and reached in slowly pulling a pace of tissue paper out and looked for a card. I had to tip toe to see over the huge bag. I grabbed the envelope and my phone from my back pocket so I could read the card. I turned the flashlight on and opened the card slowly, looking at him. He was smiling an axious smile that looked like it hurt. He was nervous about something. But what? I read the front of the card
It all started with a beautiful girl, wearing cowgirl boots And a 'Go Army baseball cap.
I opened the card.
She likes cars as much as I do and Luke Bryan too. But I fell in love with the amazingness of your smile and the infinite constellations in your eyes.
Then in messy hand writing
Mary, I love you so much. I want you to be mine for the rest of my life. I want to grow old together. These two years have been magnificent and I want more years to come. Love always, Tyler.
I looked up at him, my eyes filled with tears. I hugged him around his torso so I didn't have to tip toe.
"I love you too" I said pulling away.
I looked to the bag and pulled out a medium sized box. I opened it and looked at a bunch of folded pieces of paper, my brows knitted.
"Read those later" Tyler said. I set the box down and reached back into the 
bag. He had this weird smile on his face and I couldn't quite figure it out. The smallest things make me happy and he knows that. I pull out a teddy bear with a bow tie around it's neck. But something shiny caught my eye. I touched it with my finger tip and noticed the small, fragile looking stones placed within the silver. I cover my mouth to keep from bursting out crying. He takes the bear out of my hand unties the bow tie to release the ring. He sets the bear behind him on the table and holds the ring between us.
"Mary, I know that we are only seventeen, and I know there is so much out there still for us to do before we take the biggest step of our lives but this ring is my promise to you that through thick and thin I want to be yours. No matter how tough times get. How lonely we might feel. How stupid our arguments get, this is a promise to you that one day, when I get the courage to ask your dad for your hand in marriage, you will be my wife." He says with shaking cracking voice and trembling hands. He takes my left hand from over top of my mouth and slides the silver band on to my ring finger.
He wipes my happy tears and kisses my forehead as he wraps his arms around me.