Ally stretched her arms and spread herself out on their new bed, the softness engulfing her and she let out a happy sigh. Wrapping the sheet tight around her naked body, she made her way to the kitchen. The smell of fresh flowers filled her airways before she saw the dozens of gorgeous bouquets sitting around the room. A flask of already made tea was placed next to them and she po
ured the steaming drink into a nearby mug. She picked up the note nestled between the petals, Dylan's god awful hand writing sprawled across the front. Taking a sip of tea, she smiled into the steam.
Ally Mae,
There's a present for you hidden in a secret place.
When you find it follow the instructions.
She flipped the note over to see that he had written, 'I love you' on the back, in what could only be described as his neatest writing. It was still pretty shit. Running back to the bedroom, she flung on a pair of panties, one of his huge hoodies — which covered the majority of her modesty — and shoved her feet in a pair of his dirty trainers. She ran to the back door and forcing it wide open, she made her way to the back of the garden, to the hidden place only her and Dylan knew about. As she dived through the back bushes, the thorns dug at her bare thighs but too excited to register the discomfort she continued. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes focused on the shed they had built together. It was smaller than she remembered, the old wood wearing away. Again, she smelt the flowers before she found them. She bent down and crawled into the confined space, made even smaller by the mountains of lush bouquets that filled it contents. In the middle of the room a bucket of coloured water balloons sat and laying to the side of it, wrapped in a fluorescent pink bow, was a green water pistol with her name engraved on the side. She picked up the note which accompanied them.
Pick your weapon
and meet me by the pier.
It's war.
She grabbed the water pistol and laughed; pay backs were a bitch. Before she left, she grabbed a handful of water balloons for Megs. Two against one, Dylan had no chance.
Megan was already awake when she made her way into the kitchen. She rubbed at her eyes in a sleepy daze. "Did I miss something?" She asked. "Are we running an at home florist?" She gestured to the hundreds of flowers scattered around the house.
She placed the balloons in her hands. "Get ready, its game on." She told her.
A smile brightened Megan's face. "Water fight? Hell yeah." She said as she punched the air.
In thirty minutes, both girls were marching towards the pier, their eyes excitedly darting in every direction trying to gain a visual on Dylan. By the time they had reached the entrance, neither of them had spotted him and disappointment settled in both of them. Maybe she had found her presents earlier than he had expected, she thought. Maybe he wasn't ready for them yet.
"He might be on the pier." Megan suggested with a shrug.
"Lets have a look." Even if they didn't find him there, it was always a lovely to stroll along the pier.
As they walked along, she let out a contented sigh; looking out upon the beach was her favourite view and it calmed her heart as her eyes absorbed the view. Megan lacked behind her reading the plaques, when she started to suddenly tug at her hand.
"Oh, look. There's a new plaque." She stated, before dragging her to the other side of the pier. Whilst all the plaques were golden, many were rusted and dimmed with their old age, but to the side lay a single one gleaming in its newness. The words shone so brightly that neither of them had to crouch down to read it.
Ally Mae
Marry me.
Ally read the words several times, with each turn her hands turned progressively clammy and her hold on the water pistol tightened. Megan started to slap her arm and when she tore her eyes away from the plaque to look up, Dylan was striding towards them. With a small push to her back, she stumbled forward but managed to regain her balance by the time he had reached them. He stopped several steps away from her and stared her hard in the eyes, not once blinking.
He took in a deep breath, attempting to blow away his nerves. "Ally Mae." He breathed and took a step forward to place her face in his hands. "I'm not your perfect fairytale, your Prince Charming, or your knight in shining armour. But I will be the one who makes your dreams come true, who puts the smiles on your face and the one who will always keep you safe. I want to find the perfect words to tell you how much I love you, how perfectly wonderful you are to me but there are no words that reflect how deeply I crave you. All the cliches are true with you. You are the other half of my soul, the one my heart beats for — the only one it has ever beat for. You've owned my heart since I was just four years old and will do for the rest of our lives. But in return, I want yours too." Stopping, he placed a kiss on her lips. "I want your heart, your soul and your beauty. I want all of you, Ally Mae." Dropping to his knee, he reaches to his pocket and pulls out the most brilliant ring ever. The most beautiful she had ever seen. "Marry me, Wright."
A huge grin transformed her face and stepping froward, she lifted her hand to aim her water pistol straight at him, she squirted water into his face. A look of shock morphed his features before he quickly burst into laughter. She dropped the pistol to the floor and flung her arms around his neck, sinking into him. She took his mouth in hers and kissed him with everything she had. He pushed at her shoulders and, pulling away, tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrow.
"Yes." She answered. "Yes, I'll marry you."
He slipped the huge diamond onto her ring finger and lifted her hand to kiss it. "Looks good on you, Mrs Cooper." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a screwed up piece of paper. "There's something else." He handed her the paper.
Unscrewing it, she began to read the words which lined it, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "I don't understand. You're sending me to college?"
"Yes. Well, night school. That's if you want. You've always wanted to study photography and I thought now maybe the perfect time to do it." He told her timidly. "I can help you study. Hell, I'll even be your model." He gave her a cheeky wink causing her to laugh. She stroked his face.
"Now may not be the perfect time, Dylan."
"Why?"
And then she spoke the words she had been dying to tell him since yesterdays doctors appointment, "I'm pregnant."
A loud screech made her jumper and she was surprised that Dylan could have ever made a noise like that. But turning around she found Megan dancing on the spot chanting that she was going to be an aunty. Dylan placed his hand on her chin and brought her gaze back to his, his eyes swimming in tears which matched her own. "We're finally going to have our family?"
She nodded her head and took his hands in hers and placed them on her swollen stomach. Smiling he lent down and kissed her. The only woman he had ever loved, the mummy of his baby.
Ally smiled against his mouth and ran her fingers through his unkept hair. Today she didn't have to make her wish. Dylan and Megan had filled the hole that had once filled her life, with excitement, adventure and so much more. She had always believed he was a part of her past, a shadow of the girl she once was but sometimes your first love lasts forever and the wishes which had filled her heart had finally come true. She had found her hope, her better life. In life there were no certainties, no guarantees. No way to determine the future or understand life's secrets. It was a mystery that was best left unsolved. A treasure out of our control that should forever be fiercely cherished because, sometimes, life was just meant to be.
