Hoping for a Hero - part II of II [COMPLETE]

Chapter 5: New Beginnings

Four years. It didn't seem real to me that it had been so long. Or maybe it did because they often felt like the worst years of my life.

Steve took me out to a restaurant one night. It wasn't anything new, the usual dinner and then walk on a beach stuff that became our normal once a week date. But that night was different after all.

Instead of going to the beach, Steve wanted to go back to headquarters. Confused though not wanting to upset him, I went along with it. We got out of the car and Steve took my hand like he always did, but we didn't go inside. Instead, he led me away from the doors and out onto the lawn.

"Steve, what are you doing?" I asked. To be honest, it almost made me want to laugh. He wasn't a spontaneous person so the sudden change of our normal date night threw me.

"Of all the years that we've lived here, did you know that we've never watched the sunset from outside?" he randomly stated.

Now I was really lost. Sunset? "I guess you're right, but why now?"

"Would you just enjoy the moment, Lakes?" When he used my last name, you knew it was serious. So, I shut up.

When we reached the middle of the field, there was a blanket "conveniently" there already. I almost asked where it came from but remembered that I wasn't allowed to ask any questions. I bit my cheek and sat down beside him.

Steve let out a deep sigh. The burden that weighed on him four years ago was still on his shoulders and I wanted so desperately to carry it with him. We didn't hold a lot of things back from each other, but at the time, that was something he didn't share. I couldn't carry something that was invisible to me.

We sat there in silence, just listening to the sounds of nature that surrounded us until I glanced up at the sky. "Uh, Steve," I said.

"Yeah?"

"You know that the sun sets in the west, right?"

He followed my gaze upward and had to rotate his body to see the sun on the other side of the building behind us. "Are you kidding me?" he grumbled.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing because I could see he was frustrated. "We can watch the sunset tomorrow," I touched his arm lightly.

Surprisingly, he looked at me and smiled one of the biggest smiles I had seen on his face in years. "You always look on the bright side," he said softly. "We've seen a lot of darkness. The past four years have been almost unbearable for everyone, but we continue to push through it together. Amber," here he shifted so he sat directly across from me and took both of my hands into his own. Like always, my small ones were a perfect fit. "I'm sure this has been the farthest thing from your mind with our current situation, but I don't see what waiting is going to do."

No. You can't be serious.

And then he did it. The thing that he thought had been farthest from my mind was always a distant dream. One I had put into a theoretical box and neatly tied with a bow. Saved only for me. But now it was for us.

Steve knelt and revealed a small box he had in his pocket all night. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you sooner," his eyes were so sincere. They always told the truth when you knew how to read them. "Amber Lakes, I've kept you waiting years so I'll cut to the chase. Will you marry me?"

I wanted to joke around. Wanted to say that I'd need time to think about it, but I'd already had years to consider my answer. Nothing would ever change it. "Yes."