Happily Ever After

Seventy Three~ Scananger Hunt

Kris

When I was a kid I never imagined being a husband. Relationships were never my strength, it wasn't something I was good at. If you spend your whole life training for one thing you never really have the chance to fall in love. That's why if you do you can't take it for granted. If you find someone willing to put up with your schedule and baseball fans and training then you can't let them go. And I was lucky enough to find someone who fell in love with me then fell in love with the game along the way. I found someone so perfect for me I don't ever want to let her go.

So I decided today was the day I was going to propose. I have it all planned out from the time we woke up to when I got down on one knee. I had her sibling help out and everyone at Connies lended me a hand. My parents actually came into town to help out and of course the guys and their families were there too. This was a big deal for me and everyone else we knew. Just about everyone knew about it except for her. Mary knew something was happening but I didn't trust her not to spill the beans to her aunt to tel her everything that's going on.

So we wake up early this May morning and go to Connies for breakfast. Connie was there waiting for us with our food on the table like we planned. We sit down for a nice meal and once we were done Connie drops something off next to Jenna. Like always we fight over the bill but I let her win because it wasn't the bill. There was a picture of the two of us sitting at the cafe at our corner booth all those months ago. A year has passed since this picture was taken and we were so young. Neither of us could have imagined what would come of us being together. It's been better than anything I could have hoped for and I couldn't wait for the rest of our lives to spend together.

"What's this" Jenna asks as she turns to me. I smile as I flip the picture over and she sees the word "me" on it.

"It's a little project I put together for you. I decided we were going to spend today looking back on the past year of our lives and seeing how far we've come" I explain.

"Oh! That sounds like a lot of fun! Where to next" she wonders getting right into it.

"Wrigley" I smile.

So we take off to the field and even though we don't have a game today I still was able to get in with Mary and Jenna and walk around. I take her to the seats where she usually sits at and she finds another picture there in her chair. It was of us opening day this year and we were so happy together. Mary was on my shoulders and I had my arm wrapped around Jenna as she placed a kiss on my cheek. It was one of my favorite pictures ever and I had a few copies of this.

"You" she asks as she looks at the back of the copy of the picture. I hand her the first one to go with it as she looks at me weird. "You and me? I don't get it" she admits.

"Hopefully you won't get it until the end" I admit.

She gives me a questionable look but doesn't question it any further. She knows that when I go extra lengths like this to do something special for her I don't like it when she figures it out before it's done. So she just pulls me into a kiss and I happily kiss her back. If she keeps this up I don't know if I'll make it to the end before getting down on one knee.

After the field we head to the stables where snowflake and midnight were waiting for us. As soon as snowflake sees Jenna she starts to jump up and down. She was like a huge dog when she saw her momma, but that's true love if you ask me.

Jenna finds her another picture attached to Snowflakes saddle. It was of us on the horses with Mary on Snowflake with her. We had our matching riding hats on and we looked so cute. On the back of this one the word "will" was on there and she smirks. I couldn't tell if she figured it out or not but I'm hoping she was able to go this last one without ruining the surprise.

"Okay. Now where are we going to" she questions.

"Were going to a place we haven't been to before but a place where I would like to make some new memories" I say.

She just nods as she grabs my hand with her free one. I grab her back as we get Mary into her car seat and take off to the last location.

We pull up to the Willis tower and she knew what we were doing here. The sky deck is something she's been begging to do since we first started dating but with my hatred of heights I was always against it. If I thought the arch was bad this was a glass box hanging out over the city. But with the sun going down and the setting of this proposal all coming together I knew this is where we were meant to be on this day.

So I swallow my pride and ride with my girls to
The top of the building. My parents set up the last part of the surprise and I was hoping it turned out how I dreamed it would.

We get off the elevator and there was a trail of candles heading to the sky deck. The lights were low but you could still see everything around us. Country music was lowly playing around us as the candles flickered around. I grab her hand and take her down the path of candles. There was pictures of us in frames around the candles and we stop and look at a few. Finally we make it to the last one that was taped to the glass that was hanging out over the city. There was a picture of us in Arizona on our hike all hot but as happy as we've ever been. The word "marry" was on the back and when she flipped it over she immediately knew what was happening. She lines up all the pictures to say "will you marry me". So I get down on one knee dangling high about this wonderful city as I pull out the ring I had left by the glass. I see a tear in her eye as she wipes it away.

"Oh baby" she whispers and I smile.

"I wanted you to find "me" and "you" first because that's where it all started. In that cafe where we were just two kids with some pretty crazy dreams. Slowly your world at the cafe and mine at the field came together and it really was just you and me. So simple yet beautiful.

Then we started to become a us instead of a you and me. We adopted horses and a life together and found a way for two people who are so different to fall in the love the same way. It was something beautiful and I know it will never stop.

That's why we ended here where we can write the pages of a new chapter of our story starting here. Because I might have a fear of heights but my fear of moving forward without you by my side is much more scary.

So that's why I wanted to ask you to marry me up here. Surrounded by memories of what have been and dreams of what can be.

Jenna Sue, will you do the honor of marrying me" I finally ask. I was so worried I was going to mess this up but I felt in this moment I was where I was meant to be.

"Of course" she says with a thick southern accent.

So I happily slip the ring in her finger before I pull her into a kiss. I had my parents here recording and taking pictures the whole time to remember this moment forever. But I don't think there is a way I could ever forget this if I tried.