I woke Ellie up with a tray full of her favorite breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and orange juice. I thought for sure she would have woken up with all the noise I was making trying to cook it all in that tiny kitchen. Watching her sitting there eating, I couldn’t pull my eyes from her. I kept seeing that ring on her finger, and I had to fight back the tears every time. She was going to be mine soon.

Ellie insisted on cleaning up all the flower petals even though I told her I paid Aaron and Jenny generously to take care of all of it. We made love two more times that morning, and I wasn’t even sure how I was able to get my dick to work so much the last twelve hours, but I wasn’t going to complain about it.

After we had things cleaned up to Ellie’s satisfaction, we made our way out to the Jeep. Ellie was practically skipping the whole way. The sight of her so happy made my chest swell. I wanted her to feel loved and wanted every damn minute of every day. Just then Aaron and Jenny drove up, right on time. Ellie started to jump up and down when Jenny walked up to her. Jenny grabbed Ellie’s hand and looked at the ring as they both let out a small scream. Then she leaned in and asked Ellie something. Ellie turned bright red and looked over at me. She turned back and said something to Jenny that caused a huge smile to spread across Jenny’s face.

Aaron walked up and handed me a huge-ass box. I sat down on the porch steps and called Ellie over.

“I have one more Christmas present for you, sweetheart.” Ellie turned and looked at the box I was holding. She came and sat down next to me and smiled.

“What is it?” she asked filled with excitement.

“Well, the only way you’re going to find out, baby, is if you take the lid off!”

Ellie reached over and took the lid off. A seven-week-old chocolate Lab popped his head up. Little guy looked like he had been sleeping.

“Ohh! Oh my God! Is he mine?”

I started to laugh. Damn, she was so fucking cute.

“Yes, baby, he’s yours.”

Ellie reached in and lifted him out of the box and started to hug him. Aaron and Jenny looked on as Ellie smelled every inch of him and said how wonderful he smelled. Her sense of smell and mine were clearly different.

She looked at the ribbon that was tied around his neck. The note I wrote was tied onto it. She took the note off and put the puppy down. Little guy went right over and peed in the grass.

“Oh, sure, now the little fucker goes to the bathroom in the grass,” Aaron said.

Ellie started to read the note out loud.

“Dear Mommy, I’m here to help Daddy watch over you and protect you and love you like there is no tomorrow. Love, Gus.”

Ellie turned her head to look at me. Those blue eyes were filling with tears as she leaned over and kissed me. She pulled away from my lips just a little and smiled.

“Thank you. I love him and I love that you remember every single thing I say to you, Drew Mathews. I love you so much!”

“I love you, too, Ellie, more than you’ll ever know.”

It was eleven in the morning by the time we got back up to the ranch house. Ellie looked nervous as she was holding Gus in her arms while the little bastard slept in total peace. Lucky-ass dog.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“Holy shit, Gunner, your grandparents are going to know that we had . . . that we had . . . sex!”

I started to laugh my ass off. Damn, she really was so cute.

“Ellie, we’re adults, they knew what I was planning all along. Believe me, I got the lecture from them about protection yesterday before I took you to the cabin.”

“But I would never want them to think badly of me for having sex with you before we got married.”

I had to smile at how thoughtful her heart was. I pushed a piece of hair that had fallen out from her pony behind her ear.

“Ellie, don’t let those two fool you. They were sneaking around in Grams’s barn at seventeen having sex. Gramps talks a lot when he gets drunk.”

Ellie threw her hand up to her mouth. She started to giggle and woke up the little monster.

Just then I heard Ari and Jeff. I looked up and they were walking hand-in-hand down to the barn. I was so happy Jeff finally came to his goddamn senses. They both looked so happy. I wasn’t going to tell Ellie, but Jeff was planning on asking Ari to marry him graduation night.

Ari took one look at Ellie and she screamed. Ellie screamed back as she jumped out of the Jeep, put poor little sleepy and lost-looking Gus on the ground, and ran over to Ari. Jeff just smiled and stepped out the way of the two very excited girls. Ari grabbed Ellie’s left hand and screamed again.

Little Gus looked up at me like I knew what the feeling of not being in her arms anymore felt like. Little bastard thought like me already. I was going to love this dog. I reached down and picked him up.

“I know, buddy, she has bewitched me, too,” I said as I held Gus in my arms.

Ari glanced over to Gunner and said, “Holy motherfucking shit! You did good, Gunner! Holy hell, that’s beautiful!”

Ellie turned around to face me with that sweet smile of hers. She gave me a wink and they both started to walk into the barn, but not before she took the dog from my arms and gave him to Ari, who went crazy over him.

Jeff started to make his way over to me. I had already asked Jeff for permission to marry Ellie last week. I knew how much he loved her, and she didn’t have a father, so I felt like it was the right thing to do.

He reached his hand out to me and shook it along with a slap on the back. A hard fucking slap.

“Jesus, what the fuck did you hit me so hard for?”

“I sure as shit hope you made it special for her, or I’ll kick your fucking ass. And goddamn if the puppy wasn’t a nice touch. Well played, dude.”

I had to laugh.

“I sure hope I did, Jeff. From how happy she’s been all morning, I would say I did a decent job.”

Jeff smiled at me and then shook his head.

“You know, Gunner, if she had to end up with anyone, I’m thankful it was you. I see how much you love my sister, and I see how much she loves you. By the look on her face when y’all pulled up I would say you did more than a decent job, dude. I’ve never in my life seen my sister with such a glow on her face. Thank you. Thank you for making it special for her. Now, I don’t want to ever talk about the fact that you had sex for the first time with my baby sister on the night you asked her to marry you. You ever get drunk and tell me about it, I’ll kick your fucking ass. You got it?”

I just stood there and stared at him. God, I loved Jeff like a brother. I nodded my head yes. He laughed and pulled me into a headlock and we started to wrestle around before I heard Gramps yell out.

“Knock it the fuck off! We got some male bonding to do. To the loft, boys.”

We had to leave in a few days as Jeff and I had a bowl game the next week. Our last game as college football players. I couldn’t believe it.

The day after I asked Ellie to marry me, I got up the nerve that night to finally talk to her about the wedding. I was so afraid she was going to be upset when I told her I couldn’t stand the thought of her staying in Austin after we got married. I was so worried about it, and I was sure she was going to tell me she didn’t want to get married or that we were going to have to wait until she finished school, but she just smiled.

“Gunner, I already made up my mind weeks ago I was not going back to school in the fall. I was coming out here with you to the ranch no matter if you had asked me to marry you or not.”

“Ellie, what about school? I thought you would be upset if I asked you to give up school to come with me out here. Are you sure this is what you want, baby?”

She threw her arms around my neck. “Yes! I already figured it out. I’m going to take classes online and finish up my degree in business. That way I can help you run the ranch when you take it over from Garrett someday.” I was speechless. This girl never ceased to amaze me. I loved her so much. I leaned in and asked her if she was feeling daring, and she smiled and wiggled her eyebrows up and down. We snuck off to the barn and made love. Another first. Although I spent more time pushing Gus away, that little bastard was barking at me the whole time. He and I were going to have to have a man-to-man talk, and soon.

Ellie was crying as she said goodbye to Grams. They had become so close and had been sneaking off all day yesterday with Ari and the puppy. I’m sure they were already talking about the wedding. Grams whispered something into Ellie’s ear that caused Ellie to blush. She quickly looked over at me and smiled. I don’t think I could ever be so fucking happy. Nothing would ever top this feeling.