“Where are we going?” Karly ran along the path behind Thad.

“There’s a new running trail I found, just up ahead around the bend, right past this grove of trees.”

Karly transferred the leashes to her other hand to pull out a water bottle. “Okay, lead on.”

Thad raced up the hill, the larger dogs leading the way. He pointed to the off-road trail and took a left. The trail narrowed, and the dogs crowded close together.

“Thad? You sure this is a good idea?”

“Trust me.”

That she did. Trust had taken a while to build, but over the weeks and months, Thad had shown her in every way possible that he wasn’t going anywhere. He and his military buddies raised more than twelve thousand dollars to train service dogs, and the social media presence made donations roll in. In every way, Thad showed her the possibilities.

He rushed ahead on the rocky trail, and she raced to keep up until she saw a picture clipped to a branch of a nearby tree. She almost raced past, but the familiar image grabbed her attention.

“Whoa, guys.” She tugged on the dogs’ leads and retraced her steps.

The picture was of her and Thad on their most recent hike. She’d taken the selfie at sunset. Ahead on the trail, another picture caught her eye, then another. She followed the path of pictures around the bend. White and red rose petals scattered along the ground led her to another stand of trees. Tingles zoomed up her spine as the dogs grew restless. Joyous and tentative emotions rocked up and down like a seesaw. The tinkling of wind chimes focused her attention, and she hurried toward the sound.

A chain of gum wrappers, the zigzag rope like she made in high school strung from tree to tree, made her laugh. In a clearing, Thad stood alone. Waiting. The dogs were tied to a nearby log.

Tears of joy sprang to her eyes. “Did you do all this?”

Thad took her dogs and tied them to a separate tree branch.

“Remember this picture from junior high? Or that one from high school?”

“Did you save all this stuff?” She reached toward the nearest memory. “Look, there’s the poem you wrote me.”

“I did. I just couldn’t bear to let it go, just like I couldn’t let you go. I’ve loved you since grade school, but I didn’t quite know how to tell you, and figured showing you works better. Every picture or poem or drawing says I love you in so many different ways.”

Love bubbled up and out and cascaded through every cell. “It took you until ninth grade to admit you left flowers in my backpack and books.”

“It takes me a while to get it right.” He took her hand. “Karly, you must know by now, I’ve never, ever stopped loving you.”

“You rescued me. You came, and risked your life to save me.”

“No. You saved me. When I came home, I didn’t know what I would find. I was half a man, and you made me whole again.”

“You’ve always thought of yourself as broken.” She reached for his face and cupped his cheek. “You’ve never been broken. Not to me.”

He took her hand and kissed her palm. “I’ve been told by some that I don’t express my feelings very well, so I wrote down what I want to say.” He lifted a piece of notebook paper from his pocket. “Ready?”

A smile trickled across his face and ignited in his eyes. Love. He loved her.

She reached for his hand. “Always.”

“Karly, thank you for being a listener, even when I didn’t have anything to say. You’ve always given me a soft place to land, a place to call home.

“I love that you never give up when you know you’re right.

“I’ll never give up on you, Karly. I commit…” He kissed her softly then adjusted the paper in his hand. “…I commit to spending the rest of my life keeping you safe. I commit to creating a home, a place where we can both find peace. I commit to helping you fulfill your dreams, and if they change, I commit to walking beside you all the way. I commit to loving you the rest of my life.”

“Karly?” He dropped down onto his knee. “I know I’ve asked you before, but I don’t want to wait, and they say the third time’s a charm. You’re the only one I want to be with, Karly. Let’s spend the rest of our lives together. Marry me.”

“Oh, Thad. Yes. A thousand times yes, of course, I’ll marry you. It’s the right time.” She choked when he slid the most beautiful ring in the world on her finger.

He stood and swung her around in a circle. “The ring’s not much, but I promise you I’ll get you a better one as soon as we can afford it.”

The platinum band with diamonds circling the ring couldn’t have been more perfect. “No, you won’t. This one’s perfect.” She spread her fingers to get a better look. “I’ll never have to worry about banging this one or getting it dirty, and I’ll never have to take it off. I won’t take it off.” She spotted a picture of her mother.

She closed her eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I do. I have two more surprises for you. Are you ready to go see?”

Yes. Yes. Yes. She wanted to jump up and down, and turn back the clocks. Relive their first date, first dance, first kiss…but there were going to be so many more firsts in their lives. “What are you up to?”

“You have to run to the bottom of the hill to find out. Do you trust me?”

She searched his eyes, and the truth was there. “Always.”

“Leave the dogs here. They’ll be safe. I’ll come back to get them. Let’s go.”

She followed Thad down the steep incline, zigzagging down the trail through tall pines, heading back to the car park. Fifty yards from the trailhead she saw cars, where twenty minutes ago there were none.

Tentativeness made her breath short, but she slowed to take a deep breath. He’d be there for her. Support her. Believe in her. She knew that now. There wasn’t anything to be afraid of. Not anymore.

At the crest of the hill, she saw the surprise and raced down the trail. Her family. Kevin, Kurt, her mom, were all waiting. A hundred yards away a soldier got out from the back of a car. “Kenny!”

She glanced at Thad, and raced faster. A foot from her brother, she leaped in the air. Arms caught her and spun her around.

“You’re here!”

Kenny set her on her feet. “When Thad called me and told me what he was planning, I was able to talk my commander into letting me come home. For some reason, he likes Thad.” Kenny winked and turned to give the love of her life a handshake. “Good to see you, buddy. Well?”

Thad released her brother’s hand, and a life-couldn’t-be-better lopsided grin stretched across his face. “She said yes.”

Mrs. Krane tapped on Thad’s shoulder and stepped in front of him. “I never did like you.” Karly’s breath hitched. “But my daughter has loved you forever. Goes to show she’s always had better judgment than I when it comes to the heart. I want to welcome you into our family.”

He leaned in to hug her mother. Delight beamed from all the faces except for one petite woman standing back on the perimeter of the crowd. “Sarah?” Karly inquired, not positive of the shy woman’s identity.

Thad turned. “Sarah. You came.” He stepped out of the circle of people.

Thad’s sister made a half-step forward. “Mom had to work, but I wanted to come.” She shuffled a bit. “I needed to come.”

“I’m glad to see you.” Karly stepped in between brother and sister to give Sarah a hug. She could have been hugging a pole, but hung on for a few extra seconds, and then…yes, there it was…the release. Karly pulled back, but still hung on to Sarah’s hand.

“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for the lies I told Thad.” Sarah’s voice faltered. “I was mad when he left.” Her gaze lifted to Karly. “I said things to hurt him. Hurt you. I didn’t think there was anything that would ever separate you both.”

Karly squeezed Sarah’s hand. “Hey. Don’t cry. It’s not a day for crying. You know, sometimes things happen for a reason. Maybe you did Thad and me a favor.”

“A favor?” Thad looked at Karly like she’d lost her sanity.

“Yes, a favor. Sarah gave us time to grow up and learn what we want out of life.” Karly opened her arms again. “Now, give me a proper hug. We’re going to be sisters.”

Sarah wiped away her smeared mascara. “Now I wish my fiancé and I lived here.”

Karly’s brow rose. “You can always come back.”

“Tempting—but there are no jobs.”

“I’m trying to fix that,” Joe said from somewhere outside the tight circle. “I’m going to need to rebuild my department, and I’ll be looking for a few good people.”

Thad placed a warm hand on Karly’s lower back. “Are you ready for your last surprise?”

“There’s more?”

On cue, Joe and Mara lifted the back of the SUV hatch with two kennels inside.

A fragile surprise began to take shape.

“During our crowd funding event,” Thad pulled her toward the car, “I got an email from a guy in Montana. He breeds shepherds, and was wondering if we would like a pair to seed our service dog efforts.” Thad moved her forward, and she saw two sets of puppy eyes staring back at her. “Meet Romeo and Juliet. Our first four-legged family members.”

“Oh, Thad. They’re precious. But, I thought Shakespeare wasn’t a good memory for you.”

“People can change their minds.”

She turned in his arms. When their lips touched, the people and voices and cars and trees disappeared. What was left was Thad and a profound feeling of contentment.

Finally.

She slowly drew back and opened her eyes.

“Well, Mr. Lopez. It looks like we have a boy and a girl. You’re a dad. You got your wish.”

“No, Karly. You have always been my wish, my dream, my paradise. It took me a while to figure it out, but the day you become my wife, I’ll be the happiest man on the planet.”

He leaned in for another kiss.

Thad. Thanks for saving my life again. I love you.