The first half of the new year passed in a whirlwind. Nathan not only accepted, but now actively supported, her decision to major in business. He volunteered a few shifts at the financial aid office to help him better understand her passion. In turn, she sometimes accompanied him to his freelance photography jobs.

Like she was doing today. She wiggled her toes.

With precious minutes left to get ready, Jazz worked her sandy hair into a bun, then sprayed so much product on it she could probably survive the apocalypse without a single hair falling out of place.

Today was a big day, and she needed to look perfect. She’d even sprung for a French tip manicure from the local salon to ensure her hands were at their prettiest.

Especially her left hand.

And its ring finger.

Jazz felt ninety-nine percent confident Nathan planned to propose tonight. She’d reviewed the facts over and over. For one thing, their two-year anniversary and her twentieth birthday, the two of which only fell nine days apart, were coming up. Add to that perfect timing, he’d asked her to tag along to a wedding he was photographing and then proceeded to make a huge deal of the couple being just like them.

“They grew up next door to each other, started dating in high school, stayed together through college, and now they’re tying the knot,” he’d explained. “They even look a bit like us. He’s this regular guy, and she’s like supermodel beautiful.”

She giggled, loving that Nathan saw her that way. “Just like us, huh?”

“Just. Like. Us.” He bopped her nose with each word, the way he liked to do when they were being silly.

Now it was May first, the day of the Nathan’s wedding photography gig and the first marriage of the busy wedding season. Jazz thought she might also like to have a spring wedding, but she doubted Nathan would be ready to marry her so soon, and she hated the idea of waiting an entire year to officially make him her husband.

Maybe late summer at the beach before school started in the fall? Yes, that would be lovely.

“Ready to go?” Nathan asked, appearing in the doorway and wearing a new suit.

The navy blue brought out the richness of the olive undertones in his skin, and the bold sapphire of his tie made his brown eyes pop and sparkle. She tried to see if she could discern a ring box through one of his pockets, but had no such luck. Hmm. Maybe it was in his camera case.

“I was born ready,” she said, and that was true. She and Nathan were destined for each other, and it was time they fulfill God’s plan for their lives. Besides, after almost two years of officially dating, she was more than ready to consummate their relationship. Nathan had been surprised when she’d told him that she wanted to wait until marriage, but he’d always respected her boundaries, too.

Soon it would all pay off.

Through the wedding ceremony in a lovely church, she couldn’t wipe the goofy grin from her face. When the couple recited the vows they’d written for each other, tears stung at Jazz’s eyes. She worked hard not to cry from the beauty of the ceremony and love the couple shared. Luckily, Nathan was preoccupied with capturing the happenings with his camera, which meant he didn’t have time to notice Jazz’s series of sighs, smiles, and sobs.

After the ceremony, Nathan disappeared with the wedding party to take more photos and then pulled Jazz out into the church garden to take portraits of her, too.

He let out a low whistle of appreciation as he assessed her from behind the lens. “Man, you are so beautiful. The way the sun reflects off your hair looks almost like gold.”

Jazz wondered if something gold was hiding in his pocket, but tried not to be too obvious about her suspicions. “What’s gotten into you today?” she asked with another huge smile for her handsome photographer.

“Beautiful day. Beautiful girl. Beautiful life.” He wore a huge grin despite being the one behind the camera rather than in front of it. “And the perfect camera to capture them with.”

She tilted her head and straightened her spine as Nathan changed out his lens. Even though modeling didn't come natural to her, he had trained her well since discovering his love for photography. Now she felt confident, in charge, even beautiful. “I didn’t know you were such a sap when it came to weddings.”

“Not weddings,” he said, positioning her hands against the trunk of a thick oak tree. “You.”

“You’re a sap for me?” she asked with a laugh.

“Always have been. Always will be. I thought you knew that by now.” He winked flirtatiously, and she struggled not to scream yes before he even had a chance to offer her a proposal.

Jazz sighed with happiness. “Enough with the pictures. Let’s get to the reception.”