Watching Marissa graduate at the top of her class has to be one of the best things I’ve ever witnessed. I’m happy that she applied for a permanent position on the research team at the Children’s hospital. If anyone deserves it, it’s her. When they found out about all of her charity work and high grades, they extended an offer to her immediately. Her face lit up when she received the news and I’m glad I was able to share that moment with her.

“Marissa Wakefield,” her name is called. As she walks across the stage, all of her sorority sisters whistle and cheer. Her cheeks blush but she shouldn’t be embarrassed. I’m extremely proud of her and she should be, too.

After she takes her diploma, there’s a round of applause but all I can think about is getting out of here. I can’t wait to leave with her because I have the surprise of a lifetime waiting for her when this is over. A long, agonizing ninety minutes passes by before they finally call the last student.

“Well, what are you kids going to do now?” Her mom asks as we join hands.

“I don’t know. Todd says he has a surprise for me but won’t say what it is.” She rolls her eyes and there’s a hint of sarcasm in her tone but she’s going to love it.

“All right,” she hugs Marissa. “Be careful, have fun, and don’t forget to be home at eight o’clock for your party tonight.” Her mom turns her attention to me. “And Todd, you make sure she’s there on time. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, Mrs. Wakefield. Of course.”

Once her dad, sister, and brother-in-law all tell her how proud they are, we part our separate ways. She’s excited about her surprise but I’m nervous as hell. I hope she likes everything that I’ve done for her because it wasn’t easy to pull off.

I open the car door for her and she gets in the passenger seat, promptly buckling up as she demands to know her surprise.

“Nope, you don’t get to know what it is until we get there,” I tease her. “Besides, you don’t want to ruin it. Trust me on this one.”

“Hmph,” she huffs, folding her arms.

“Oh, don’t pout. You’re a college graduate now, you’re far too old for that,” I laugh at her.

“I just want to know what it is! You’ve never given me a surprise and knowing how your mind works, I’m going nuts trying to figure out what it is.”

We pull onto the highway, staying in the slow lane, and get off two exits later. I watch her in my peripheral vision to see her reaction. Her eyebrows cross as she tries to figure out where we are and what we’re doing.

“Only two exits up the highway?” She asks.

“You’ll see,” is the only answer I give her, singing the words as I continue driving, making a left at the second light.

“Oh my god, Todd! What the hell is this surprise?”

I can practically see the wheels spinning as she tries to figure this out but she won’t. She’d never guess it in a million years and I take great satisfaction in knowing that I’ve given nothing away about her surprise, despite asking her a ton of questions and even dropping hints over the last few months.

Only a few blocks away, I pull over and make her cover her eyes with a bandana. “Why do I have to wear a bandana?” She giggles.

“So you don’t ruin the surprise,” I say, tying it behind her head. “I swear, I never realized how impatient you are but you might want to work on that.” My tone is light and she knows I’m only teasing.

“Gah! I’m so excited! I have no idea what you have in store for me and I can’t wait to find out!”

Putting the car in drive, I pull out onto the street again and take a few more turns. With her eyes closed, she’s completely disoriented and isn’t sure of her surroundings but she’s bubbling with excitement.

I continue forward for four more blocks until I park and help her out of the car. Guiding her, the two of us make our way down the sidewalk until I warn her of a stair and direct her when to step up.

“Okay, two more steps,” I say, helping her up them. I open the door and lead her inside.

“Where are we? It’s so quiet,” she whispers.

Once we’re a few feet inside, I remove her blindfold.

“Surprise!” Her family shouts.

A confused Marissa looks around an unfamiliar living room that is empty and stares at her family in bewilderment. “What is this?”

“It’s our new home,” I proudly announce.

She gasps, covering her mouth. “Our what? New home?” She looks around, taking it all in. The living room is enormous and a modest kitchen is off to left. “This is ours?”

“Yes, baby, this is ours. It’s our new home. Do you like it?”

“Todd! I love it,” she says, jumping into my arms. “Can I look around? I didn’t even get to see the outside!”

I nod and, like a child, she runs all over the house, darting from room to room in excitement. She and her sister begin planning how to arrange furniture and which closet will be hers. Her parents gleam at me. “You did good,” her mom acknowledges.

“Thank you. I want the best for her—for us.”

After she’s been to every room in the house at least twice, she joins us in the kitchen where we’ve all patiently waited since she began checking out our new home.

“And you got champagne?” She says, popping the cork off the bottle. “Todd, I swear, I’m so lucky to have you! This is the best present anyone could ever give me!”

“Actually,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “There’s one more thing.”

A look of worry settles across her face, her forehead creating a wrinkle in the center. “What?”

Bending down on my knee, I keep her hand in mine as I reach into my pocket. “I spoke to your dad—he’s a hard man to convince—but if you’ll do me the honors, I’d love to have you as my wife. Will you marry me?”

Tears spill down her cheeks as she nods and I slip the ring on her finger. “Yes,” she cries over and over. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

She throws her arms around her dad’s neck and says, “Thank you, daddy!”

“Don’t thank me. Todd is a good man and I’m glad you found someone almost half as good as me,” he jokes.

After a minute of laughter, I pour our glasses of champagne and we make a toast to our future.