The winds are cool as they blow the leaves off the tree. Easton wanted to take me out on a date tonight, our first since baby Theo was born almost four months ago. Although Ivy tried to get us to actually go away somewhere, neither of us wanted to leave Theo for a night, so we decided to have a late-night picnic in the back fields of Easton’s house, our house.

I lay a blanket on the ground as Easton pulls our dinner out of the truck. He turns on the radio and lets Hank Williams serenade us under the stars. I laugh when he sits down with two red Solo cups and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. “I thought this would be fitting since it was just like our first date.”

I smile at him and snatch the bottle out of his hands. “Aren’t you a romantic?”

I push on his chest, a smugness crossing his features. “I am romantic. I cooked us a picnic to eat under the stars and I even made you corn muffins. Just like our first date.”

My eyes go wide as he pulls corn muffins out of the basket and I snatch one of those too. “Correction. Our first date you tried to get frisky with me under the stars. It wasn’t until our second you cooked me corn muffins.”

“Well let’s just say I’m combining the two,” he smirks.

“You tryin’ to get lucky tonight, mister?”

“Edy, you know I don’t have to try.”

I laugh out loud as I pour us both a cup of grape juice. We settle into conversation over dinner. We talk about my upcoming projects I have planned for my design studio I opened in town. I have been getting business from all over the county and managed to do well with it all even while having a baby. Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’” comes on the radio and Easton takes my cup from me and puts it on the ground while grabbing my hand. “Dance with me.”

We sway back and forth to the music. “You know one year ago was the day I left here.”

He looks me in the eyes, something unreadable crossing his face. “I know.”

“Sometimes I think it was the biggest mistake of my life,” I pause. “But then I think that maybe we wouldn’t be where we are today without all the shit that happened. I think it made us stronger.”

He leans in and gives a chaste kiss to my lips. “Why do you think I wanted our date to be today? I wanted this date to be a good memory for us.”

I smile up at him then lean my head against his chest as we dance to a few more songs. I feel his body stiffen and I pull back searching his eyes for a reason. All I see is love as he stares right back at me. “Your daddy told me something a while back. The day we left to come back here. He said ‘Don’t let her go this time. Teach her that true love still exists and you’re it for her. Show her everything there is to be seen in this world. Love my baby girl like there is no tomorrow.’”

I smile at him. Those are just the kind of words my dad would say to him. I blink quickly as Easton pulls away from me and gets down on one knee, a shiver racing up my spine.

“So here I am Harper, showing you everything I can. You’re it for me. I told you a while back that you put a spell on me and it hasn’t gone away. I love you and Theo more than anything in this world. But I’m not gonna love you like there is no tomorrow. I am gonna love you with every piece of my soul, every piece you put back together, and I am gonna show you how much I love you for all the tomorrows we’ll have. And I’m hopin’ it’s a lot of them. As long as you wanna spend them with me as well. Do you Harper Edith Evans? Will you spend our tomorrows together as my wife?”

I kneel in front of him as tears pour from my eyes. I cup his face in my hands and let go of an unsteady breath. “I’m hopin’ my spell will let us spend all our tomorrows together even after we die. So yes, Easton Theodore Calloway, I will marry you. Body, heart, and soul.”

He stares at me with a longing I’ve never felt before, searching my eyes for the sign that we are truly meant to be together. But I can’t take his thinking and staring anymore. I want his lips on mine, I want to seal this moment with a kiss. “Stop thinking and kiss me.”

Our mouths collide, and my hands go into his hair. We collapse onto the grass together as our bodies fit together like the last two missing pieces of a puzzle.

He pulls away from me for what feels like way too long. “Shit babe, I need to give you the ring.” I giggle as he feels around on the grass for wherever it got lost in our moment of happiness. He picks it up and slides it onto my finger. “I love you, Harper.”

“I love you, Easton.”

We fall back onto the grass wrapped in each other’s arms, staring at the sky and the endless possibilities of our tomorrows.