Chapter 9 - The Proposal under the Pines
Christmas Eve arrived in the McKenzie River Valley like something out of a fairytale painting.
The heavy wooden log cabin was draped in glowing yellow lights, smelling of fresh pine needles, cinnamon, and roasting turkey.
A fifteen-foot noble fir tree stood in the center of the great room, surrounded by dozens of wrapped presents.
Oliver had spent the evening running around in red flannel pajamas, hyperactive with excitement, leaving a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk by the stone fireplace for Santa Claus.
By ten o'clock, the toddler had finally succumbed to exhaustion, fast asleep in his bedroom upstairs, his gray rabbit tucked firmly under his chin.
Downstairs, the house was quiet.
Outside, a soft, thick snow was falling through the dark pine canopy, covering the riverbank in a quiet, white silence.
Garrett walked out onto the high wooden back deck of the cabin, carrying two mugs of mulled wine.
Paige was standing by the wooden railing, wrapped in a thick wool blanket, watching the snow fall over the rushing dark water of the river below.
Garrett stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest, handing her one of the warm mugs.
"He’s fast asleep," Garrett murmured into her neck, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"He tried so hard to stay awake," Paige chuckled softly, taking a sip of the warm, spiced wine. "He wanted to catch Santa."
"Santa’s going to leave him that electric tractor he wanted," Garrett whispered. "Margot had it delivered by helicopter yesterday."
Paige turned her head, giving him a playful, exasperated look. "A helicopter, Garrett? Really? You’re going to spoil him rotten."
"I have four years of birthdays and Christmases to make up for, Paige," Garrett said, his voice dropping into a deeper, softer tone. "Let me spoil my boy."
Paige turned in his arms, resting her hands against his broad chest, looking up at his face in the soft golden light spilling from the cabin windows.
"You’ve been amazing these last two weeks, Garrett," she said softly. "No meetings, no phone calls, no corporate drama. Just... you."
"This is who I want to be, Paige," Garrett said, his hazel eyes shining with a deep, fierce emotion. "I handed twenty percent of my voting shares over to a family trust today. I resigned as Chairman of the Board. I’m staying on as CEO, but I’ve cut my hours in half."
Paige’s eyes went wide. "Garrett... you didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did," Garrett insisted, taking her mug and setting it on the railing beside his, taking both her hands into his warm palms. "I built an empire because I thought success was the only thing that would make me worthy of being remembered. But when I held Oliver on that plane... when I saw you looking at me... I realized that the only empire that matters is the one inside these four walls."
The snow fell softly around them, dusting Garrett’s dark hair in white flecks.
He slowly let go of her hands, reached into his jacket pocket, and dropped onto one knee on the snow-covered wooden deck.
Paige’s breath caught in her throat. She pressed both hands against her mouth, her eyes flooding with instant, happy tears.
Garrett pulled out a small, mahogany ring box and flipped it open.
Inside rested a breathtaking ring—a rare, flawless three-carat emerald-cut diamond set in vintage platinum, flanked by two smaller hazel-colored sapphires that matched his eyes.
"Paige Henley," Garrett said, his voice trembling with a raw, beautiful vulnerability he had never shown to another living soul. "Four years ago, I was stupid enough to let you walk out of my life. I lost four years of loving you, four years of watching our son grow. I swear on my life, on my soul, that I will spend every single day of the rest of my life making up for that time."
He looked up at her, his hazel eyes shining in the moonlight.
"Will you do me the absolute honor of becoming my wife? Will you make me the happiest, luckiest man in the world?"
Paige sobbed quietly, dropping down onto her knees in the snow beside him, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into his collar.
"Yes!" Paige cried, her voice echoing out over the quiet snow-covered river. "Yes, Garrett! A thousand times yes!"
Garrett let out a loud, triumphant roar of joy, lifting her into his arms, spinning her around on the snowy deck under the pine trees, their laughter echoing through the silent winter night.
May you like
He slid the ring onto her finger—a perfect fit.
He pulled her face to his, kissing her with a deep, passionate warmth that burned away four years of pain, coldness, and separation, sealing their promise under the falling snow.
