Wild Eyes

Skylar is my person. My life could never be better without her in it. I’ve sentenced myself to a lifetime of misery to respect her wishes.

“You look an awful lot like you belong to me.”

“That’s my fucking girl,” he whoops, and I squeeze him harder.

My number-one fan.

I feel like I’m here, watching her come back to life.

All I know is that she and I were meant to meet on that road.

“I would bid on you every time,”

Gold skin, bronze hair—everything about her shimmers. I want to remember this. This day. This moment. This spot of brightness.

“Breathing is overrated. I’d rather be drowning in you.”

He’ll never know, but in that moment, he healed me.

Just a little bit.

Eyes tracing the path we took. Where she parked. Where I parked. Where I walked.

“How did you remember?” she murmurs as I walk her toward the spot where I threw myself over her.

“I put it on my calendar.”

Her steps falter. “What? Why?”

I shrug. “I’m not entirely sure why I did it then. I just did. Something about the moment felt important.”

We walk a few more paces, until we’re right on the spot.

And then I turn. Pulling the velvet box from my back pocket as I drop to one knee.

“Now I know I did it because it was the day I met the woman I’d marry.”

Her hands fly up over her mouth, a squeal echoing behind them. “West!”

“Skylar Stone. I met you in this exact spot one year ago. I knew it then, and I know it now: You are my person. Everything is better when we do it together. You’re home to me. Would you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”

“Yes!” She practically knocks me over with her enthusiasm.

“After this, I’m taking you to the Calgary Zoo, where I will take all that social media footage of you with bears that I promised you one year ago⁠—”

She cuts me off when she drops to her knees to kiss me. Right here on the warm asphalt, we make a promise to be in this together. Always.

And just like that day…

Everything works out the way it was meant to.