Emma quickly wiped away a tear that had been sliding down her cheek.
“The apple blossoms?” she asked.
“Good fortune with the ranch,” I said.
She smiled.
I took a deep breath and continued, “The forget-me-nots represent our true love. The blue violets are for my faithfulness to you, always and forever.”
A sob escaped Emma’s mouth. She whispered, “Garrett…”
“Last but certainly not least, the stephanotis represent—”
“Marital harmony,” Emma said at the same time as me.
I nodded my head. “Yes.”
She began crying more. “Garrett, all these beautiful flowers must have cost you a fortune.”
I reached for her hand and pulled it to my lips. “I’d do anything to show you how much I love you, Em. If I had to give up the ranch just to show you how much I loved you, I would.”
Emma started giggling. “I can’t wait to tell Margie and Peggy.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I kind of just set the bar pretty high for myself in the future.”
She shook her head and squeezed my hand. “All I’ll ever need is your love. That is the only thing on earth that I need from you. I love you, Garrett.”
“I love you more, Emma Rose.”
“I’m never eating again,” Emma said as we strolled hand in hand along the streets of Venice.
“Did you enjoy this evening?” I asked as I stopped and turned to face her.
She reached her arms up and around my neck as she stood on her tippy toes. “I’ve never had such an amazing and romantic evening in my entire life. I can still smell all the flowers.”
My stomach began doing flips as I thought about what was coming up. I wanted to make this trip one that Emma would never forget. It wasn’t just about locking ourselves away and making love. It was about making memories that she would remember for the rest of her life.
I kissed Emma, and thoughts of the first time I’d ever seen her filled my mind. I pulled back and asked, “Do you want to go dancing?”
She did a little jump. “Have you ever known me not to want to go dancing?”
We made our way to downtown Venice where the nightlife was really hopping. I’d never seen Emma smile as much as she was tonight. We met another American couple, and we were sitting and talking with them.
When Emma got up and excused herself, I made my way to the band. The gentleman looked down.
I asked, “Do you know ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole?”
He smiled and said, “Of course. We’re from America, and Jessica has sung it many times.”
I grinned from ear to ear. “Would you mind playing it? I’m here with my wife, Emma, on our honeymoon from America. This song reminds me of the first time I ever saw her.”
When Emma walked back out, I led her to the dance floor.
Before the band played, Jessica asked for everyone’s attention. “I’ve been told we have a couple from America here on their honeymoon.”
Everyone began clapping as I pulled Emma closer to me. I winked as her face turned a beautiful rose shade.
“The husband would like for me to sing this next song for his beautiful bride, Emma. He said this is what he felt the first moment he saw you.” Jessica smiled, and those familiar chords began playing.
Emma attempted to hold back her tears. As Jessica began singing the song, I smiled down at my girl.
God, how I love her so much.
Emma buried her face into my chest and held on to me as we danced. Nothing needed to be said between us. I wanted Emma to listen to the words and know how much she meant to me.
When the song ended, she looked up at me. “No one has ever made me feel so wonderful, like you have tonight. I didn’t think it was possible for me to love you any more than I already do, but…but you just…you keep…” She broke down in tears.
I slammed my lips to hers, and everyone began cheering as I stood there and kissed Emma with as much passion as I could. We were so lost in each other that we didn’t even realize people were staring at us.
As I pulled away from her lips, I whispered, “Are you ready for your surprise?”
Her eyes lit up. “Garrett! There’s more? How could you possibly top that?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Let’s go, Buttercup.”
I took her hand in mine and led her back to the table. We said good-bye to the couple we had met and wished them a safe trip home. We made our way back to the gondolas.
When we walked up, the gondolier from earlier today smiled and nodded. “Are you ready for your midnight gondola ride?”
I helped Emma into the gondola and then reached into my pocket for the hundredth time this evening. It’s still there. Thank God.
As we softly and smoothly moved along the lagoon, Emma stared up at the night sky. I swallowed hard and reached into my pocket. I had no idea why I was so nervous to give her this gift. It wasn’t anything big, but I just prayed she would like it. I pulled back some and turned to look at her. She gave me a sweet smile. She was about to say something when I pulled out the jewelry box. Her eyes moved to the box and then came quickly back to my eyes.
“Emma, the first moment I saw you in that drugstore, I knew I was going to love you forever. I took everything in about you—how you were dressed, what you smelled like, the pink ribbons in your hair, and your beautiful eyes and how they danced in the light. My God, how your eyes captivated me from that moment on.”
She smiled as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. I brushed away the tears from her beautiful face as I smiled back at her. I held the box up and opened it, revealing a white gold charm bracelet.
Emma let out a gasp when she saw it and looked back up at me. “Garrett, it’s…it’s beautiful.”
I smiled as I took it out and placed it on her wrist. I moved the bracelet around until I found the first charm.
“A milkshake?” she asked.
“That’s what you were drinking when I first met you—a strawberry milkshake.”
“I didn’t think you noticed me at all since you were talking to Margie the whole time.”
I slowly shook my head. “I noticed everything about you.”
I moved on to the next charm—a heart. “Because you stole my heart the instant you smiled at me,” I whispered.
She began crying harder.
The next charm was a quilt. “I had to have this one made. I don’t have to tell you the meaning behind it.”
She giggled as she wiped away her tears.