A Pinch of Cinnamon

Nick’s POV

I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been awake all night, simply holding Spencer in my arms and listening to her quite breaths as she slept. Occasionally one of us would get up to use the bathroom and I would feign sleep. I knew she would only worry.

She’s here. With me. And I’m never letting her go.

The closer dawn came to breaking, the more antsy I got.

My heart rate would quicken, my breaths would become faster and shallower, and I became restless.

In a few short hours, I’ll be doing the scariest thing of my life. Even before, I had never been this nervous.

It’s different, with her. I can’t fuck this up. It must be perfect.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhale to collect myself while shifting quietly to get out of the tent. The sun was just beginning to come up which meant Spencer would be up within the hour.

Perfect time to make her coffee and breakfast.

Then we can saddle up the horses and head out to our destination.

To say I was sweating bullets and freaking out is an understatement. I’m literally trembling with nerves. I know she will like it because I know her. But that little voice in the back of my mind keeps spreading doubt through my body. What if she thinks this is moving too fast? What if she’s not ready? What would Jayden say? So many things could go wrong and that splinter of doubt inside me grows into a giant redwood tree.

I start a small fire, letting the crackling flames build up before putting a cooking rack that rests on a tripod, over it. I put the kettle on and wait for the water to boil.

In the distance of the meadow, deer graze, seemingly unbothered by my presence since I’m so far away. The fog is just beginning to lift as the sun breaks over the crest of the mountain.

I hear the tent unzipping behind me just as I finished brewing the coffee.

My angel peeks her head out, her hair going every which way as she rubs the sleepiness from her eyes.

She’s so adorable.

She manages to pull herself from the tent and ambles over to me while trying to tame her hair.

“Sleep well, baby?” I kiss her good morning and hand her a mug of coffee, which she smiles gratefully at.

“Mmhm. You’re comfy.” She smiles. She pretty much slept on or next to me the entire night. She sighs in content after taking a long sip from her mug, resting her head on my shoulder.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and squeeze her to my side. We take in the scenery in silence.

“I have protein bars for breakfast. Do you want to eat on the go or take a bit more time?” I peer down at her.

“We can eat on the go, that’s fine. I’m excited to see where we are going!” She does an adorable, happy bounce reminding me of Jayden when he gets a new toy. I chuckle inwardly.

Once we pack up our gear, I lead Spencer from the valley. We are only about an hour away now.

My horse begins dancing impatiently as he senses my nervousness. I need to calm down. I take a few calming breaths, thankful that Spencer is behind me and can’t see.

Nearing our destination, I slow my horse so that we can travel side by side. We crest the hill and are met with the most breathtaking view.

I hear Spencer gasp beside me. Her jaw is dropped, mouth open and her eyes are wide in amazement.

We have come to another valley. Nestled between mountain ranges. There is another meadow that stretches on either side of a small lake. It has crystal clear water and a sandy beach. The meadow is bursting with yellow flowers. In the distance, you can see snowcapped mountains.

“This is amazing!” Spencer breathed. “How did you find this?” We dismounted to walk to the shore.

Lacing our fingers together, I pulled her to the sandy beach. “A friend actually told me of it. I thought you would like it.” She was so captivated with the view she didn’t notice me staring at her. She is so beautiful. Her eyes light up at the simplest of things. The corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiles, and two little dimples appear at the corners of her mouth. Her brown hair sways gently across her face with the breeze. She hadn’t bothered to tie it back this morning.

This amazing, beautiful of heart, mind, and soul, dedicated, talented woman was mine.

I let go of her hand, fishing the object currently burning a hole in my pocket, out. I take a deep breath and drop to one knee.

Now or never.

Noticing me pull away, Spencer turns to look at me in confusion. Her face instantly morphs into shock as she covers her face with her hands. I can see her eyes mist over, and I wasn’t too far behind.