“Hi.”
“Hi.”
Andrea greeted back, leaning against the front door as she stared into blue eyes that always caused her to lose her train of thoughts as they stared at each other. “Hi.”
“You said that already,” Donny chuckled softly, pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss against her temple.
Andrea felt her heart flutter as her cheeks warmed with glee.
“So, you ready to get this show on the road?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Kiss. “In about.” Kiss. “A minute.” Kiss.
Donny chuckled against her lips, his arms tightening around her. “I like the way you think, Miss Hamilton.”
“And I…like your response,” she smiled back at him.
Donny groaned. “If you keep looking at me like this, we won’t make it to the pine tree farm.”
“All right. Let’s go before I choose to keep you, prisoner, here,” she said, patting his chest and moving away.
Donny chuckled again and followed her through the door. For the next couple of hours of driving toward Greenbank, the two talked and laughed, held hands, and shared promising glances.
Andrea loved this, the time they got to spend together. She loved the feeling that she was with someone that just got her. When she was with him, it felt like coming home…sort of how it felt being back in Oak Harbor with her sisters, her mother and having Rory here. It felt like the picture didn’t fit together without him in it.
“Are you okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” she expressed with a smile.
Donny brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckle affectionately.
A few minutes later, they pulled up to the farm. Donny drove through the wide wooden gates down the graveled path lined by fir trees over ten feet tall. A little while after, they parked in the designated parking lot, where there were quite a number of cars already there.
They walked hand in hand toward the small shed-like store to talk to the owners. After signing up, they left in search of the right tree.
“How about this one?”
“Yeah. Sure. That one’s fine.”
Andrea’s hand fell from touching the pine needles of a decent-sized tree to fold them across her chest.
“You’re distracted,” she pointed out the obvious as he stood with his hands in his pockets, his gaze shifting all over the place.
“Hmm? I’m not,” he assured her. Andrea’s deadpan look caused him to backpedal. “All right. I admit it. I was a little distracted, but it’s because I trust your judgment. I’m not really into all this holiday thing. I would have just put up a few garlands and called it a day. However, being with you makes me want to do these things.”
Andrea wrapped her arms around his waist as she smiled up at him. “I’m glad, but it feels like there is something else here.”
Donny smiled hesitantly as he untangled himself from her. “You’re right. There’s something I need to tell you…ask you, actually.”
Her heart skipped a beat, accelerating as her eyes widened when Donny reached into his pocket and came up with a jewelry box— a ring box.
“Donny, what’re you…”
“I love you, Drea…more than I think you know…”
Her heart slammed against her chest, and her mouth felt dry.
“I think we are moving in the right direction, and so I think the best thing to do to move our relationship forward is to ask you to m—”
