Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“I can’t believe you did this,” Iris chokes out between sobs.
I kind of can’t believe it, either, honestly. It’s an over-the-top birthday gift, to be sure. One that makes no logical sense, in terms of timing. But the thing is, this ranch isn’t actually a birthday gift, per se. It’s an engagement present. The symbol of my promise to love Iris forever. I mean, what better way to promise eternity to someone than gifting them their dream? To me, that’s an even more irrevocable promise than a simple ring, which can be taken off, lost, or stolen.
Okay, I admit I’m not too far gone to realize, in a perfect world, I probably should have waited a few years to buy Iris this ranch. For instance, it probably would have made more sense to buy it for her as a wedding gift, or maybe for our first wedding anniversary, rather than for our engagement. Surely, my jaded, hard-hearted, pre-Iris self would have been flabbergasted and disgusted to find out about any random guy foolishly gifting his simple girlfriend or fiancée with a present of this magnitude. And God help me, if my prior, jaded self ever discovered the foolish, over-the-top gift giver would one day be me, he’d need a crash cart.
But, see, that’s the beauty of the whole thing. The New Roman, the guy who’s in love with Iris Benedetto, doesn’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. He doesn’t want to play it safe. Doesn’t want to hold back or create a single safety net. At least, not when it comes to Iris. With her, I only want to jump in, headfirst, with my whole heart and without a backup plan. With Iris, I’m all in, always. No reservations or doubts. And I wanted this gift to prove that to her, unequivocally.
Also, as a practical matter, I had no choice but to buy this ranch when I did. When I came down here a month ago, it was only to buy a singular horse for Iris’s birthday. But that’s when the owner of the ranch mentioned she was about to put the ranch on the market, so I had to act fast. Properties like this don’t come up for sale very often in Malibu. Hardly ever, my real estate agent told me. If I didn’t pull the trigger immediately, without overthinking it and without hesitation, I might not have had another chance in my lifetime. Literally.
So, fuck it. I followed my heart. Not my head. Not the advice of my business manager and accountant. Not the advice of Cameron, who lost his ever-loving mind. Like I told all the money managers and overseers of my life, when it comes to Iris, I’d much rather wind up regretting something I did out of love than something I didn’t do out of fear.
As Iris sniffles in my arms, I kiss her cheek. “You can do whatever you want here,” I coo into her ear. “You can keep it, as is, and give riding lessons and trail rides. Or you can build a kick-ass equine therapy center. Whatever you’re dreaming about doing here, tell me, and I’ll make it happen.”
“It’s too much,” Iris chokes out against my shoulder.
“Nothing’s too much for you, baby. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. To show you. I’d do anything for you. I love you more than there are stars in the sky above Orchard Blossom.”
“Oh my God, Roman. You’ve taken my breath away.”
Here we go.
This is it.
The moment I’ve been waiting for. As I’ve been planning for weeks, my mention of the stars above Orchard Blossom is my cue to pull out the ring, get down on bended knee, and launch into my planned proposal speech.
But suddenly, now that I’m here with Iris’s sobbing frame in my arms and my son still jumping around impatiently and shouting about finding Pepper, it’s suddenly clear it’s not the right time to add even more life-changing, heart-exploding fuel to this already blazing fire. On the contrary, it feels right to savor this particular life-changing moment fully before moving on to the next, even bigger one. Goddammit. Nicola was right.
In a beat of my pounding heart, the perfect scenario for a proposal hits me like a ton of bricks. In fact, I can see it all now, like a movie. Me, in my football uniform. Iris in my arms. Cameras all around us. Why didn’t I think of this perfect scenario before now? Probably because my team wasn’t sitting at four and one, and only getting better with each passing week.
Okay, I’m pumped for this idea now.
Granted, making this new proposal idea happen the way I’m envisioning it isn’t something I can control. No football player on Planet Earth possibly could. That’s why we play the games, after all. Because anything can happen. But isn’t the uncertainty of it all even more reason for me to set my sights on at least trying to make this once-in-a-lifetime scenario happen? Won’t working toward that dream scenario only give me even more motivation to fulfill my ultimate professional goal? Frankly, it seems like a win-win to me. The perfect idea.