Free Touched By You (The Touch Series) by t. h. snyder Page A

I open the door for her she stands up and looks around.
    “Why are we…?”
    I quickly put my finger to her lips and guide her to the side of the house. We walk hand in hand until I feel her stop.
    “Oh. My. God. Derrick!” She shouts.
    She kind of throws me off guard and for a moment I’m looking at her and back to our spot. I quickly gather my bearings and continue to walk toward our tree. Teresa, mom and Charlie did a fucking amazing job. The tree has tiki torches lit around the outside and they’ve sectioned off branches so that there’s a wide opening for us to walk into. Inside of the weeping willow tree is our bench with a table filled with candles and roses.
    I walk us inside of the tree and wait for the music to start. Moments later the melody starts and I pull her into an embrace. I hold her tightly as her body shakes against mine. In a few seconds I realize it’s not her body trembling but my own. I need to do this now before I blow it with an anxiety attack.
    Pulling slightly away from her I rub my thumb along her lower lip and sweep away the tears that are now falling from her eyes.
    “Derrick this entire day has been one surprise after another. This is your day and you’re doing so much for me.”
    I step back from her and take her hands in mine. Looking into her eyes I know it’s time.
    “Chloe I can’t tell you enough how special you are to me, or how much I love you. For the past eight years you have been my soul mate, the one I find peace with. You’re my forever Chloe and today is just the beginning of great things to come for us. Without you in my life things would be empty. You honestly make me who I am. I’m a better man because of you.”
    My fucking hands are shaking so bad. I remove my hand from hers and reach into my pocket. I remove the ring from the bag and have it in my hand. I look at her and start to get down on one knee.
    “Chloe……”
    “No wait Derrick stop. You can’t…I’m sorry, but I have to tell you something before you say anything else.”
    My heart stops. I am blind by fear. What the hell would she have to tell me that would make her stop me from proposing?  
     

Oh no….no…this can’t be happening. Everything he has done today was all for this. Oh my God he’s going to propose and I haven’t told him I’m leaving for LA in a few weeks. My body is numb, my heart has stopped beating and my hands are getting sweaty. I can barely breathe as I see him reaching in his pocket. This has been the perfect day leading up to this moment. He has planned this amazingly romantic day for me and he’s going to propose under our tree.
    God Chloe, you’re such a bitch for doing this to him. I have to stop him before he goes any further.
    I watch as he begins to get down on one knee and he says my name. I quickly put my finger to his lips to stop him before he says anything more. I’m about to break his heart and all for my own selfish needs.
    “No wait. Derrick stop. You can’t…I’m sorry, but I have to tell you something before you say anything else.”
    His body slouches to the ground and from his knees he’s now sitting on his ass. The pain of what I’ve just done courses through my body and I’m so scared to speak. Once I tell him the path I have chosen our lives will be changed forever. There is no going back on this now.
    “I’m sorry Derrick. Today has been absolutely wonderful and you have no idea how special you have made me feel. I just…I need to tell you something and it may change the way you feel and wanting to ask me those words.”
    Sitting down in the grass next to him I take his hands in mine. He turns his face to look at me and confusion is spread across his eyes.
    “I’ve wanted to tell you this for the past few weeks, well actually the past month or so. The timing just never felt right and now it’s almost as if it’s too late.”
    He pulls his hands from mine and moves to stand. Grabbing for my hands he