The Twilight Twenty-Five thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: # 5
Pen Name: SubtlePen
Pairing/Character(s): Em/R
Rating: T
Word Count: 467

Photo prompts can be found here: thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts

Prompt 5. A boy facing away from the viewer carries a girl over his shoulder. Her arms are wrapped around his chest. Trees with very few leaves surround them.

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"Stop! Put me down, damn it!"

I swatted her on the ass and kept walking. It wasn't far, but she was just so damn stubborn. "Hush, you."

She laughed and weakly tried to tickle my ribs. "I'm capable of walking, you know."

I swatted her hand away, smiling. "Capable, yes. Cooperative, no."

"If I knew we were traipsing around in the woods, I would have worn boots."

I laughed. "Really? You're playing the shoe card?"

She gasped and smacked me on the rear. "These were expensive!"

I hoisted her up higher on my shoulder, making her grunt. I felt bad, but only a little. She was way tougher than she looked. "And you knew I wanted to come out here before I picked you up."

"Oh my god, Emmett. What is it with this place, anyway?"

I slowed when the path widened onto a clearing beside a small pond covered with water lilies. "You really don't know?"

She twisted around to see where we were, bracing on my shoulder for a better look. "What?"

I eased her down, keeping one hand on her hip. I didn't speak, in hopes she'd figure it out. After a moment, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Turning to look at me, she had tears in her eyes.

I nodded, stepping closer and pushing her hair back over her shoulder. My hand came to rest on her neck and I pulled her close. I kissed her, soft and slow, then dropped to one knee.

"You saved me that day. Did you know? That random phone call to tell me you were thinking about me? I think it saved my life."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She carded her fingers through my hair and smiled.

"You made it hurt less. You made me think there were good things still possible. You became home, to me. You made me part of your family, and I fell in love with you."

"Oh, Emm…"

"No one has ever accepted me like you have. The good and the bad, all of it. You make me a better man, Rosalie."

"I love you," she whispered, wiping her eyes with her fingertips.

"This is where it all changed for me, that day in these woods when I answered the phone and it was you on the other end. I wanted to bring you here to ask you if you'll let me change your life, too."

She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around my shoulders, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

I reached into my pocket and before I could even open the little hinged box she was whispering yes, hiccupping a muffled yes into the crook of my neck, over and over.

I closed my eyes and simply held her.

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thank you for reading!