It seemed like they kissed for an eternity, the sounds of their breaths in union with the breeze, the rustling trees and the singing birds. They couldn't stop, save for the requirement to take in oxygen. Teresa, not normally a nature-loving woman, felt comfortable and at peace, outdoors in Patrick's arms.
Teresa was now leaning entirely into him, her body pressed to his. She was in awe of the beautiful gift Patrick had just given her: a lifetime as his wife. She had of course already, in her mind, decided that she would be with him no matter what, and the secret she had yet to share with him meant that they would be forever bound together. When he clearly stated his intention that he wanted her to be his wife, it was unexpected. Leave it to Patrick Jane to surprise her yet again by doing something in an unconventional way!
Patrick had called to invite her to share her lunch hour with him, elated that he'd sealed the deal on the idyllic, sylvan property outside the city. She couldn't yet entirely comprehend the enormity of this purchase, but it was clear that it grounded her Patrick and gave him renewed focus and purpose. She was just so happy that he was happy and seemed pleased to be back together.
Not trusting the contents of the Airstream's refrigerator, she picked up their favorite sandwiches and was glad to make the drive out to the property. Her breath caught as she entered the cabin, seeing him planning their home, sleeves rolled up and emphasizing his shapely forearms.
After lunch, when he proposed, it became apparent to her that he had carefully planned the occasion. The throw blanket on the log was carefully arranged so they'd be comfortable and avoid splinters. And the ring that had been a part of him since before she'd known him, was suddenly absent from his finger.
It dawned on her that she had never seen him without his ring. That he would propose to her with that ring-relinquishing it to another person-was both daunting and humbling. It instantly became her most precious material possession, something that she would share with him for the rest of her life.
Finally, they stopped kissing for a moment, each smiling broadly. She relaxed further into him, her body molded to his. She giggled, much like she had when she first said "OK" to his proposal.
"We're getting married!"
"You're going to be my wife." The word 'wife' no longer sounded painful coming from him.
"You're going to be my husband."
"Mrs. Jane."
"Mr. Lisbon."
They exchanged smiles again, and she stroked his hair and pulled him back in for more kisses. "I love you," she punctuated her kisses, "more than I can ever say."
He smiled into his next kiss, elated that she had come so far in expressing her love since that day in Chicago. He hadn't thought he'd needed to hear the words-after all, she showed him every day-but it surprised him just how much the words mattered to him.
"I will never stop loving you," he assured her. He pulled back and clasped his hand over her still-clenched fist.
Patrick's ring-now their ring-was still tightly clutched in her fist. He brought her fist to his lips and slowly kissed each knuckle.
Then he unfurled her fingers, opening that fist. Patrick drew back, and lifting her chin upward with his hand, reiterated what he'd said while proposing, that he didn't expect her to wear it.
Teresa smiled, and sized up the ring. "It probably won't even fit on my thumb." She tried it on and sure enough, it didn't fit.
Patrick lifted her hand to his lips again, and kissed the ring afloat on her thumb. He then reassured her that she could keep the ring safe in their home.
Teresa shook her head, frowning, and snatched her hand back. "It's too important to me, to us." Her face lit up with a blinding smile as inspiration struck.
"I know the perfect place for it," she stated. She reached over and stroked Patrick's arm. "Since it's our ring, since we're sharing it, my love, it needs to be somewhere where both of us can always see it." She held up her mother's cross. "I think it belongs here."
In her mind, she'd found the perfect solution. She bent her head towards him. "Undo this for me?"
Patrick obliged her, and watched as she slipped the ring onto her chain.
"You don't have to do this," he reiterated.
"It's the only place it should be." Tears were now streaming down her face. "You see, my love, this-" she held the cross-"is a symbol of the person who loved me the most when I was a child. And your-our-ring, is a symbol of the person who loves me most now. Like you said, it also represents our future. And it's a symbol of those you loved before me. So, I think they belong together." She bent her head again and asked for his help in fastening the clasp, and then threw her arms around him, pressing her head against his chest.
She really wanted to tell him then and there. He deserved to know the happy news, but he already was pressing on with wedding talk.
Patrick placed a kiss atop of her hair, then murmured, "So, what kind of wedding do you want? And how long do you want to wait?"
Teresa's mind quickly calculated what her due date might be. She didn't want to spend months planning an elaborate wedding only to wear a maternity bridal gown. Just the thought of the teasing her brothers would subject her to was enough reason to forego that plan.
"I...I don't really want to wait," she let her fiancé know.
Patrick looked at her. "Me, too." He helped her stand up. "Let's go shut the cabin door and get you back to the office. We can talk wedding on the drive over."
His eye wandered to her chain, and he softly touched the precious amulets it now held. "Thank you for this," he expressed with gratitude in his voice, an expression of profound love on his face. The last time Teresa saw that look on his face was the night of his birthday, when she'd given him the cup.
Suddenly she knew what her wedding gift to him would be. Her news could wait a few days until they were married.