Really hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 4

The next day Sophie got up early, went outside and lay on her hammock. The air was already sticky and humid, but Sophie ignored it, the house was closing in on her, she needed to be under her tree. It was tall, with a bumpy, almost braid looking trunk, and long wispy branches with blue, purple, and pink flowers that released the calming, sweet scent that made the tree her favorite. Fitz said it was called a Panakes and it was native to south-east Asia.

The sun was still hidden under Haleakala so the sky was still a darker shade of blue than the cornflower blue color it was during the day (more like denim or cobalt) and it wasn't too hot yet. Sophie swung the hammock slightly, turning the other way to look at the still dark ocean. The rocking made her feel sleepy which was strange because a moment ago she had felt energized. She pulled out her phone and put on music for meditating. So, she sat absorbing the beauty that was around her, the sights, the whisper of voices singing in a language she couldn't understand from the tree, and the smell of mown grass, salt from the ocean, and sweetness from the tree.

Last night she had read the applications for gardener and agreed that Keefe Sencen from Minnesota had been the right choice. It's not like her opinion mattered though, he was already hired and starting work today. Sophie wasn't mad, just slightly bitter. Sophie shook her head to clear it and tried to think about nothing. Meditating had always been hard for her, but especially today as her mind just kept jumping around to a million different things. After a few minutes she gave up because her mind just wouldn't clear. She switched to her happy playlist and started doing jumping jacks, pushups, and running in place to warm up. Once she was warm, she started doing yoga, one of the many hobbies she had discovered in college because Biana liked them (swimming and jewelry making were two others). When she was done stretching, she pulled down her ponytail and lay back down in the hammock pulling out a book to read now that the sun was high and bright in the sky. It had really warmed up since she came out here probably to almost 80.

When she was on chapter six, she sat up looking around. She was unsure why until she saw him. He was dressed in a grey t-shirt and old faded blue jeans. He was walking towards her.

"Hello," She said smiling, when he got close. He was carrying a dirty gardening bag that must have been blueish green at some point but was now a faded grey-brown color. It looked heavy, his left arm muscle was tensed up even though he looked strong.

He smiled back, his whole face lighting up, "I'm Keefe." He set the bag down by his work boots and rubbed the back of his head, probably to fix his hair or scratch an itch.

"Sophie-but I'm sure you already know that."

He laughed, "It's really hot here, I thought Minnesota summers were hot but whew." He pulled up the bottom of his shirt to wipe sweat from his forehead revealing impressive abs, not that Sophie noticed.

She leaned her head back, "Yeah I grew up in Oregon. Its crazy hot here, but I like it. Although I do miss the rain" She smiled.

"If it rained as often as it does in the Pacific Northwest in Hawaii, I wouldn't need to work here, because you wouldn't need anyone to water the plants."

"True," Sophie laughed, "I'm glad you work here."

He smiled wider and something about his grin made Sophie blush slightly. Keefe pretended not to notice.

"What kind of tree is this? I've never seen one before," Keefe ran his hand down the bark.

"It's a Panakes. Its from Vietnam. Fitz and I went there when I graduated and I really liked these trees, so Fitz had one shipped here."

"Wow," Keefe caught a petal as it drifted down towards the ground, "So beautiful." He examined it, then handed her the petal. "Well, I better go start working. It was nice meeting you Sophie," He turned, and Sophie could see the sweat soaking through the back of shirt.

"Bye." Sophie waved at his retreating back.

She picked up her book and read for a little bit, then went inside to get breakfast. Fitz was relaxed on the couch, his long, lean body stretched out playing some weird video game on his Wii. She grabbed a doughnut from the kitchen, waved to Lucy, and plopped down next to Fitz. She silently ate her doughnut waiting for Fitz's character to die, when it did, she lay her head down on his lap. He absently played with her hair, and she felt a sudden burst of love for him.

"I love you," She whispered then sat up on his lap, straddling him, and kissed him hard.

After a few minutes he broke away panting, "I got you a present," Sophie jumped up from his lap and sat down next to him with her legs crossed, the perfect picture of composure. "But I'll only give it to you say that you love me again."

She frowned jokingly, "Say that I love you, no I can't do that." She deadpanned leaning over to kiss him again, "I love you."

Fitz smiled sappily, ever the romantic, "I love you more than anything Sophie, I would do anything for you."

"Funny I'd do anything for you," She said it in a joking way, but it was true.

He kissed her on the forehead and pulled a little wrapped box out of his sweatpants pocket.

"Oooh gimme," she reached for it.

Fitz stood up on the couch holding it above his head, way out of her reach. Sophie jumped up trying to grab it. "Please Fitz." She begged.

He smirked, "You have to get it." He held it up higher.

She jumped again; this was useless. She needed a new strategy. She pulled her shirt down a tiny bit exposing some cleavage watching Fitz carefully the whole time. He glanced down at her boobs. Gotcha. She tugged it down more. When his gaze dropped again, she jumped and tackled him down, so he was laying down under her, effectively pinning him down.

She gave him a quick peck on the nose, "You will never beat me at this," Then she got up to retrieve the box. Fitz's arm shot out and Sophie tried to dodge but she wasn't quite fast enough, and he pulled her back to him so she was laying on his chest.

"Your beauty is distracting but it won't work this time."

She tried to squirm out, but she was completely trapped in his arms. This was useless again. "Please," She begged sounding like a toddler.

"Fine. You can open it only because I'm excited to see your reaction."

She stood up, "It's not one of those things that will pop out and scare me, is it?"

Fitz laughed, shaking his head. He picked up the box from under the coffee table where it fell when she tackled him.

She smiled, sitting back down on the couch, and eagerly tore open the sparkly gold wrapping paper. She lifted the lid off the box and sucked in a breath, "Oh my god Fitz this is beautiful."

She lifted the necklace up by the chain. "Fitz how much did this cost." She was ashamed to ask the question, but this necklace had to be worth more than the foster house she had grown up in before Grady and Edaline adopted her.

"I didn't buy it, it was my great great great grandpa gave it to my great great great grandma as a wedding present in the 1850s, its been passed down my family for generations."

"Wow," she held it up to the light watching what must have been a ten-carat diamond sparkle. The necklace had a ruby and pearl on each side. "Shouldn't Biana get this." She realized.

"No, the oldest son gives his wife the necklace for their wedding and with Alvar in prison for being a creepy asshole, I got that honor. I thought it could be the something old for our wedding. Do you want to try it on?"

Sophie nodded, speechless.

Fitz carefully fastened it around her neck and kissed her shoulder when he was done.

She turned to face him. "Wow," He breathed. He reached out to touch her shoulder as if he was making sure she was real and not a hologram.

She blushed at his expression. The diamond felt cool on her skin, she glanced down trying to get a look at it.

"Sophie, you look beautiful." Fitz's voice was low and quiet. Tingles ran down her spine.

She turned on her phone camera and flipped it to selfie mode. She gasped. She looked like a princess. It made her feel like a princess. "Thank you so much." Her voice was a whisper. A tear dripped down her cheek.

"Aww babe don't cry, Its just a necklace." Fitz wrapped his arms around her.

She wrapped her arms around him, smiling into his chest. He didn't understand, this wasn't just a necklace, it made her feel like a princess, or a queen. Either way, it made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

Did any of you catch my Taylor Swift reference? If you did I love you so much! Comment what you think it is. Hint: Its from her first album. Anyway, I'll post the next chapter soon hopefully. *Crosses fingers* Please comment on my story, it means so much more than you think!