Wedding guests gathered at the railing of the deck overlooking the beach as
Nick and Sara stood there talking in the distance with a spectacular sunset
as a backdrop. They couldn't possibly imagine what was being said between
the couple that they all thought was completely in love.
The tears continued to stream down Sara's face. She wasn't sure what Nick meant. She knew what she meant, but she wasn't sure what he meant. Her voice wavered. "I." She sniffled. "I can't."
Nick took a deep breath. There would never be another opportunity. If he didn't say what was on his mind this very minute, he would regret it the rest of his life. "Sara, I came here with you this weekend because I wanted to. I'm sorry that things tumbled out of control with Chloe making assumptions, but I'm not sorry about anything that's happened this weekend."
She looked at him a bit perplexed.
"I'm not even sorry you threw up on me." He grinned at her.
She chuckled softly. "I am. I really am."
He chuckled in response. "Sara, I can't think of any place I'd rather be right now than with you. I know we've been friends a long time, but that isn't enough for me any more."
Sara looked bewildered as she tried to absorb what his words implied.
"I'm in love with you, Sara." Nick looked at her earnestly. "I have been for a long time."
As his words sunk in, Sara started to cry.
Nick wasn't sure if he should hug her or just stand there. He decided if she didn't want a hug, she could push him away. He pulled her close and held her as her tears gave way to giggles. Nick pulled back with a lopsided grin on his face to look at her.
Sara looked into his eyes, tears still in her eyes. "Nick, I'm so in love with you." Her voice was hitched with emotion. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Nick Stokes could actually be in love with her.
Nick pulled her close again and whispered into her ear as he held her. "Oh, Sara, I love you." Sara Sidle was in love with him. He couldn't believe it. She loved him.
Sara whispered. "I love you, Nick." It felt so good to finally say those words. To be held in those arms and know that it was because he loved her.
Nick pulled away smiling. He looked into her eyes and cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Sara, there's something else I need to say."
Sara felt apprehensive as she studied him.
Nick looked nervous. "Sara, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have you in my life. You're probably going to think that I'm the craziest man on the entire planet, but I can't help myself." Nick reached for Sara's hand and dropped down to his knee. "Sara Sidle, will you marry me?"
The crowd of wedding guests gasped as the scene before them unfolded like a silent film. Chloe and Ben shushed everyone to be quiet so Nick and Sara wouldn't hear them.
Shock registered on Sara's face as she realized Nick held a ring in his hand. It wasn't just any ring. It was the ring that she'd had on her hand in Tiffany's. The ring that took her breath away. The princess cut diamond flanked by sapphires in a platinum setting.
She was speechless. She just stared at him with her mouth agape. She was aware that there was a glorious sunset and somehow she wondered if this was all just a dream.
Nick squeezed her hand and brought her out of her reverie. He was looking at her expectantly. The man had laid his heart on the line and she was making him wait as she tried to find her words.
Finally she just nodded.
Nick wanted to be absolutely sure that he saw what he thought he'd seen. "Was that a yes?"
She nodded a bit more vigorously and finally found her voice. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you." Tears were running down her face again.
Nick slid the ring onto her finger and stood up with a huge grin on his face. "You've made me the happiest man in the world. I love you so much." He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her. They lost themselves in the kiss for a few moments, trying to fathom that what had just transpired was real.
As they broke apart, Sara stared at the ring on her finger. "This is real." She looked up at Nick in complete wonder.
Nick chuckled and squeezed her hand. "It's very real." He leaned in and kissed her again very softly. "Should we go back?"
She grinned at him through her tears and nodded. "I can't believe this." She pulled Nick into another kiss before they turned away from the sunset toward the hotel.
As they turned, they realized they had an audience. Sara glanced over at Nick and started to giggle. "I think they all already know."
Nick started to laugh. "Your deductive reasoning skills are amazing."
"That's why I'm such a damn fine CSI." She smiled and then looked at her hand again. "You asked me to marry you." She stopped and looked at him, tears starting all over again.
"You said yes." He grinned at her and there were tears of happiness brimming in his eyes.
"I love you, Nick." Sara leaned up and kissed him softly. The sound of clapping could be heard coming from the hotel.
Nick glanced over at the line of people against the railing. "From the smiles on their faces, I'd say they're pretty pleased."
As they rejoined the reception, they received a round of applause as Sara lifted her hand for the whole world to see. A grin was stretched across her face. "Nick proposed."
Chloe giggled as she pulled Sara into a hug. "We watched you two on the beach. It was like watching a romantic silent movie. Oh, Sara, I'm so excited for you. I hope you and Nick will be as happy as Ben and I are."
"Thanks, Chloe." Sara grinned at her friend and suddenly, she was glad that Chloe had called her out of the blue and hadn't taken no for an answer about attending her wedding.
Kelly burst through the crowd of guests and rushed up to Sara. "That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen in my entire life." She hugged Sara and squealed. "Let me see your ring!" Her mouth went wide as she looked at the ring. She glanced at Nick and grinned. "You did that when we picked up the gift."
Nick just nodded and as that realization hit Sara she couldn't help but start to cry again. Nick enveloped her in a hug and through her tears she managed to whisper. "I love you so much, Nick. This all seems like a dream."
"It is a dream, Sara. It's a dream come true. I love you." He whispered so softly only she could hear him.
The tears continued to stream down Sara's face. She wasn't sure what Nick meant. She knew what she meant, but she wasn't sure what he meant. Her voice wavered. "I." She sniffled. "I can't."
Nick took a deep breath. There would never be another opportunity. If he didn't say what was on his mind this very minute, he would regret it the rest of his life. "Sara, I came here with you this weekend because I wanted to. I'm sorry that things tumbled out of control with Chloe making assumptions, but I'm not sorry about anything that's happened this weekend."
She looked at him a bit perplexed.
"I'm not even sorry you threw up on me." He grinned at her.
She chuckled softly. "I am. I really am."
He chuckled in response. "Sara, I can't think of any place I'd rather be right now than with you. I know we've been friends a long time, but that isn't enough for me any more."
Sara looked bewildered as she tried to absorb what his words implied.
"I'm in love with you, Sara." Nick looked at her earnestly. "I have been for a long time."
As his words sunk in, Sara started to cry.
Nick wasn't sure if he should hug her or just stand there. He decided if she didn't want a hug, she could push him away. He pulled her close and held her as her tears gave way to giggles. Nick pulled back with a lopsided grin on his face to look at her.
Sara looked into his eyes, tears still in her eyes. "Nick, I'm so in love with you." Her voice was hitched with emotion. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Nick Stokes could actually be in love with her.
Nick pulled her close again and whispered into her ear as he held her. "Oh, Sara, I love you." Sara Sidle was in love with him. He couldn't believe it. She loved him.
Sara whispered. "I love you, Nick." It felt so good to finally say those words. To be held in those arms and know that it was because he loved her.
Nick pulled away smiling. He looked into her eyes and cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Sara, there's something else I need to say."
Sara felt apprehensive as she studied him.
Nick looked nervous. "Sara, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have you in my life. You're probably going to think that I'm the craziest man on the entire planet, but I can't help myself." Nick reached for Sara's hand and dropped down to his knee. "Sara Sidle, will you marry me?"
The crowd of wedding guests gasped as the scene before them unfolded like a silent film. Chloe and Ben shushed everyone to be quiet so Nick and Sara wouldn't hear them.
Shock registered on Sara's face as she realized Nick held a ring in his hand. It wasn't just any ring. It was the ring that she'd had on her hand in Tiffany's. The ring that took her breath away. The princess cut diamond flanked by sapphires in a platinum setting.
She was speechless. She just stared at him with her mouth agape. She was aware that there was a glorious sunset and somehow she wondered if this was all just a dream.
Nick squeezed her hand and brought her out of her reverie. He was looking at her expectantly. The man had laid his heart on the line and she was making him wait as she tried to find her words.
Finally she just nodded.
Nick wanted to be absolutely sure that he saw what he thought he'd seen. "Was that a yes?"
She nodded a bit more vigorously and finally found her voice. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you." Tears were running down her face again.
Nick slid the ring onto her finger and stood up with a huge grin on his face. "You've made me the happiest man in the world. I love you so much." He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her. They lost themselves in the kiss for a few moments, trying to fathom that what had just transpired was real.
As they broke apart, Sara stared at the ring on her finger. "This is real." She looked up at Nick in complete wonder.
Nick chuckled and squeezed her hand. "It's very real." He leaned in and kissed her again very softly. "Should we go back?"
She grinned at him through her tears and nodded. "I can't believe this." She pulled Nick into another kiss before they turned away from the sunset toward the hotel.
As they turned, they realized they had an audience. Sara glanced over at Nick and started to giggle. "I think they all already know."
Nick started to laugh. "Your deductive reasoning skills are amazing."
"That's why I'm such a damn fine CSI." She smiled and then looked at her hand again. "You asked me to marry you." She stopped and looked at him, tears starting all over again.
"You said yes." He grinned at her and there were tears of happiness brimming in his eyes.
"I love you, Nick." Sara leaned up and kissed him softly. The sound of clapping could be heard coming from the hotel.
Nick glanced over at the line of people against the railing. "From the smiles on their faces, I'd say they're pretty pleased."
As they rejoined the reception, they received a round of applause as Sara lifted her hand for the whole world to see. A grin was stretched across her face. "Nick proposed."
Chloe giggled as she pulled Sara into a hug. "We watched you two on the beach. It was like watching a romantic silent movie. Oh, Sara, I'm so excited for you. I hope you and Nick will be as happy as Ben and I are."
"Thanks, Chloe." Sara grinned at her friend and suddenly, she was glad that Chloe had called her out of the blue and hadn't taken no for an answer about attending her wedding.
Kelly burst through the crowd of guests and rushed up to Sara. "That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen in my entire life." She hugged Sara and squealed. "Let me see your ring!" Her mouth went wide as she looked at the ring. She glanced at Nick and grinned. "You did that when we picked up the gift."
Nick just nodded and as that realization hit Sara she couldn't help but start to cry again. Nick enveloped her in a hug and through her tears she managed to whisper. "I love you so much, Nick. This all seems like a dream."
"It is a dream, Sara. It's a dream come true. I love you." He whispered so softly only she could hear him.