Part: As the Sun Rises 1.3

Lilian sighed as she heard the trunk of Dave's GMC Envoy slam shut, wiggling her hands into the sleeves of Dave's sweatshirt, crossing her arms over her chest as she shivered slightly. She hated getting up early, and she hated the cold weather that had decided to strike on their last morning in the mountains. Still, Lilian understood that Dave wanted to get moving early; after all, Summer Slam was that night, and Dave was facing Shelton Benjamin, one of the most hyped
matches on the card, and she was scheduled to do quite a few interviews. She also knew that before they were even off the mountain, she would probably be fast asleep. She heard him moving, not surprised when a few seconds later he appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"It's chilly," Lilian murmured, laying the back of her head against Dave's chest.

"It's still beautiful," Dave pointed out, gesturing to the sun rising.

"I don't want to leave. I want to stay here forever," Lilian told him. "Do you think anyone would notice if we didn't show up?"

"I'm kinda hard not to miss, baby," Dave chuckled, kissing her cheek.

"Tell me about it," Lilian laughed. They stood in silence and with another sigh, Lilian asked, "Well, are you ready?"

"Not exactly," Dave replied as he sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

Lilian turned around, slightly confused, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Lilian, the whole reason I wanted you to come up here with me was so that I could show you how much I love you," Dave told her, placing his hands on her arms.

"I'm glad you brought me up here," Lilian replied, still confused. "I know you love me, and I hope you know that I love you too."

"I think that this weekend was a major realization to me," Dave murmured, pausing for a long moment, trying to get his words right.

"Why's that?" Lilian prompted gently.

"I love you, Lilian, and I want you to spend the rest of your life with me," Dave said softly, reaching into his pocket.

"Dave, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Lilian asked nervously.

Dave pulled out a worn velvet box, stroking a thumb over the material before looking at Lilian. He knelt on one knee and said, "Lilian, this is the ring my grandfather gave my grandmother, who in turn gave it to my father to give to my mother. Before he died, my dad told me he wanted the one woman I love to have this ring. Lilian, I've found her. Will you marry me?"

Lilian sniffled, wiping her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand, holding out her left hand for him. "Yes, I will."

Dave smiled, sliding the ring on her finger. Despite its age, the gold ring and its three diamonds sparkled in the sunlight. "It's beautiful," Lilian whispered. "It's perfect."

Dave stood up, pulling Lilian against his chest. They hugged for a long time, simply holding each other.

"Now I really don't want to leave this mountain," Lilian giggled, pulling away from Dave to look at the ring once again.

"Look at it this way, sugar. The sooner we leave the sooner we can celebrate," Dave suggested, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Didn't we have enough sex this week?" Lilian asked, slapping his shoulder playfully.

"One can never have too much sex, especially with an irresistible woman like you," Dave declared, glancing at Lilian, his desire to make love stronger than it had ever been. "Okay, we need to stop talking about sex right now."

"Why wait? There's always your truck," Lilian pointed out.

"Oh, no you don't! The last time we had sex in a car I ended up with a concussion, you broke your foot, and the poor boy scout leader looking for directions nearly had a heart attack!" Dave replied, sweeping her easily in his arms.

Lilian laughed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him gently.
"I love you."

"I love you too."

End 1.3

Next Part: Wedding Plans