One year later

Noah had been actingstrange all day. It had started with their hike in the state park that morning. They were celebrating the one-year anniversary of their first official date by spending the entire day together.

It was a perfect summer day, the heat tempered by a cooling lake-effect breeze. During their morning hike through the state park, bright sunshine had shone down from a cloudless deep blue sky, its golden rays gleaming off verdant green leaves and releasing the scent of fragrant pine needles. Despite the beauty of their surroundings, Noah had clearly been distracted. He'd tripped over tree roots and forced her to repeat herself numerous times because he kept missing what she said.

After the hike, they'd treated themselves to ice cream for lunch at the Dairy House. And while she polished off her double dip cone of Moose Tracks, he'd sat there daydreaming so long that his ice cream melted all over his hand and he ended up tossing it out without finishing it.

Now, they were at the beach enjoying time with Noah's two siblings and their wives. They'd all played in the late-afternoon waves and shared a lovely picnic dinner in the adjacent park. But again, Noah had been out of it throughout most of their conversations.

All three couples had brought along their dogs. And Maggie laughed as she watched how Noah's brother Wade and wife Cassie's tiny white fluffball, Angel, had proven very successful at eluding both Boon, and Jake and Alex's golden retriever, Rex, in a game of tag. The little dog pranced and hopped around, totally controlling the game as they chased each other around the picnic tables.

It was close to sunset now and everyone was starting to clean up. The other two couples offered to watch Boon so Maggie and Noah could take one last walk along the shore.

"It's your anniversary!" Alex said, shooing Maggie away as she attempted to clear off some of the remaining paperware. "And this is the most romantic time of day. You two should spend it together instead of standing here cleaning up with us old married couples."

"There's only a little bit more to do," Maggie protested. "Besides, I think if anyone should stop cleaning right now, it should be you." Maggie eyed Alex's tired expression and large, rounded belly.

Alex grinned and gently smoothed a hand over her pregnant form. "Baby Boy Riley is just fine in there. Too fine. Maybe my moving around will encourage him to finally move out. We're so ready to meet him."

"Yes, we are," Jake said, joining the group and kissing the top of his wife's head.

"I still can't believe I'm finally going to be an uncle," Noah said, tossing a handful of trash into the garbage can.

"Well, you are, bro," Jake said.

"We both are," Wade added as he finished scraping off the grill.

"And I'm going to be cool Aunt Cassie," Cassie said, grinning from beside her husband.

"Yes, yes," Alex said, sitting down awkwardly on the picnic bench where they'd eaten. "But you guys are all distracting me from my original point to Maggie."

"Which was?" Noah said.

"That you should take your lovely lady here for a walk before the sun sets or you'll miss it."

"Yeah, bro," Jake said. "I mean, one year of successful dating with nobody dying, losing a limb, or ending up in jail? Now, that's definitely something you should celebrate."

Noah lunged toward his brother, but Maggie laughed and grabbed for Noah's hand, pulling him back toward her. "C'mon! I want the sunset stroll you promised me this morning."

"Okay, okay," Noah said, tossing an "I'll deal with you later," over his shoulder to his brother.

Slowly, the two of them made their way up the shoreline. The crowds from earlier had thinned. And now there were only a few scattered families and couples left, many of them sitting on the benches that faced the water as they prepared to watch nature's nightly show.

Maggie gazed up at Noah. Even after a year together, when she looked at him, he still took her breath away.

They walked in companionable silence up the beach and out to the end of the lighthouse pier to look down at the waves crashing against the base of the massive structure. It wasn't until they were on their way back up the beach again that Maggie finally spoke.

"Jake's right, you know," she said. "You have totally crushed your FDF record."

Noah grinned down at her. "I have, haven't I? We've had some pretty special times."

And they had. During the course of their year together, he'd taken her on some of the most romantic dates she could have imagined: candlelight picnics under the stars, a hot air balloon ride at sunrise, a chocolate making class for two, and even a surprise weekend getaway to a beautiful resort in the mountains. Maggie had discovered that Noah was a true romantic. He'd gone above and beyond to make their times together unforgettable.

"We have," Maggie agreed, her voice soft. "But you know what? It's not just about the grand romantic gestures. It's...all of it."

They'd rediscovered shared interests, tried new things together, and the love that had been borne during their high school days together had matured, growing deeper, richer. That first bloom of love was only a whisper in comparison to what she felt for the man standing beside her now.

For Maggie, an added bonus to their relationship had been getting to know Noah's siblings, along with Cassie and Alex. Although they all had such different interests, his family had seamlessly welcomed Maggie into their fold.

They were almost back to the group when Noah stopped, turning her to face the horizon and wrapping his arms around her. Maggie leaned back against him and sighed with contentment as they soaked up the view.

The sky was a rich canvas of color, awash with hues of rose and tangerine, while deep amethyst clouds floated at the horizon. The sun's fading light danced on the water's surface, casting a glittering path that stretched into the distance. A soft breeze drifted over them, mingling the tang of the lake with the sweet scent of nearby blooming night jasmine, reminding Maggie of that first night when Noah had sung to her, and they'd confessed their love for each other.

The sun dipped lower and lower. When it was just about to touch the horizon, on impulse, she spun around in the circle of his arms and rising up on her toes, kissed him soft, slow and sweet.

"What was that for?" Noah whispered against her lips.

"I'm just so happy," Maggie said. "I love you so much."

He was quiet in response, and Maggie pulled back to look at him. He wore an enigmatic expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Instead of responding, Noah turned his head and gave a whistle.

Boon was suddenly bounding across the sand toward them. He was quivering with excitement, his pink tongue lolling.

"Boon, no, boy! You're not allowed on the beach!" Maggie cried.

"He's got special dispensation," Jake called out. Maggie glanced over and saw that their initial small group had grown in size. In fact, it had swelled considerably. She now saw J.P., Tilly, Rita, George, Hugo, Ani, Jaime, Jack, Gretchen, and Margot had joined them. And they were all walking toward the shoreline where she and Noah stood.

Her gaze swept the group in confusion then returned to Noah. "What's going on?" she said.

He cleared his throat. "Boon and I have a question for you?" he said. He ordered the wriggling dog to sit down beside him, and then dropped to one knee right there on the sand. It was only then that Maggie noticed a new blue kerchief bunched up around Boon's neck.

She watched in shock as Noah smoothed the kerchief out with trembling fingers. The words on it read, "Mommy, will you marry my Daddy?"

Maggie gasped and her heart skipped a beat as Noah pulled out a small, velvet ring box. He pried it open to reveal a gorgeous marquis diamond that glittered in the glowing light of the sunset.

"Maggie Milena," he said, his eyes locking with hers. "I love you. Will you marry me?

She felt as if her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest as she exclaimed, "Yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!"

Noah broke into a wide grin, his face lit with joy as he leaped to his feet. Maggie threw her arms around his neck, kissing him all over his face as he lifted her off the ground. The rest of the group erupted into cheers, and soon they were surrounded by barking dogs, glowing smiles, and a symphony of enthusiastic well wishes.

Amidst the hubbub, Noah leaned close and whispered into her ear, "Maggie Milena, you are and always will be my dream girl. Thank you for making my dream come true.

Then she whispered back, "And thank you, Noah Riley. For finally giving me my very own happy ending."

And they all lived happily ever after.

***