After taking a small break and digging into some trail mix that we brought along, I steady myself on the rocks enough to pull myself up. My leg is still hurting, but I’m up and walking. “Do you need me to help you?” Clementine asks, so adorably.

                          
“I love you, Clem, but if I started to fall, you’d totally fall with me. I’m good, just need to get walking and let it work itself out.”

                          
“You’re so stubborn.”

                          
“I know, now get hiking again.” I playfully smack her ass to get her moving. She looks back over her shoulder at me, trying to look annoyed, but I can tell she liked it. Who knew that my sweet Clementine had an ass kink. Fuck, I love her.

                          
“Wait, is that it over there?” The last bit took longer than it should have, but Clem points ahead to a large opening cut into the mountains and I know that is exactly where we’re heading. With a bit more pep in our step, we pick up our pace a little bit.

                          
“Wow, Graham was right, it’s beautiful in here.” I stand at the entrance to the grotto while Clementine walks ahead and takes it all in. Her mouth gapes open as she runs her hands against the rough stone of the cave walls that have a beautiful shimmer to them.

                          
“What are you waiting for, Robbie? Come inside.” I slide off my backpack and set it down next to hers, but before I do so, I open the front pocket and pull out the little black box that’s been burning a hole in my gun safe for weeks. I tuck it into my pocket and make my way over to Clem who is almost on the other side of the cave by now.

                          
“Have you ever seen anything like this, Clementine?” My arms wrap around her from behind and I rest my head on her shoulder. 

                          
“I don’t think so. I’ve spent my fair share of time out in nature, but it is usually rolling hills and forests, nothing like this. I’m glad I didn’t give up.” She turns around in my arms, my hands now resting on her hips. “Thank you for giving me the support to her up here and pushing through, even though I know you’re in a lot of pain.”

                          
For a moment there, I had actually forgotten about my leg. I’m too busy trying to figure out exactly what I’m going to say to her. “My leg is fine.’

                          
She reaches up on her tiptoes and kisses my lips. “I know you’re lying to me. I can see it all over your face. You’re walking with a slight limp and every time you put too much weight on it you wince.”

                          
“Nah, I’m doing fine. I can even prove it to you.”

                          
She throws her head back and laughs. “Oh yeah, what are you going to do, jumping jacks? Maybe some burpees?”

                          
I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and shake my head. “No, I was thinking more something like this.” I take a step back and drop down to one knee. Sure enough, my hip is screaming at me, but it can fuck right the eff off because nothing is stopping me from doing this.

                          
“Robbie…” Clem’s mouth drops open and I already see the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. I pull the ring out of my pocket and hold her left hand with my right. 

                          
“Clementine, I don’t know what I could possibly say that would adequately summarize my feelings for you. All I know is that I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m with you. I didn’t have a meaning in my life and I was just going through the day-to-day motions, but the thing that brought us together, baseball, was oddly enough the thing that helped us find our way back to each other.”

                          
“I know that our story isn’t traditional, but traditional is overrated. Our story is real-life and full of ups and downs, sometimes it is messy, but in its imperfection, it is exactly perfect. I love you and I love our daughter and I love our life together. The only thing that could make it better is if you promised to be my love forever. Clementine Majorie Alexander, will you marry me?”

                          
I could tell that she was bursting at the seams with excitement. Her knees were bobbing up and down and if I waited much longer, I was afraid she’d blow through the top of the grotto. Her head nodded up and down and a few tears escaped. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you, Robbie. Of course, I will!”

                          
Both of our fingers were shaking as I took the ring from the box and tried to slide it onto her finger. It fit just perfect, thanks to a hint from Harlow and Catarina. They both knew because I wanted help picking out a ring, but they were sworn to secrecy. Clementine holds her hand into the light shining through the opening of the grotto and stares at her ring. “Oh my God, Robbie, this is so beautiful. It’s….just perfect.”

                          
“I’m glad you like it, babe. But listen, can you do me a favor?”

                          
“Anything….fiance.” Her eyebrows wiggle at the word.

                          
“Do you think you can help me just a little bit in standing up. I may have been bullshitting you about how much my leg was hurting.”

                          
With a full belly laugh, Clementine puts both her hands out and does her best to support my weight and help me stand up. A few more curse words escape, but once I’m on my feet, Clem wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down to her sweet lips. 

                          
“I love you so much, Robbie.”

                          
“I love you too, Clementine. Spending the rest of our lives together is the icing on the cake of our story.”

                          
“You know what would be the icing on the cake of this hike?”

                          
“What’s that? Is the ring not enough for you?” I tease her.

                          
“Oh the ring is more than enough, but I was thinking that parking lot was pretty quiet and I bet we could have a mini-celebration, just the two of us.” Her finger draws a line down my chest and ends at my pants, making my cock stir.

                          
“Are you insinuating that you want to do the nasty in the parking lot?”

                          
“I mean unless you aren’t up for it.” She quickly glances down at my cock and then licks her lips.

                          
“Oh, I’ll be fucking up for it. Race you down the damn mountain.”