The two of you had returned home with copious amounts of groceries, much more than you figured was necessary. "I think this might have been our biggest trip to Pierre's yet." You joked. "How did we end up with so many groceries?"
"Shopping hungry. Rookie mistake." Shane patted his stomach jokingly. "Plus a lot of these are for Marnie."
"That's true." You agreed. "I should probably go ahead and take these down to the Ranch. It's been getting dark earlier."
"Are you sure you don't want me to do it? I can go with you, at least."
You kindly denied your fiancé's offer. "It's okay, babe. You need to relax. Isn't there a gridball game on today?" His eyes darted excitedly towards the television, instantly answering your question without any doubt. "Stay and watch it. I'll be back soon."
"Alright, but be safe." He wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. "It will be dark when you get back, so please take a flashlight." He walked over to the rummage drawer and pulled out a huge industrial flashlight. He tucked it into one of the many grocery bags you would be transporting and kissed your forehead. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Okay!" You grinned chipperly, clutching onto your last moment of warmth before bracing yourself to face the cold tundra that had overtaken the Valley. You left the farmhouse and hurried as fast as possible to Marnie's. The sun was already beginning to set when you arrived, despite the fact it wasn't even dinner time yet.
"(Y/N)!" Marnie exclaimed as you forced the Ranch's door shut against the icy winds. "Shane just called! Come on inside, let me get you some hot cocoa." You followed her into the kitchen and she poured a mug full of the chocolatey drink and topped it with thick marshmallows. It looked irresistible.
"What was Shane calling about?" You asked, taking the drink gratefully.
"He was just explaining why he wouldn't be spending the night here tonight as usual." She grabbed a cup for herself. You had nearly forgotten it was Saturday... Shane always spent the evening at the Ranch and stayed over until Sunday afternoon to spend time with Jas.
"Why's that?" You asked, suddenly curious.
Marnie looked at you slightly puzzled. "He said that he wanted to stay with you during your first snow here to make sure everything is okay with the old farmhouse. Did he not tell you that?"
You shook your head but completely understood why. You sometimes had trouble accepting when people went out of their way to help you, and Shane was well aware of this. "That's really sweet of him." You smiled. "Speaking of Shane, I should probably start home before it gets too dark out."
"Ah, that's a great idea." Marnie grinned. "Thank you so much for stopping by and getting my groceries. I didn't want to drag Jas out to the store in this weather. Let me settle up then you'll be on your way. How much was the bill?"
"Just over 120g." You didn't like taking money from Marnie, but you knew she would be upset if you didn't let her. "And Harvey was out of Lingcod, but I can go check with Willy in the morning."
"Oh, no worries. I can survive without it." She rummaged through her purse until she had assembled enough coins. "Thank you so much, sweetie. And make sure you tell my nephew that we say hello!"
You took your money and the flashlight, returned the goodbye, and left back home. You were able to return home significantly faster given your lightened load, yet the sun had already set, making crossing through the farm a dark, bleak affair.
You felt an intense sigh of relief when you were finally able to see the glow of the lights of the farmhouse and climb up the frosted wooden stairs to your home. You opened the door with expectations of your fiancé sitting on the couch with a plate of microwavable pepper poppers and groceries still on the table, but you were pleasantly surprised.
All of the lights were dimmed romantically and you beheld the kitchen table in front of you, decorated with rose petals and an elegant dinner setting. Shane sat behind two candles and eagerly stood up, rushing to help you out of your winter gear.
"What's this?" You asked, baffled, as Shane gently took off your coat.
"Our first date." He grinned, leading you over to the seat across from his. "If you don't remember, I kind of ruined our last one." He chuckled, but you could tell there was an uncomfortable truth behind his words. Nevertheless, he brushed it off and gently draped a napkin across your lap. "I tried to recreate the Salmon Dinner we had on that picnic. I even got Gus to let me have some of the Stardrop Hot Sauce." He gestured to a small cup of the reddish-purple sauce. "It's probably not as good as what you get at the Saloon, but I tried my best."
It smelled divine, and your stomach growled on cue as Shane set a large piece of salmon on the amaranth and kale already on your plate. "This looks so good." Was all you could mutter as you eagerly took a bite. "Yoba, it's perfect."
Your fiancé boasted in the praise as he joined you in devouring the delicious meal. "Wow, this isn't that bad."
"Are you kidding? It's amazing!"
"It is, isn't it?" He took another bite to reassure himself before letting himself dive in completely.
The two of you didn't talk much during supper, instead choosing to focus on the feast that was prepared in front of you. After you had finished, Shane took your hand and led you over to the couch. "Now, I know it's not raining, but I felt like this was a very important part of our first date." He sat down on the farthest edge and you sat as close to him as possible. He threw a thick faux fur blanket over the two of you and wrapped his arm around your waist as he looked deep into your eyes.
It all came rushing back to you. The love you felt for him and the agony of not knowing if he felt the same. You dared a glance at his lips and remembered how badly you had wanted them against yours. "I'm not sure if you remember our first kiss..." He started to whisper.
"How could I forget?" Your eye contact never broke as you felt the same passion that you had almost a year ago.
Shane leaned in, your lips hovered apart from his impatiently, each of you silently begging the other to make the first move. It was happening again, and oh, you were more than ready to relive it.
Your mind flashed back to the exact moment your fiancé was perfectly recreating. He lightly put a finger on your chin and tilted your head up, just like he had done before. You didn't realize that love could feel like this over and over again, yet it did. You met your gaze with his as if you could see literal sparks flying in his vision. You shuddered beneath his touch as he carefully traced every detail and nuance of your face with his fingers. His hand gently wrapped around the back of your head, holding your focus to him as he slid his other hand down to your waist. You just wanted his lips to be crushed against yours, just like you had on that first date.
You watched as he finally made the move you had been silently begging for. You closed your eyes and let your arms drape around his neck, gently resting on his shoulders. His soft lips pushed into yours as you felt the familiar sensation of his short beard tickling your face. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he slid his hands to your waist and drew you in closer. The warmth of his body against yours was something you had been craving throughout the cold winter day and finally fulfilling this desire was everything you had hoped it to be. His familiar scent lingered in the air around you as he gently pulled away with a final squeeze. You cuddled into him and let yourself relax against his sturdy presence. "Thank you."
"Of course." He whispered, snuggling you back. "I hope this was a nice surprise."
"If I hadn't received the most amazing proposal last season, I wouldn't believe there could be a nicer surprise." You reassured him as you let the bliss of your evening sink in.
✏️ A/N: Hey all! So sorry that this is a week+ late. Still getting into the swing of things again. I really hope you enjoyed it! The next installment, Chapter 51: Girls' Day, will be published on November 27, 2022. xoxo Kira