Page 45 of Fruit and Flash

“Henrietta, Roo-Paul, stop pecking at Moira Rose’s head.”

Adjusting to life on Hayes’ farm wasn’t as hard as one might think. I get up earlier, but I go to bed with my man every night, so I can’t complain about that change. On the contrary, I love doing things on Hayes’ schedule so I get more time with him.

A bigger adjustment has been having a built in accepting family from Hayes’ sister and friends. My family isn’t horrible or anything, they’re just busy. My parents were always working, never having time for fun, and they instilled a strong work ethic in me.

Living on a farm means a lot of work, on top of my content creation, but Hayes also reminds me to slow down and enjoy life more. After the plants have been cared for and the animals fed, we can sit back and be together without worrying how it looks. On the farm, no one is there to judge us.

Sure, people online have plenty to say, but I no longer fear blocking them or turning off comments. They’re all just lucky I find it cute when they leave thirsty messages about my boyfriend.

Hayes is hot. His broad shoulders, perfect mustache and beard, worn cowboy hat, and tight blue jeans do it for me as much as the day we met. I get it.

The only one Hayes wants is me, and that means I can handle whatever they throw at us.

Walking past the finished tiny house project with its new flower boxes and fresh white paint, I feel a sense of pride at a job well done. We considered having it as a short term rental, but decided to keep it for friends and family. One of my younger sisters came out to visit in January, and Meg has already said she’s moving in when she turns eighteen.

Making my way back to the barn, I find it empty of the man who’s never far from my mind. “Hayes?” I call out, only getting a moo back before the goats start up their own bleating chorus.

Checking the stalls, I see they all have food and water, they’re just begging because I’m here. We’ve added a few animals in the six months since I decided to stay permanently. The newest editions are some alpacas from our neighbor Mickey’s farm, and they’re so cute and fluffy! I’m hoping to learn how to work with their fleece, but if not, I still like them.

“Hey there Blinky and Inky,” I greet the alpacas and they rush over to get pets.

Next to them, there’s also the two bummer lambs from a neighbor that Hayes has said I shouldn’t name because they’re for food. I call them ‘Chop and Awe’ when he’s not looking, but I’m glad they’re done with bottle feeding, because that was a lot of work.

Next up I want to get some emus, because then we could sell the giant eggs at the stand as a new attraction, since the lavender and saffron have gone so well.

The sound of a distant neighing pulls me up short at the entrance to the barn. We don’t have any horses. Opie, the mini-donkey, makes more of a braying sound. Our nearest neighbors have fields, but no horses, either.

Then, I see a trail of petals leading towards the trees at the back of the property. The cherry trees have been blooming for a couple months now, so there’s petals everywhere, but this is more of a deliberate path. Smiling to myself, because this feels like Hayes did something sweet, I wonder if he put together a picnic.

The April weather has been gorgeous. Not too hot or cold, sunny most days, and I’m reminded of the day I stumbled upon Hayes a year before. I simultaneously feel as though it has been years since then, but also like no time at all.

Another neigh reaches me and I remember a conversation we had.

Recently, I told Hayes that he couldn’t be a cowboy without a horse. He said horses are a ton of work, mentioning his sister’s barrel racing horses, though he admitted those were more time and effort than pets. I joked that a mini-horse would be the perfect size to be besties with Opie, and Hayes just smiled and shook his head before distracting me with kisses.

Shadow lopes over to me and I see he has a collar made of flowers. Kneeling down, I run my fingers through his hair and compliment his new look. “Well don’t you look pretty! Did your other dad make this for you?”

Shadow yips and runs off toward the back of the property, so I give chase, jogging along to catch up. He rounds a corner and I come to a stop at what I see. Standing beside Hayes in his best jeans is a small horse with a matching flower necklace to Shadow’s.

Hayes looks nervous as he holds out a bouquet of wildflowers for me to take as I come to stand in front of my man and the horse, with Shadow sitting beside them and looking up expectantly.

“Three hundred and sixty-five days ago your rental car broke down,” Hayes starts and I blink in surprise.

“So today is our anniversary?”

He nods and goes on, “That’s three hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes since I met you and you changed my whole world.”

Tilting my head, I can’t help my laugh of amusement. “Did you just quote a musical?”

Ignoring my question, Hayes grins and continues. “I want thousands more days, and millions more seconds with you.” Going down on one knee in the dirt, he pulls a box from his plaid shirt pocket. “Will you marry me, Kaimana Hale?”

A sharp breath and I’m stumbling forward as if there’s a giant hand leading me closer to the man I love. Putting my hands on Hayes’ shoulders, I try to respond and find my throat clogged. Clearing it, I look over at the horse and back to him.

“Did you get me a pony as a ‘will you marry me’ present?” I finally ask.

“I’d get you a whole circus if you wanted, Hawai’i,” Hayes answers with a crooked smile. “But my knee is starting to hurt, so is that a yes?”

“Yes, my handsome, wonderful, amazing Farmboy. I will gladly marry you. Even without the giant present,” I tell him in a watery laugh. Then I add. “But I’m keeping the mini-horse and naming him Marry Me.”