I squinted suspiciously—mildly offended at this point—but shrugged it off. Then came another gentle nudge and another. By the fourth suggestion, I finally gave in. “Fine! I’ll shower!”

The house felt unusually quiet when I stepped out of the bathroom, still slightly damp. But then I saw the path of rose petals leading outside the bathroom door. So what did I do? I immediately turned around, returned to the bathroom, and did my hair and makeup. No way was I letting whatever this was, go down while I was in sweats with wet hair.  Twenty minutes later, I followed the rose petals upstairs and outside.

Kevin stood at the cliff’s edge, surrounded by the most breathtaking setup I’d ever seen. A path of rose petals led to a table adorned with champagne and flowers, the sun’s soft glow casting everything in magic. My heart raced as I realized what was happening.

Kevin walked toward me with that smile that I love so much, and his eyes were full of emotion. Taking my hands, he said softly, “Bethany, you are my best friend. You make every day brighter and every moment better. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

At this point it started to rain softly, but I no longer cared about the amount of moisture in my locks.  Through the happy tears streaming down my face, I managed a nod and a joyful “Yes! Of course, yes!”

There was laughter, champagne, and so many hugs as Kevin slipped the most beautiful ring onto my finger. I couldn’t stop smiling.

Later that night, as we toast and swap stories under the stars, I laughed, teasing everyone. “You all couldn’t just let me stay clueless and unshowered, could you?”

Kevin grinned, wrapping an arm around me. “I wanted it to be perfect—even if you did scare everyone by making us wait so long!”