The days began to pass in one quick blur.

Whenever I wasn't helping Ethan plan the perfect proposal, I was painting. I had forgotten how much I loved the smears of paint that ended up on my skin and clothing after a long day of work. It was comforting. And I needed as much as I could bear to get through the day.

Painting was the only thing that was keeping me sane.

It was funny to think that statement could not have been further from the truth days ago. But now, my sketchbook was full. Canvases were covered with art. And my creativity felt like it was endless.

Lily was glued to my side whenever she was home, drawing alongside me. I had missed out on so many years of her life, and I liked that we had something we could now share. I was happy to know Auntie Dylan had a permanent place in her heart.

Although, her constant presence made it impossible to get any work done on her room during the hours I usually would have to spare. During the day, I would sneak away to help with the proposal. And by the time I had a chance to get to Lily's room for painting, she had already come home from school. That only left the middle of the night - which in all honesty, I didn't mind.

It was when everything felt most at peace, and I could paint without any distractions.

"Oh my god," Delilah whispered, looking over the canvases, "Dylan, these are..."

Shit. I knew that pause. A pause like that could never be good. What was she going to say? Were they ugly? Horrible? Terrible? The worst thing she had ever seen before?

"I want to say beautiful, but I don't think that word even does this justice!"

My head snapped to the side. "Really?"

"Of course! Look at your brushwork... and the colours..." She stepped closer. "How are you even going to pick three to submit to the art show?"

"I don't know if I'm going to submit any of these."

"Why not?"

I shrugged, eyes falling to the ground as I picked at my nails. "Don't they feel a little too... literal to the theme?"

"I don't think so." Taking my hand, Delilah guided me to one of the paintings. "See this one you did? The couple is tangled up in each other's arms. Sure, that's literal. But the shadows you painted almost make it seem like they're hidden? Like they're literally in a secret room, or their love is a secret..." She paused, looking over to gauge my reaction. "Is that totally off, or am I a bit on track?"

I felt slightly ashamed to admit that I hadn't thought of my own work in such detail as my sister currently was. But her analysis made perfect sense. "That's a really good take on it," I admitted.

"And these fields you painted, full of flowers with the lake... I take that as places you love to go. You know, like something you find comforting. And these butterflies are so cute!" she squealed. "Dyl, if this is your starting point, I can't imagine what your work will look like a month from now."

"Thanks, Del. That means a lot coming from you."

"You need some more confidence in yourself, baby sister." Delilah looked down at her phone. "Oh, that's Emma. I'll be back in a few hours!"

After a goodbye and hurrying out the door, I was quickly reminded what the purpose of having this chat with my sister was for in the first place.

It was all a part of the grand engagement plan. Operation: surprise Delilah with a proposal before she figures out what's going on. Or, SDWAPBSFOWGO for short. It was a working title.

And SDWAPBSFOWGO all began with a simple distraction. While I talked to Delilah in the garage about my art, Ethan was back in the main house putting together Lily's bag of toys and snacks. He would take her across the street to her best friend's house to get her out of the house for a few hours.

"Trust me, I love my daughter more than anything in the world," Ethan said, "But she will try and run this engagement like it's her own. She really is a mini Delilah. Besides, Lily thinks we're already married. Tonight might be a bit confusing for her if she was here."

Ethan had already planned for the three of them to have a special moment tomorrow - a picnic breakfast at her favourite park where he and Delilah would tell Lily about their engagement. I found it adorable how he thought of a way to include her in the festivities.

Phase one of the plan was completed.

And now, it was onto phase two.

While Delilah was out of the house getting her nails done and having dinner with Emma - who we had given limited information about the night - it was time to set up.

If there was one thing I knew about my sister and proposals, aside from not wanting it to happen on Valentine's day, I knew she wanted something intimate. Therefore, having it at the house was an easy decision. It gave us the privacy she wanted and ensured they were close to Lily just in case something happened. After all, she was a thirty-second walk across the street.

I had to admit it was rather fun directing the two boys around. Neither of them had the best eye for design, but they were ready to help and listen to whatever I said. The seating in the living room was moved to the garage to help open up the space. Sheer white curtains draped from the walls, and string lights hung across the room. The final touch was setting up the projector and screen so Ethan could play the slideshow he made of all their moments together. It was an adorable touch and one he thought of all of his own.

"How does everything look?"

"Amazing," I assured him, fixing his collar. "She's going to love it. This is exactly what my sister has always pictured."

"Hello?" Delilah's voice rang from the doorway.

I said a quick goodbye to Ethan before hurrying into the hallway.

Phase three was officially ready to begin.

"You're not going to believe this dress I just bought!" Delilah said, holding up the garment bag in her hand.

"Yeah? Why don't you try it on and show me?"

Delilah's excitement over her purchase made it easy to pull her off to the bedroom. I was already aware of the dress. Ethan said she had been eyeing it for a while but always made excuses not to buy it. But he knew she loved it.

Earlier, Ethan had gone to the store to purchase the dress and arrange a plan with the store owner. The store was next door to the nail salon, ensuring Delilah would have to walk past and see the dress advertised in the window with a sale price Ethan knew she wouldn't be able to refuse. 

While Delilah was putting on the dress, I ducked into the spare bedroom to get myself changed. This night was special, one that we would all remember. And if that meant I had to ditch my comfortable sweatpants in exchange for a dress, so be it.

"Are you ready?" Delilah called out just as I stepped back out into the hallway.

"Do you have heels on?"

"No. Do I need them?"

"Yes!" I quickly exclaimed, fumbling with the tie of my dress. "I want to see the complete vision!"

"You're right... hold on," she said from the other side of the door, "I know I have the right pair in here somewhere."

Hunter appeared next to me, dressing in a pair of black slacks and a matching blazer jacket with a white button-down shirt underneath. "Need some help?"

With a slight nod, I quietly replied, "I do, actually."

Turning my back to him, I waited until his hands took hold of the two straps before letting go. The last thing I needed was to unintentionally let the front half of my dress fall. His fingertips danced against the bare skin of my back with the lightest touch as he brushed my hair to one side.

His action of tying up my dress was short and quick. But it felt like his touch was forever pressed into my skin.

"Found them!" My sister yelled, causing my breath to hitch in fear.

Oh god, this was it. Any moment now, it would all begin. I could only imagine how Ethan felt right now - I wasn't even the one proposing, and I was this nervous!

"Relax, Dylan," he said softly. "Everything is going to be fine." Hunter's hand trailed down my spine, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. "You look beautiful, by the way."

There's always that one moment people love to write about or watch on screen when it comes to romance; the one where two characters' eyes connect, whether they're standing right next to each other or on opposite sides of the room, and it feels like the rest of the world melts away. That heart-wrenching, palm-sweating, butterfly-enducing moment was how it felt when I looked at Hunter.

In another world, maybe it would be us having an endgame type of love that Delilah and Ethan were lucky enough to have. But in this world, all the way in the soul-crushing reality of life, this wasn't our moment. Not now. Not ever.

And I had to learn to be alright with that.

Even if it meant never losing that feeling when our eyes met. 

"I'll see you out there," Hunter whispered.

I watched as he walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. A sinking feeling settled into my stomach - one that I was quickly trying to push away. This wasn't my moment. It was selfish to think of anyone but my sister.

"Ready?" Delilah cheerfully called out from the other side of the door.

Taking a deep breath, swallowing the sadness away from my tone, I rid myself of any thoughts that had nothing to do with this moment. "Ready!" I called back.

As the door opened and Delilah came into view, she revealed her new outfit and paired it with a glowing smile. The cream dress was an off-the-shoulder, mid-length cut that hung beautifully to every curve and with a slit on one side, it showed off just a bit of leg.

"Del, it's beautiful!"

"Isn't it?" Running her hands against the material, she said, "I just knew I had to-" Falling silent, she looked at me with a furrowed brow. "Did you change? I swear you were just wearing sweatpants when I walked in."

"There's a surprise waiting for you."

"A surprise?" she repeated. "What? Why?"

"Come on!"

That few seconds of Delilah lost in her confusion was my chance to act - if I waited too long, she would fall into a spiral of trying to get me to confess to what was going on. Linking my arm with hers, I led her down the hallway. Delilah let out a quiet gasp as she noticed the candles along either side and the rose petals on the ground. Although I knew the questions were begging to burst out, she stayed silent. Thankfully, it wasn't long until we reached the end of the hall.

The moment she saw Ethan standing at the end of the rose petal pathway, she whispered a shocked, "Oh my god."

I left my sister's side and moved to my spot next to Hunter. At first, I thought it was odd that Ethan wanted us there as he did the official proposing part. However, in a moment alone while we were setting up, Ethan assured me it was what she had envisioned.

"She wanted us to wait until you were back in her life for all of this to happen," he explained, "Family is the most important thing to her and sharing these moments is special - something we haven't been able to do before. She hated it when you couldn't be there when Lily was born or for her first birthday. But now, these are the memories you two do get to share. And she wants her family there. My brother included."

"Do you want us there?"

"Of course, I do."

"Even Hunter?"

Ethan smiled. "Even Hunter. This is a chance for him and me to start fresh. It's important to me that he's a part of this."

Delilah was already crying by the time she made her way to Ethan - who was also a blubbering mess. They were practically married already, aside from signing a piece of paper. But it was clear to see how much this meant to both of them.

"Twelve years ago-"

"Oh god!" she suddenly squealed out, cutting him off.

"Delilah," Ethan began, taking her hands in his.

"Yes?" her voice croaked.

"Are you okay, my love?"

She wiped away her tears. "I'm okay."

"Can I keep going?"

With a nod of approval, Ethan cleared his throat. "Twelve years ago," he started again, "I was at the beach with my family and accidentally kicked my soccer ball too far. Boy, was I glad I did because that led me right to you - the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing whatever I could to get a chance to talk to you, which was mostly me kicking the ball back in your direction, and, do you remember what you said to me?"

"I said you were really bad at soccer."

"You did," he said with a laugh, "But I instantly caved and told you it was so I had an excuse to get to talk to you more." Ethan gently squeezed her hands. "And then you said-"

"No boy has ever pretended to be bad at soccer for me before."

"I left the beach that day heartbroken because after a five-minute conversation, damn, I was in love, Del, and I never thought I would get to see you again. But there you were the next day... and the next... and the next. I thought I hit some insane stroke of luck until you said-"

"I don't even like the beach that much."

"Every summer I would wait until I got the chance to see you again. And whenever we were apart, I would constantly write to you or spend hours with you on the phone." The tears began to fall once again. "You have no idea how thankful I am that I kicked that ball too far because I fell in love with you from the first moment I met you, and every summer, I fell harder. You are the strongest person I know. You are caring, thoughtful, and loving... you make every day worth living, Del. And most of all, you are an amazing mother to Lily."

Ethan reached into his pocket and lowered himself to one knee.

"Delilah Rose Miller," he opened the box, "Will you-"

"Yes!" She gasped, covering her mouth. "Sorry! I just got excited!"

"Will you marry me?"

I had never seen two happier people. The moment Ethan was finally able to ask his question fully, Delilah practically jumped for joy, threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. After a toast of celebrations, Ethan pulled Hunter aside to chat while Delilah showed off her ring.

"It's beautiful, Delilah. I'm so happy for you."

"You'll be my maid of honour, right?"

"Of course!" I pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you."

Delilah raised a brow. "For what?"

"Waiting for me. I can't imagine it was easy putting off wanting to get married when you didn't even know when we'd see each other again."

"You're my sister. Pickle, you have to be there," she teased, using my childhood nickname.

Hunter and I left the two newly engaged love birds to enjoy the rest of the night Ethan had set up, starting with his slideshow of all their memories. I could tell he was proud of it by the way he excitedly moved around the room, setting up the last-minute touches and dimming the lights.

Stepping out into the cold night air, I instantly wrapped my arms around myself. It wasn't a long walk over to the garage, but the temperature didn't help things.

Hunter shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around my frame. "Still not used to the weather, huh?"

"Surprisingly, it takes more than a few days to get used to the cold."

"You did a nice job with everything," he said as we stepped inside.

"I can't take all the credit. I had some help."

I looked out the glass towards the main house. The family room had its large bay window, providing a view inside the house where I could see the two of them watching their slideshow.

"I can't imagine finding what they have at thirteen."

Hunter stood next to me, following my gaze. "They're lucky, that's for damn sure."

"Could you imagine being with someone for that long?"

"When you know, you know," he answered simply.

"Diane called me this morning."

He turned his head. "Oh?"

"She wanted to let me know that the job offer in Europe is still available. And if I want it, it's mine."

"Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know," I confessed.

This job offer was a once in a lifetime opportunity - I would be a fool to turn it down. A month ago, I would have been screaming with excitement at the top of my lungs. But now, I was more lost than ever. It was my dream to work in a gallery and be surrounded by art all day long. And although visiting Europe was on my bucket list, I was sure there was a local gallery around here I could work for. Then I could be near Delilah and see Lily. Besides, I was looking at teaching now. That was my new dream. Right?

Hunter broke the silence and - thankfully - pulled me out of my spiralling thoughts.

"I remember this dress," he said, looking at the silk material. "You wore it that night we went to see that artist you like... Shit, what was his name..." Trailing off in thought, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lauren Dubios."

"Laurent," I corrected. "And if I remember correctly, you got us into that art exhibit by paying someone who worked there to sneak us in through the kitchen."

"It's not my fault that stuck-up exhibit director wouldn't let me buy a ticket. All because I wasn't on some high-society list," he scoffed at the memory, "Besides, you talked about him all the time, so I knew how badly you wanted to go. I would have snuck us in through the vents if I had to."

There was no doubt in my mind, not even for a second that Hunter would've tried to get me to crawl through a vent if paying someone off didn't work. "I was surprised you even thought of going in the first place. I assumed you always zoned out when I talked about art."

"What? Never. I loved hearing about it."

"Really?" My tone had more disbelief than intended. To be fair, if I were in his shoes, I would have zoned off at least a few times, knowing how long-winded I could get sometimes.

Hunter nodded. "I could listen to you for hours."

"That night was special."

"Why? Because you got to see all those boobie pantings?" he teased childishly, nudging my side. "I always knew you were a dirty girl, Dylan."

"No, not that." Turning my head to meet his glance, a smile spread across my lips. "That's the night I fell in love with you."

there will be a few callbacks in the next few chapters. but the one here when they talk about the art exhibit night (flashback in ch19) is one of my favs.

can you believe this story is almost done?? sad!