The Lost Wolf Pup

Chapter 39:A New Beginning

Pacing around the room, the wood slightly creaking with each step as I thought about how I would propose to Hailey. She had gone downstairs to get food, unaware of my lingering fears. Despite being months, I still fear it is too soon; the worry only worsens as I get lost in my mind. I shake off the thoughts, knowing they would not help; instead, I think about how I would propose. I knew it had to be memorable; after everything that had happened, I knew I wanted this to be something we would never forget.

Hailey had never been one for extravagant things; we both enjoyed the little things in life due to our pasts, so I knew I had to do something small and meaningful for the proposal. Looking back, I remember when Hailey and I would sit in the kitchen and learn new recipes together. We both enjoyed making food for fun or to release stress. Even after the war, I recall countless nights we baked due to our nightmares and fears.

I continued brainstorming ideas and remembered I had bought Hailey and me a house after finding out she was pregnant with our child. I quickly run down the stairs into the kitchen, smiling softly as I see Hailey sitting at the small dining table eating a small snack, seemingly lost in her mind. I make sure to step on the parts of the floor that creak so as to not startle Haliey. Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, she looks up at me with a tired smile; as the months have gone by, Hailey has been getting more exhausted as she has been having trouble sleeping.

I stare at her for a bit longer before saying what's on my mind, "Hailey, love, do you think you are up to travel somewhere?" considering my question, Hailey nods as she stands up. However, before she could get completely up, I swiftly picked her up bridle style, causing her to gasp and burst into giggles. I walk to the car, still holding her in my arms, and softly set her into the passenger seat after opening the door. After ensuring she was comfortable and buckled in, I entered my seat and started the car. While driving towards where our new house is, I start to get nervous, worried Hailey might not like it, but before I could get stuck in my spiraling thoughts, Hailey starts to point out the tree's leaves as they fall, reminding me how it is now the beginning of Autumn. I begin to pay attention to how the road looks more vibrant at this time, as the leaves of many shades of red, green, and yellow cover the once dull gray streets.

I pull up to the house, my hands starting to sweat as I get out of the car. Walking over to Hailey's door, I notice how she seems to be staring in awe as I help her out of the car. I take a deep breath, pick her up, and walk towards the house. As we make it up the steps, I slowly set Hailey down, grabbing the keys and opening the door. Before I could take a step inside, Hailey grabbed my hand. "What is this?" I look down at the ground, take a deep breath, and then look back up at Hailey with a wary smile, "This is our new house; I bought it after I found out you were pregnant." I stare into her eyes, waiting for her to react, and as I think this is a bad idea, I notice Hailey starting to cry.

Tears fall down her face as she covers her mouth with her hand, staring at the inside of the unfurnished house. "This is ours? Really?" I nod, not knowing whether the tears she is shedding are happy. She throws herself at me, catching me off guard, but I catch my footing before we fall, tears forming in my eyes as I hear Hailey's quiet mumbles of "This is perfect" and "Thank yous." We sit there for a couple of minutes as Hailey calms down; once she's done wiping her eyes, I hold open the door more, inviting her to walk in first. Hailey happily walks inside, looking around the vast open space, already talking about how she wants to decorate it.

As we make our way to the kitchen, I hear Hailey gasp. She stares at the kitchen in awe, taking in the white marbled counters, the slick black oven, and the fridge beside each other on the other side, but the thing that her attention is mainly on is the three cups on the counter, one that says mom, one that says dad, and a small blue sippy cup that sits between them. She walks over to the counter, hand over her mouth, and slowly picks up the small blue sippy cup. She turns it over in her hand, taking in what it looks like.

I walk up behind her, softly grabbing the hand covering her mouth, and slowly pull her towards the kitchen. Opening the cupboards, I take out some items and smile as I see the grin growing on Hailey's face. "Would you like to make some cupcakes?" As I start to set the pan and the ingredients on the counter. Hailey nods happily as she grabs what she needs to make the batter. We sit there in a calm silence as Hailey makes the batter and I make the frosting. Hailey poured the batter into the pan, the oven beeping as it was done preheating.

Taking the pan, I place the cupcakes in the oven and set the timer before I stick my finger into the bowl of leftover batter and put some on Hailey's nose, laughing. I hear Hailey gasp behind me as I quickly move to the other side of the kitchen, and as I turn around, I feel as Hailey throws the bag of leftover flour on me. I stare at her in shock as I wipe my eyes, looking for something else to throw at her. I quickly grab the spatula and rub the frosting I was making all over her cheek, laughing as she stares at me with false anger. We continue to make a mess in the room, and both jump in shock as the timer beeps. We look at each other, and the mess before we both burst into more laughter.

Calming down, I grab the oven mitt and slowly take out the cupcakes. As I place them down on top of the stove, Hailey goes to one of the bathrooms to clean off, and as she leaves the room, I slowly take out the ring I plan on proposing to her with. Once the cupcakes cool down, I put frosting on all except one. Placing the ring softly into the cupcake, I take the frosting and make a border around the ring.

Picking up the cupcake, I wait quietly as I hear Hailey re-enter the kitchen, and as I turn around, I get down on one knee and hold it up towards her. I stare into her eyes, a broad smile on my face, and while still covered in flour, I say what I've been wanting to say for months. "Hailey, the love of my life, we have both been through so much together and as we start our new chapter and plan for our bright future, I ask you to make me the luckiest man alive and agree to become my wife." I watch Hailey's eyes fill with tears once more as she nods, her mumbling yes's getting louder as I take the ring and softly place it on her finger. Standing up, I kiss her gently, smiling as the tears run down our faces as we prepare to take this step in our lives.