Closing his eyes as she stiffened he swallowed down the lump once again. Just twenty-four ago, she was in his arms easily without worrying about her pulling away. And now? Now she was stiffening at his touch. Even as she relaxed he could tell it wasn't natural, that she was having to force herself to relax again. Though it felt nice for her to finally bury her head in his chest, and he just held her like that, the lump still in his throat.
They'd come an incredibly long way in the two and a half years they'd known each other. From the first day that he'd found her in Flourish and Blotts, and throughout the first year, it had taken a lot to get her to trust him. And in just a few short minutes, he'd completely blown it without even meaning to. From Sutton's kiss and then admitting it to her, to now having her stiffen at his touch and knowing he needed to regain his trust, Isaac knew that it was going to be a long time before she would trust him again.
Seeing her smile, it relaxed him a little, as she pulled back. He had no plans on seeing Sutton any time soon. That first meeting after all that happened was going to be a complete disaster and they'd probably both be making a run for it. She was still like a sister to him, but it had changed too with that kiss. It was weird, like having a kid sister kiss you like they were in love. It just wasn't right. He knew one thing was for sure, and that he would not be breaking that promise.
"I know this isn't the way I planned this." he said softly shivering slightly now that his knees were in the snow. "And I definitely didn't plan on throwing the words at you earlier. But I do love ye and want ye te be me wife." The seconds felt like a life time as she hesitated before answering. If she said no, he knew he'd be spending the remainder of the year showing her how much she meant to him, until she was ready to say yes. They had a lot they needed to work out, but so did many others in a relationship, and knew they could do this.
As she nodded her head slightly and said yes, his eyes softened even more as a smile blossomed on his face fully with no trace of worry on it. They needed to talk yes, but right then her answer was all that mattered! Slipping his hand into his pocket, he took her hand in his and slipped the
ring onto her finger, before rising and picking her up and twirling her around.
Cold or not, whether she stiffened at his touch again or not, he wasn't put out all he cared about was she was his fiance!