Mason

I'm taking Daphne on a date today to cheer her up. She's had a rough few days with the creepy flower deliveries. I have a buddy of mine looking into it, but it does worry me. One time could be a mistake, but two is on purpose.

Today will be good for both of us. We can have fun and forget about all of the stressful things life throws at us.

Kat is at Daphne's helping her get ready. I was keeping our destination a secret from her so Kat is there to help her pick out an appropriate outfit. Daphne is beautiful in whatever she wears, don't get me wrong, this date just requires jeans and boots so I don't want her to show up in a dress and heels.

I'm excited to see Daphne's reaction when we get to our destination. I think she's going to love it.

I got in my car, ready to pick up Daphne. I hope she enjoys herself today, she deserves it. I hate seeing her stressed out. I like the happy Daphne with the brightest smile in the world.

I took the elevator up and knocked on Daphne's door. She opened right away and stepped outside.

"You look beautiful," I told her and gave her a kiss. She was wearing skinny jeans and a t-shirt with a flannel overtop and she had on hiking boots.

"Now will you tell me where we're going?" she asked and I almost gave in when she pouted.

"Nope. You'll have to wait and see."

She groaned but didn't push any more. We had a little bit of a ride ahead of us so I turned on some music and rested my hand on Daphne's thigh so she could trace shapes on it while I drove.

"So," Daphne said about halfway through the drive, "where are we going?"

"I'm not telling you Daph. You'll just have to be patient."

She slumped down in her seat and I chuckled. When we got close to our destination I made her cover her eyes so she couldn't see. I drove down the driveway, peeking over to make sure she wasn't looking.

"Can I open yet?" Daphne asked when I parked.

"Not quite," I said and went to her side of the car to help her out.

When she was out and facing where I wanted her to, I pulled her hands away and she gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes sparkled with joy.

"You brought me to see horses?" She asked.

"Close," I told her and grabbed her hand. "I brought you to ride them."

A friend of mine was friends with the owner of this ranch and he directed me here. I called the owner and made arrangements for us to come ride. I had been wanting to do this since we came back from New York. I wanted to give this back to Daphne after such a long time.

I led Daphne into the barn and she pet the horses in their stalls.

"Hey guys. I'm glad you could come."

"Thank you for having us Steve," I said and shook his hand.

"Of course."

Steve went to the stall Daphne was next to and pulled out a tall dapple gray horse.

"This is Prince," Steve said. "You'll be riding him." He said the last bit to Daphne who smiled and took the lead rope from Steve's hand. She tied him to the fence out front as Steve told her and came back.

Steve had pulled out a brown and white paint horse with blue eyes.

"This is Gracie," he said. "She'll take good care of you."

I took Gracie and Daphne helped me tie her up next to Prince. Steve gave us some brushes and Daphne taught me how to groom and tack a horse.

The horses were great, but it was the smile that never left Daphne's face that made my day.

"You guys ready?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Daphne said.

"Do you need a block or are you good getting on from the ground."

"Ground is fine," Daphne said and I was shocked when such a tiny person got onto that huge horse from the ground. Daphne was 5'4" and Prince was way taller than her. That was some skill.

Steve brought me the block since I'd never ridden before and showed me how to get on. I was definitely not as graceful as Daphne, but I got up.

"All right, don't die," Steve said with a chuckle.

Daphne squeezed Prince forward and Gracie followed. I took a few pictures of Daphne and then put my phone in my pocket before I dropped it.

Daphne and Prince led us through the woods for a while and then out to a field back by the barn. Daphne stopped Prince and turned around to face me.

"Wanna go faster?" She asked.

"Sure," I said. I couldn't deny her anything when she was so excited.

Daphne and Prince took off at a gallop and Gracie followed close behind. I held on for dear life while Daphne threw out her arms to the side. She looked like she was flying.

____________________________________

Daphne

"That. Was. Amazing!" I exclaimed when Mason and Gracie caught up to us.

"I didn't die," Mason said and I laughed.

I spared Mason and we walked back to the barn. Steve took a picture for us on Mason's phone and then we got off.

I jumped into Mason's arms and hugged him as tight as I could.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Mason chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"Anything for you," he said and my heart melted.

I stepped back and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I didn't know how to say this, but I knew I needed to.

"Mason?"

"Yeah?"

"You've done so much for me and you've been so sweet and kind and showed me what it's like to have someone care for me and, and," I was having trouble saying the last bit so I just spit it out. "I love you."

Mason put his hands on my waist and kissed me gently.

"I love you too," he said. "More than anything."