As he floated along, he stood up and started waving to the crowds that were forming on shore. Up ahead, he would surely see his mom, Janine and the rest of the crew.

He was thankful to have all of their support even when he had made such rash decisions like opening the boat charter service. Everybody had supported him, and that was just how they were. Supportive. He didn’t surround himself with anyone who made him feel like his dreams were stupid, least of all Janine.

She supported everything he did, every idea he had, even the stupid ones. And he just felt terrible that the two times he had tried to propose to her, something had happened to interrupt them. She must think that he’s crazy by now.

He could see her up ahead, her curly hair blowing in the breeze. As usual, she was smiling and clapping and waving, her perky personality always coming through. And in that moment, he was filled with such gratitude and love that it was almost overwhelming. He could feel tears welling in his eyes as he looked at her off in the distance.

And that’s when he realized what he had to do. There was no more waiting, no more orchestrated romantic moments. Life was about those spontaneous moments, the ones that became memories that stayed with you forever.

So as the boat came closer to the dock where Janine and everyone she knew was standing, he cut the motor to his boat so that he could slow down.

“There’s my man!” Janine yelled, waving and blowing kisses at him. And as he came closer up to the dock, he went down on one knee and called to her.

“Janine, will you marry me?” he yelled as loud as he could. He held up the little black box that had stayed in his pocket since the first night he tried to propose. Janine stood there, stunned, her eyes wide.

“Are you serious?” she called back.

He grabbed the rope on the side of the boat and threw it as hard as he could so that Dawson could pull him closer to the dock. Thank goodness his friend was standing so close and was able to catch it. Dawson pulled and pulled until the boat banged into the side of the dock, shaking everyone who was standing there.

It wasn’t the most seamless proposal, but it sure would be memorable. As the boat came to a stop, he looked up at her. She was covering her face, except for her eyes, tears welling in them.

“Yes, I’m serious. Janine, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

She screamed yes and started jumping up and down, shaking the dock again. All of the people standing on it were probably worried they were going to fall straight into the water at any moment.

William jumped off the boat, swept her up in his arms and twirled her around. When he finally put her down, he slipped the ring on her finger and the crowd went wild. There were very few dry eyes standing on that dock, but there were plenty of applause and cheers to go around.