Chapter 11 #2
“I promise, nothing’s wrong. I just have a surprise for you and I’m hoping you’ll be happy about it.”
“Oh, a surprise? What is it?”
Simon chuckled. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
He put his cruiser in park at the station and shut off the engine. He grabbed the bag he’d gotten from Sandra over at the diner and went around to the passenger side. Taking Atlee’s hand in his, he did his best to walk slowly as they went around the building to the square.
His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he hoped his palms weren’t too sweaty.
Atlee was telling him all about the morning’s delivery, and how creative they’d had to be to get all the boxes inside the food pantry.
She was also full of new ideas on how to spread the word about the various programs they used to keep the locals fed.
But the moment they came around the building and saw the square, her words cut off and she stopped dead in her tracks.
“What the heck?” she muttered.
Simon stopped trying to hold back his grin.
The square was full. With people, chairs, tables filled with food, and multicolored balloons were tied to every chair, making the area look as festive as it did in the summer when Pickleport was happening.
It was the mid-April now and the day was unseasonably warm and sunny, making what the town had planned even more perfect.
When Neli, Sandra, Finley, and Harvey had come to him with their idea, he’d thought it was brilliant.
Not only for Atlee, but for the entire town.
Things had been incredibly tense when the thief was on the loose.
And now that he was caught, Fallportians wanted to celebrate.
The start of spring, the fact that Atlee was all right, and just because it had been a long winter.
So they were having a mini spring festival.
“About time you got here!” Lilly yelled.
A lot of people waved and called out their own greetings.
“What in the world?” Atlee asked, looking up at Simon.
He shrugged. “Everyone wanted it to be a surprise for you. A way to let you know how happy they are that you’re okay. You’re a huge part of this town, and everyone is proud of you for being so strong. And…cabin fever had apparently set in.”
“Oh, I love this! Wait, did you really get us food from the diner when you already knew about all the food that would be here?” she asked.
Simon grinned and handed her the bag he was carrying.
She peered inside and laughed. “No wonder you refused when I offered to carry it. I would’ve known immediately something was up when it didn’t weigh very much.”
He nodded. The bag was full of napkins and plastic silverware that Sandra had donated to the gathering. “I have one more surprise for you.”
“You spoil me,” Atlee told him.
“Yup. Get used to it.” He nodded at something behind her.
Turning, Atlee gasped. She dropped his hand and the bag and threw herself at her daughter, who was standing with her boyfriend right behind them.
“Renee! It’s so good to see you! I can’t believe you knew about this and kept it a secret as well!”
“Simon called and asked if we wanted to come, and of course I said yes!” she explained with a laugh as she hugged her mom.
Atlee pulled back and beamed at her daughter. Then turned to her boyfriend and hugged him next. “Good to see you too, Rick.”
“Same,” he told her. “You look good. Feel okay?”
Atlee nodded. “I’m great. Thanks.”
Simon knew she was pleased with his concern. She’d told him one night that all she wanted for her daughter was a man who would protect her and make her happy. It seemed that she’d found just that.
“I wanted to come help with your delivery today, but that would’ve ruined the surprise,” Renee told her.
“It’s okay, we had a ton of people there, you would’ve ended up standing around with me anyway.”
“Whatever, Mom. I’m sure you weren’t just standing there. You were bossing everyone around.”
“I’m not bossy…I’m aggressively helpful,” Atlee said with a grin.
They all laughed.
“I’m sure you’re hungry. Go grab some grub. We brought chairs for you and Simon. We’re over there by the gazebo.”
Atlee hugged her daughter again, and Simon took her hand and headed for the tables of food. He handed the bag of extra napkins and cutlery to Whitney Crawford, who owned the local bed and breakfast, and handed Atlee a plate.
They got their food, which looked and smelled amazing, said hello to everyone, then made their way to the chairs Renee and Rick had set up for them.
As they ate, so many people came over to hello, inquiring about how Atlee was feeling and telling her they were glad she was all right.
Renee and Rick got up to get some dessert, and Simon took Atlee’s now-empty plate off her lap.
He didn’t get up though, instead putting their trash on the ground next to his chair and taking hold of her hand.
He knew what was coming. Had helped plan it.
He was pretty sure Atlee was going to be thrilled, but he was nervous anyway.
“This is great, Simon. Was this a part of the anniversary celebration you had planned for us?”
“Nope. That’s tonight. Wine, dinner, candlelight, and just the two of us…in bed.”
She smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he responded without hesitation.
There’d been a time in his life when he thought he’d never say those words to anyone.
But here he was. Happier than he’d ever been at fifty-four.
Life was funny. But his job, and what happened a few weeks ago, had made him very aware of how short life was, and how important it was to tell those you cared about how much they meant to you.
Looking up, he saw Rick and Renee standing not too far away. He nodded at Rick, then squeezed Atlee’s hand. “Look,” he said, nodding to her right.
She turned her gaze to where he’d indicated—and gasped as Rick knelt on one knee and looked up at Renee.
“Renee, my life changed the day I met you, but it took me way too long to recognize that I’d met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Will you make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me? Let me spend the rest of our days spoiling you, and our children?”
“Rick!” Renee exclaimed, one hand going to her mouth in shock.
Her boyfriend was holding an open ring box as he waited for her answer.
“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you! I love you!”
She threw herself at Rick, and he caught her, standing and spinning her around as everyone in the square whooped and hollered and yelled out their congratulations.
“You knew,” Atlee said, as happy tears rolled down her cheeks.
Simon nodded. “Rick called me and we had a long heart to heart. He loves her but was afraid it was too soon. Or that you wouldn’t approve.
But since you and I had just had that conversation about how happy you were for Renee, and how much you liked Rick, I reassured him that you would welcome him as a son-in-law.
I knew the town was planning this, so I asked Rick how he’d feel about letting you witness him proposing. ”
“I’m so happy,” she sighed.
“You look it,” Simon said sarcastically, grinning.
Which made her laugh and smack his shoulder playfully.
“Mom! Look!”
Atlee stood and ooh’d and aah’d over her daughter’s engagement ring.
“I don’t know if you caught it but…um…we’re pregnant!” Renee said. “You’re going to be a grandma!”
Atlee looked stunned. She looked at her daughter, then at Rick, then at Simon, before turning her gaze back to Renee. “Holy crap,” she whispered.
Renee laughed, then grabbed her mom’s hand and put it on her belly. “It’s a girl. And we haven’t decided on a first name, but her middle name is going to be Atlee. After you.”
Atlee burst into tears once more. Simon grinned at Rick, who was standing behind his now-fiancée.
Eventually Atlee got control over her emotions, and she smiled at Renee. “I can’t believe my baby is having a baby.”
“Well, you have a few months to get used to it,” Renee said dryly.
“True. But if you think your kid is going to call me grandma, you’re crazy.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m okay with Nana, Gigi, or Queen Atlee, but not grandma.”
Simon laughed as Renee rolled her eyes.
“I like Nana.”
“Nana,” Atlee said. Then shook her head. “I’m not old enough to be a Nana.”
“Um…I hate to be the one to break it to you…but you obviously are.”
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly.
Simon stood back and watched Atlee mingle with the townspeople.
She was practically glowing. Looked happier than he’d seen her lately.
When Renee and Rick had to go, she got a little teary eyed, but hugged them both hard, thanked them for coming and including her in their happy day, and once they were gone, looked up at him.
“I’m ready to go home.”
“Yeah?” Simon asked with a furrowed brow. “You feel okay?”
“I feel fine. I just have a need to take my man home and show him how much I love him, and how appreciative I am that he made this one of the best days of my life.”
Simon grinned. “So far.”
“What?”
“One of the best days of your life…so far. I’d like to think the day I propose to you will rank pretty high up there. And when we get married. And our first anniversary, our tenth, and maybe our fortieth.”
Atlee’s face softened. “I love you,” she said in a wobbly voice.
“No crying,” he pleaded. “I’ve seen more than enough tears from you to last a lifetime. Even if they’re happy tears, they still freak me out.”
That made her laugh. She wiped her cheeks with a hand. “Let’s go home, Simon.”
Home.
He loved the sound of that. But truthfully, wherever she was, that was home for him now.
Taking her hand in his, he led her out of the square and toward the station parking lot, where he’d left his car.
He had a special dinner planned for the two of them, an expensive bottle of wine he’d splurged on, a pair of diamond earrings he couldn’t wait to give her, and he had at least a dozen candles waiting to be lit around his place to make for a more romantic atmosphere.
He wanted to spoil her, tonight and for the rest of their lives.
After dinner, he’d take her to their bed and make love to her.
Spoiling her in the sheets as well as out.
His love for Atlee was so strong it would’ve made him uneasy twenty years ago.
Today? He embraced it. He was a better man with her by his side, and he’d do whatever he could to make sure she knew it.
He kissed her temple as they walked toward his car hand in hand.
Rick might’ve told Renee that he was the luckiest man in the world, but Simon knew different.
He was. He’d not only found Atlee after over fifty years, she’d been smart enough to call him at the first opportunity when she’d surprised the guy in his house, and strong enough to survive his attempted assault.
“Love you,” he murmured.
“Love you back,” she returned.
He squeezed her hand.
Life was good. Damn good. And he’d live the rest of his days to the fullest, with the love of his life by his side.