Chapter 27
Devon
I ’d never been a guy who experienced things that were deeply emotional for me very often, but seeing Reese reunited with her parents had almost broken me.
All of the tears that had been shed by Reese and her parents had been happy tears of joy, but I could see the emotional toll Reese’s nightmare experience had taken on all of them on their faces.
I knew Reese felt guilty for doing what she’d had to do, and the relief on her face when she’d seen her parents again and knew for sure that they were okay was almost my undoing.
It made my gut ache to think about the agony she’d endured day after day here in Crystal Fork knowing that her parents were probably frantic.
The three of them had chattered nonstop on the way home from the airstrip, and Reese hadn’t hesitated to tell her parents that she was living with me and that I was an important man in her life.
I liked her parents tremendously.
They were kind.
They were intelligent.
And it was very apparent that they adored and loved their only child.
They’d spent the entire day catching up, and I’d tried not to intrude, but Reese had made sure that I was included in the conversation.
I’d driven them around the area, and they’d insisted on coming with me to pick up Cole and my mother at the hospital so they could thank both of them for helping to keep their daughter safe.
We’d finally gotten around to dinner, and I was about to put steaks on the grill while the women were inside preparing some side dishes.
Kevin strolled out of the sliding door with two bottles of beer in his hands and closed the door behind him. “Need some help?” he offered. “I’m pretty good at barbecuing a steak.”
I grinned at the older man. “I think I can manage.”
Reese looked a lot like her mother, but I’d been told that her auburn hair was definitely something she’d inherited from her father.
Kevin was gray now, but he was still extremely fit for a man his age.
He and Marta lived a very active life, even though they’d finally decided to retire.
He twisted the cap off my beer and handed it to me before he opened his own.
“I want to thank you for everything you and your family have done for Reese,” he said in a genuine tone. “And maybe this is a little nosy or presumptuous, but I guess I want to know what your future intentions are toward my daughter. Lord knows she’s been running her own life for a long time, but she’s my only child. We’ve spent months worrying about her, and now I’d like to see her happy.”
My grin got wider. I couldn’t blame him for asking, and I was honest when I answered, “I don’t know. That’s up to Reese. I love her. I want to marry her and share a life with her, but I’m not sure that’s what she wants. Her life has always been in Spokane, and you and Marta are there. My business is here, and so is my family, but I’d be willing to do whatever’s necessary to be with your daughter.”
I didn’t see any reason to beat around the bush with him.
He’d almost lost Reese not once, but twice now.
He was protective of his only child, and he definitely wanted to know that I hadn’t been taking advantage of her because she’d been in a vulnerable situation.
That was what I wanted, and he’d been a father half out of his mind with worry for the last year.
He had a right to be nosy and presumptuous at the moment because he wanted to protect Reese, and I respected that.
He smiled at me ruefully. “That’s probably all I need to know. She’s dated a few guys who didn’t deserve her, but it’s fairly obvious to me that you respect her. I just wanted a little reassurance after everything she’s been through in the last year. I can’t say that I planned on her getting serious with a billionaire someday, but I wanted something better for her than what she’s dated previously.”
“They were idiots,” I grumbled. “They didn’t appreciate the amazing woman they had. And she couldn’t care less about my money. She’s not impressed with my material success.”
Kevin laughed. “I’m her dad, so I obviously agree with you. I know Reese. All she’s ever wanted was a man who loved her.”
“She’s got that,” I assured him.
“You make her happy, Devon,” he observed before he took a long swig of his beer and swallowed. “You’ve gone through some tough times together already, so I don’t think you’re going to have any problems with future challenges.”
I shrugged. “We started off as friends.”
He nodded approvingly. “That makes the best kind of relationship. Marta and I were friends in medical school. I was a blockhead. It took me a year or so to realize that I was crazy about her. You two apparently caught on a lot faster than we did.”
“Did you retire because you wanted to?” I asked Kevin curiously. “Or because you were so worried about Reese that you couldn’t function?”
“A little of both,” he said truthfully. “We’ve always planned to travel the world, and we aren’t getting any younger. Neither one of us regrets our retirement. We both agreed that it was time. We’ve also thought about relocating to a place where we could slow down a little and enjoy a community. If Reese decides she wants to stay here, I don’t think Marta and I would mind living in Crystal Fork when we aren’t off exploring the world.”
My heart started to beat a little faster as I searched his expression. “You’d be willing to move here?”
“There’s nothing keeping us from moving,” he informed me. “And I’d like to be close to my daughter and my grandchildren during my retirement years. I know Marta feels the same way.”
Christ! He’d just given me one of the best gifts I could get.
I was certain they’d grow to love Crystal Fork and the people here, but…
I shook my head. “I’m not really sure that Reese wants to marry me and move to Crystal Fork. Her life is in Spokane.”
He waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I think she belongs here now,” he told me. “She talks about everyone here like they’re family, and she’s definitely in love with that horse you gave her. I don’t see a single sign that she’s missing Spokane. For what it’s worth, she’s crazy about you. I’ve never seen her this way with another man. I can tell by the way she looks at you. The only way you’re going to know is to ask her yourself, Devon. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten around to that yet.”
“Maybe I was worried that I wouldn’t get the answer I wanted,” I joked.
“You have to ask the questions, son. You can’t get any answers at all unless you do.”
Kevin’s answer was so much like something my father would have said that it surprised me.
“If I did decide to ask,” I said hesitantly. “Do I have your blessing to marry your daughter?”
Hell, I knew it was more than a little old-fashioned to ask that question but considering all that he’d been through in the last year, it seemed like the right thing to do.
Kevin chuckled. “My daughter is a strongminded woman just like her mother. She’s going to do what she wants to do. But if you plan to try to make her happy for the rest of your life, I’m all for it.”
“That’s the plan,” I told him. “If she’ll have me.”
“Hey,” Reese said as she opened the slider. “Where’s the steaks. We’re about done in here and we’re hungry.”
I turned and looked at the teasing smile on her face.
She was dressed in a pair of shorts that showed off her sexy legs and a sleeveless crop top because it was a warm summer day.
Reese looked different today, but it wasn’t the clothes she was wearing.
It was the relaxed smile she wore on her face.
Gone was some of the stress that I’d seen for months, and she just looked…happy.
“You haven’t even started?” she asked in a mock chastising voice.
“Just warming up the grill,” I bullshitted.
“We were just discussing the best way to cook an exceptional steak,” her dad said as he winked at me.
“Over a beer,” she said with a laugh.
I had a feeling that Reese knew that her dad was grilling me and not the steaks, and she was trying to rescue me.
“We’re good,” I told her, sending her a glance that told her that I was fine chatting with her father. “It won’t take long.”
“What are you two cooking up in there?” her father asked.
Reese sent her father an adoring smile. “Potatoes, sweet corn, and salad. I made a hummingbird cake for Devon because it’s his favorite.”
I put a hand over my chest and rubbed it without consciously realizing what I was doing.
Hell, I’d never get used to the fact that Reese didn’t think twice about doing something nice for me just because she wanted to do it.
I’d discovered that the cake wasn’t exactly something she could whip up without going to a lot of trouble.
“One of my favorites, too,” my father reminded Reese.
“Then I guess you two will have to fight over it,” she said with a bright smile right before she closed the slider and went back to the kitchen.
Kevin nodded at my hand on my chest. “I guess you’re not accustomed to having a woman do something for you just because she wants to make you happy.”
I shook my head as I started to put the steaks on the grill. “Never had one who wanted to before,” I admitted. “Maybe because I have enough money that I can order anything I want from anywhere in the world.”
“It’s not the same as something given to you from the heart,” Kevin said as he reached for the steak spices to help me out.
“I discovered that the first time she made that cake,” I answered. “You raised an amazing woman.”
“That part was mostly her mom,” Kevin said with a chuckle.
I doubted that.
I was fairly certain that Reese’s strength and her character had been a combination of both of her parents.
Not that kids coming from a good family always turned out like Reese, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
Kevin and I argued good-naturedly about exactly how a good grilled steak was achieved.
He gave in to my secret spices.
I gave in when he insisted on napping the steaks to make them juicier and more flavorful.
When we were finally ready to eat, the dinner turned out to be one of the most entertaining meals I’d ever experienced.
Reese, on the other hand, wasn’t so thrilled when her mother started telling all of her embarrassing childhood stories.
But I enjoyed every moment of it since my mom had told more than enough of mine to Reese.
I was generous and shared the hummingbird cake.
I did, after all, plan to have the baker of that cake with me for a lifetime.
Reese Monroe was going to be mine.
All I had to do now was get her to agree to marry my sorry ass.