Chapter 38
Blessing
“Ican’t believe this is actually happening!” I squealed. “I’ve never been anywhere!”
We spent Christmas Day with my family. With all of us together, and happy, it was the first Christmas since losing Hunter that wasn’t shrouded in guilt.
Or overwrought with grief.
After dinner, Hawkley stood and raised his glass. “To Hunter. We love you. We miss you. And we wish you a Merry Christmas.”
If a few tears were shed, maybe even one or two from me, it was only a reflection of the love we all shared.
And how much we would always miss him.
Roughly thirty hours later, Daire and I exited the taxi and walked up the path into Ashley’s welcoming embrace.
Daire’s mom was everything I expected her to be and more.
For two blissful weeks we fully immersed ourselves in Greek culture. Hot springs, the farmer’s market, authentic Greek cuisine, and hiking in the mountains.
I couldn’t get over the food!
Preserved peaches so sweet they made my teeth hurt. Yogurt as rich and thick as ice cream.
And every morning, Daire slipped down to the kitchen and brought up a tray for us to have breakfast in bed.
The first morning, seeing him with a tea towel over his arm, and a dome-covered dish on a tray complete with a flower in a bud vase, orange juice, and coffee, I laughed.
By the third morning, I looked forward to it.
But a couple of mornings before we were set to go home, Daire didn’t get out of bed.
I looked at him curiously, and he smirked back at me.
I gave him a shove with my foot. “Don’t stop now, go get our breakfast!”
“Maybe you should get my breakfast this morning,” he teased.
I indicated my negligee and winked. “I would but I can’t go downstairs like this.”
“You win,” he ceded, climbing from the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
Turning onto my hands and knees, I set up our pillows and straightened the covers. Snickered to myself as I wondered if we could continue this routine at home.
In less time than should have been possible, he was back.
I grinned at him as I tucked myself back in and pulled back the covers on his side. Instead of getting in, he rounded the bed to my side and placed the tray on my lap. “See if that meets your expectations,” he murmured, his eyes serious.
The smile fell off my face at the look on his. “Are you okay?”
He jerked a nod toward the tray with its covered dome.
No flower, juice, or coffee today, just the silver dome.
My hand shaking, I lifted the lid to uncover a beat-up black velvet box that had seen better days. I tilted my head. This was obviously not what I thought it was, but by the look on his face, it was important.
In any case, we were in no rush.
I glanced up at him. “Can I open it?”
“You can’t see what’s inside if you don’t,” he murmured.
Placing it into my palm, I held the bottom steady while I popped the top.
An enormous princess cut diamond solitaire engagement ring winked at me from its tiny nest.
“Daire,” I gasped. “What is this?”
He dropped to one knee and held his hand out for mine.
Shaking, I gave it to him.
“This is the ring my father gave to my mother when he asked her to marry him. When I turned twenty-five, my mother gave it to me for my future bride. I gave it back to her for safe keeping. I can’t begin to tell you how happy she was when I finally asked her for it.”
My hands trembled, and tears came to my eyes.
He squeezed my fingers and raised them to his mouth. Breathing deep, he kissed my fingers before pressing my hand to his heart which was doing its level best to beat out of his chest.
I rubbed a soothing circle over his chest, falling ever more desperately in love with him with every passing second.
“Harley,” his voice caught but he cleared his throat, “I had a simple dream for my future. I thought you could fulfil it, instead you turned it on its head. Because now the dream is nothing unless it fulfills you.”
I pressed my palm to his heart.
“I never cared much for money until I looked into the repairs for the carousel. I was terrified I wouldn’t have the funds. For the first time in my life, money was important.
“My dream was to have two kids. Now when someone asks me, the answer is however many Harley wants to give me.
“Buying a house, traveling, investing money, having kids, the point of all of it, is you, Harley. You’re the dream.
“You’re the reason for everything.”
Tears streamed seamlessly down my face like two tiny rivers with no beginning and no end.
He brushed them away with his thumbs and plucked the ring out of the box in my hand.
“So,” he sucked in a breath and smiled, “I’m asking you to wear this. To have me and be mine to hold. Will you marry me?”
I searched his eyes, those pesky niggling doubts wiggling into my mind.
His eyes held me, steady and sure.
I smiled tremulously. “Are you sure?”
He shook his head. “Never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Do you think it will fit?”
His mouth twisted as his eyes lit with humor. “It should considering I got it sized as soon as we got here. Is that a yes?”
I looped my arms around his neck and launched myself into his chest, knocking us both to the floor. “Oh, it’s a yes. It’s definitely a yes.”
An hour later, when we finally came up for air, we showered and went downstairs.
Ashley stood in the kitchen pretending to be busy while John unsuccessfully tried to hide his smirk.
“You owe me,” he said to Daire. “Twice I had to herd her away from the stairs.”
She gasped. “That’s not true!”
His eyebrows rose. “Did you or did you not go to the stairs and ask what was taking so long?”
She dipped her chin. “I did.” She raised a finger up in the air. “But I wouldn’t have actually gone up!”
“You would have gotten an eyeful if you did,” Daire teased.
My face flamed and I slapped my left hand down on his chest. “Daire!”
I heard a gasp and turned to see Ashley standing with both hands covering her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.
How beautiful and terrible this must have been for her.
Pain and joy.
Grief and love.
The absence of one ensures the presence of the other and I had more than a passing acquaintance with both.
A bittersweet dichotomy.
“You said yes?”
I nodded tearfully. “Mhm!”
Rushing toward me, she swept us both into her arms. John followed. And Daire wrapped his long arms around all of us.
John and Ashley ran out to the store to buy champagne and cake to celebrate, leaving us alone for the moment.
I mused aloud. “I wonder what my parents will say.”
“We need to call them.”
My mouth dropped open. “Daire! We can’t deliver news like this on the phone! Or Facetime!”
“We have to,” he grinned. “I promised your mom we’d call as soon as you said yes.”
“They knew?”
“Of course. After all the blunders I made with your brother, I wasn’t about to skip asking your parents for their blessing.”
I stared back at him.
A million thoughts bombarded me at once, but overriding all of them, the echoes of his words as he steadfastly pushed us forward, urging me to catch up.
“I’m ready for you, Harley.”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
“I’m the safest place you’ll ever know.”
“I won’t allow anything to come between us. Not even you.”
“You’re not my first choice. You’re my only choice.”
I cupped his face in my palm. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“I’ve even set the date,” he whispered back.
My eyebrows near shot clean off my face. “You have? When is it?”
“Valentine’s Day.”
My mouth gaped. “That’s less than six weeks away! That’s an awfully short engagement!”
“It’s practically a lifetime,” he argued. “Anyway, can’t have you walking down the aisle with a baby bump.”
I snickered. “You planning on knocking me up?”
He nodded, his eyes laughing, mouth serious. “As soon as humanly possible.”
I studied his face, a smile slowly spreading across mine. “I’m finding I’m okay with this.”
He drew me close and kissed me sweet and slow. “It’s good you’re on board. Wedding pictures would look awfully funny with you thrown over my shoulder with a ball gag in your mouth.”
I threw back my head and laughed at the picture he painted.
Never leaving me room to doubt, he gave me exactly what I needed.
A gift.
A dream.
A wish.
Thank you, Hunter.
Best. Brother. Ever.
The End.