Chapter 10
KELLAN
Months Later
The air is brisk as I walk out to the mailbox, not enough to go back inside and grab a jacket. Just a reminder of what’s to come.
I tell myself it’s just another day—bills, maybe a catalog, the usual junk—but my gut knows better. Today’s the day.
I flip open the metal door, and there it is: a plain white envelope with the testing center’s logo in the corner.
With Rus getting in just an hour ago, it seems like this was somehow planned, yet what happens if…
I stop myself from tearing open the envelope. Who am I to shield Greer from hurt feelings? Especially since no matter what score is in this envelope, it means nothing.
After only a few short months, Greer’s already managing a successful grooming business and is getting ready to learn how to shear sheep.
Still. I know how much this means to Greer, and I pray that tucked inside this envelope is good news.
I head inside, finding Greer and Rus still at the table, talking over the remains of their lunch. Gerry is perched on the back of an empty chair, watching the conversation unfold.
“I still can’t believe they’d pull you out of school like that.” Rus shakes his head. “I should have been there.”
“Don’t you dare take credit for our parents’ shortcomings,” Greer scolds. “Especially since they’re meddling resulted in my happily ever after.”
“I’ll say.” Rus looks over at me and shakes his head. “When you said you were gonna take care of my sis, I didn’t think you’d buy her an actual Range Rover. I should have demanded that you take care of me when negotiating your little domestic situation.”
“Ain’t hindsight a bitch.” I toss the white envelope down in front of Greer without a word, watching as her features transform from curious to panic.
“Is that it?” Rus asks, forehead furrowed.
Greer picks up the envelope with trembling hands. “Yeah.”
Rus leans back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. “Well, no point in waiting.”
“You know I failed the first two times…” she says, her voice trailing.
“Yeah, when you were working 60 hour weeks for your parents.” I tap the table. “Not that it matters whether you pass or fail. I’ll still be here for you, and you’ll still have a thriving business.”
Greer sucks in a breath and releases it slowly. “Let me call Willa first.”
She toggles through the contacts on her phone, hitting TALK when she finds Willa. She picks up on the fourth ring, and Greer puts it on speakerphone.
“I got it!” Greer blurts into the receiver.
“And?”
“I haven’t opened it yet.”
“Whatcha waiting for?” Willa chirps.
Greer tears open the envelope, her lips moving as she reads the results. “It…it…” tears form at the corners of her eyes, “it says I passed!”
“Whoo hoo!” Willa booms through the phone.
“One-seventy-two out of a possible two-hundred!” Greer says, voice wavering. “I think that’s good?”
“It’s great!” Willa enthuses. “I’ll call the girls and we’ll arrange to celebrate sometime next week.”
“Oh, there’s no need—”
“Hush!” Willa scolds. “We’re celebrating whether you want to or not—so get on board.”
I mouth the words, “Oh, you’re going,” to Greer, and she blushes profusely.
“Alright, we can celebrate.”
“Great! I’ll hammer out the details and get back to you.”
As they say goodbye, I rush to grab the ice cream cake I have stowed deep in the freezer for this occasion.
I place it in the center of the table, orienting it so Greer can read the ‘Congratulations’ message. “It’s strawberry, your favorite.”
She gasps. “You had this waiting?”
“Of course,” I scoff. “I needed to make sure I could properly celebrate your achievement.”
“And what if I failed?”
“Then I would have pulled out the other cake that says: Better luck next time.”
Greer’s mouth becomes a thin line.
“I’m just kidding. There’s only one cake because I knew you were going to pass.”
She smiles shyly. “Thanks, Kell, for having such confidence in me.”
“No thanks needed. You’re both the smartest and the hardest-working person I know.”
She rolls her eyes. “Laying it on a little thick, aren’t ya?”
“Enough of those starry eyes.” Rus grabs the knife and starts cutting the cake. “The damn cake is going to melt.”
Rus plates our cake, and we dig in, savoring the sweet treat.
A smear of whipped cream frosting at the corner of Greer’s mouth calls to me. Without thinking, I lean in and give her a long, passionate kiss, my tongue mopping up the wisps of cream.
“Gross!” Rus snarls, and I hear the clatter of silverware.
Greer giggles and pushes me away. “You need to finish your first dessert before searching for another.”
“Seriously?” Rus says, dumbfounded. “One more remark like that and I’m leaving.”
“Fine,” Greer huffs. “We’ll behave.”
Rus pulls out his phone. “Before you chase me out with your disgusting PDA, I need to get a picture of you with your result, and another with you, Kell, and the Range Rover. Wouldn’t want Mom and Dad to sleep easy after what they’ve done.”
Greer holds up her test results and says, “Mom already tried to send me a bill for issues that arose with me leaving like I did.”
Rus shakes his head. “To be honest, I wouldn’t blame you if you called the cops on them after the crap they’ve pulled.”
Greer frowns. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have what I do now. An amazing boyfriend, an over-the-top car, a thriving business, and a brand new diploma, so I’m just gonna let it go.” Her frown curls into a smile. “But please, send pictures.”
With too-perfect timing at hand, I seize the moment and slide off my chair, dropping to one knee as I dig into my pocket, producing a small box.
“Kell?” Greer says in question. She gasps when she sees the box, hands rising to cover her mouth.
“Greer,” I stary. My voice comes out softer than I expect.
“I know we haven’t been together long, but I can’t bear the thought of having to suffer a single day without you.
” I flip the box lid up. The ring catches the lamplight, sparkling fiercely.
“So, to spare me eternal despair and a lifetime of depression, will you marry me?”
“Yes. A thousand times yes,” she squeals, holding out her hand for me.
I slip the ring onto her finger, rise, and take her into my arms, breathing in her sweet scent.
She’s finally mine. After all these months of waiting, I get to claim her.
Once we’ve finally calmed, and our heart rates have returned to normal, Greer asks, “What made you propose now?”
“I promised myself I wouldn’t until you passed your test.” I nod over to Rus. “And having him here was an added bonus.”
“Yep.” Rus lifts his phone. “Especially since I caught it all on video.”
We spend the next two hours taking pictures in and around the cabin. Rus sends each one to his and Greer’s parents with joyful captions. The responses he gets in return range from jealousy-fueled anger to fake apologies. Greer doesn’t fall for any of it.
For dinner, we head to The Ridge Diner, which has home-cooked meals that rival any five-star dining experience I’ve ever had.
Greer is all shy smiles, but I see a twinkle of pride in her eye.
Before heading back up the mountain, we drop Rus off at the clinic, where there’s now a bedroom for times we need to keep animals overnight.
The mountain feels quiet as we climb up the long, winding road. Greer’s hand rests warm on my thigh as though to claim ownership.
It’s dark when we head inside. Gerry is asleep in his pen.
“I still can’t believe I ended up here, with you.” Greer’s voice is quiet.
“I can’t either,” I confess. “I wake up every morning praying it’s not all a dream.”
Greer turns to me, taking my hands in hers. “I’m here, Kell. And I always will be.” She rises on her toes to meet my mouth. The kiss starts slow—soft, searching—then deepens as her hands slide up my chest, fingers curling. I back her gently against the door, mouth ready to devour.
Her breath hitches when my fingers find the hem of her sweater, slipping beneath to trace the warm skin of her waist.
“I love you,” she pants in a desperate way I’ll never get enough of.
I kiss her harder, hands roaming, memorizing every curve. She arches into me, fingers threading through my hair, tugging just enough to make me groan.
Deciding I’d much rather be celebrating in our warm bed, I scoop her up in my arms, earning a delighted squeal from her pouty lips, and carry her to the bedroom.
We make love as we always do, but it doesn’t feel the same.
Our hearts seem to beat in sync as our bodies melt against one another.
She claims me just as much as I claim her, and when we’ve finally spent ourselves and we’re lying tangled in the sheets, I ask the question that’s been burning a hole in my soul.
“Greer?” I whisper softly.
Her hand shifts against my chest. “Yeah?”
“What do you think about maybe one day having a kid or two?”
Her head jerks up. “Is that what you want?”
“I’m the one asking questions.”
“I guess I never thought about it until now because I was never in a good enough place.” She sighs. “But I think I would like at least two, maybe three.”
“Yeah?”
She nods against me. “And I don’t want to be an old mom. I want to have them when I still have energy left in me.”
“Well, what do you say we throw away those pills you’ve been taking?”
She’s quiet for a moment. “I want to. Heck, I would have ditched them the moment you took me home from the gas station if you’d asked me.”
“That settles it—they’re gone.”
A content sigh escapes her throat, and she presses a slow, lingering kiss on my collarbone.
I tighten my arms around her, imagining tiny feet running across these floors, laughter echoing off the cabin walls. “We’re going to need to build an addition on the cabin.”
“Let’s make it real soon, Kell.” She enthuses. “Maybe we’ll give Rus a heart attack while we’re at it.”
I chuckle the word, “Tomorrow,” before relaxing and drifting off into a deep sleep full of dreams that feel more like a future than fantasy.