22. CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 22
GRANT
“Do you think everyone will have a good time?”
Scarlett rolls on her side so she’s facing me, her blue eyes alert and filled with worry.
“I thought you were still sleeping.” Reaching over, I smooth my finger over the tiny line etched across her forehead. “And of course everyone will have a good time. Why wouldn’t they?”
She sighs. “I’ve never cooked a Thanksgiving meal for so many people before. And with your mom coming… I want to make a good impression.”
“Baby.” I wrap my arms around Scarlett, hugging her to me. “My mom is so thrilled to be coming, there isn’t a thing you could do wrong.”
“Still.” Lifting her head from my chest, she looks at me; concern still darkening her eyes. “My dad and brothers know what to expect. I’ve cooked Thanksgiving dinner for them for years. But your mom really goes all out for the holiday. I don’t want her to be disappointed.”
I’m a little surprised Scarlett’s getting nervous about this, considering it was her idea to host our families for Thanksgiving. When we first started planning for the holidays, I suggested spending one day with her dad and brothers, then doing a dinner with my family a few days later. But then Scarlett said it would be nicer for everyone to be together on Thanksgiving and our families could meet this way.
Although. Now that I’m really thinking about it… Scarlett’s anxiety has been getting a lot better over the last month, but she still has moments when it flares up. Like when we were going to meet Rob, the landscaper who was framed for the robbery at the Cunninghams’, and she nearly had a panic attack in the car as she asked, “What if he blames me? He lost his job because Richard framed him.”
Rob didn’t blame her at all. He was just glad everything was cleared up and that Scarlett was okay. And then I offered him a job with my company as an apprentice, which he gladly accepted, and everything worked out great.
But it makes sense; something new and with so many moving parts—I never realized how much work it took just to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner—could cause Scarlett’s stress levels to rise.
“Scarlett, baby.” I stroke my hand down the length of her hair. “I promise you, everything will be fine. My parents are so excited that we’re together, you could serve deli turkey and canned cranberry sauce and they’d be happy. And I’m going to be your assistant, remember? If you need cans opened, potatoes mashed, a quick back rub break, your wine topped off…”
Scarlett tucks her head under my neck, and I can feel her smiling against my neck. “What about foot rubs? I’m going to be on my feet all morning.”
“Foot rubs, too.” I press my lips to her hair, inhaling that citrusy scent I love so much. “Anything you need.”
I can feel her body relaxing, so I keep stroking her hair while I come up with other topics to distract her. “You won’t have to cook this weekend,” I add. “Zack’s mom is so excited we’re coming. And since we’ll have already done the whole turkey thing, she’s making roast beef and scalloped potatoes. She’s a really good cook—you’ll love it.”
Her hand snakes around my neck as she snuggles closer to me. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Yeah.” The ache I used to feel whenever I’d talk about Zack is so much less now. I still miss him, always will, but it’s easier to remember all the good things than the bad. I text my old teammates and we share funny stories instead of keeping our memories to ourselves.
And I talk to Scarlett about Zack. I tell her how he’d be so happy to know I’m in love. That he’d say he knew I’d fall eventually. He’d tease me, saying Scarlett is too good for me, but he wouldn’t mean it. And we talk about one day, if— when , I hope—we have children, if it’s a boy, we could name him Zack.
Sometimes I can’t believe how much has changed because of Scarlett. I had a good life before, but now… it’s incredible, and every day I wake up thinking about how lucky I am .
“And on Sunday,” Scarlett adds, “we’ll have a mini-Thanksgiving with Saul. Even though the facility is having a big dinner today, he texted saying how much he’s looking forward to seeing us.”
Something else I’m glad about—Saul isn’t living in that big house anymore. Scarlett still visits him once a week, but now at a fancy assisted living facility that looks like a four-star hotel. His apartment is bigger than my cabin, and they have room service and a dining room with a gourmet chef and daily trips to Manhattan and Boston and DC for anyone interested.
Scarlett was still worried Saul would be lonely, but that was before Mrs. Plimpton got involved.
Mrs. Plimpton got a whole group of ladies together and they started going to visit Saul. First, it was to help him decorate, stock his fridge, and bring over homemade casseroles and cookies. But now they go over several times a week to play poker and share stories, and I heard a rumor that Ms. Everts, who’s also widowed, has more than a passing interest in Saul.
So that’s pretty great, too.
Scarlett must be thinking along the same lines as me, because she says, “I’m so glad Mrs. Plimpton started visiting Saul. I know she comes off a little… off putting at first, but she’s such a nice person.” She laughs lightly. “Somehow I ended up agreeing to join her book club when she stopped by the other day.”
“Well, it is a nice shed to meet in,” I reply with a chuckle.
“It is,” she agrees. “I hear it was built by a very talented craftsman. ”
“My crew, really. But I oversaw everything.”
Scarlett lifts her head up to look at me again. “A crew hired by you. A company you built. And I’ve seen your work. This cabin. Rose’s studio. And my new library with those gorgeous custom bookshelves. Trust me, you are extremely talented.”
Shit. Sometimes I really can’t understand how I got this lucky.
I roll over carefully, keeping Scarlett tucked against me. Once I’m on top, I brace myself above her and lower my head to capture her lips with mine. At first, I keep the kiss light—gentle nips and strokes of my tongue. Then I tease her mouth open and plunge inside, exploring and caressing and making that little move with my tongue that Scarlett loves so much.
She clutches my shoulders as she falls into our kiss, giving as good as she’s taking. A tiny hum of pleasure sounds at the back of her throat.
Then she jerks away and gasps, “Grant! I haven’t brushed my teeth yet!”
“I don’t care.” Brushing her hair from her face, I hold her gaze. “I love kissing you. It doesn’t matter when or where or if you have minty breath.”
Her cheeks go pink, but she smiles as she says, “I feel the same way.”
Shit. The way she looks right now… flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips and her eyes like sapphires and her hair like gold spilling across the pillow…
And how she looks at me …
I can’t wait.
I planned to do this later. Someplace more romantic. Not in bed, teeth unbrushed, naked, knowing we have to get up soon to put the turkey in the oven.
But my heart knows, and so does my gut. I can’t wait any longer to ask.
“Don’t move,” I tell her, and I reach over to my nightstand and open the drawer. It takes a few seconds of fumbling before I grasp the small box I tucked away in the back corner behind a stack of books.
“What is it?” Scarlett props herself up on one arm as she watches me.
“I said not to move,” I reply, my tone gently stern.
“Fine.” With a grin, she flops back down. “Is this better?”
“Yes.” Except now my heart is jackhammering and it feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest. My face is hot and my hand is sweaty and are my fingers trembling?
I wasn’t nervous in the jewelry store, or when I hid the box in my dresser, or when I asked Scarlett’s dad for his approval. Not that I needed it—Scarlett’s an adult and she can decide for herself—but I still wanted to, so her dad knew how serious I was about his daughter.
But now? Now I know what Scarlett means when she tries to describe how her chest gets tight and her heart goes into overdrive.
“Grant?” Concern tinges her voice. “Are you alright? ”
“Yes.” Get it together before I ruin this moment. “I… I have something for you. I hadn’t planned on giving it to you now, but… I can’t wait.”
Scarlett sucks in a breath. “What is it?”
Fear streaks through me.
She wouldn’t say no, would she? I have an office all set up for her virtual nursing job, and the new library, and Scarlett says she loves living here. We have vacations planned into the next year. She joined the trivia team. And we’ve talked about children. Scarlett has to be as serious about our relationship as me.
Man. Facing off against insurgents, racing into burning buildings, getting dropped into combat zones in the middle of the night—those I did without flinching. But asking Scarlett to marry me? I’m a nervous wreck.
I pull the box out from behind my back and open it, revealing the sparkling gem nestled inside. The morning sun hits it, sending sparks of rainbow light across the room and dancing across Scarlett’s face.
She gasps, “Grant.”
Emotion makes my throat go thick. “I wanted to do this big, romantic proposal. Dinner at a fancy restaurant or rent out a museum or something. Invite your family to show up after. But then… I realized I couldn’t wait to ask. I just—”
I have to swallow hard against the tears pressing behind my eyes. “I love you so much, Scarlett. You’re everything to me. Before I met you, I thought my life was… it was good enough. I thought I’d always have ghosts. Bad memories. Guilt. ”
“Grant…” She pushes up to a seated position. A tear runs down her cheek.
“I was okay with it. I didn’t expect more.” Thumbing the tear away, I continue, “Honestly, I didn’t know until I met you. I didn’t know I could find someone who makes me whole. Someone I trust with everything. Someone I want to be with all the time. Someone who makes me happier than I’ve ever been.”
“Oh, Grant .”
“I didn’t know it was possible to love someone this much.” And now my eyes are wet. “I tried to ignore how I felt around you because… I was scared, really. But you captured me, Scarlett. From that first day. As soon as I met you, you had my heart. And you always will.”
With shaking fingers, I take the ring from the box. “Will you marry me, Scarlett Kirkland? Spend your life with me? Let me spend my life making you happy? Let me love you with all my heart?”
“ Grant .” Scarlett claps her hand over her mouth as more tears escape.
Good tears, I hope.
Still, my heart stops beating until she says the most wonderful word in the world.
“Yes.” Pulling her hand away, she smiles at me, though her chin is wobbling. “Yes, Grant. Of course.” She touches my cheek. “Did you think I’d say no? ”
On a shaky exhale, I say, “I didn’t before. When I got the ring, and when I called your dad. I thought you’d say yes then. But just now? Proposing is scarier than anything I’ve done.”
A small laugh bursts out. “Scarier than being a SEAL?”
“Yes. Scarier than that.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have worried.” Scarlett gazes at her hand as I slip the ring on her finger. Her face is glowing when she looks back up at me. “I love you so much. I love everything about you. Your soft heart. Your generosity. Your bravery. How sweet you are with our dogs. How safe I feel with you. How you show me how much you love me in a million different ways.”
“I’ll do anything for you,” I reply quickly. “Anything.”
“And I’ll do anything for you. I can’t wait to be your wife. I don’t care about fancy anything. If we just get married here at the cabin, I’ll be happy. This is where I’m happy. Here. In our home that you built. With our dogs. With the man I love more than I ever thought possible.”
A wedding here? Surrounded by the trees, and I could build a nice gazebo for the ceremony…
“A wedding here would work.” I pull Scarlett into my lap, dipping my head to kiss her. When we break apart, I say, “Anywhere you want. Any time. If you want to get married tomorrow, I’m fine with it.”
Scarlett laughs. “Well, tomorrow might be a little soon. Maya would probably kill me. She’s going to want to go dress shopping, and do a little planning. But maybe in a month or two? ”
“Anything you want,” I repeat. “I mean it, baby. I want you to be happy. It’s the most important thing to me. As long as we get married, I’m good with anything.”
“Oh, we’re not waiting too long.” Scarlett’s lips quirk. “I can’t wait to be Mrs. Collins. And…” Pink touches her cheeks. “Is it too soon to start trying? Because I keep imagining you with a baby. Zack if it’s a boy, or Delia for my mom, if it’s a girl?”
The image of Scarlett holding our child flashes before me—her hair brushing her shoulder as she nurses, looking up at me with love and incredulity that somehow we created a perfect little person… My voice is rough with emotion. “Yes.”
“It’s too soon?”
“I mean, no, it’s not too soon,” I explain. “And yes, I want to try to make a baby with you.”
Joy washes across her face. “I’ll go off the pill. Today.”
“Okay.” My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. “That sounds like a great idea.”
Scarlett presses a kiss to my jaw. Then she looks at me, practically glowing with happiness. Her lips quirk. “So. I know we have to get up soon, but do you think we have time to celebrate our engagement?”
“Do we have time?” Desire surges through me as I think about making love to myfiancée. Soon to be my wife.
And a moment later, with Scarlett beneath me, so gorgeous and perfect it makes my heart hurt, I hold her gaze as I say. “Scarlett. My beautifulfiancée. We absolutely have time to celebrate.”