Chapter 34 Ruth
thirty-four
Ruth
I smooth my dress down one last time with my nerves fluttering in my chest, and I step out of my room.
“Ah!” I nearly trip back when I see Bill standing in my living room like he owns the place, chatting casually with Noah. My pulse skitters like it’s just been caught doing something it shouldn’t. “I didn’t even hear you knock.”
Bill just smirks. “No worries. Noah let me in.” He jerks his thumb toward the TV where a hockey game plays, the announcers play-by-play fills the room. “We’ve been busy.”
I flick my gaze to Noah’s, whose lips are pinched like he’s trying to keep them glued shut, and his eyes dart side to side in a way that’s way too suspicious.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he blurts out way too fast.
Bill steps forward, his whole six-foot frame dwarfing Noah. “You ready to go?”
“I think so.” My voice trails because I can’t stop studying Noah. His grin stretches impossibly wide now, like he knows something I don’t.
I narrow my eyes. “Okay, seriously, what’s going on?”
“Nothing!” Noah practically yells, then fumbles for his phone and yanks it out. “Op. I just got a text from Axl.” His thumbs start flying like the text is the most fascinating thing.
Before I can press further, Bill is at my side, his hand warm as it slides down my arm. He’s holding something. A piece of fabric. My stomach flips when I realize what it is. “A blindfold?” I blink at him.
His smile turns sly, boyish, despite the silver at his temples. “Put it on.”
I glance back at Noah, eyebrows raised. “Do you know about this?”
“Nope.” He won’t even look at me now, his focus locked on his phone like it’s saving his life.
Bill chuckles low in his throat, like he’s got the upper hand. He slips the blindfold over my eyes before I can second-guess. My heartbeat ticks up a notch.
“Relax,” Bill says. His fingers twine with mine as he leads me toward the door.
“Relax?” I whisper back. “That’s rich coming from the man kidnapping me in front of my son.”
“Not kidnapping. Surprising,” he corrects smoothly.
Behind me, I hear Noah chuckle.
“Mm-hm.” I tilt my head toward Noah. “If I end up on the evening news, you tell them who did it.”
Noah’s laugh is less concealed and my chest warms, even through the nerves. Whatever’s happening, the two of them are in on it.
Bill leads me to his SUV, where I get in, but I’m quiet as I try to pay attention to the turns he takes as he drives off.
“Are you going to give me any hints?” I ask as I tip my head back, trying to peek out from underneath my blindfold.
From the driver’s seat, Bill chuckles, that mischievous rumble that makes my heart flutter. “Didn’t you learn not to ask me that? I will never tell.”
“It’s Hawaii, isn’t it?” I grin, even though I can’t see him and make a hopeful wish. “I hope you grabbed my swimsuit from my house, because there’s no way I’m not going to the beach.”
His tone turns much more playful. “If this goes according to plan, we can book that trip, and yes, you need to bring that swimsuit. I’m dying to see it.”
My heart leaps forward, as I seriously can’t wait to go there, but I’m still so confused. After several minutes, the SUV rolls to a stop. If I’m not mistaken, I hear gravel beneath the wheels. He slips out his door. A moment later my door opens.
“Why do I feel like I’m about to end up as the missing person on a crime show?” I tease as I reach for his arm, and he guides me forward. Each step forward, I feel as if I’m placing my foot on loose rock. Now I’m certain, I’m stepping on gravel.
“You’ve got to trust me more than that.” His voice holds an unusual rasp that pricks at my ears.
If he’s not giving hints, then it’s up to me to solve this mystery. I inhale deep breaths, identifying scents of damp earth and the faint sweetness of grass. I stride slowly as he leads me, and my soles continue to crunch against gravel until a snap!
I startle and halt on my heel, and blubber out, “We are totally lost in the woods, where you brought me to be murdered!”
Underneath his waves of laughter is an empathy that holds strong when he breathes out, “I give up. No, I’m not murdering you. Take your blindfold off.”
Yanking it off with one swift tug, I blink against the burst of sunlight.
And then my breath catches.
We’re at the river.
The place where we had our first non-date, and where we came to say goodbye to the old bridge.
It’s the exact same place.
Only now, the bridge is gone.
It’s all blue sky above us, green spring grass and water around us.
A giant void looms where the bridge once stood.
My chest tightens unexpectedly as sudden sadness mingles with nostalgia. I didn’t think it would feel like this to have this place altered so much. Swallowing, I cut my gaze back to him as he slips his hand around my waist and draws me closer to his side.
“I hate that they tore it down. You already know that. But despite how beautiful it was, the bridge was crumbling and unsafe.” His voice works over the rasp.
“But you know, something happened over the winter, and nature took over. The grass is greener than it ever was. It’s like it’s preparing for a new, stronger bridge to be built.
It looks like the future is bright.” His gaze is on the water, but then he turns to me, and the emotion in his expression steals my breath.
“It’s just like my heart,” he says, voice breaking.
“In the past, I held on to a lot of hurt that prevented me from enjoying life. But this last year, you helped renew everything.” He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a small box, and drops to one knee.
The sunlight catches the diamond with an impossible sparkle, and I gasp.
My hand flies to my mouth. “Oh—”
“Ruth, it’s no secret I love you, and I don’t want to ever stop. Can we make this officially forever? Will you marry me?” His voice is full of hope.
Tears spill down my cheeks as I nod furiously. “Yes!”
He slips the ring on my finger, and the moment his hands brush mine, my heart feels like it could burst. He rises, and I throw myself against him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Our lips meet, and the kiss is deep and sweet. He holds me tight, as if he never wants to let go, and I kiss him back with everything in me.
I feel like the luckiest woman alive.
As he kisses me again with the river sparkling behind us, I know we’ve built our own little bridge from my heart to his. It’s not steel, but it’s made of love, affection, honesty, fidelity, humor—and maybe a little bit of hockey—and it’s the perfect life for two.