Chapter 15
15
FIVE WEEKS LATER…
“ M a, knock it off. I’m fine.” Buddy batted his mother’s hand away. Pain registered in his brain. He groaned. “I’m not a child.”
His twin sister, Kelly, laughed. “He’s been ornery all morning.”
“You would be too if you were me.” Buddy not only hated being cooped up with his mom hovering over his every move but it was made worse by the fact that Kaelie had made herself scarce these last few days. Something about having to tie up all the loose ends regarding the case with Keith.
Thank God that fucker was going away for a very long time.
He shifted on the sofa. The burns had been worse than initially thought. He’d need a few surgeries and he’d be on medical leave for at least another month. While he appreciated his mom and sister visiting, they started making him crazy.
“You’re such a big baby.” Kelly lifted the television remote and lowered the sound. “I don’t know how Kaelie puts up with you.”
That brought a smile to his face. It had been five weeks since the fire. Five weeks since he’d woken up in the hospital and she’d been there at his side when he’d blinked open his eyes. His sweet angel. “I’m going to need you two out of here tonight,” he said. “I have something special planned for Kaelie and no offense, but I don’t need my mother and twin around for it.”
“Where exactly do you expect us to go?” His mother glared.
“To the movies, out to dinner, shopping. I don’t care. But you’re cramping my style.”
“Oh my God. You’re going to pop the question, aren’t you?” Kelly dropped the remote in her lap. “You shouldn’t be doing that without a little help. You’re the least romantic man on the planet.”
“Bug off, Kelly.”
“Absolutely not.” She jumped to her feet. “Do you have flowers? A proper ring? Have you really put any thought into this at all?”
“If you must know, I have.” He smiled wide. “Now please, let me do this my way. Afterward, we can all celebrate.”
“If she says yes,” Kelly said with a waggle of her brows.
He frowned.
“Don’t tease your brother,” his mother said. “Come on. I’m sure we can find something to do for a few hours.” She grabbed Kelly by the arm. “Let’s go and give the boy some space.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Don’t screw this up. We all like her.” Kelly waggled her finger.
“I’ll try not to.” He watched his twin and his mother stroll out the front door.
He pushed to a standing position, his skin still tight from the burns. The doctors told him it would be another solid month before he healed and then another surgery.
Wonderful.
The sound of Kaelie’s car pulling into the driveway caught his attention. He dug his hand into his pocket and fingered the ring. Kaelie didn’t need flowers or grand gestures. They’d been through a lot together and all that mattered was they loved each other.
“Hey, good-looking.” She strolled in through the side door, tossing her keys on the counter. “I just stopped by my place and it’s coming along nicely.”
“Do you still want to keep it?” He pulled her in for a kiss, ignoring the pain that ripped across his skin.
“Yeah. I like it there,” she said. “Where’s your mom and sister?”
“Shopping, I think.” He took her hand. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay.”
He took her hand. Thick emotion filled his throat. “Do you love me?”
She cocked her head. “That’s a strange question. Of course I do.”
“Enough to marry me?” He pulled out the modest engagement ring.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at it. “Um, I don’t know. I mean. Can I think about it?”
“Are you serious?”
She took the ring in her fingers. “Your kind of catching me off guard here.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“I think I forgot something in the car.” She set the ring on the counter, snagged her keys, and left him standing there.
Seconds later, he heard the rev of an engine.
He raced to the window and watched her drive away.
“What the fuck?” He pulled out his cell and called Gunner, who picked up on the first ring.
“So, how’d it go?”
“She said she had to think about it.” Buddy scratched the back of his head. “I mean, it wasn’t the best proposal in the world. I didn’t go all out. Maybe I should have been romantic. I didn’t do flowers or anything, but I didn’t expect her to get in her car and drive off.”
Gunner laughed.
“It’s not funny. I’m standing here with my dick in my hand.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m also not surprised. Let her chew on it for an hour. She’ll be back and I’m sure her answer will be yes.”
“I’m not so sure,” Buddy said. “At least I didn’t do it in front of people. That would have been horrifying.”
“Give her a little space. When you were lying in that hospital bed, all she could think about was that you were going to die. Her biggest fear in life is those she loves, die. That’s why she’s avoided it all these years.”
“Yeah, but I’m not dead,” Buddy mumbled.
“Trust me, it will work out. I’ll talk to you in a couple of hours I’m sure.”
Buddy ended the call. He snagged a beer from the fridge and made his way back to the sofa with his heart in his gut.
Kaelie drove three blocks before pulling over. She got out of the car and leaned against the hood. Tears filled her eyes. She glanced to the sky. What the hell was her problem? She loved Buddy. There wasn’t another man in the world she’d ever want to give her heart to. So why couldn’t she say yes to marriage?
What was she so afraid of?
Death.
Everyone she had ever loved died.
Okay, not entirely true.
She sucked in a deep breath.
She couldn’t leave him standing in that kitchen without giving him an answer, yet she couldn’t get back in the car. She paced up and down the street for a good hour before she got the courage to do what she knew deep in her soul she needed.
Not just for her, but for Buddy.
Slowly, she drove back to the house she and Buddy had rented while her place was renovated. Her heart hammered in her chest. She’d hurt him and she’d spend the rest of her life doing her darndest to make it up to him.
When she walked back into the house, he sat on the sofa, beer in hand. He didn’t get up to greet her.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey, yourself.” He shifted on the couch.
She glanced toward the kitchen counter. The ring was still there, right where she left it. She picked it up and inched closer. “I’m sorry. You spooked me.”
“I guess so.”
Holding up the ring, she eased next to him, slipping the ring onto her finger. “I didn’t expect you to propose. We never talked about getting married. Only moving in together.”
He set his beer on the table and took her hand. “Is you putting that on your finger an answer?”
“Yes.” She swiped at her cheek. “I want to marry you.”
“Promise me you won’t run off like that again when things get emotional or otherwise. I might not have much of an ego, but I still have one.” He kissed her hand.
“I can make that promise.”
“Good. Now let’s go consummate this union before my mother and sister get back.”
She dropped her head to his shoulder and groaned. “They knew about this, didn’t they?”
“I hadn’t planned on telling them, but I did have to kick them out of the house.”
“I’m glad you did because I don’t like being put on the spot.”
“I knew that, which is why I asked them to leave.” He lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I love you and I plan on loving you for a very long time.”
“I like the sound of that,” she whispered. “I love you, too.”