Chapter 38 #2
After I thank everyone for their hospitality and learn that there were four doctors and seven nurses present in case anyone was poisoned, I find Leah in the front yard wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy and chasing a gaggle of little cousins.
She comes to a stop when she sees me and starts balling up the toilet paper. “Don’t be too still. They’re small but stronger than they look and they’ll get you.”
I don’t doubt it if they’re related to Leah. She’s got me, all right.
I assume, as per tradition, she’s not staying at my house, so I ask, “Do you need a ride somewhere or—?”
“I’m sleeping here tonight.”
I nod, preparing to say goodnight. “Is there anything else I should know? Deep dark secrets?”
“No. How about you?”
“No skeletons in my closet. How are you feeling?”
She shrugs.
“Actually, there’s one. More of a current problem than a past one.”
She looks up at me, her eyes shining under the street light.
“You’re not wearing an engagement ring. Are you sure you want to go through with this? I’m willing to take the hit if you don’t want to marry—”
She rapidly shakes her head. “I do want to marry you, Hudson.”
Relief rolls through me like a warm wave, then I remember that I left the black diamond engagement ring at my house.
“I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Twenty max.” I thumb over my shoulder toward my truck.
“I’ll come with you. This will go on for hours and we’ll all be together again tomorrow.”
I wonder if all the noise Leah says that’s in her head is more often quite literally the cacophony of her family. While I already know I’m going to enjoy spending time with them, I’ll also provide her with a quiet sanctuary in our home.
When we’re in the truck, I say, “Yep. You definitely had the wrong brother.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Do you remember how loud his band was?”
She laughs and it keeps coming as we recap the evening on the way to my house. Our house.
When I pull into the driveway, I say, “Next time we come here, it’ll be as newlyweds.”
“You don’t have to carry me over the threshold.”
“Why not?”
She shrugs. “I’m a bit unwieldy.”
I get out of the truck, open the passenger side door, take her into my arms, and spin her around, showcasing just how wieldy I can be. She laughs into the night and then goes silent when she spots something on my back stoop.
“What’s Howie doing there?”
“The hockey gnome gives me the creeps, so he lives outside.”
“Shh. The Badaszeks might hear.”
“I’m going to give it back.”
Eyes wide, she shakes her head vigorously.
“It’s the right thing to do.”
“No, the right thing to do is sneak over there right now and quietly deposit it in the dead of night when they’ll be none the wiser.”
“They have security cameras.”
“Then we dress entirely in black and go over there after midnight.”
This time I chuckle. “Okay, cat burglar. You realize that we have my brother to blame.”
“You’re right. We do.” The corner of her lip lifts into a sly and slightly defiant smile.
“What’s that look?”
She innocently shrugs. “It’s late. Tomorrow is a big day. Where’s that ring?”
We go inside and I grab the velvet box from my room. It would feel strange to just give it to her. Under the soft lantern on the porch and amid the rustling of the maple leaves, I drop to my knee and propose again.
She giggles and says the one simple word that I desperately wanted to hear. “Yes.”
We’re both shaking slightly as I slide the ring onto her finger. She grips my hand, not letting go as she admires the dark stone set against all the sparkle.
“It’s beautiful.” I wrap her in my arms so her back is against my chest. Kissing her temple, I add, “So are you.”
She sags a little in my arms. “That kiss earlier was awful. I never want to do it again.” She twists in my arms so we’re facing each other. Our gazes lock.
She cranes her head and I lean in. Our mouths crash together.
Her lips are soft against mine and I breathe in her summer strawberry scent, welcome despite the fall season.
My hands find her waist, pulling her closer until there’s no space between us. The kiss deepens, and she sighs against my mouth, her fingers threading through my hair.
The rush that has been these last weeks slows to a trickle. The chaos and changes of my move and everything going on in my life narrow, leaving just the two of us sharing this moment.
It’s all I want. All I need—her warmth, the gentle press of her lips, the way her body fits perfectly against mine.
When we finally pull apart, our foreheads touch, and her smile reaches deep inside, driving out any remaining doubts or questions.
This is Leah: true, raw, vulnerable.
Eyes still closed, she whispers, “That was ... this is …”
I don’t have words for it either, other than the sense that nothing stands between us any longer.
She opens her eyes, and the look in them makes my heart beat out the steadiest, surest rhythm.
Leah says, “I was wrong. I definitely want to do that again. We should do it a lot, actually.”
I laugh softly. “We certainly will.”
Brushing a hair back from her face, I trace the curve of her cheek. The ring catches the light as she moves her hand to my shoulder, and reality hits me again. She’s going to be my wife. This incredible woman chose me.
“What are you thinking?” she asks.
“That I agree. We should do that more. And hit the rink—I could use some more figure skating lessons—and play bingo, eat pasta, do life together, and that I’m the luckiest goalie in the world, and that we should do that again,” I repeat.
She beams and pulls me into another kiss. It’s slower this time as if we’re both savoring every second.