Chapter 57 Thomas
THOMAS
ONE YEAR LATER
“Baby, we have to leave in five!” I call from the living room.
“I know, I’m almost ready,” Hannah yells from the bathroom.
In the year since I was shot, things have been a whirlwind in the best way. It’s taken a long time to heal from the GSW, but I have, and I am officially off desk duty starting Monday.
Hannah’s nervous for me to go back out in the field, and I get it. To be honest, I’m nervous too. But, we both have been in therapy since it happened, and it’s helped a lot.
I also went through many months of physical therapy to help repair my leg. It gets sore and tires easily, but all things considered, I’m lucky. The bullet missed any major nerves or arteries, so most of my rehab was spent trying to get my muscle strength back up to the best it could be.
Two months after I was shot, Hannah officially moved in with me, and we haven’t looked back. My brothers had to help with the move since I was still not putting much weight on my leg at the time, but we made it a fun time.
Things between us have been incredible. We make time to go on dates and spend time together with the two of us, but also with our families. Hannah has gotten close to all my sisters-in-law, and seeing her interact with my nieces and nephews is one of my favorite things.
Not long after I was shot, we confessed to everyone that the engagement was fake, and while everyone knew the whole time, it was nice to get it off our chests.
The trial for the trafficking ring ended a few weeks ago with Chaz getting twenty years to life behind bars, and the men who shot Henry and I getting the same. All the other accomplices have their sentencing in a few weeks, so hopefully that ends similarly.
Arlo is still as obsessed with her as he was the first day they met. Only now, instead of calling her “my”, he calls her Auntie Nannah. It’s adorable. We recently celebrated the twins’ second birthday, as well as Cooper’s first birthday.
Tonight is going to be something a little different. Hannah still hates surprises, but I think she’s going to enjoy this one.
She strides out into the living room, and fuck if she isn’t the most beautiful girl in the world.
She has on a gorgeous rust orange tulle sundress on.
Her hair is curled loosely and she has light makeup on, similar to the night of our first date.
It’s perfect, never covering her beautiful freckles that I adore so much.
“You look stunning, baby,” I say, rising to my feet. I’m wearing a pair of dress pants and a nice button down shirt, fit for the occasion. “Ready?”
“I’d be more ready if you’d tell me what we were doing,” Hannah replies, reaching out to take my hand.
“Can’t do that, my love.” I subtly pat the right pocket of my pants to make sure I have it. Thankfully the outline is small, but it’s there.
Arson follows us to the door, and we both give him some extra love before we leave. I take Hannah’s hand in mine as I lead her to my truck, helping her up and in before getting in the other side.
“Thomas,” she groans as we pull away from our house. “Surprises are not my thing.”
“I know, baby. But you trust me, right?”
She glares at me. “Of course I do.”
“So trust that I am taking care of you, and would never do anything to make you uncomfortable. Okay?”
She reaches over, taking my hand. “Okay.”
I drive us out of town to a restaurant that isn’t very busy, especially on a weeknight. The parking lot only has two other cars in it, but it’s a nice restaurant, so I made sure to make a reservation anyway in a quiet corner where we will be able to talk.
I give the hostess my name, and she leads us to the far corner, seating us and offering a glass of wine. We both accept and she pours us each some white wine before excusing herself, leaving us to look at the menu.
“So, you brought me to a nice dinner? That was the surprise? You didn’t need to get me all hyped up for that, Thomas,” Hannah says with a small smile, taking a sip of her wine.
“Mhmm,” I murmur, perusing the menu with my eyes, fully knowing that the real surprises are yet to come.
Not even five minutes later, I see them arrive from the corner of my eye. I jerk my head in our direction, letting them know to come. They get the message, and quickly walk to us. They stand at the table, and Hannah lifts her gaze from the menu with a smile, expecting it to be the waitress.
“Can we join you?” Dottie asks, a huge grin on her face. Ron stands at her side, an arm wrapped around her waist.
“Oh my god, what are you doing here?” Hannah shrieks, standing from the table to wrap both of them in a hug.
I do the same, acknowledging the pointed looks that they both give me while also giving one back. They know what my other surprise for Hannah is, but that won’t come until later, when it’s just us.
Ron and Dottie sit down with us and we spend the entire dinner talking. In the last year since we left Missouri, we have only seen them a few times when they came up to Minnesota for some of Fletcher’s games.
We talk on the phone with them at least once a week where they update us on Dave’s recent antics, and the new animals they have on their small farm.
Dottie also shares recipes with Hannah, and some of the food that comes out of it is incredible.
I miss the solitude of the farm somedays, but also wouldn’t trade this life with Hannah for anything.
The entire evening is spent catching up with each other and making plans for the rest of the time they are in town.
Both Hannah and I are off work the next five days, so it’s perfect timing.
They’re going to stay at my parent’s house and come to Sunday brunch this week.
The Sunday brunch crew has grown since the addition of Hannah to our family.
Now, her Grandma comes every week, as well as Tiff and Julia when they’re able to.
My family has grown in size over the years, but I wouldn’t change a single thing.
After we finish dinner, we say goodbye to them for now, and I take Hannah’s hand in mine as we walk out to our vehicle. “Thank you,” she murmurs, resting her head on my chest.
I press a kiss to her forehead. “Of course,” I reply.
“That was a great surprise. I’ve missed them so much.”
“I have too. We will have to go visit them soon, too.”
“I’d love that.”
“We have one more stop to make on the way home, if that’s okay.”
Hannah raises her brow as she gets into the truck.
I smile, kissing her cheek and getting in the driver’s seat. I drive us back toward Ivy Ridge, but veer off at the signs for the state park.
“Where are we going?” Hannah asks, peering out the window. The sun is starting to set in the distance, leaving the world in a golden hue.
“You’ll see,” I say, pulling off the road to park. “We’re getting out here.”
She follows my lead, getting out of the car and taking my outstretched hand. “Do we have to walk far?” she asks. Her voice shakes a little, and I think she may have caught on to what’s happening.
“No, not far.” I lead her down the wooded pathway and to the clearing.
“Wow,” she breathes as the trail clears to an empty area. Marley got here about an hour ago and set everything up beautifully. There’s a quilt laying on the ground with fake tea-light candles around the edges, and polaroid pictures of us hanging on a tree branch nearby.
The view is spectacular. We’re overlooking the river, surrounded by trees and bluffs that are the perfect backdrop for this moment.
“Thomas,” Hannah sighs, the golden sunset lighting up her face so beautifully. Her cheeks are my favorite shade of red, her freckles prominently lit up and on display. I pull Hannah to the blanket, and take both of her hands in mine, turning her so we are face to face.
I cup her cheek in my palm, kissing her gently before reaching into my pocket and pulling out my grandmother’s ring. I drop to one knee, holding the ring up for her to see.
“Hannah, I love you so much. Every day with you is a new adventure, and I find something more to love about you. Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
Every moment with you is the golden hour.
Everything is sunshine and glowy, you light up the world in a golden hue that makes everything shine brighter, simply by being you.
I can’t wait to spend every day by your side, watching you shine. Hannah Pearson, will you marry me?”
Tears fall down her red cheeks. She covers her mouth with one hand as she weeps, nodding her head frantically up and down. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she murmurs, eyes focused solely on me.
I rise to my feet, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her deeply.
“Thank you,” I murmur between kisses. Hannah laughs, and the sound is music to my ears.
I vaguely hear Marley clicking away on her camera in the background, but I’m so glad that besides her, this moment is private, and only ours.
I knew Hannah wouldn’t want it to be a huge affair.
She wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy it that way.
The party with our families will come later, but for now, this moment is about us.
I’ve almost forgotten the ring still clutched in my fingers. I pull away, taking her left hand and sliding the ring onto her finger. I had it sized to fit her perfectly.
“I love you,” I murmur, kissing her once more.
A dragonfly circles us, landing on the blanket at our feet. I smile, almost feeling as though the dragonfly is my grandmother’s sign of showing her love for us at this moment. She was always fond of signs.
The engagement ring that once belonged to Grandma Irene rests on Hannah’s finger, the single pearl surrounded in a set of diamonds resting on a gold band.
The night of our first date, before things went wrong, I knew this was where we would end up someday.
I knew that I’d found the love of my life, and it was only a matter of time until we could start our forever.
Now, we are officially taking the first step toward a lifetime of happiness, family, and love.