Chapter 39
Briana
Four months later
“Honey, I’m home.” Doing my best Jack Nicholson impression, I shrug off my jacket.
Kicking off my boots, I cross the freshly sanded oak floor. New cabinets line the wall. Granite covers the ones underneath.
Kade ducks out from under the sink, wrench in hand. “Hey, sweetheart. How was your day?”
“Routine. But you?” I glide a hand over the stone. “Serious progress. These cabinets are amazing.”
He rises, sawdust clinging to his shirt, and kisses me like we didn’t just tear up the sheets this morning. When we come up for air, his wicked grin makes me groan.
“We’re due at your sister’s in an hour.”
“There’s plenty of time.” His hands are already on my waistband. “We haven’t christened the countertops.”
About an hour late, still flushed, we knock on Kelly’s door.
Kade’s sister opens it, takes one look at us, then laughs. “You two are worse than rabbits. Get in here.”
Dinner feels… normal. Easy. Kelly’s teenage daughter rolls her eyes—a lot. I can’t stop smiling. A family. Mine.
After pie à la mode, stuffed and content, we say goodnight.
In the driveway, Kade takes my hand. “Can we talk about the ring?”
“We already agreed. We’re getting married. What’s there to talk about?”
“I want you to have one.”
“Well, I want a kitchen, not a car payment on my finger. A gold band is perfect. Would you be thrilled if I spent three months’ salary on a flashy watch?”
He starts to argue, but I lift a finger to his lips. “Did you know diamonds didn’t even become a thing until 1947? One brilliant marketing campaign changed everything.”
“Rings date back way before that.”
“Sure. But gold bands. Not diamonds. That came later.”
“People will think I’m cheap.”
“Let them. Buy me a zirconia if it helps. We’ll tell everyone it’s real. What matters is us. We’ve chosen each other.”
He goes quiet for a beat. “I still want you to have one.”
“Friday, we’ll take the afternoon off. Go to the justice of the peace. Say our vows. Exchange bands.”
“Someday, you might miss the walk down the aisle. Cake in the face.”
“Then we’ll do it again. Have a huge renewal party. Friends, music, flowers. Right now? I just want us. Our life. Started.”
Kade brushes a thumb down my cheek. “How did I ever get this lucky?”
“You’re a tracker. You were always gonna find me.”
He pulls me close. “Love you, Bree.”
“Love you more.”
In the quiet, my inner therapist chimes in. “You do realize, statistically speaking, everything that happened—every disaster, every near-death moment, every poor romantic decision—had to align just right to bring you here.”
Smiling, I rest my head on Kade’s chest.
You can go now, Herman. I got this.
The End