42. Beau
Beau
A nna practically glowed in the orange sunset filtering through the French doors on the back side of the house.
She’d taken her time, strolling through each home as if she were getting to know the very framework.
Judging by her wide-eyed expressions and soft smiles, Beau had no clue which one she liked best.
“This place is gorgeous,” she said as she made her way back to his side, holding onto his hand with both of hers.
“It is. I take it you like this one?”
She nodded and rested her cheek against his shoulder as they made their way back to the front door where the realtor waited, holding a tablet in one hand.
“Did you find what you were looking for today?” Jenny asked.
Anna chuckled. “I guess so. I love them all!”
Jenny opened the front door and moved to the side. “That’s great. Do you want to see anything else here?”
“I think we saw everything,” Anna said. “You’ve been amazing. Thank you for showing us around. I’ll be in touch later this week.”
Jenny exited behind them and locked the door. “It’s my pleasure.”
Anna released a long sigh as she settled into the passenger seat of his truck.
It had been a long day of exploring house after house, but she’d seemed happy. Still, the stress of choosing a house to buy was probably getting to her. “Everything okay?”
“Everything is great. This is just such a big deal. I don’t want to buy a house and decide I hate it after six months.”
“I highly doubt you’d hate any of those houses,” Beau said.
“You’re right. They were amazing.” She grabbed two handfuls of her hair at her temples. “How can I choose?”
Beau pulled her hand from her hair and slid his palm against hers. “Don’t stress. We can make a list and narrow it down when we get home. Then, you can have a few days to pray about it.”
Her hand in his relaxed. “You’re right. I don’t have to make a decision right now. I mean, Olivia is still begging me not to move out.”
Beau pulled onto the main road and headed toward Dawson and Olivia’s. “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. Living with her best friend is probably a dream she’s had since she was little.”
An unexpected silence settled in the cab, and Beau glanced over at Anna. She was staring out the windshield, wearing an expression he couldn’t read. “A penny for your thoughts?”
His words jerked her out of her trance, and she smiled. “How about a kiss?”
Beau leaned over the console and pressed a quick kiss to her lips that only left him wanting more. Little tastes of her only ignited his hunger.
“I was just thinking the houses are too big. It’s just me, and while I do need lots of closet space, those houses are too much.”
Beau tightened his grip on her hand. “Well, you’ll have a family one day.”
She cut her gaze over to him, studying his expression as he focused on the road. “What do you mean?”
Great. His palm was sweating, and he couldn’t pry it out of hers without making things weird. “I know this is a lot of assuming on my part, but I live at the shop. It’s fine for me now, but I could afford to buy a house when the time comes.”
Anna sat up straighter, turning toward him in her seat. “Beau Lawrence, speak in plain language.”
He lifted her hand and pressed his lips against her soft knuckles. “I’m trying to have a talk about our future, and you’re making me very nervous.”
Anna let out a small gasp, but he couldn’t look at her. He’d lose all of his courage.
“This is big, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yep. About as big as it gets,” Beau confirmed.
He was having a premeditated talk with his girlfriend about the future.
Their future. “But don’t feel like you have to make a decision about a house with me in mind.
Just because I’m hoping to be a part of your life for the foreseeable future doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick the exact house that you want. ”
“Are you serious? I am one hundred percent thinking about you when I make decisions. I have been for months!”
“But you’re just getting your independence, and?—”
Anna leaned over the console until her face was only a few inches from him. “I don’t need any more independence. I know I have that now. I need you .”
Oh boy. His heart was running a marathon in his chest, and Beau was trapped inside the small cab of his truck.
“Here’s my take on where we live one day.
I want a place where I can protect you and provide for you.
I want to love you and cherish you, and I don’t care one bit about what the house looks like. ”
He paused, and Anna spoke up. “I feel like there’s a but coming.”
“But I’d like to have room to grow our family,” he added.
Anna jerked back to her seat and squealed. “Ahhh! You’re joking!”
Beau gripped the wheel. “Good grief. What are you doing? What’s wrong?”
“I’m happy! I’ve never been so happy in my life! Beau, I want a future with you. I want it all. Let’s do more than house hunt together. Let’s buy one.”
“Are you sure? It’s only been a few months. What if?—”
“What if everything isn’t perfect? What if we have fights and disagree? What if we work together to make the future we both want? What if it’s perfectly imperfect, and we love it?”
Beau jerked the truck into the nearest vacant lot and shifted into park.
“What are you?—”
Wrapping a hand behind her head, he pulled her in for a kiss that did nothing to settle his wild pulse. They formed to each other, fitting perfectly together.
He never saw her coming, but Anna crashed into his life and changed everything for the better.
She pulled back long enough to take a few steadying breaths. “I know how big of a deal this is for you.”
He brushed a hair behind her ear and trailed his thumb down her jaw. “It’s not. It feels right with you. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”
“I never feel pressured with you,” she said. “I can finally be myself.”
“Good, because I don’t want you to be anyone else.”
She pressed another quick kiss to his lips. “I tried to save my old life, but I was better off walking away from it. You love me so much that I don’t care who doesn’t anymore. I’m not trying to fix what doesn’t work. I’m ready for what comes next.”
She grabbed his large hand and enclosed it in both of hers. “This is worth fighting for, and I know my place now. It’s with you.”
Beau shook his head and fought a smile. “I don’t have a ring yet.”
“You already proposed once,” she joked.
Remembering their first kiss from the restaurant in Freedom had his smile growing wider. “Yeah, but this time it’ll be real.”
Man, it was hard to wrap his head around how fully Anna had consumed his life, but he wouldn’t change a thing.
“I promise I’ll be ridiculously excited whenever you decide to ask.”
Beau pulled the truck back onto the road. “But you already know it’s coming, and you’re taking all the guesswork out of it. Most guys don’t know exactly what the woman is going to say when they ask.”
Anna scrunched her nose. “Then why are they asking?”
She was still laughing when Beau’s headlights landed on a strange car in Dawson and Olivia’s driveway. “You expecting company?”
Anna sat up straighter to take a look. “Someone’s on the porch.”
A thin woman got to her feet, leaving the rocking chair swinging behind her.
He turned to Anna as he shifted the truck into park. “Did you know Brittany was coming?”
Anna’s lips pinched together as she shook her head slowly. “I haven’t talked to her since before Christmas, and I don’t know how she knows I live here.”
Great. Another surprise.
Beau pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Stay put for just a second.”
“Who are you calling?”
“Dawson. It’s his house, and I think the police need a formal report about this anyway.”
Anna nodded and turned to where Brittany waited on the porch. “I think you’re right.”