Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Beverly
Madison has a timer on as we sit around the kitchen table, our coffee cups empty and baby Joey already down for his nap. We’ve been biding our time, chatting about Christmas morning and the feast we’ll make for dinner. It’s a few minutes before two, and I can hardly take it anymore.
“Gah! Why is each second so agonizing?” I roll the small box with Ridge’s gift inside over and over in my hands like a Rubik’s Cube.
“Patience, Bevy. It’s almost time.” Madison looks at her husband sitting beside her at the cozy table. “Right, George?”
“Right. And I still think it’s a belt buckle.” He proudly palms the shiny buckle hooked at his waist, the gift from Madison this morning his favorite.
“I think it’s a piece of expensive jewelry,” she says. She reaches across the table and stills my hands like an exasperated mom. “Last chance to guess what it is.”
I pucker my lips to the side and stare at the box with steely eyes. “I think he wrote me a sweet note and tucked it inside.”
“A note?” George scowls. “What kind of Christmas present is a note?”
My sister and I giggle as I try to explain it in a way he’ll understand.
“Hear me out, George. I think it’s a special note where he tells me to look outside, and he’ll be standing there waiting for me with a bouquet of sunflowers in his arms.” I dramatically swing my arms out before planting them across my heart like a damsel in love.
George turns his entire body to look out the window. “Ridge is here?”
“No, silly.” Madison palms his shoulder. “She’s guessing the gift might be a note telling her to look outside where Ridge will be standing and waiting for her. He’s the gift.”
“Who’s the gift?” George asks.
“Ridge,” I say.
We watch him shake his head in confusion and rise from the chair. “You girls don’t make any sense to me…”
We’re interrupted by the timer going off. A high-pitched squeal escapes my mouth, and I look right at Madison. Her lips curl up into a smile, and she nods. “It’s time to open your present, sistah.”
I rip the packing tape from the seam of the box and toss it aside as George and Madison look on.
Inside the box is a red velvet satchel, and for a split second, I think Madison is the one who guessed correctly and it’s a piece of jewelry.
But the shape feels funny against my fingers, and it’s heavier than I expected.
“What is it?” George asks.
I look up at the pair with wild eyes and exhale excitedly. “We’re about to find out.”
I pull on the golden tasseled strings and tip the satchel upside down, dumping a brass key into the palm of my hand. My brain trips when I realize I’m holding the key to the Milton farmhouse.
“Wow!” Madison hollers, totally tracking with me.
I look at her, hot tears already welling in my eyes. I nod vigorously, my heart bursting with joy. “He bought me Milton Farm. Ridge bought it for me.”
The grin on George’s face is comical. “I told him to!”
Madison and I whip our heads in unison to look right at him. “You told him to do what?”
“I told Ridge to buy Beverly the Milton Farm.”
“When?” I ask, swiping at my happy tears.
“On Thanksgiving. We were having a conversation, and he asked me how he could make you happy for the rest of your life. And I told him he should buy you the Milton place as a surprise. I also told him to move here so he could be with you forever.”
“You told him that?” My voice cracks, the thought of sweet George and Ridge having a tender conversation about me too adorable to conceive.
“Yeah.” He suddenly frowns. “But then he said he couldn’t leave his son in California behind.
I don’t know what he’s gonna do about that.
I told him if y’all are meant to be together, it will all work out like it’s supposed to.
” He turns toward Madison, the love in his expression apparent.
“I mean, look at us. I never thought I’d ever get married and have a son. But it happened.”
Madison tenderly palms his cheek. “It sure did.”
I want to call Ridge right away. I want to run into his arms and hug him and kiss him for giving me the most wonderful present of my life.
The Milton property isn’t just a house and land; it’s a dream come true.
It’s part of my happily ever after. It’s a fairy tale come to fruition.
A symbol of hope for my future. It’s a gift of love, no doubt.
I stand, gripping the key in my hand. “I’ve got to drive over there. He said something about a delivery before two o’clock. I’m guessing it’s to the house.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Madison asks.
I shake my head. “No. I’m good. I’ll be back in time to help with Christmas dinner.”
Madison nods as if she understands. “I’m so happy for you, Bevy. I can’t believe we’re finally going to be neighbors. You deserve every blessing in the New Year ahead.”
I lean low and hug my sister. “Thank you.” I turn toward George and propel my body against his in a bear hug.
“Ooof!” he coughs.
“And thank you for suggesting it to Ridge. You did good George. Real good.” I kiss him on the cheek, and he smiles with chagrin.
“Thanks, Beverly.” He pushes me toward the door. “Now, go on then. It’s time for you to check out your new home.”
***
The sun looks different in the winter sky. It’s brighter with a halo of yellow and orange permeating the clouds with sherbet-colored light. I’m giddy and downright excited to lay eyes on my new house—a home I’ll hopefully be sharing with Ridge Wilson one day soon.
Turning onto the driveway, I immediately notice the real estate sign is gone, and the fallen leaves have been cleared.
I lean forward and stare in awe at the farmhouse as it comes into view through my windshield.
Once I’m out of the car, I stroll up the stairs and onto the front porch, my steps intentional.
My heart pounds in my chest as I take the brass key out of my coat pocket and stick it into the lock.
The door opens with ease; the hinges squeaking with age.
I half expect to see Ridge standing on the other side, ready to surprise me again, but a flash of bright yellow in my peripheral has me confused. I look into the formal living room and gasp.
What looks like hundreds of bouquets of sunflowers are interspersed across the wooden floors and windowsills.
I start to pant and scamper to the kitchen where more sunflowers greet me with sunny vibrancy.
They’re on the countertops, the floor, in the open pantry, and on the stovetop.
I marvel at the beauty, the brilliant yellow petals and dark centers welcoming me with cheer.
“Oh, Ridge,” I whisper with emotion. The romantic gesture is like something out of a Hollywood movie.
I take out my phone and pan the room in a video. I send it to Madison, who immediately texts back the single word “wow,” followed by a slew of sunflower emojis.
I feel like I’m walking on a cloud. I make my way back into the living room and carefully walk through the sunny maze and sit next to a bouquet positioned on the old piano bench. I run my hands across the closed lid of the instrument and think to myself, I own this now.
Wow.
The ringtone of my phone startles me, and I fumble to answer. “Ridge?” I’m breathless, my emotions teetering on the edge.
“Merry Christmas, Lovely.”
“Oh, Ridge.” My face puckers into the most unbecoming expression, like I’ve just taken a huge bite out of a lemon. I try to keep my composure, but it’s no use. I cry unabashedly in front of him on FaceTime.
“Did I buy the wrong house?” he kids.
“N… no. It’s the right house. I can’t believe you got it for me,” I sob. “Thank you.”
His eyes are glistening with his own emotions, the love light he emits reminding me that I’m literally home for Christmas. “You’re welcome.”
“And for the sunflowers. How did you manage to pull this off?” I swipe at my wet cheeks, ready to hear all about his secret planning strategy.
“Keri Clayton at the Heartsboro Real Estate office is a dynamo. She and Arthur are the ones who helped me put this all together.”
“Well, I’m going to have to make each of them a double batch of banana bread as a thank you.”
Ridge laughs, the sound husky and warm. Oh, how I wish I could fall into his arms and breathe him in.
“I think your new kitchen is plenty big enough for that.”
I nod, still in shock by his generosity. “I have to warn you; my gift doesn’t even come close to something like this. I mean, I can’t even believe I’m standing in my dream house.”
“You deserve it, sweetheart. I want you to have this. I want you to have everything your heart desires. And I want us to ultimately be together so we can share our dreams for the rest of our lives.”
I nod again. “Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
“You look so beautiful sitting there in the golden hour surrounded by the sunflowers. You’re a vision of loveliness.”
I demurely dip my head, unaccustomed to such flattery.
The sunlight filtering through the antique glass of the window near the piano highlights the yellow petals of the sunflowers, giving the space an ethereal glow.
And I’m sure I’m emanating a kind of radiance too from the oxytocin and serotonin overflow humming through my body.
“I love you, Ridge.” I want to reach through the phone and pull his face toward mine, capturing his lips in a gentle kiss.
“I love you too, Beverly. Merry Christmas.”