Chapter 14 #2
“Tempting.” I smile up at him as we begin ascending the gentle slope. The incline is easy enough, but the lumpy terrain hidden by thick grasses and other native plants makes it a walk requiring careful footing.
The going gets easier when we reach the crest and the land levels out.
It’s still unfamiliar to my eyes, but Grüsh grew up in the hills and woods surrounding Harmony Glen.
Even after being away for years, he seems completely in his element.
But he still hasn’t explained why we’re here, or what he has planned after we climb down the hill.
“Did you finish your meetings early and come back to surprise me so we can go to the first stop of the summer tour from here?”
“Yes and no. Yes, I pushed hard and got what I needed from the meetings in less time than expected, and yes, we’ll fly from Syracuse to Chicago for the first show. But that’s not the surprise.” He sweeps me up into his arms. “This is, if it makes you happy.”
“This? What is ‘this’?” I ask, laughing and holding on for dear life as he spins us around before jogging across the field like a man on a mission.
Not winded in the slightest when he finally stops, he settles me on a large, smooth rock—our rock—and takes his place beside me, just like old times.
“This property. We could build a house up here. A place big enough to have family over, because you know my brother and Hope are going to have a big family, in more ways than one. And our own family, if you want to adopt.”
“What?” A single whispered word is all I can get past the emotions clogging my throat.
“I’ve done everything I wanted to do with my music career. But not with you, and you’re the most important part of my life. If you still want children, we’ll find a way, and I’ll spend every possible minute being the best husband and father.”
“Husband?”
Looking into my eyes, he shifts off the rock, going down on one knee in front of me.
“I believe this is the human tradition,” he says, taking my left hand and sliding a ring onto my finger.
“I have been your mate since the moment we met, Catherine, and nothing will ever break that bond. If it makes you happy, I would also like to be your husband.”
“It makes me happy. So happy.” I throw myself at him, but he doesn’t so much as budge.
Because he’s my rock. Happy tears stream down my face when I ease backward so I can look at him and the ring on my finger.
A literal rock, one I recognize from our collection.
Small, reddish in color with gray veining, now buffed to a shine and set in a gorgeous vintage band. “This is perfect.”
His thumb sweeps over the back of my hand, then he takes my face between his palms and kisses me again. “Where we live, our family, and whatever else follows—I’ll be happy with anything and all of it, as long as I’m with you.”
“And I’ll be happy with you, no matter where we are. I don’t need you to give up your career. I planned to go with you six years ago, and I’m prepared to go with you now.”
“I’m honoring my commitment to the shows on the summer tour.
Beyond that, I’ve renegotiated my contract.
Some individual shows. No long tours. I’ll go to LA to record with the band, but my developmental time will be in my home studio, here.
If you want to travel, we’ll go wherever you want.
But we’ll do it for us, not for my career.
This is home. Yours, mine, and ours. I made an offer on a parcel of land up here, but it’s just an idea.
We can figure it out together. Build whatever you want, wherever you want, or stay in the apartment. ”
“I like the idea of a house with room for little feet to run around, but only feet belonging to children who call us Uncle and Nana.”
“If you’re saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear—”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I thought holding Hope’s baby would make the fact that I can’t have one of my own hurt even more. But that’s not what happened at all. It gave me a sense of peace. Like it worked out how it was meant to be.”
He resumes his place beside me on the rock, wrapping his thick, strong arms around me and pulling me tight against his big, warm body. “This is how we are meant to be.” He nuzzles my hair, then presses his lips against it. “I love you, Catherine.”
“And I love you, my mate,” I say, snuggling closer and smiling against his chest.
I couldn’t ask for a better ending to my favorite second-chance love story—ours.
Thank you for reading!