Chapter 11
Scarlett was filled with a sense of wonder and serenity as they returned home.
All three of them for the first time. Her tires crunched on the oyster-shell driveway, frogs sang in the marsh, and the humid air had cooled enough to be pleasant, carrying the heavy scent of blooming jasmine and tangy salt.
Cora was sound asleep in the back, her head lolling against her booster seat, exhausted from another big night with Willow and Levi.
Willow was thrilled—Charity had sent her a video of Cooper’s proposal at the pub.
Tomorrow, they’d tell Cora she had a daddy and for the first time, Scarlett wasn’t afraid of the conversation or questions that would follow.
She watched him come around to the passenger side to open her door. His face, illuminated by the moonlight, was a study in handsome confidence.
“She’s out cold,” Cooper whispered, glancing into the back seat as he helped Scarlett out of the car.
“Willow and Levi know how to party,” Scarlett joked. “All that fresh air on the yacht.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” He brushed a kiss over her lips before moving to gather up Cora into his arms as if he’d been doing it from day one. She snuggled into him, her head on his shoulder.
Linking his free hand with Scarlett’s, he paused at the base of the steps, his gaze on the porch.
“We can find a bigger place,” she offered, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Something more ours than mine.”
“But this place is perfect.” He lifted his chin toward her quirky lights. “This place has character and spirit. And love. Those lights are resilient, like the three of us. They have history.”
She chuckled. “True. And history is more than a collection of salvaged parts.”
“It’s a foundation,” he agreed, heading for the door. “And ours is solid. Wait here while I tuck her in?”
“Okay.” What was he up to now? She didn’t have long to wait.
Cooper stepped outside and wrapped her in a snug embrace. She let herself lean into his warm strength. With Cooper here, she felt like a better version of herself. From this day forward, she had a partner to help her along the highs and lows.
“I love you,” she said. “I don’t think I said that earlier.”
“I’ll take it.” He grinned, his green eyes sparkling with mischief.
Holding her hand, he dropped to one knee.
“I wanted this moment just for us.” He fished a box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a diamond solitaire.
“Let me be your husband and partner. Let me love you and Cora every day for the rest of my life.” He paused.
“I’m hoping you don’t change your answer. ”
“You waited so I wouldn’t cry in front of the whole town?”
“Figured that would only work against me.”
He wasn’t wrong.
He pulled the ring from the box, holding it up for her. “Look inside the band.”
It was hard to look past the stunning diamond, but she angled the ring until the light struck the inscription: S + C + C = 1.
Her heart simply overflowed with joy. “Scarlett plus Cora plus Cooper equals one?” She’d thought her decisions had meant giving up this beautiful incomparable love she’d felt with him. For him.
“One life,” he said. “One family. One future where nobody has to settle. I’m not just asking to be her father, Scarlett.
I’m asking to be your partner. I want to be the person who helps you install the lights and the person who listens to you play the blues.
I want to be the one who stays when the novelty wears off and the math gets hard. ”
He stood up, waiting. And when she said yes again, he slid the ring onto her finger.
Scarlett looked at the ring glowing in porch light and then up at the man who had chosen her—chosen them and all the new dreams they would share.
She thought about the girl she’d been and the walls she’d built to keep her heart safe.
As she cuddled into Cooper’s embrace, she marveled at the gifts in her life.
She was stronger and wiser since becoming a mother.
And all that wisdom and strength was multiplied exponentially now that her heart was fully open.
“The math works.” She kissed him with all that joy glowing inside her. “You’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be. I love you.”
“From this day forward,” he said, kissing her breathless. “I love you too.”
They stood there for a long time under the mismatched lights of iron and copper, as lovers and as parents, finally united.
From this day forward. The promise replayed over and over in her mind, the happiest of happily ever afters. She didn’t expect perfection, only the best partnership ever, rooted in love and soaring on joy. She couldn’t wait to tell Cora her father was home to stay.
Thank you for reading SCARLETT’S SECRET CHAPTER!