31. Elijah
With Andie at my side, I walk up onto the porch of Edna’s house. After Rebecca’s funeral, Andie and I dove headfirst into putting everything back together.
So here we stand, hand in hand, in front of the door. Four months of hard work have finally put it back together, though so many of Edna’s things were broken I know it will never look the same. In her other hand, Andie holds a bouquet of wildflowers she cut from Mrs. McGinley’s garden.
The librarian and Edna’s oldest friend insisted that we use her garden instead of buying the first bouquet from the store. Soon, I hope to have Edna’s garden restored to its original glory. But that’s a project for another day.
Slipping the key into the lock, I unlock the door and push it open.
“Surprise!”
The lights come on and Andie jumps back. I laugh, holding her in place. She stares straight ahead, wide-eyed, at everyone who’s come together to bring her a proper welcome home.
This time, it’s going to stick.
She’s still designing, though she insisted on moving her office here to Hope Springs even though I would have followed her to the ends of the earth if that’s what it took to stay at her side.
There’s nowhere else I will ever be.
Her investors all remained, well—invested—in her work once Diana and Alec confessed to slipping a security camera into Andie’s office and stealing her designs. Thankfully, they won’t be seeing anything but the inside of a jail cell for a long, long time.
“You guys!” she exclaims as she steps into the house. Lilly and Alex are in the kitchen, Lance, Eliza, Michael, and Jaxson off to the side of the living room, all of them grinning widely.
Pastor Redding is the first to come forward and offer Andie a hug, his wife second. “We’re so glad you’re staying,” the woman says with a smile.
“Me too,” Andie replies. She looks around the room, her gaze finding her father. While things are still—and probably always will be—rocky between them, she’s offered him the chance to be in her life in a less behind-the-scenes capacity.
There’s still so much pain, but I know getting to know him again has made her happy.
She looks up at me. “You planned this.”
“It was a group effort.”
“Those are beautiful!” Mrs. McGinley rushes forward and takes the flowers. “Good choices, dear. You have an eye like your gran. I’ll get them in some water.” But she doesn’t move.
I swallow hard, knowing it’s my turn to put my heart on my sleeve. Clearing my throat, I turn Andie to look at me.
“I love you,” I tell her.
“I love you too,” she replies with a smile.
Reaching toward a table near the door, I grab a white box encircled with a green ribbon the same shade as her eyes. “This is for you. A welcome home gift.”
“You didn’t need to get me anything,” Andie says with a laugh as she tugs on the ribbon. She lifts the lid and grins as she withdraws a teddy bear with a Get Well Soon t-shirt. It matches the one she got me when I was in the hospital.
And then her gaze lands on the small velvet box beneath the stuffed animal. “Elijah,” she whispers.
I drop to one knee. “I always brought your gran vases,” I tell her. “She loved them, and they were the only gift I was allowed to bring into her house. I figured teddy bears could be our thing.”
“Here, I’ll hold that,” Eliza offers as she steps up and takes the gift box and bear from Andie’s hands.
Andie opens the velvet box and stares down at the ring inside. “Elijah, it’s beautiful.”
“I want to spend every single moment of my life with you, Andie Montgomery. I want to love you. Cherish you. I want a family with you. And I want to grow old with you. Wherever this life takes us.”
She stares down at me with tears in her eyes.
“Will you marry me?” I ask.
“I guess you really do like me then,” she chokes out on a laugh.
The first time we met in person, she accused me of not liking her, and I’d told her that I didn’t know her. I thought I’d made my mind up then, but I’d been so wrong about her. I’d wanted nothing to do with her, and I can’t imagine my life without her now.
“I love you,” I reply. “But I still need you to answer the question.”
“Yes! Absolutely yes!” She throws her arms around my neck, and I stand, lifting her and spinning in a circle as everyone who matters to us cheers. After a quick kiss, I pull back just enough to slip the ring onto her finger.
“Here’s to forever,” I tell her.
“Forever and a day,” she replies.
I absolutely ADOREenemies to lovers and I love how both Elijah and Andie were so hesitant to take that step that brought them closer, but when they finally did it was beautiful! Please consider leaving a review!
Keep reading for a bonus epilogue, AND the first two chapters of the next book, SECOND CHANCE SERENITY, featuring Michael Anderson and the woman he left behind, Reyna Acker. Pre-order it today.