by Claire Adams
“That will never be my intention, sir.” I said as I watched his face.
“She means the world to me,” he looked over at me.
“I love her.” It was the only thing I could say. I wanted him to know what I was feeling, but I also wanted him to understand my intentions.
“She’s worried about moving here and leaving you there,” he said, reaching for his drink again.
“We’ve talked about it. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there,” I said.
“Best advice I can give you, son. Never make her choose between what she wants out of life and you.” He wasn't being mean, just matter of fact.
“Hadn't planned on it.” I responded.
“Good.” He shook his glass making the ice clink around the glass.
“I want to marry her,” I declared.
His eyes narrowed. “Does she know this?”
“No, sir. I thought I should talk to you about it first.” I sat forward, putting my elbows on the table.
“Are you asking me for her hand?” He leaned forward, bringing his face closer to mine.
“Yes, sir. I am,” I said, more certain of that fact than I’d ever been of anything.
“If she says yes when you ask, then you have my blessing.” He placed his hand over mine and gave it a squeeze, then pushed away from the table. “Good luck, son.” He said and walked away. I let the breath that I hadn't realized I’d been holding out and sighed loudly.
“What was that for?” Ryan stood behind me. He was drying Cindy off and then wrapped her in a towel and pulled her down into his lap when he sat beside me.
“I just asked Emmy’s granddad if I could marry her.”
“Seriously?” Cindy clapped.
“Congrats, bro.” Ryan fist bumped me. I wasn't exactly planning on that happening today, but he was here.
“When are you going to ask her?”
“I don't know. We haven't been together that long.”
“Five minutes or five years, easy to see that it doesn't matter when you look at her,” Cindy said.
I should probably feel her out and see what she is thinking before I asked her something like that. I hadn't even known her a year, but I knew I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I would even give up the farmhouse and move here if that's what it took. All I really needed was a workshop, and I could build one of those anywhere. I started looking around for Emmy and realized that I hadn't seen her in nearly an hour.
“Have you seen Emmy?” I looked over at Ryan.
“I haven't,” he answered and went back to nuzzling Cindy.
I stood and walked around the pool looking over every table and not seeing her. I walked into the house and started to look for her. I heard some rustling and then a slap. I started toward the hallway and stopped when I heard words coming from the other side of the door.
“You don't know what you are missing. Why waste your time on that stupid hick? He will never be anything more than he is right now.”
“Get off me.” I heard, and my body stiffened. I shoved at the door, but it didn't open.
“Emmy?” I half-shouted.
“Luke.” I heard her voice. I laid my shoulder into the door and shoved hard. When it gave, I stumbled into the room to see that Chris had her pushed against a wall, her wrists pinned above her head. I saw red and grabbed the back of his overpriced shirt collar. I pulled him backward and out of the room. He was trying to get out of my grip, but I pulled him up and then shoved him into the front door. I jerked him back toward me, reaching for the door and pulling it open, and heard Emmy as she was running toward me.
“Luke!” she shouted. I shoved him through the open door and to his knees. I planted my foot into his back, kicking him forward. He shuffled on his hands and knees and stood, turning to look at me. I rushed him and hit him with everything I had, making us both tumble to the ground. The blow drew blood. He shoved at me, and we tumbled again. We exchanged several blows before he went down on one knee. I lifted my fist to hit him again, and he started to speak. There was blood running down from his nose, and he smiled.
“I've been waiting on this for a while. I'm sure Harlan will wonder what kind of man his precious piece of ass has fallen for. She’ll never be happy with you, Lawson. She needs financial security, just like her mother. Fucking her was one of my biggest challenges. Now that you've beat me bloody, I'll stumble back around to the party and show him exactly who you are.”
I felt arms wrap around me, and I was pulled back before I could hit him again.
“Stop.” I heard Ryan’s voice. I continued to struggle until Emmy appeared in front of me. Her hand reached tentatively toward my face and then laid softly over my cheek.
“I'm okay, it's okay.” She leaned into me.
“Emmy,” I pulled her against my heaving chest and didn't want to let go. “I'm sorry,” I said.
“For what? Protecting me?” She pulled back and looked at me. “I don't know what he was planning, but he grabbed me when I came out of the bathroom. I didn't know he was even in the house.” She shuddered in my arms.
“What is going on out here?” Harlan stepped into view, several other people following him, including John.
“He hit me.” Chris stood in front of us.
“Why would you do that?” Harlan looked over at me with anger in his eyes.
“He tried to hurt me, Granddad. Luke stopped him.” Emmy reached out and touched his arm.
“He what?” Harlan roared.
“She wanted me, and now that her boyfriend is standing here, she is gonna act all innocent. Why don't you tell him about all our other times together,” Chris said. I started to push Emmy away from me and then stopped. I wasn't going to fall into his trap. He wasn't going to get in my head.
“Granddad, I have never—” She started to talk, but he put his hand up and turned his attention to Chris.
“I think it's best if you gather your things and meet Robbie and the office to pick up your belongings there. You are no longer welcome here.” He said directly to Chris, and then he turned on his heel and walked back into the house seemingly unaffected by what had happened. That was that.
“I'm sorry I had no idea that he was like that.”
“Not your fault.” I said against her cheek, hugging her to me.
“I can't believe that I ever thought he was a good guy. I spent so much time with him, and he never even gave me an inkling that he would say things about me like that or try something like that.”
“It isn't the worst that he has said, trust me.” She turned her head and looked over at me. “Really?” Her smile faltered a little, and a flush crept up her face.
“It doesn't matter what he said. What matters is that you and your family know what kind of person he is. I knew no matter what I told you, it wouldn't be so easy to believe me simply because he has two faces. One he showed you, and one he showed me. He was very good and keeping them separated.”
***
Emmy grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her toward the river. We walked out onto the dock, and we sank down onto a bench just as the first firework popped overhead. The boom that followed got everyone's attention. All eyes went skyward.
I pulled her to me, and she settled her body against my arm. We watched as each explosion of color lit up the night. I cradled her next to me and kissed the side of her face.
The constant crack of the fireworks flashed overhead. We sat together, connected in a way I never dreamt possible. For the first time in a very long time, I felt whole. I knew she loved me, and I knew I loved her. We could make this work. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the velvet pouch I’d been carrying with me for over a week. On more than one occasion, I had thought about giving it to her, but it was something I wanted to be special, something I didn’t want her to ever forget.
“Emerson Myers,” I whispered in her ear. “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever known.”
She tilted her head toward me and k
issed me sweetly. She had no idea I wasn’t just saying something sweet. I loosened the string on the velvet pouch and slipped the cool metal between the tips of my fingers.
“You know,” I looked into her eyes, “this might not be easy.” She smiled up at me, and I slid from my seat next to her and dropped to one knee in front of her. Her eyes widened, and I continued, “This journey might be tough, but there isn’t anyone else in this world I want to take it with, so I’m asking you to take it with me. I’m asking you to make me officially the happiest man in the universe. I love you, Em. Will you marry me?”
Her hands covered her mouth, tears welled in her eyes, and I held the ring up as an offering that would never be worthy of the woman who I prayed would accept it. Her eyes focused on the ring, then flew back up to meet mine, and she slowly nodded her head before her hands fell to cross over her heart.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, a million times over.” She reached out and cupped my face, then leaned in and kissed me.
I slipped a white gold, two carat oval diamond ring on her finger, the ring my grandfather gave my grandmother after he’d only known her three months. The ring she wore for sixty-seven years of marriage. And it fit her perfectly.
Her smiled spread as far as it could with my hands on her cheeks, but I could see the pure happiness in her eyes.
“I can't believe you just asked me that.” She laughed. I kissed her, taking the laugh right out of her mouth. We both paused as the fireworks exploded in rapid succession. We stood, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I love you,” I whispered in her ear as she buried her face in the curve of my neck.
“I love you too,” she mouthed against my shoulder.
“We've been looking for you guys.” Ryan said as he walked up beside us, Cindy in tow. “What are you guys doing down here? Hiding?”
“Oh, you know. We were just down here getting engaged,” I said.
Ryan stopped and pulled back, looking over at us. “What? Are you serious?” He smiled as he thought about what that meant.
We nodded.
“You didn't even let me be included?” He looked hurt.
“Would you have been able to keep it a secret?” I asked and shoved him and he smiled.
“Yeah. Probably not,” he admitted. “But seriously, guys. This is fantastic!” Ryan reached for Emmy, pulling her from my arms and hugging her to him. “So, when’s the wedding?” he joked.
“Not anytime soon,” she laughed as he squeezed her to him. Cindy stood and watched, smiling.
I took Emmy back from Ryan, and we headed back up toward the house. When we walked into the backyard, it had cleared out for the most part. Emmy stopped before we walked further into the backyard.
“Can we not tell everyone yet?”
“If you want to.” I looked over her face trying to figure out why.
“I would just like to get used to it before everyone thinks we are crazy.”
“Your grandfather already knew I was going to ask.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, I asked his permission.”
“What did he say?”
“That if you wanted to marry me, then I had his blessing.” I brushed my lips over hers and then tapped a kiss on her nose.
“I love you.” She hugged me and kissed my neck softly.
“I love you more.”
I loved her so much it hurt, and I couldn't believe that even only knowing her less than a year, because of her, my life felt complete.
Epilogue
Emerson
Two years later
I smoothed the satin over my belly and smiled. The bump was just starting to show but only barely. My dress was better than I had imagined, I thought as I looked over it in the mirror. My hair was swept to the side in a braid falling over my shoulder and ending just above the swell of my swollen breasts. Luke and I had decided that we wouldn't tell anyone about the baby until after today, simply because we didn't want anything to take away from today. Luke had spent hours out in the meadow stringing up lights and making sure everything was perfect. I had helped him do as much as he would allow, but being pregnant had made me incapable of doing anything in his mind. He didn't even like me cleaning the house or cooking dinner. The man spoiled me. It was no wonder I loved him.
I thought back to when I first suspected I was pregnant.
My body was revolting, and I had too much to do. Weddings don’t plan themselves. I felt like I had the flu but had reason to believe that maybe something else was going on. I knew if I went and bought a test that it would be all over our small community in a matter of twenty minutes, and the last thing I needed was the attention. It just so happened that Rachel and Charles had come into town for Summerfest that weekend, so she grabbed a test for me while she was at the store. Keeping it from Luke had been a little tricky, but we had managed.
“So?” Rachel popped her head into the bathroom as I waited to see just how many lines popped up. When the second line started to show, I was overcome with emotion, so when Rachel stuck her head in the door, she wasn't sure if she should be happy or quietly somber with me. I nodded, and she ran into the bathroom pulling me into a tight hug. Her own protruding belly kept us from our normal tight embraces.
“If you have a girl, our kids can get married, and then we will be related for real.” She said through her tears.
“It's a little early to be planning that wedding.” I laughed at her.
“When are you going to tell Luke? I want to be here and see the look on his face.”
“I don't know, maybe I should wait a little longer.” Even though I wanted to wait and plan some elaborate way to tell him, he knew immediately I was hiding something from him.
“What’s wrong with you?” He asked me as we stood in the kitchen later that night.
“Nothing.” I smiled and turned back to the salad I was mixing. I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me against him.
“I don't believe you.” I turned in his arms and looked up into his blue eyes.
“I just haven't felt very good for the last week or so. I think I'm coming down with something.”
“Maybe you should make an appointment to go to the doctor when we are in Portland early next week.”
“I think I might.” I reached up on my tip-toes and kissed him softly before turning back to the salad.
At dinner two nights later, I had worked up the nerve to tell him. I wanted to do one of those extravagant treasure hunts, but instead I ordered a pacifier and served it to him on a plate. When I sat the plate down in front of him, he looked down and then back at me and then down to the plate again.
“Are you, we are, when, you aren't kidding me, are you? Because that would be cruel.” His dark blue eyes were shining, and his smile was blinding. He stood and grabbed my face, kissing me hard then dropped to his knees in front of me, kissing my belly over and over.
“Hey little buddy. I don't know if you can hear me yet, but I can't wait to meet you.” His arms wrapped around my waist, his head laid on my belly, and he talked to a baby that we hadn't planned but wanted.
“I cannot believe how good that dress looks on you.” Cindy smiled at me when she walked in, shuffling in her own dress.
“I was worried that it would show my belly too much,” I admitted.
“You are going to tell Ryan today anyway, right?”
“We were planning to, yes.”
“I still can't believe that he is so oblivious to what is going on around him.” Cindy laughed.
“You are pretty distracting.” I raise my eyebrows and smile at her. “Especially in that dress,” I joked.
“I never thought that he and I would be a he and I for real.”
“The man loves you.” I reached out and hugged her.
“Well, he better. Because at this point, I’d fight him for custody of you and Luke,” she winked. “Now turn around,” she said. “I’ll help you tie that ribbon in the back, and then you can ge
t mine. Because you’re on in thirty minutes.”
I smiled.
Thirty minutes later, I was watching Luke make me all weak in the knees in his tux as I walked toward him and took my place standing across from him.
He winked at me, and I winked back. He blew a kiss toward my belly, and I melted a little more for him.
“I love you.” I mouthed, and he did the same. Ryan shuffled nervously next to him and fiddled with his tie.
“Stop.” Luke whispered as Ryan turned to look at Luke.
When the wedding march started, we all watched as Cindy stepped out of the tent and into view. Ryan’s face lit up when he saw her. Her raven hair was pulled up, revealing her long, elegant neck. A few soft curls fell around her face.
When I pulled my gaze away from her and focused on Ryan’s face, I saw his eyes get a little misty. Luke reached out and gave him a solid pat on his shoulder, which caused Ryan to wipe at his eyes quickly. When Cindy stopped in from of him, he reached out for her and immediately leaned in to kiss her out of instinct.
“Not yet, son.” The minister laughed. I smiled as Ryan’s hands trembled as he took Cindy’s hands in his. He had given Luke a ton of crap after our wedding about the same thing, and I knew by Luke’s smirk that it wasn't lost on him.
I watched Luke, and he watched Ryan and Cindy. I couldn't help feeling that I had everything. Not just what I wanted, but so much more than I had ever known I wanted. Luke looked at me suddenly, and I smiled back at him, remembering our vows.
“I promise to cherish every minute I get to spend with you. I promise to take care of all your needs, no matter how small or big they are. I promise to not work in my shop before seven in the morning and always finish before eight at night. I will eat your burnt cookies and never complain. I will always chase you even if I have to do so with a walker in front of me. I also promise to knock you up at least three times, four if you'll let me.”
The crowd erupted in laughter, and a bright smile covered Luke’s face.
“But most of all, I promise to love you with every part of me—heart, mind and soul for as long as I have breath in my body.”