by Tia Siren
“What are you doing standing in the middle of the road, Lincoln?”
He looked at me and made his way over. “I want to show you something.”
“Can it wait? We need to talk about what you did,” I said. He knew what I was talking about, because a sly smirk grew on his face.
“That can wait until later. I have something special for you.”
I hesitated before sighing and nodding. “Fine.”
He opened my car door for me and held out his hand. I turned off my car, grabbed my keys, and got out of the car without taking his hand. I didn’t know what he was planning, but I knew he had already done something big. We walked in silence up the remainder of the dirt road that lead to my house. Once we got close enough, Lincoln turned to me.
“I need you to close your eyes,” he said.
“Why do I need to close my eyes?” I asked, getting defensive at once.
“Please, Harper. You’ve been working so hard, and your parents would be proud to see how far you’ve come. Just trust me and close your eyes. You deserve what I have for you.”
I searched his eyes for a moment. I hesitated but reluctantly closed my eyes. He grabbed my hand and guided me forward. While walking, I attempted to figure out exactly what was going on. What had he done that was such a huge surprise?
We walked for a few more minutes before he stopped me. He moved in front of me and placed his hands on either side of my face. His action made me open my eyes. It was the first time he’d been that close in a long time, and I found myself hypnotized. I had noticed how well he had been working and how devoted he was to making sure everything was just as I wanted it. Lincoln didn’t boast or talk down to Eric, and he genuinely seemed to be the man I had fallen in love with.
“What going on, Lincoln,” I asked.
“My lease is almost up,” he said, “and I don’t know if you want me to stay with you or leave, but I wanted to give you one last thing.”
“You’ve already done more than enough by paying off the mortgage,” I said.
“Stop fighting and just hush for once,” he teased. “My family and I wanted to make this home special once more. We wanted it to be the place your family loved so dearly. So, while you were away, we decided to put the finishing touches on the property before you got the rest of the animals and opened for business again.”
I looked at him, confused until he moved to the side. When he did, I felt an overwhelming gust of emotion. The house paint had been touched up and there were flowers along the fence and in front of the porch. I teared up as I looked over everything. I didn’t let the tears fall until I saw the ugly green 1969 Pontiac Firebird with its hood popped. There was a sign that read “Welcome, Y’All, to the Callahan Family Bed, Breakfast, and Barn” holding the hood up.
“You did all of this?” I asked him, unsure of what to make of it.
“I didn’t do it alone. My family helped a lot,” he said. “But there’s more.”
“What more could there possibly be?” I asked, completely baffled.
He took my hand and walked me around the house. I had already seen the pig pens and the fences that Lincoln had built with Eric, but now they were painted to match the color of the house. The stables and the garage had been repainted as well. It looked like a new farm entirely.
“This is all too much,” I said. “I don’t know how I can pay everyone back for all of this.”
Lincoln remained quiet as we continued to walk. We walked for a while, and we wound up by our special tree. I felt a flurry of butterflies dance in my stomach as we stood under it once more. I turned to look at him, but Lincoln was looking out in the distance. I turned to follow his gaze and saw a beautiful garden by the once empty lake. All the flowers had been dead and the lake had been drained the last I’d seen it, but Lincoln and his family had turned it back into the beauty it had been so long ago.
“I-I can’t believe this,” I whispered.
“Everyone wanted you to be happy again,” Lincoln said. “I wanted you to be happy again.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to make this up to you guys,” I told him. “I can’t believe all of this is actually real. How can I make this up to you?”
Lincoln turned to me. Right there under the tree where we had shared our first kiss and our first night together, he gazed deeply into my eyes. He cupped my cheeks and looked at me with nothing but genuine, raw love and adoration.
“I have broken your heart two times too many. From the very first time I laid eyes on you, I knew I was in love. You have always been the only thing I’ve ever wanted, even after leaving for the city. I will do anything and everything it takes to show you love, to make you feel loved, for as long as I live. I love you, Harper Marie Callahan. Please, can I have a second chance?”
“What about New York? What about your business?” I asked him. “I don’t want you to leave me again.”
“I sold my business shares to the co-founder. I still have my investments, but I can stay here for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Do you swear it, Lincoln?” I asked.
He nodded. “I swear. I will be by your side for the rest of my life.”
I couldn’t contain myself. I leaned up and kissed him. The entire day had turned into something so magical, so special, and so enchanting. I felt like I was Cinderella and my family’s business was my ball. Lincoln’s lips on mine were soft like pillows and sweet like sugar. He was everything I wanted, and, as we made love under the tree where we’d shared our first night, I knew he was never going to leave me again.
Chapter Nineteen
Harper
A month had gone by, and all was well. Lincoln’s business was officially sold, and he had moved everything he had back to Wyoming. Of course, he still had a taste for the finer things in life, but he didn’t complain or whine. In fact, he was eager to get right back into riding in the rodeo. People were weary of him at first, especially his siblings, but he charmed and apologized his way back to being on good terms with everyone. Things fell together like perfect puzzle pieces.
At home, we were living like a couple who had been together for years. We had a routine that worked well for us, and we started getting people’s attention with the barn. After purchasing some pigs and cows, we had opened back up for business. We only got a few visitors in the first month, but then people began reserving rooms for holidays. I felt like I was making my parents proud.
One night after Lincoln won the local rodeo, breaking a record time, he decided to celebrate under the stars instead of at the diner. He already had a picnic packed up and ready to go, so he walked me right to our usual picnic area as soon as we made it back home. He unfolded a large blanket under the tree and started taking out the food.
“You are in a really good mood tonight,” I said, my legs crossed beneath me.
“Well, I’m with a beautiful woman and I just won the rodeo. What’s there to be upset about?” he asked with a grin.
“It’s nice to see that you’re settling in and happy here. I was worried you’d get restless and want to go back to the city,” I said.
“Throughout it all, you are my guiding light,” he told me, looking over and into my eyes. “You’re the lighthouse that guided me back to shore when I was lost in the fog. I followed you and found my heart, and home is where the heart is.”
I blushed and rolled my eyes. “Since when did you get so cheesy?”
“Ever since you showed me that who I really was was good enough,” I said. “I’m telling you the truth. You are the reason I am so happy with being me—the real, authentic, no-frills Lincoln Heatherton. You showed me that I was good enough.”
“Because you are,” I said simply.
“And because of that, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
His words caused my heart to stop. I looked into his eyes, trying to figure out if he was doing exactly what I thought he was doing. He sat up a bit and reached into the picnic basket, and he pulled ou
t a ring box that looked like it had come from a bubble gum machine. In fact, it looked just like the one he had given me when we’d been teenagers. The world seemed to slow down. There was no time counting on. In that moment, it was just Lincoln and me under the stars. My stomach was doing flips and my heart was racing.
“I love you, Harper, and I will honor you, cherish you, and adore you for every second of every day for as long as you will have me,” he said. He shifted onto one knee and opened the box. “Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
I looked from him to the opened box. Inside was a gorgeous ring. It was simple and had a silver vintage band. The diamond on top wasn’t big, but it was perfect for me. I looked between Lincoln and the ring several times before nodding furiously.
“Is that a yes?” Lincoln teased.
My heart felt like it was beating in my throat, and I couldn’t make the words come out. Instead, I continued to nod. After Lincoln slipped the ring on my finger, I reached forward and pulled him into a passionate kiss. All fear of him leaving me behind and breaking my heart again blew away in the wind. Lincoln was mine, and I knew we were about to begin a brand-new chapter of life together that would be worth all the pain and heartbreak of before.
I was happy to call him mine once more.
THE END
I’ve included some bonus stories for your enjoyment. If you like short stories, then check out the collections. I’ve also included BIG BAD COWBOY and a sample of BIG BAD ALPHA, both Amazon best-sellers. Please check the table of contents to decide what to read next.
BWWM Romance Collection
The Russian’s Secret Love Child – Tyra’s Story
A BWWM Billionaire Pregnancy Romance
''It's okay, Tyra, hold on to me,'' Natalie said as Tyra collapsed into her arms.
Father Smith had told me it would be like this, Tyra thought. But which of the emotions had he meant? The Grief or the guilt? Tyra was experiencing both. Two of the most powerful human emotions were wracking through her at will.
''Tyra, we're so sorry for your loss.'' Tyra lifted her head from Natalie's shoulder. It was Mr. and Mrs. Radley Samuels, Tyra's boss and his wife.
''Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it.'' Tyra didn't think she could speak, but the words came out somehow. Natalie handed her another tissue and for a moment, Tyra could see clearly again. She looked to her left and saw a line of mourners waiting to express their condolences to her.
''If only I hadn't been so selfish,'' Tyra said to Natalie as they walked up the cemetery path. It had taken an eternity to work through the line of those seeking to express their condolences and Tyra was exhausted. ''It was foggy, and I knew dad didn't want to drive that day. It was me. Me moaning that they hadn't been to see me in my new home in the city. Lord knows, I think I even suggested they weren't interested in me anymore.'' She held onto Natalie again as another insufferable wave of guilt rammed at her. ''No, I killed them. Dad would never have taken mom out in the car on a day like normally.'' Natalie didn't know how to comfort her friend. They were both just twenty-three and beginning to make their way in the world. Losing parents wasn't supposed to happen until later in life.
*****
Three weeks after the funeral, Tyra stood outside the jewelry store on West 47th Street and looked at it, really looked at it, for the first time. I've been working here for seven months, and this is the first time I've properly taken the place in, she thought. Grief-stricken and riddled with guilt; she felt her senses had become sharper since the passing of her parents. It was as if someone was making her take notice of the world. Making her appreciate what can so easily be torn away from you, in an instant.
West 47th Street was full of jewelry shops, but none as grand as J.P Samuels. They might as well have called it, 'Jewelers to the rich and famous,' she thought. For that's what it was. A place where the rich came to gorge on expensive stones. The front of the store was imposing. Between the cleanest store windows in New York, there were columns of polished black granite. The entrance was in the middle of the store and it too was surrounded by shiny black stone. The door itself was made of bulletproof, reinforced glass. What Tyra liked best about the facade was the sign. It was made of copper and ran the length of the store. The background was dark and the letters that had been forged onto it were polished and stood out better than any other letters on the street.
''Welcome back Tyra. I'm so sorry to hear about your mom and dad,'' Leon said. ''Thanks, Leon. It's very brave of you to say so.'' She'd found that most people just turned away from her, not knowing what to say. Not Leon. It was his job to stand inside the door and keep out the undesirables. He was perfectly equipped to do so at six feet seven and two hundred and fifty pounds, but it involved hours standing in the same place, day after day.
''Tyra, my girl,'' Radley Samuel's said. He'd been waiting for her. Normally, he didn't stand in the shop.
He had others to do that for him. His job was managing the business that his grandfather had started. ''Come with me.''
Tyra followed him through the store. They walked past glass cabinets filled with beautiful necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, and watches. At the back of the store, they went through a door and down a corridor. The first door on the right led to a security room. Tyra had never been in the room, but she had seen inside once when the door had been open. It was full of monitors and the latest lock down systems. It was all hi-tech, and she had no idea about any of it.
Radley pushed open the first door on the left and showed her into his office. How can anyone spend hours in an office with no daylight? she wondered. There were pictures of his ancestors on one wall and a giant flora vase in the corner. What she liked most about his office was the carpet. It was deep red with the company crest woven into it.
''Tyra, please sit down.'' He pointed to a button backed armchair that stood in front of his mahogany desk. ''I want you to tell me how you are feeling. You've been through a lot, and I want to make sure you’re feeling up to working again.'' I wish I had a daughter like her, she's so graceful and kind, yet determined and motivated, he thought.
''Well, honestly speaking, I'm still feeling awful.'' You can tell him everything; he cares for you, she told herself as a moment of doubt crept into her mind. ''I weep a lot, especially in the evening and I feel guilty. So guilty.'' She noticed how closely he was listening to her. The furrows on his forehead were deep with concern for her, and his eyes were looking directly into hers, seeking any sign that a return to work may be too early.
''There is nothing I can say to you that will make you feel better. All I can do is tell you what happened to me when my son was killed.'' Killed? I didn't know he'd had a son, she thought. The thought that someone close to her had also suffered such a loss made her feel better.
''My son was only nineteen. He was studying business at New York University and working here at the weekends.'' He stopped talking for a moment, took out a white handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped his forehead. Tyra knew him to be fifty-nine. He was quite tall and very thin. It was as if he was so involved in his business he forgot to eat.
He looked at her with a pained expression as he continued. ''One morning, he left home to go to college, and he never came back again. A man who had been drinking all night decided to get into his car and drive to the girlfriend he had left for dead in her apartment the previous evening. When he fell asleep at the wheel, it was my son he hit.'' Tyra noticed a crack in his voice. ''Walking down the street minding his own business.'' He took the handkerchief and blew his nose.
''Oh my God, that's awful,'' Tyra put her hand to her mouth.
He nodded. Perhaps I shouldn't have burdened her with this, he thought. ''At first, everything was a blur. It was only after the funeral had taken place that it really hit me. After the funeral, everyone seems to disappear. All the kind words and supporting arms are no longer there. You are suddenly alone.'' He ran his hand through his thinning gray hair and looked towards a photo on h
is desk. Tyra couldn't see who it was. She assumed his son.
''The Undertaker had warned me about it. A deep hole, he'd called it, and I fell into it.'' When he paused, Tyra thought about where she was mentally and recognized what he was describing. ''The Undertaker also explained that there is something called the cycle of grief. You go through stages of grief, and if you are lucky, eventually come out the other end. The last stage is called the acceptance stage. You stop all the blaming and come to terms with what's happened. Of course, you're still sad, but it gets easier.''
''It's very kind of you to tell me this. I had no idea. I was afraid I would have this level of pain for the rest of my life.'' Tyra looked at her hands. Her nails used to be so manicured, she thought.
''When I employed you, Tyra, I saw something in you. You are one of life's good people. I can see you care about people. When you talk to clients, you are patient, and most importantly, you listen to them. Did you know I have no relatives?''
Tyra shook her head.
''No.''
''Well, I don't. Not one, and no friends. There's only my wife and me.'' He looked at her, and wondered what he was about to say, would do to her. ''I am going to leave the business to you.'' He stared at her, not wanting to miss her reaction.
''Pardon?' Tyra said. She wasn't really in the mood for jokes.
''I am going to leave the business to you,'' he repeated.
What the hell is he playing at? This isn't funny, doesn't he know I've just buried my parents. She went to stand up, but he put up his hand and stopped her.
''For the last time, Tyra. You will inherit this business.'' Someone knocked on the door; it was his wife. ''Tell her Eliana, she doesn't believe me.''