His Little Wife Lie: A Billionaire Fake Marriage Romance
Page 25
"Griff. That's beautiful."
"No, you are. You are the most beautiful thing I've ever come across, inside and out. I don't ever want to be away from you, not for a day, an hour, or a minute. Yes, you're coming with me. It's time to pay our last respects."
With that, she and I spent time wandering around the estate, doing as Papa asked. I passed the time telling her stories from my childhood and the fond memories I had of being able to come to such a special place. It was around then I decided to keep the estate. After all, with her mom close by, there was no reason we couldn't spend a lot of time here. I wanted my child to grow up having the same wondrous experiences I had.
Nearly finished, we made our way down past Croaker's pond. It got its nickname from the probably half dozen species of frogs and toads that lived there. Papa kept it stocked to fish there during the summer months also. Sometimes, he'd spend an entire day there.
I spread some of the remains and looked at Sneaks. "I know he'll be happy here. He loved Croaker's pond."
Her face cracked a smile, and she raised a hand to her mouth. "Sorry."
Standing up, I looked at her. "Something funny?"
"Nm, mmm. No." Sneaks stifled a chuckle. Then, it hit me.
"Oh, okay, now I know. He didn't, did he?"
"It's okay, I thought it was cute." Sneaks reached to hug me, and I leaned away from her. "Aww, Griff…"
I was still a kid, nine, maybe ten, and staying up at the ranch with them for the summer. Out in this part of the country, Bigfoot or Sasquatch, whatever you wanna call them, are a big deal, and I was determined to catch one. Yeah, literally catch it. Anyway, Grams and I camped out every night for a week and never saw a fucking thing until the last night.
Out of nowhere, there was rustling and a high pitched yelp. I was terrified but excited at the same time. Grams insisted we keep our distance so we wouldn't frighten it off. Using her flashlight, she locked on it, and there it was, a real life monster, looking right at us. At the time, it was the most exciting thing that'd ever happened to me. It's all I talked about for the rest of the summer, even though I never saw it again.
Years later, I found out the truth. It'd been Papa all along, dressed up in a cheesy Halloween costume, just having a laugh. Grams was in on it, too. When he confessed, he explained it wasn't just to scare me or to have a joke at my expense. He did it to teach me a lesson - never let anyone tell you something isn't possible. As long as you believe it, that's all that matters. I looked at Sneaks and thought about all the impossible odds I'd overcome to be with her.
As usual, Papa was right.
Anyway, he loved telling that fucking story, and I shoulda known that's what he'd sworn Sneaks to secrecy over.
I chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"No, I loved it. Just like I love you." She lifted herself to her toes and kissed my cheek.
The sun's dying glory cast a warm red glow on Papa's favorite spot, the largest oak on the property. Adjacent to the trail where I'd first met Sneaks, I knelt down and spread the final remnants of his remains at its base. After, I turned and looked at her, struggling to keep my grief in check.
Sneaks walked over and caressed my shoulder. "Is that it? Should we say something?"
I looked away from her and up toward the darkening heavens. I wondered if he was up there, looking down on me now. We may not have always agreed on business matters, but I knew he'd be happy Sneaks was by my side. Just like he'd forever be a part of the ranch, she'd forever be a part of me.
I looked at her again.
"No, there's nothing to say, but there is something I have to do."
42
Fairy Tale Forever (Lily)
Griff put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. My hands slapped against my ears on pure reflex. Oh my God that was loud.
From behind, I heard a sound and noticed the rustling of bushes in the early evening shadows. Billy appeared and lumbered in our direction. For an instant, I thought back to the first time I saw him and how terrified I'd been. Now, I saw him for what he was - a real life version of an overstuffed child's toy.
"This way, big fella." Griff gave him an enthusiastic clap of his hands.
While he waddled toward us, I noticed something different about Billy. I wasn't certain, but he had something around his neck. A collar maybe?
Griff blocked my view at the last second, kneeling down in front of the bear.
"I'll take it from here." Griff stood and gave the gentle beast a soft pat on the head. "Thanks, buddy."
I kept trying to look around the sides, but it was clear Griff didn't want me to see what he was doing. Billy approached me and brushed his nose against my thigh, knocking me back a step. I smiled and gave him a few strokes on the head before he ambled past, plopping down on the trail a few feet away.
I returned my attention to Griff, suspense getting the better of me. "What's going on? What did you take off of Billy's neck?"
Griff hadn't turned to face me. Instead, he exhaled a deep breath and looked straight ahead, taking in the view I'd come to love so much. It was different now than it had ever been. I'd gone from loving it to hating it to now, treasuring it, and the reason for all three was the same - him.
He didn't answer, so I walked around to the side of him. "Is something wrong?"
"Hmm?" He looked down at me. "No. Nothing at all."
I didn't say anything right away, just studied his face. The words coming from his mouth didn't match the faraway look in his eyes.
"Are you sure? I mean, you look sad."
Griff looked at me once more. "Not sad. Disappointed. But, not sad."
"What do you mean? Disappointed about what?"
After a deep inhale, Griff tried getting the words out. They came slowly at first, matching his melancholy mood.
"Papa knew what was right for me all along." He paused, a soft smile on his lips. "I was too stubborn to listen, too proud to admit I might have been wrong."
He had me confused. "What were you wrong about?"
"About what's important in life. It's not money or power or anything like that."
Griff pointed at me, then turned the same finger toward himself. "This. Us. And what's inside of your belly right now. When it's all said and done, what we make out of this life together is all that counts. That's what I was wrong about, Sneaks. I was wrong in thinking that somehow those didn't matter, that they weren't important. But now, I can see how they are the only things."
"Oh, Griff." Pressing a palm against his chest, I stepped to my toes and kissed him on the cheek. "That's so sweet. I'm so sorry Papa's gone. I know how much you'll miss him."
He nodded. "Thanks. Yeah, I will. But, even more than that, I wish he could have made it just a little bit longer, to see this moment right now."
With that, I rocked backwards while Griff dropped to one knee, clutching the collar Billy wore around his neck. In the middle of it, dangling from a ribbon of white satin, I noticed a sparkle I'd never be able to erase from my memory.
Even in the pastel pink and soft orange hues of the sun's final rays, the engagement ring glittered just like I remembered the first time I saw it. I lifted my hand to my mouth, a sudden swell rising up to my throat and threatening to bring my tears right along with them.
Griff untied the ribbon with a flourish, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. He looked up, and our eyes met. In his, the ring's brilliant reflection cast his blues in a shade of brilliance I'd never seen before.
"Lily Weischlitz. Sneaks. My love. Will you marry me? This time, for good. This time, forever."
And wouldn't you know it? Before I could give him my answer, Tiny Me butted in one last time, offering up one of her own.
Are you crazy?! Say yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Go away! I've got this.
Ignoring her, I let my hand fall away from my mouth and with trembling fingers, offered it to him. Griff lifted the ring to it, and with a smooth motion, glided it down.
; "Perfect fit," he whispered, pressing his soft lips against it. "So, is that a yes?"
Words failed me at first. For an instant, the best I could offer him was a nod of my head. The tears came next, pouring from my eyes and falling to the dirt trail at my feet.
"I love you so much." I swallowed hard, doing everything I could not to turn into a complete mess. "Of course, it's yes. Of course."
Griff stood and reached for my face, a gentle brush and a tender swipe removing the remnants of my emotion.
"I love you, Sneaks. More than anything in the world. Until the end of my days, I will never stop. Ever."
Our lips met, and I leaned into him, relishing the warmth of his kiss and the reassurance of his embrace. It was then I felt the presence of the ring, a reminder of all we'd overcome and now the symbol of our love, for the rest of our lives.
Thank You Very Much!
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