Cottage by the Sea

by Debbie Macomber

  Once they had it installed, Keaton studied his friend and noticed how pale he was. “You okay?”

  “No,” Preston was honest enough to tell him. “I’d rather face a rabid dog.”

  Keaton slapped him across the back. “You know she loves you; you don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “Nothing is a sure thing when it comes to Mellie.”

  His friend was right about that.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  Preston swallowed hard and nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  They approached the screen door, and within seconds Mellie stood on the other side. “You’re going to make me go out on the porch, aren’t you?”

  Preston didn’t answer with words. Instead, he opened the screen door and held out his hand. Mellie hesitated, almost ready to refuse.

  “Please,” Preston added.

  Mellie huffed and angrily shook her head. “You know I can’t say no to you when you look at me like that.”

  Keaton’s sole purpose for coming was to help his friend install the swing. Thinking Preston wouldn’t want an audience, he said, “Annie and I’ll leave the two of you—”

  “No,” Preston protested, “don’t go. Not yet.” He silently pleaded with Keaton, imploring him with a look to stay put.

  Keaton relented, although he felt uneasy staying. Annie sent a questioning look that he answered with a reassuring smile.

  Mellie inhaled a deep breath, and with her hand tightly gripping Preston’s, she moved outside the kitchen and onto the porch. “Where are you taking me?” she asked, as he continued to lead her toward the swing.

  That she hadn’t noticed the new swing astonished Keaton until he realized her complete concentration was on moving her feet forward, one step at a time.

  “I’ve been working on this for some time,” Preston said.

  Keaton knew his friend was referring to more than the swing.

  “Working on what?” Mellie asked, standing next to the swing, still oblivious to what was different.

  “This swing.”

  Mellie’s eyes widened when she realized it wasn’t the one her grandfather had built years earlier. “You built this swing?”

  Pride radiated from Preston. “Got the plans, studied them a long time, made a model first. I wanted it to be perfect for you. I made a few mistakes, but nothing anyone would notice without looking close.”

  “Oh Preston,” she said and sighed. “You did that for me?”

  Looking well pleased with himself, he smiled and stuffed his fingertips into his back pockets.

  Mellie sat on the wooden swing and appreciatively ran her hands over the polished wood. Keaton knew his friend had spent countless hours working on the project, hoping his effort would reveal the depth of his feelings for Mellie.

  Annie carried out a tray with four glasses of iced tea.

  With her eyes on Preston, Mellie patted the seat next to her. “Aren’t you going to sit with me?”

  “I…” Preston reached for the porch railing looking like he was about to pass out.

  “Preston.” Alarmed, Mellie leapt to her feet. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m okay,” he choked out. “Sit, please.”

  Annie set the tray down and Keaton brought her to his side and wrapped his arm around her waist.

  Preston bent down on one knee. He remained deathly pale but was determined. “Guess you know I love you. Never could hide the way I feel. Never really expected you’d feel anything near love for me.”

  “I proved I did, if you remember,” she reminded him. “Wouldn’t be sitting in this swing right now if I didn’t have strong feelings for you.”

  “Strong enough to last a lifetime?” Preston asked.

  Mellie frowned and studied him before she asked, “Are you proposing to me, Preston?”

  “Not down here on my knee looking for evidence of termites.”

  Keaton did his best not to laugh, but a snicker escaped. Annie elbowed him in the ribs to keep him from spoiling the moment.

  Preston sucked in a big gulp of air before he continued speaking. “I’m not a romantic guy, Mellie. I know you read all those romance novels where men know the perfect thing to say. I read a few love poems, wanting to do this right, but I was afraid if I recited any of that nonsense you’d never take me seriously.”

  “It’s not nonsense. But I need to know if you’re serious about getting married.”

  “Serious enough. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m something of a wreck here. Fact is, I’m about to keel over. Now let me finish, Mellie. I’ve been working on what I want to say for a long time.”

  For once she remained completely silent, her eyes bright, her lips trembling, as she waited for Preston to finish.

  “I know I’m not much to look at,” he continued. “I’ll never be rich, but what I can offer you can’t be bought with money. You have my devotion, my heart, and my love.”

  Mellie’s eyes went wide and bright. Slowly, a lone tear wove a moist trail down her cheek.

  “I’m willing to commit my life to you as your husband. I have loved you from the time we were teenagers; don’t know that it’s in me to love anyone else. If you decide you don’t want to marry me, it would hurt, but I’d accept it.”

  “Would you please kindly shut up?” Mellie whispered.

  Confused, Preston glanced over his shoulder at Keaton, hoping Keaton would tell him what she wanted. Keaton shrugged, letting his friend know he didn’t have a clue.

  “Stop rambling on and get to the point,” Mellie clarified.

  “The point?” Preston repeated, afraid of losing his train of thought.

  “Just ask me,” she advised. “Before you make a bigger mess of this than you have already.”

  “Okay.” He swallowed again, his Adam’s apple moving up and down in his throat. “Mellie Johnson, will you marry me?”

  “No,” she blurted out. Her response was sharp and fast.

  Preston hung his head and slumped down onto the porch.

  “Oh stop,” Mellie snapped. “Of course I’ll marry you, Preston. I’d be a damn fool to refuse someone who’s loved me longer than I’ve loved myself. Truth is, I consider myself lucky, knowing you love me. You bring me an engagement ring?”

  Preston nearly turned his pocket inside out, searching for the ring. He opened the case, removed the diamond and slipped it on Mellie’s finger. Holding her face between his hands, he leaned forward and kissed her.

  Watching the pair, Keaton grinned, happy for them.

  Seeing that his buddy didn’t need any further assistance, he gestured to Annie that it was time for them to go. They walked out to the truck, where Lennon waited patiently, asleep in the front seat with both windows rolled down. He lifted his head when he saw Annie and Keaton and then promptly went back to sleep.

  “That went about as well as can be expected from Mellie,” Keaton said as they walked across the yard together.

  “It was sweet,” Annie agreed. “He loves her enough to want to spend the rest of his life at her side.”

  “He does.” Keaton was probably the only one who knew how hard it’d been for Preston to propose. “I remember a time when Preston would get tongue-tied with the mere mention of Mellie’s name.”

  “Mellie is his destiny,” she said pointedly.

  “In a roundabout way, I guess you could say that you are mine,” Keaton said, getting ready to climb into the truck. It was an off-handed comment, and he was surprised when Annie stood frozen at his side.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Are you going to marry me?” Annie posed the question, hands on her hips.

  Keaton frowned and rubbed his hand down the side of his face. “Is that what you want?”

  “Keaton,” she cried, “what do you think
?”

  “Ah,” he muttered, feeling completely out of his element. He glanced at Annie and dropped his hands, afraid he was going to disappoint her. “I didn’t know there was going to be a test. I don’t do well with tests.”

  “Do you love me?”

  He nodded.

  “Check.” She made a checking motion with her hand on an invisible chalkboard.

  “Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?”

  Again, he nodded.

  “Check.” She made the same motion again. “What about children at some point in our future?”

  “Children? You mean as in babies?” This question wasn’t as easy to answer as the others had been. He didn’t have a single doubt when it came to his feelings for Annie. “I’ve never been around babies. I’m at a loss with how well I’d do with them.”

  “Do you or do you not want children?” she prodded.

  “Do you?” he asked, turning to her for the answer.

  “Yes. Several.”

  “Several,” he repeated, feeling the color drain from his face. Suddenly, he felt lightheaded. The vision of crying babies filled his mind. Diapers. Dirty diapers. Baby bottles. Burping. Tiny creatures who depended on him for their very survival. “Define several.”

  “Three, minimum.”

  “Three,” he repeated slowly, those same visions circling around inside his head. “How about one…maybe two, seeing how it goes with the first one.”

  Annie frowned, seriously taking his suggestion into consideration. “Can we make that decision later?”

  “I suppose.” He opened the driver’s-side door to his truck when the realization hit him. “When do you want to do this?”

  “Do what?”

  Funny. Annie should know, seeing that she was the one who brought it up in the first place. “Get married.”

  “I’m starting medical school in a week,” she snapped. “I can’t think about that now.”

  “Then why did you bring it up? Was it because Preston proposed to Mellie and you’re feeling left out?”

  Annie hesitated and then grinned. “Maybe. I want to marry you, Keaton, more than I want to be a doctor, more than anything. And when the time is right, I am confident we’re going to have the most incredible children in the universe.”

  He didn’t miss the reference to more than one child.

  “How about tomorrow?” he asked, thinking he didn’t want to wait a minute longer than necessary. “We’ll get the license right away…don’t know if there’s a waiting period but if there is, we’ll make it as soon as that is over. The pastor of the little Seaside Church by the park could perform the ceremony, unless, of course, you want something big and fancy. I don’t. Never did like being the center of attention, but for you, I’d do it.”

  Annie stood with her mouth hanging open, gawking at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Words are falling out of your mouth again. I’m still getting used to it.”

  Words. His woman was getting hung up on words. Keaton swore he would never understand women, but that was fine, because he didn’t really need to understand them to love Annie.

  “Are we getting married or not?” he asked.

  “Married.”

  “Good. You ready to go now?”

  Annie nodded.

  Keaton grinned. “Check.” He made a checkmark in the air, walked around, lifted her off her feet, and kissed her so she’d know beyond a shadow of a doubt how much he loved her.

  EPILOGUE

  Three years later

  Thanksgiving

  Annie put the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving table in Mellie and Preston’s dining room. The house was cleared out now and the table was set with the fine china from the cabinet that had once been completely obscured by mountains of boxes filled with accumulated junk.

  An orange, yellow, and brown floral arrangement graced the center of the table. It was picture perfect.

  Keaton came to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders. “You okay?”

  Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving was the hardest for Annie, bringing to the surface memories of that dreadful event.

  “I’m good.” Annie’s studies continued, and it wouldn’t be long before she joined a staff, hopefully right here in Oceanside, where it had all started for her and Keaton.

  Somewhat to her surprise, Keaton had adjusted well to life in Seattle. He continued working as a painter with a big contractor in town and studied art on the side. His paintings had gained the notice of a prominent artist who had become a mentor to her husband. Keaton truly was gifted.

  “Everything going okay in the kitchen?” Annie asked her husband.

  “Teresa and Mellie have everything under control.” Annie had tried to help, but the two women had swooshed her away to set the table. That was for the best, as Mellie and Teresa were disagreeing on the best starch to thicken the turkey gravy. Annie didn’t want to get caught in the middle.

  Her husband’s lips grazed the side of her neck and Annie closed her eyes, enjoying the small display of love and affection. Keaton had proved to be an attentive lover.

  “Dinner is ready,” Preston said, as he carried out the platter filled with sliced turkey.

  Teresa trailed behind with a huge bowl of mashed potatoes. Britt and Logan followed with a variety of other dishes. Stuffing and green beans. Jimmy brought in a bowl of gravy. It was like an assembly line.

  Soon they were all seated and a prayer was said, one of gratitude and thankfulness. Home from college, Britt and Jimmy sat next to each other. They had been to see Grace earlier that morning and were full of talk about how big she was getting. The day before, Annie had run into Becca and Lucas in town with the toddler. They were a beautiful family, and their love and pride in their daughter was evident to all.

  Teresa and Logan sat across from each other. Teresa had managed to get an uncontested divorce from Carl. An arrest warrant remained out in his name. No one had heard from him since he’d disappeared. Logan was growing and had shot up about an inch since the beginning of the school year. Teresa was a hard worker. In addition to her housekeeping clients, she’d started night classes to become a legal assistant. Annie suspected Mellie was helping her financially, but she hadn’t asked.

  Mellie and Preston sat next to each other, surrounded by their friends, but they might as well have been alone, as they only had eyes for each other. The two remained deeply in love. Mellie’s baby bump was evident now that she was six months along. Annie saw the changes love had made in each of their lives. Mellie’s rough edges had softened, and Preston sat up taller and with pride. Annie’s gaze drifted to her husband. Annie looked forward to finishing her training so that they could start their own family. It wouldn’t be much longer now.

  After the prayer was said, Keaton released her hand. As she looked around the table, Annie thought about her parents, about Mike, Kelly, and baby Bella, about the family she’d lost in that horrific accident. Their deaths had helped her to define her life, to give it a framework. It had led her to Oceanside and to the chance to become what she was always meant to be. Everything in her life had shifted on that fateful Thanksgiving Day. Only now, years later, was she beginning to understand that the relationships with those she had lost weren’t over. Yes, it was different, but her family remained with her, a part of her. In many ways, she believed it was her family who had led her to Oceanside—to Keaton, Mellie, Preston, and to the others.

  They were her new family. While they might not have a blood connection, they were as close to her as if they had always been a part of her life.

  Her new life. The one she had built for herself.

  Keaton passed her the mashed potatoes. Annie set a scoop on her plate and passed the bowl on to Teresa.

  Mellie sat with her hand pressed against her
abdomen. Preston noticed. “Is our little princess kicking?” he asked.

  Nodding, Mellie grinned and stretched out her hand to her husband. Preston gripped it and kissed her fingers.

  As Annie looked around the table, her heart swelled with love.

  A fresh start.

  A future.

  Her family.

  To Candi and Tom,

  Dearest of friends

  (And I’d say that even without

  drinking Tom’s wonderful wine.)

  BALLANTINE BOOKS BY DEBBIE MACOMBER

  Cottage by the Sea

  Any Dream Will Do

  If Not for You

  A Girl’s Guide to Moving On

  Last One Home

  ROSE HARBOR INN

  Sweet Tomorrows

  Silver Linings

  Love Letters

  Rose Harbor in Bloom

  The Inn at Rose Harbor

  BLOSSOM STREET

  Blossom Street Brides

  Starting Now

  CHRISTMAS NOVELS

  Merry and Bright

  Twelve Days of Christmas

  Dashing Through the Snow

  Mr. Miracle

  Starry Night

  Angels at the Table

  For a complete list of books by Debbie Macomber,

  visit her website at debbiemacomber.com.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  DEBBIE MACOMBER, the author of Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, Sweet Tomorrows, A Girl’s Guide to Moving On, Last One Home, Silver Linings, Love Letters, Mr. Miracle, Blossom Street Brides, and Rose Harbor in Bloom, is a leading voice in women’s fiction. Thirteen of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber’s Cedar Cove books. She has more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.