by M. Malone
It wasn’t the right time to reveal the next steps in his make Katie happy plan just yet but he couldn’t let her walk away after she said that. He captured her chin gently, forcing her to look up at him.
“You haven’t failed. You have found a father that will appreciate them. No matter what happens with Don, I will always be there for them.”
Katie’s eyes went soft and liquid. She blinked rapidly. “Thank you, Bennett. You have no idea what that means to me. And to them.”
“It means just as much to me. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I love them, too.”
Part of the reason he hadn’t asked Katie the question he was dying to ask her yet was because he knew she was secretly waiting for him to get bored and go. She hadn’t figured out yet that he wasn’t going anywhere.
She hadn’t figured out yet that for Bennett, she was home.
As difficult as it was, he could wait until she was ready. He’d been raised by two people who never gave up on each other. That’s what he wanted with Katie.
He just had to be patient.
They walked downstairs hand in hand to find the boys trying to make popcorn in the microwave. Even as Katie released his hand to rush forward and deal with the kitchen catastrophe, Bennett was silently counting the days until he never had to let her go.
♥
Three months later…
Something tickled the side of Katie’s face and she batted it away. Only a few moments later, the tickling sensation resumed only this time on the sole of her foot. Her eyes popped open.
Bennett sat on the side of the bed holding a single red rose.
“Hey. Sorry, did I sleep too long?” She’d come upstairs to take a nap in the loft because she’d almost face-planted into one of the worktables downstairs while recording the results of their latest soil sample test. Working part-time with a local mid-wife had been so rewarding and had given her a new purpose in life. But it was definitely taking its toll on her.
Lucky her other boss was so accommodating, Katie thought with a smile. Bennett had been nothing but supportive of her taking on something new, even though it had cut into their time together. It was something she’d had to get used to, having a man who cared as much about her personal fulfillment as his own.
Bennett leaned over and kissed her soundly. “It’s almost seven o’clock.”
Panic took hold. “Oh my god. The kids! I wasn’t there to meet the bus.”
He tapped the end of her nose, interrupting her meltdown. “It’s okay. I met the bus and brought the boys back here. They’re currently with my mom making apple pies.”
Katie whimpered in relief. She’d been so tired lately but she’d never missed picking the kids up after school. Bennett had recently started coming with her to pick them up and they’d all come back to the farm. The kids loved having so much room to play and they’d both become accustomed to Bennett taking an interest in their lives.
He’d taken them both to the fields so they could help him spread the first batch of his new soil on the test area he’d chosen. Hunter in particular had loved seeing all the different crops. Katie wouldn’t be surprised if he took an interest in farming when he got older. Bennett would be thrilled. It had been both difficult and heartwarming to watch her sons fall in love with Bennett the same way she had.
“That was so nice of her. Your mom has been a lifesaver these last few months.”
Bennett smirked then. “She’s trying to give us as much time alone as she can.”
Katie smacked his arm playfully. “Your mother is not trying to give us naughty time.”
He rubbed his nose against hers. “Don’t let her fool you. My mom is not so innocent. I’m grateful for that because there’s something that I want to show you.”
There was a strangely intimate look in his eye so Katie didn’t ask any questions. She just stood and allowed him to lead her downstairs. Her shoes were by the front door and she slipped them on and followed him out to his truck. He held the door for her as she climbed up. After he rounded the front of the cab, he climbed up next to her, sending her a brief, excited glance.
Katie just shook her head. What was he up to? She couldn’t understand why anyone had ever thought he was boring just because he was brainy. Bennett was actually quite spontaneous and loved to try new things. They’d gone to the beach to try surfing, which had been a major fail for both of them, but also to the planetarium in Virginia Beach for a special presentation by one of his friends. He often would have an idea and then jump right to it. Over the last few months, she’d learned to just go along with his sudden schemes.
When they pulled up to an empty field, Katie glanced over at him curiously. “Where are we?”
Bennett blew out a nervous breath. “Home, hopefully.”
Confused, Katie turned to look at the empty field again. Now that she was looking closer, she could see little orange flags marking the boundary of the lot. There were no other houses around it but she could see another house behind it in the distance.
“This is … yours?”
He nodded. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
She climbed down and waited as Bennett retrieved something from the back of the truck. He came toward her and held out his hand, a large roll of paper under his arm. They walked forward until they were roughly in the middle of the lot. Katie shaded her eyes and looked around. She could see a river in the distance.
“Is that the river you showed me before? The boundary between the Alexander land?”
“Sure is. If you keep going that way—” He pointed ahead to the line of trees. “—you’ll run right into Mom and Dad’s land.”
He took the large scroll from beneath his arm and unrolled it. Katie could see at once that it was architectural plans.
“For a few years now, I’ve had my eye on this parcel of land. It was owned by some distant relative up until last year when I bought it. I’ve been working on plans for my dream house for quite a while. Now I want to show it to you.”
Katie knelt next to him to view the plans. “This is amazing. But this is a lot of house for one guy. You really planned to build this all along?”
He pointed to one section on the plans. “I wanted a lab. And I also wanted an attached greenhouse here. But recently I called my architect and had him make some changes.”
Katie peered closer and could see that on the plans he’d written words in pencil. Master bedroom. Playroom for the kids. Hunter’s room. Matthew’s room. Katie’s office.
Nursery.
She put a hand over her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears, and she blinked trying to clear her vision. Part of her was scared to blink because she was afraid to believe in what she was seeing.
“A nursery?”
When she looked over at Bennett, Katie gasped. He knelt next to her on the ground, holding out a black ring box.
“Katie, I brought you here to show you what I see in our future. A life filled with new adventures and endless discoveries. Waking up together, falling asleep together, laughing every day. Together.”
“That’s what I want, too.”
Her heart felt like it would bounce out of her chest when he flipped the ring box open to reveal a stunning round solitaire on a simple gold band. Bennett took a deep breath, like he was gathering his courage and then took her hand gently.
“I love you, Katherine Mason. I want you to keep me on my toes, tell me when I lose track of time, and read me outrageous books at night.”
Tears slipped down Katie’s cheeks. “Maybe I’ll read you one of those inappropriate books,” she joked.
“I hope so. Be as inappropriate as you want. We don’t have to follow anyone’s rules but our own.” He squeezed her hand. “Now I need to ask you a question. One I’ve wanted to ask you for so long. Will you marry me?”
She held a hand over her mouth, trying to hold the happiness in. “Yes! There’s nothing I want more.”
He smiled tremulously and then took the ring ou
t of the box. She held out her left hand and watched as he slipped it over her ring finger. It settled against her skin like it was meant to be there.
“It’s beautiful. I love you so much. Sometimes I can’t believe this is real.”
Katie wiped at her eyes, completely overwhelmed. She’d gone from feeling like she didn’t know what she was supposed to do with her life to knowing without a doubt that she was exactly where she was meant to be.
Bennett stood and grabbed her, swinging her around until she laughed from sheer joy. When he set her on her feet again, she rested her head against his chest. He rested his head on top of hers.
“This is real. And it’s forever.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
♥
One year later…
Bennett adjusted the lapels of his tuxedo and tugged at the knot of his tie. He wasn’t a man given to worry over his appearance but even he had his vanity.
He stepped next to his brother Elliot and looked in the mirror. He was startled by the transformation. He’d always considered his appearance to be adequate but the guy reflected in the glass was more than just adequate. He looked distinguished. More than that, he looked happy. Bennett leaned closer and observed the flush on his cheeks and the sparkle in his eyes. It wasn’t a surprise since the past year had been the best of his life. Life with Katie was even better than he’d hoped. They had so much fun together.
And today he would make her his wife.
He glanced over at Eli, who was wrestling with his own tie. A lot had happened over the past year. Kaylee had given birth to a beautiful baby girl named Grace Elizabeth. It was so strange that all of his brothers had become fathers before he did. He smiled. Considering the secret Katie had yet to tell him, Bennett figured he only had to wait about seven months before he joined the fatherhood club. He wasn’t going to tell her that he’d figured it out, though. She would want to tell him in her own way and he wanted her to have that.
Eli yanked at his tie again exasperated, and Bennett finally took over, tugging on the fabric gently and repositioning it. "Thank you for allowing us to share your day."
Once he was done, Eli looked in the mirror and smiled.
"It’s no problem. Hell, you were going to be standing up there as my best man, anyway. You might as well get married, too."
Bennett smiled. Once the family had heard about his proposal to Katie last year, his mother in particular had been almost woozy from excitement at the thought of two weddings. It was Kaylee who’d suggested that they share the day to minimize the stress and worry of planning things twice over. Bennett had been unsurprised but thrilled with how completely Katie had blended right into the family. His parents already referred to her as one of their “daughters.”
Suddenly, he just wanted to see her. His mother had banished them to his lab to get ready, since they weren’t supposed to see the brides before the wedding. But Bennett figured they’d broken plenty of rules up to now, what was one more? He pulled out his phone and texted Katie. She responded immediately.
“I’ll be back,” he told Eli.
His brother nodded knowingly. “Tell Katie I said hi. And don’t let Mom see you.”
Bennett snickered. They were two grown men still tiptoeing around their parents like they were worried about being grounded. He hoped they never changed.
Katie was waiting for him on the back porch when he walked across the grounds toward the main house. It was hot outside but she wore a thick robe. Glancing behind her, she stepped off the porch and ran toward him. He grabbed her up, both of them laughing as he dashed back toward his converted barn with her in his arms.
Her face was pressed against his neck so he could feel her laughter.
“Hurry before Julia catches us. She’s been freaking out all morning about something going wrong.”
Bennett carried her into the lab and set her on her feet. Eli was still upstairs in his loft so they were alone.
“This is where it all started,” she commented.
“I know. It’s hard to believe. Now I have everything I’ve ever wanted. You love me and we’re getting married. The only thing that’ll make this better is the day I have a little mini-me or mini-you running around.”
Katie turned to him. The expression in her eyes was one he hadn’t seen before. She placed a hand over her abdomen.
“I wasn’t going to tell you yet but I can’t keep it in. We’ll have that little mini-person next spring. I’m pregnant.” He thought he’d done a good job of playing surprised but Katie narrowed her eyes. “You’d already figured it out, hadn’t you?”
“Maybe. I do notice everything about you. Such as when you’re no longer drinking alcohol and suddenly are even more curvy and beautiful than usual.”
“The perils of having a brilliant husband. I can’t get anything by you.” She sighed happily.
Bennett pulled her into his arms and held her close, resting his hands over her still flat stomach. “Thank you.”
“For what?” She looked up at him, love shining from her eyes.
“Not running away when you found out the real reason I hired you. Having patience when I zone out or get so involved with my research that I forget what day it is or that the trash hasn't been taken out. For reading to me every night and smiling at me every morning.”
“That's no hardship, Bennett. I'm smiling because you make me so happy. I'm smiling because I love you.”
“I know. That's why I'm thanking you. For loving me as I am.”
Katie kissed him softly. “Don’t tell Ridley I said this, but I’m so glad she pushed us together. Otherwise I’d be back at my old house, going to sleep alone every night and wondering if I’d ever love any man again.”
Bennett understood. He’d often had similar thoughts, thinking of how different his life would be if not for one fateful family dinner.
“It may not have been just Ridley’s work that put us together. You know I’m not a religious person. I guess I’ve always been skeptical of things I can’t see or test with the scientific method. But I sent up a wish one night.” He smiled thinking of it. “I felt so guilty doing it.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I already have so much; it felt excessive that I wasn’t happy already. But I knew that if I could wish for just one thing, it would be my perfect match. My other half. And the next month, there you were.”
Katie’s smile was shy as she pulled him down for another kiss. “Here I am. And I’m not going anywhere.”
His phone ringing startled them both. When he pulled it out of his pocket, his mother’s face was on the screen.
Katie winced.
“Actually, on that note, I am going somewhere. Back to the house before your mom freaks out. See you at the altar, handsome.”
She kissed him lightly on the cheek and hurried out the door. Bennett stuck his head out to watch her progress. She was met at the back door by his mother. He ducked back inside before his mother could see him.
Only one more hour to go …
♥
“Are you ready, Katherine?” Her mother reached over and made a minute adjustment to the placement of the crown of white roses on her head. For once, Katie didn’t mind her mother’s fussing over her. It was nice, actually.
The last time her mother had walked her down the aisle, it hadn’t felt like this. She’d been nervous and her mother had been apprehensive. It turned out they were both right to have reservations but Katie didn’t regret it at all. She’d gained her two amazing children and a lifetime’s worth of experience about what kind of marriage she didn’t want.
Katie glanced over at her mother who was positively beaming with pride. This time they were both excited. Her mother had been just as charmed by Bennett over the past week of her visit as everyone else in her family. He’d decided to call her ‘Mama Sheila’ and treated her with the same reverential respect that he gave Julia. Katie wouldn’t have thought it possible but she’d fallen even deeper in love with her
shy, awkward fiancé after watching how hard he’d worked to make her mother and siblings comfortable.
Her sister, Mari, in particular was a huge Bennett fan. Katie still laughed thinking about her loudmouthed sister’s response to seeing the smorgasbord of perfection that were the Alexander brothers. She’d been blushing furiously the whole time as Katie introduced her to everyone.
Then she’d winked behind Bennett’s back and pointed at his butt. Katie had almost choked trying to keep her laughter in.
Their brother, Nelson, had rolled his eyes at their antics before inviting Bennett out for a drink. They’d come back that night half drunk but in great spirits. Her brother had finally said that Bennett was “all right” which in Nelson-speak was about as good as it got.
“Are you two ready?” Tiana, the ever-perky wedding planner hovered beside them. At Katie’s nod, and then Kaylee’s, she gave them both a thumbs up before speaking into her earpiece.
A few moments later, the sound of the iconic wedding march played through the sound system. Katie clutched her mother’s arm tighter and took a deep breath.
Sheila patted her arm comfortingly. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You got it right this time, baby. You really did.”
Kaylee walked out first on the arm of her father. Katie watched as they made their way up the white runner leading to the altar.
Leading to the future.
Once Kaylee took her place next to Elliott at the altar, the wedding planner motioned for Katie and her mom to start. She took a deep breath and then walked out. All the eyes on her were intimidating until she got close enough to see Bennett.
From that moment on, all she could see was him.
Her mother hugged her and then set her hand in Bennett’s. He squeezed her hand gently before bringing it to his mouth for a gentle kiss. They walked up the two steps to the altar where Kay and Eli were waiting.
The minister cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved … ”