by Landra Graf
“Promise,” she replied with a wink.
The last six months had been a complete whirlwind since they’d stopped Pru from ousting him and started the process of saving her gran’s house, a house she no longer lived in. Dev had begged her to move in with him after two weeks. He hated going back and forth, and with the renovations to the house getting underway, it was easier to check in every day versus having her life interrupted.
Cohabitating turned out to be a wonderful, positive experience. They jogged in the mornings, went to work, spent three nights a week helping out at the shelter, and their weekends doing whatever they wanted. There were adventures, lots of love-making, and the beginnings of a wonderful partnership.
Kat had even been offered a job at Colton Kinyon’s company, in his marketing department. The businessman thought she was a genius and didn’t want her talent wasted at her previous job. The board still hired an outside PR consultant to help get Bona Fide back on track and overcome the bad press from the article and other things, much to Mark’s regret. With Kat’s insistence, Dev had also started a morning five-minute piece with a local radio station giving out personal image tips. Since then Bona Fide’s business had boomed, and with Dev and, shockingly, Mark both in committed relationships, the image of the company improved drastically.
Now, they had to close the door on one more piece of the puzzle, the grand re-opening of her gran’s house.
“You made it in time,” Mark said, opening the passenger-side door on Dev’s car for her.
“Of course we did. I wouldn’t let him make us late.”
She’d gone with a custom jumpsuit from Sam’s shop today and would make sure any news articles mentioned the store. Part of her job within marketing was ensuring Kinyon’s clients and partners received benefits from any work conducted in public.
“Yes, she made sure we were on time.” Dev walked around the car, securing an arm around her waist. “Is everyone already here?”
“Yes, Colton is waiting for Kat on the front step to cut the ribbon.”
Mark didn’t follow behind them as they made their way through the crowd. No, her cousin hung back and gave her a thumbs-up when she finally got to the porch.
“I thought you might skip out on me, Kathleen.” Colton accepted her handshake and then moved away. He still flirted with her from time to time, but respected her relationship with Dev and devotion to him. “I’m already handling everything since our head director skipped town. I didn’t need to get stuck with this one.”
Pru had pulled a big one over on everyone. One month following Bona Fide’s investor board’s decision to keep Dev on, both Dev and Mark had made a bid to Pru to purchase her shares in the company. Instead of selling to them, she’d sold out to Colton and even appeared to be done with it all. A month later, she took off for parts unknown and left the Beautification Board stuck without its head personality. Colton had kindly stepped forward, and thanks to him, the remaining parts of the project were completed on time. He’d also offered Kat a chance to make a little extra money working with the project. The extra dollars were the icing on the cake and had helped put the finishing touches on Gran’s home.
“I wouldn’t ditch you; this is a big day.”
Colton gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You’ve done an amazing job and paved the way for other great houses like this one. With luck, we’ll get all of the homes the board worked on to landmark status.”
She smiled widely before reaching back to squeeze Dev’s hand as he stood behind her. They’d done it. Colton offered her the giant scissors, and she took ahold of them. She aligned the ribbon between both sharp edges and pushed down. The tearing noise as the cloth of the ribbon gave way filled her with joy.
“We happily open Sawyer House today to the public. Sawyer House is a historical landmark home from the late 1890s and an intricate part of Bentonville’s history. We hope you’ll take this special chance to tour the home and encourage you to make a reservation for a private tour or to reserve a room for tea in the future.”
With that, the front door opened. She didn’t follow the large group headed inside, having been given the opportunity to complete the tour yesterday. Her gran’s legacy, knickknacks, and photos were still in place. Kat hadn’t left everything. No, the favorite mugs and the afghan blankets they’d crocheted during her summer break between freshman and sophomore year, those memories and objects stayed with her. A few went to Mark and his younger brother as well, including the mug with their childhood pictures.
“Are you holding up okay?” Dev asked from beside her.
She nodded. “Yes. It’s strange how I won’t be living here anymore. I thought I’d raise my family here, thought I’d have kids playing in the backyard or roasting s’mores over a fire pit.”
“Anytime you want to stay the night, you let me know, and I’ll kick everyone out of here. I don’t want you ever to think you can’t come here whenever you want to. It may be a historical landmark, but you still own it.”
“I love you.” The only words she could say in light of his kind gesture. This is what the past six months had been, a magical time filled with sweet words and kinder deeds. “You’re too good to me.”
“You say that now, but you’ll probably hit me in a few minutes.”
“Why would I hit you?”
Mark laughed from behind them. “I think if anyone gets to hit him, it’s me. So if you decide you want to punch him, Kat, please, let me do the honors. Better hurry. I think everyone is waiting.”
“Waiting for?” She was so confused and a little concerned. “Is there something wrong with the house?”
Dev tucked her arm underneath his and guided her through the front door. “Come with me to the living room, and I’ll show you.”
As they rounded the corner, she found a big sign hanging above the fireplace mantle. The entire group that had been on her lawn was now gathered around the living room and spilling over into the kitchen area and a little into the hallway. The sign read, “Put a value in people, put your value in me.”
She let go of Dev and took several steps forward. The muscles in her stomach clenched and her knees started to lock up. If this was what, she thought—Oh crappity, crap.
“Turn around, Kat.”
As she swiveled around looking for the man she loved, tears filled her eyes. Dev crouched on his knees in front of her. Mark, Victoria, Betty, and her other friends Ana and Natalie, along with Dev’s parents and his sister, Juanita, were all gathered there, along with reporters and countless others she couldn’t remember at the moment. Surrounded by all her people, this was where he asked her, in the living room of her gran’s house, and she’d become a blubbering fool.
“Kathleen Baum, here in this place, your grandmother’s house, I ask you in front of your loved ones, will you marry me?”
She could make out the outline of the ring box, but failed to see the ring inside with all the tears gathering in her eyes and streaming down her face. Colton stepped forward and pressed a handkerchief into her hand. She dabbed at her eyes in a futile attempt to clear the moisture away.
“You may want to give him an answer, darling,” Colton whispered to her.
“Yes.” Kat laughed as she said it, probably sounding a bit crazy to everyone’s ears, but she was so happy—ecstatic was a more accurate word.
Jumping to his feet, Dev removed the ring from the box and gently took her left hand. As he slid the ring onto the appropriate finger, the crowd around them cheered with joy. Dev pressed a kiss to her lips before whispering, “I love you.”
Then he pulled her into an embrace while addressing their witnesses. “This one right here, ladies and gentleman, she’s a bona fide beauty.”
The End
About the Author
Landra Graf consumes at least one book a day, and has always been a sucker for stories where true love conquers all. She believes in the power of the written word, and the joy such words can bring. In between spending time with her fa
mily and having book adventures, she writes romance with the goal of giving everyone, fictional or not, their own happily ever after.
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