by Sarra Cannon
I have never felt more loved, and I take time to let it sink in. To be grateful for this moment.
When I first left college and came crawling home to Fairhope, I felt nothing but shame and fear. I believed I was watching the life of my dreams slip away from me.
But sometimes what feels like tragedy is actually a doorway to something better than what we ever could have imagined. Back then, I was afraid I would never find joy again.
Now, standing here next to the man I’m going to marry, I realize that somehow, when I least expected it, joy had miraculously found me.
Chapter Seven
We are practically floating when we get back to the house after our engagement party at the bar. It was wonderful to share that moment with everyone else, but now that we’re alone, all I can think about is getting her undressed and into our bed.
I unlock the back door and throw it open.
“Hold on,” I say before she walks inside.
“What?” she asks, smiling up at me.
“I want to carry my future wife across the threshold,” I say.
She laughs. “I think you’re supposed to do that after the wedding, not the engagement,” she says.
“I never was good at following the rules,” I say.
I pick her up, and she throws her arms around my neck, drawing me into a kiss. My entire body lights up at the feel of her pressed against me.
I’ve dreamed of this for so long, and to finally know that she’s going to be my wife is like a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders. How could I have ever doubted that this was right? Or that she would think I wasn’t good enough for her?
It’s obvious to me in this moment that we were simply meant to be, and that goes beyond what I do for a living or how anyone in this town sees me. Fate is stronger than all of that.
I carry Leigh Anne across the threshold and manage to shut the door without putting her down. I take her straight up the stairs and into the bedroom, only stopping to drop my keys on the kitchen counter.
She’s laughing as I lay her down on the bed we’ve shared for the past few months, but as our eyes meet in the semi-darkness of the room, her smile fades, replaced by something I’ve come to recognize as pure desire and need.
I quickly strip off my shirt and shoes and join her on the bed. She kicks her shoes off the edge and they clunk against the floor as she rises to meet my lips again. I have never wanted someone so much in my entire life.
When her hands run up and down my back, I am overcome by the desire to have her naked beneath me. She’s still wearing the same dress she wore to church this morning, and I roll her over and slide the zipper down, kissing my way along the soft skin of her back.
I pull the fabric down from her body and stare at her nearly naked form on the bed. She sits up and puts her hand on my belt buckle, sending shivers of anticipation through me.
It only takes a moment for us to get rid of the few pieces of clothing keeping us from each other, and even though I’ve seen her like this a thousand times before, I never feel any less excited than I did that very first time.
I can’t believe I get to make love to this woman for the rest of my life, and I tell her that as I lower my body onto hers.
“I’m all yours,” she whispers. “Forever.”
She places her hands on my face and kisses me again.
I can’t wait any longer. I enter her, and as our bodies join, I take it slow. I want to make this moment last, and I never want to forget it.
She stares into my eyes as I move inside her, her hips rising to meet me and her legs wrapping around my waist as she pulls me in.
There are no more words between us. Nothing left that needs to be said. There is only passion, and deep down at the core of who we are, a promise that we belong.
Chapter Eight
I wake to the smell of bacon and coffee.
I yawn and stretch my arms way up over the top of my head. The sunlight streaming in through the curtains catches a glint of sparkle on my finger, and my heart leaps as I remember. I’m engaged!
I hold my hand out in front of me and stare at the large diamond ring. I don’t even try to contain my smile. I had no idea Knox had been planning to propose.
Sure, we’d talked about the possibility of marriage someday, but neither one of us were in any kind of hurry. Still, the fact that I get to spend the rest of my life with this incredible man sends a happy buzz through my body.
And we get to plan a wedding. And a honeymoon. I can’t wait to get started on the plans and announce the big news to absolutely everyone we know.
“Someone’s happy this morning,” Knox says as he comes into the bedroom. “I thought I was going to have to come in and wake you up, but instead I find you in here smiling like a crazy person.”
“I can’t stop staring at this ring,” I say.
“I did good, didn’t I?” he says with a sly smile.
“It’s everything I ever dreamed of,” I say as he climbs in beside me and wraps his arm around me. “And I know how cheesy this sounds, but you honestly could have put a twist tie around my finger last night and it would have made me just as happy.”
“Well, damn. I guess I should just return that, then,” he says, reaching for my hand.
“Don’t you dare.” I pull my hand to my chest, protecting it.
He laughs and tries to pry my fingers open, but I squirm out from under him and make a run for the kitchen.
Knox takes off behind me, and I know I’m no match for his long legs. I race down the stairs and into the kitchen before he can catch me. He wraps his arms around my waist and twists me around, pulling me closer. We’re both out of breath and laughing, and I’m more in love with him in this moment than ever.
He looks into my eyes, and I put both hands around his neck, pressing my body against his.
“I want to wake up here in this house every day for the rest of my life,” I say. “Just like this.”
“Are you sure this life is going to be enough for you?” he asks, the question catching me completely off guard.
“What do you mean?” I ask. “Of course it is.”
He shrugs. “Just that I know you’re used to the big white house in the center of town,” he says. “The big, fancy neighborhood on the golf course, and the manicured lawn and perfect landscaping. Are you sure this country life is really what you want?”
At first, I think he’s joking, but when I study his face, I see he’s completely serious.
“I love this house,” I say, making sure he sees I mean it.
He’s quiet, and I wish I could get a sneak peek into his brain to see what kind of doubts he’s conjured up in the middle of the night. There was no sign of this last night before we went to bed.
I run a hand through his hair. “What’s going through that mind of yours?”
He sighs and shakes his head. “I’m nervous about what your parents are going to think,” he says. “Which I know sounds crazy, because I try to make a point out of not caring what anyone else thinks. I guess now that the time has come to tell them, I’m worried what they’ll say.”
“They are going to be thrilled,” I say. I grab a piece of bacon and start making a plate for myself. “I can’t wait to tell them. I probably should have just called them last night, but I didn’t think about it until just now. Maybe I should call and tell Mom we want to have dinner this week. Tell them in person.”
He makes a face. “I hope you’re right. They aren’t exactly my biggest fans,” he says.
“They love me and they want me to be happy,” I say. “They’ll be excited, I just know it.”
Knox doesn’t seem convinced. We fix our plates and sit down at the table together with hot cups of coffee between us.
“I want nothing more than to make you happy, Leigh Anne,” he says. “I know you’ve been putting a lot of thought into what you want to do with your life now that you’ve graduated. I just want you to know that if we need to leave Fairhope for you to
go after your dreams, I’m open to that.”
I shake my head, utterly confused as to where this is all coming from.
“I’ve never been happier than I am when I’m out here in the country with you. I don’t want anything else,” I say. “We could never leave this house. It means too much to us now.”
He leans forward and rests his head against mine. “What if we got married out here?” he says. “A small ceremony by the water with our closest friends and family. We could do it in the spring when the trees are all fresh and green and the hydrangeas out back are blooming. And we could bring in as many flowers as you want. Maybe even a tent in case it rains.”
“That sounds perfect,” I say. I can picture it already, and I can’t think of anything I’d love more. But then I frown. “I’m not sure my mother’s really going to go for the whole country-style wedding, though.”
“Who cares?” he says. “It’s not her wedding.”
I tense, not even wanting to think about it. In a way, he’s right, of course. But he doesn’t understand what an only daughter’s wedding means to a mother like mine. She’s probably been looking forward to it just as much as I have. I’m not sure I could bear to disappoint her like that.
But I don’t want to disappoint the man sitting in front of me, either.
“We’ll see,” I say. “We’ve got lots of time to make plans, but, right now, I’m so hungry I could eat my shirt.”
“You’re right,” he says. “I guess I’m just excited to make it official.”
“Me, too,” I say. “Besides, you know what’s even more fun to talk about than the wedding?”
He shakes his head and takes a bite of his eggs. “What’s that?” he asks.
I smile and raise an eyebrow.
“The honeymoon.”
I smile and take his hand, my mind racing with all the gorgeous places in the world I can’t wait to travel with him. Maybe we could make it a life goal to make love on every continent. He scoots his chair closer to mine and pulls me into a long kiss. When he pulls away, all traces of doubt have left his eyes, and he’s back to being my Knox.
“Honeymoon, huh?” he asks, and I smile. “Now there’s an idea I can get behind.”
Chapter Nine
“Let me see it again.”
Penny reaches for my hand for about the tenth time since we sat down to lunch.
“Okay, but you’ve really got to stop,” I say with a smile. “You’re making me blush, and people are starting to stare.”
“Oh, hush, this is part of the fun of being newly engaged,” she says. “Mason and I got married so quickly, and we already had a baby. I never got to enjoy the sheer fun of being young and newly engaged. Let me live vicariously through you. Now, show me the ring, so I can ooh and ahh over it.”
I shake my head and laugh, but on the inside, I’m thrilled to have a friend that’s just as excited as I am.
“One more time, and then I’m going to hide my hand under the table for the rest of the day,” I say, looking around to make sure no one is actually staring. “The last thing I need is for my mother to find out from someone else. It would break her heart.”
“You haven’t told her?” Penny says, not taking her eyes off the diamond. “Leigh Anne, it’s been over a week.”
I pull my hand away and put it in my lap. “I haven’t found the right time yet,” I say. “We all stayed up so late that night at the restaurant that I didn’t want to call and wake her up. And then the next morning, she had a hair appointment. Every day I’ve tried to see them, she’s had something else going on. But we’re finally going over there for dinner tonight so we can tell them together.”
“That sounds really fun,” she says, but I can tell she doesn’t mean it.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says with a shrug. “It’s just that your mom hasn’t exactly been happy about your relationship with Knox. Maybe you haven’t told her yet because deep down, you know she’s going to be disappointed you chose him.”
I push the salad around on my plate and avoid Penny’s stare. She’s right. Mom has never thought Knox was the right guy for me. In fact, she was downright rude to him when she first met him. The only thing that’s made her civil is that she discovered he inherited a lot of money when his father died.
“Okay, so there is a part of me that’s really nervous about telling her,” I say. I drop my fork, and it clangs against the plate, causing a few people nearby to look over. I lean forward and whisper. “I just don’t want her to be mean to him, you know? He’s really nervous about it. I can tell. This is supposed to be one of the happiest times in my life, and I don’t want anything to mess it up.”
“Oh, honey, you and Knox are meant for each other,” Penny says. “Nothing could mess that up right now. Just be happy. Trust me. I know about disapproving mothers, but once my mom saw how in love Mason and I were, she came around. It’s going to be fine. All you have to do is tell her how happy you are to be marrying the love of your life, and she’s going to be happy for you. I’ll bet she’ll be so excited about helping you plan a wedding that she wouldn’t even think to say a cruel word about your future groom. It’s going to be fun, I promise.”
“I hope so,” I say, but I’m not convinced. “I just want everything to be perfect and for everyone to be happy.”
“It’s your wedding,” Penny says, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “Anyone who can’t be happy about that is out of their mind.”
“Thanks,” I say, squeezing her back.
For the rest of the meal, we talk about dresses, flowers, and music, and before I know it, I’m smiling again, convinced that Penny is right. All my parents want is for me to be happy. I decide right then and there to stop worrying.
After all, what could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Ten
I finish installing the last of the balusters and step back, examining the entire staircase for any inconsistencies or flaws. I take my time looking from different angles, walking up and down the stairs, and leaning in for a closer look. I want everything to be perfect since this is the home of one of Leigh Anne’s favorite professors from her time here at the university.
There’s a small flaw in one of the new ones toward the top of the staircase where I can tell I shaved off a fraction of an inch more wood than I should have, so I make my way back down the steps to take a break and try to decide if I want to start that piece over from scratch or leave it as it is.
Dr. Wilson appears in the hallway with a couple glasses of water in hand.
“Ready for a break?” she asks.
“I think I’m just about finished, if you want to take a look and let me know what you think.”
“Finished already?” she asks. “But you only got here an hour ago.”
She hurries toward me and shoves both glasses in my hands as she admires the staircase. Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. For a moment, I can’t tell if she’s happy or upset, and when a tear appears in the corner of one eye, I’m scared I’ve really disappointed her. But before I can promise to fix any flaws she may find, she grabs my forearm.
“Oh, Knox. I just don’t have words for how beautiful this looks,” she says. She walks up the first few stairs, touching the balusters as she goes, studying them one by one until she gets to the top. “I’m telling you that if I hadn’t lived in this house and had to come down these stairs every day, I would never be able to tell you which ones are original and which ones are new.”
“There’s a slight flaw in that one closest to the top, but I can make another one,” I say.
“I don’t want you to change a thing,” she says. “I love them just as they are. I honestly just can’t believe the work you’ve done here, and all in just a couple weeks? This is incredible.”
“I was happy to do it,” I say, which is the truth. This is my favorite kind of work. “I have a certain passion for historic homes around here, and it makes me happy that we could preserve th
e original staircase as much as possible. Tearing it all out would have been such a loss.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” she says, starting back down the stairs. “But I consulted with three other restoration companies who all told me the same thing. They said custom craftsmanship like this would be too difficult to match and that it would be much more efficient and end up looking much more like the original staircase if I simply replaced the entire thing.”
“I’m glad you didn’t listen to them,” I say, admiring the beauty of the original woodwork. The detailed scrolling on the wood is simply breathtaking. It would have been a real loss to tear the entire thing out and lose that piece of history.
“Me, too,” she says. “But the house is so near completion that I was just about ready to give in just to get this final project done. If you hadn’t come to that party, I’m afraid I would have made a terrible mistake.”
Leigh Anne and I came to a party here a few weeks ago to celebrate Dr. Wilson’s retirement from the school. That’s when I noticed the damaged balusters and asked about her plans to restore them. When she told me she was considering having the whole thing torn out and redone brand new, I offered to try my hand at restoring the old pieces and crafting new ones to replace the balusters that were too far gone to be restored.
For the past couple weeks, it’s been my passion project. It’s meant some late nights in my workshop, but looking at the final result, I’m proud of the time I put into it.
Dr. Wilson takes one of the cold glasses from my grasp and we both take long sips as we stare at the beauty of the entryway now that the staircase is restored.
“You have a gift,” she says. “A true gift. But I’m scared to ask how much I owe you. I was so excited you agreed to do the work that I forgot to ask. Not that I mind paying now that I see what you were able to do.”
I honestly hadn’t given much thought to a price. I ended up finding the wood I needed to restore the damaged balusters in an old burned down house on the edge of town. The contractor who was hired to tear the place down and rebuild was throwing out an entire dumpster full of heart pine. When I asked him if I could take some of it, he gave it to me for free, saying he had no use for it.