by Cindi Madsen
The gazebo.
Only purple lights had been strung along with the white lights.
And was that Ford standing in the middle?
Easton parked as close to the gazebo as the street allowed, then rounded the hood and opened her door.
The turmoil churning through her left her body frozen in place, unsure if she could handle whatever this was. She’d been strong all day. She was supposed to be alone in her car right now, crying over what could’ve been, and curse Ford and Easton for not letting it be.
“If after he says his piece, you decide to still leave town,” Easton said, “I’ll get you out of here in record time.”
“Fine.” Violet climbed out of the car. Each step required three times as much effort as usual. Her feet grew even heavier when she noticed the purple bouquets placed around the gazebo.
So much purple it almost looked like… Well, like it’d been pulled from the pages of her sparkly binder.
A bark cut through the silence, and Trouble rushed toward her as fast as his doggy feet could take him. A giant purple ribbon and bow circled his neck, and in spite of her trepidation, Violet squatted and petted her puppy.
She scooped him up and buried her nose in his fur, and her heart didn’t know whether to expand or knot, and she loved him so much her body could hardly contain it. “Using Trouble against me?” she said in Ford’s direction, unable to fully look at him. “That’s a new low, even for you.”
“I deserve that.” Ford took a step toward her—was he limping? “I’m not using him against you, though. He’s a gift. If you want him.”
Her tears blurred Ford’s features—not enough to weaken the effect they had on her, unfortunately. “Of course I want him.”
“And me?” Ford asked. The question came out gravelly and raw, and the strings inside her heart tugged and tugged until all that was left was an unraveled clump.
Tears slipped down her cheeks in warm trails, and Ford closed the distance between them.
“Violet, I screwed up. You were right when you told me that the marriage and kid talk were my issues, not yours.”
She opened her mouth, and he pressed his finger to her lips.
“I’ve been rehearsing while scrambling to pull this whole thing together, and I know it’s not as fancy as the pictures in your binder, but with you leaving, I couldn’t risk spending any more time on it. I did convince Nellie Mae to open the flower shop and cleared her out of every single purple flower she had.”
Ford plucked a purple anemone out of the vase nearest him and slid it behind her ear.
Violet held tight to Trouble, who launched himself off her boob and attacked the flower.
“Thanks for that, buddy,” Ford said with a laugh. “I’ve realized a lot of things this past week. For instance”—his green eyes locked onto hers as he took her hand—“even though I like to play hero, I’m a coward. You’re the heroic one, putting yourself out there and not making excuses about who you are or what you want. I let my fears get the best of me, and in the process, I lost you.
“For some reason, I thought if I settled down, my adventures would come to an end. But last night, as I was rappelling down to an injured hiker—”
“Is that why you’re limping? Are you hurt?” Violet set Trouble on the bench and squatted to peek at Ford’s leg. She lifted the slacks and gasped at the giant scrape crisscrossing his shin.
Ford crouched as well, placing his fingers under her chin and gently tipping her face to his. “There’s my distracted angel,” he said with a smile. “The cuts and bruises I can handle. But losing you…” Ford’s voice turned husky, and his thumb brushed her jaw. “That’s an injury I’ll never recover from. It took me way too long to realize it, but if you give me another chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Violet’s heartbeats tripped over each other, and her breath lodged in her throat. “The rest of your life? You know what that phrase means, right? That it could be decades?”
One corner of his mouth kicked up in that way that she adored. “It doesn’t scare me anymore. I want to be with you, Violet.”
Ford dropped fully onto his knees. “I’m down here begging you to give me another chance. I want all my adventures to include you. Because I’ve fallen completely in love with you.”
Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. Did he just…?
“That’s right.” He took both of her hands in his. “I love you, Violet Abrams. I don’t want to move too fast and ruin everything or scare you, but if you take my sorry ass back, I promise you that I’ll be in this for the long haul. That I choose you, and I’ll show up, and I’ll continue to choose you forever.
“And not someday—but one day—I wanna marry you and have kids with you. It doesn’t scare me anymore. The only thing that scares me is losing you.”
Another wave of tears hit her, and she couldn’t withhold the sniff.
Trouble jumped onto her lap and licked at the saltwater trails, a whimper coming out.
“I’m okay,” she whispered to the puppy. Then she glanced around the gazebo at all the work Ford had done in such a short time.
The flowers and the lights and Ford down on his knees, his declaration about loving her hanging in the air. It was a dream she’d given up on, and yet here it was, coming true. “You realize I’d have to be a fool to accept this apology and stay in town, right?”
Ford swallowed thickly, the hope shining in his features fading as he hung his head. “I know. But I had to try.”
Violet placed her hand on the side of his face, studying the man she loved with her entire heart and soul. “Lucky for you—and as you’ve implied several times since we met that day over a fiery oven—I happen to be a bit bonkers, especially when it comes to you.”
His head jerked up, the happiness flooding the curve of his smile transferring joy to her, too. “Are you saying…?”
“I love you, too.”
Ford crashed his lips to hers. He hauled her onto his lap, hugging her to his chest as if he were afraid she’d float away if he let go. “I need you to say it. Tell me that you’ll stay.”
“I’ll stay,” she said.
A laugh spilled out, and he peppered her cheeks and mouth with kisses before grinning at her. “And I promise I’ll never be an idiot again.”
Violet arched a dubious eyebrow.
“About us, anyway,” he added with a low laugh.
This time, she initiated the kiss, flinging her arms around his neck and moving her mouth against his.
At the sound of cheers and whistles, Ford stood, hauling Violet to her feet with him. Easton, Will, and Lexi came out of the shadows, and Violet laughed again.
She buried her head in Ford’s chest, too blissfully happy to care about the embarrassment heating her cheeks.
“Real quick, we have to take a picture and let Addie and Tucker know we’re back together.” Ford extended his phone for a selfie, and Violet pressed her lips to his as he snapped the picture.
“Better loop Maisy in, too,” Violet said, rattling off her sister’s phone number.
Later, there’d be details to iron out and calls to make. But for now, she basked in the fact that right when she’d given up on love, it’d decided not to give up on her.
Epilogue
Violet: Hey, would any of you gals happen to be available for bridesmaid duty? Like possibly May or June?
Leah: Wait. Are you saying?
Amanda: Ford popped the question?!!!!! Girl, I need details!
Camilla: That sucker didn’t stand a chance once he met you.
Alyssa: Congrats! I’m so happy for you!
Morgan: OMG!!! I’m sure you’re all shocked I’m responding—lol. But since the triplets, Mark and I are outnumbered. I almost had a breakdown today, so he sent me for a pedicure, and with this news, it’s
the best day ever! So happy for you, Vi.
Leah: And you know that we’ll be there for you, the same way you were there for us.
Amanda: But remember that one of us—cough, me—just had my second baby and will need a flattering dress to hold everything in place.
Alyssa: LOL! And you keep asking why I haven’t had another yet. Between you and Morgan, I’m scared. Although Jeff is definitely team procreate more. I think that’s mostly because it involves sex, though.
Violet grinned, signed off, and slipped her phone into her pocket. She tucked ketchup under one armpit, mustard under the other, and then scooped up the potato chips and bags of buns. Ever so carefully, she balanced everything and headed out the back door.
There was her sexy fiancé, swinging her niece through the air. Isla giggled and clapped, already eager to go “again,” which was her favorite word besides “no.” The scent of roasting hot dogs and burgers filled the air, and Maisy stepped up to relieve Violet of the condiments.
They set the items on the picnic table Violet bought for Ford’s backyard—well, hers, too. She’d moved in early last week, and they were celebrating with a barbecue with their family and friends.
The entire gang was here, and while Violet had considered them Ford’s friends in the beginning, they were hers now as well. Everyone was spread around the grass on camping chairs, and she soaked in the happy vibes, excitement tickling her stomach as she prepared for her and Ford’s big announcement.
She walked over to Ford and Isla and tickled her niece’s neck. Isla giggled and dropped her head on Ford’s shoulder as if she expected him to save her.
Which he would. Same way he’d saved a lot of people in town, including her.
Violet thought her ovaries had caused a ruckus the first time she’d seen Ford holding Isla, but it was nothing compared to watching him play with her. Half the time when they visited Maisy and Travis, Ford would forget to say hi to them because he rushed to pick up Isla.
Trouble bounced around Violet’s ankles, and Isla insisted she be put down. She crawled after his doggy tail while he chased her bare feet, and round and round in a circle they went.
Travis recorded the adorableness on his phone, and Maisy looked on, a giant grin on her face. While Violet would miss what’d seemed like a six-month sleepover at Maisy’s, it was time for a new phase.
With Travis home, her sister had the support she needed. It also helped that Isla had begun sleeping through the night.
Ford wrapped his arms around Violet’s middle and pulled her back against his chest. As she basked in the chatter and laughter of their closest loved ones, all felt right with the world.
“FYI, I might never let you go.” Ford kissed her neck, sending goose bumps across her skin. Every tiny gesture, every day, every everything was better with Ford in her world. Not only had he kept his word to always show up and be there for her, last night he’d fulfilled another one of his promises.
One day…
Violet had been snuggling with Trouble and felt something whack her chest. When she’d spotted the diamond ring hanging from his collar, her heart had stopped.
Then she’d turned to see Ford on one knee, Pyro at his side, and that kicked her heart back into motion. Occasionally she still felt the lack of Nitro and Tank, but in a few months they’d have another litter to train. The teams the dogs had gone to also sent updates, which helped her feel like their little family was off to a strong, happy start.
Ford cleared his throat and raised his voice. “Violet and I would like to welcome y’all to our home.”
Violet let the phrase “our home” wash over her.
“We do have another announcement,” he said, and then he glanced at her.
The diamond on her finger twinkled as she lifted it in the air to show it off. “We’re getting married!”
Everyone shouted their congratulations. There were hugs and jokes, and then they settled in their chairs to eat, because food went hand in hand with celebration.
As they finished up the meal, Ford nudged Easton with his elbow. “So, I was hoping you’d be my best man.”
“Dude, I’m starting to think we throw weddings as often as we play poker. My boys are dropping like flies.” Easton winked at Violet and then punched Ford’s shoulder. “I’d be honored.”
Lexi shifted in her seat, leaning so she could peer around Will at them. “Have you started planning the wedding yet?”
“I’m pretty sure Violet has like a…binder, wasn’t it? A super-organized, serial-killer-type one, but for weddings? Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
Violet cocked her head at her fiancé. Yeah, she was going to be using that term a lot.
“Only kidding.” Ford wrapped his hand around her thigh and leaned in for a kiss. “You know I love your binder almost as much as you. And not just because it means less work for me this go around.”
“Dream. On.” Violet spun in her seat to address Lexi. “While I do have certain aspects planned, I’d love your help.”
Lexi clapped and bounced in her seat. “Ooh, I love weddings.”
Everyone began laughing and talking again, and when they needed more beer, Violet headed to the kitchen to grab some.
Apparently, Easton was way ahead of her. He stood in front of the fridge, six-pack in hand, but his focus was on the wedding invitation she’d hung in place with a magnet.
“When did you get this?” Easton asked, gesturing toward the invite.
“I just hung it up this morning. It was in the mail, and I figured it was one of Ford’s friends. Since the sure way to get him to see something is to put it on the fridge…” She laughed, but the tension in Easton’s posture remained.
She’d never seen him so broody before.
“Vi? You get lost on the way to the fridge?” Ford’s heavy footsteps came on the heels of the question. “Don’t worry, your big strong badass is here to save you.”
As soon as Ford stepped into the kitchen, Easton yanked off the invitation and showed it to Ford. “Did you know about this?”
Ford squinted at it, two creases forming between his eyebrows, and then his features smoothed as he studied the pictures. “No. Bro, I’m so sorry.”
“Whatever. I… I’m going to go.” Easton handed the six-pack to Ford, crumpled the invitation, and tossed it on the counter. Then he stormed out of the house, the screen door slamming in his wake.
“What was that all about?” Violet asked, debating whether or not to follow the guy, although she hadn’t the faintest idea what to say.
“This woman.” Ford tapped the crinkled picture, and Violet studied the beautiful couple. He wound an arm around her, his large hand splaying on her stomach and making her think of the day that’d come when he was feeling their little one growing inside of her, and he said, “As far as Easton’s concerned, she’s the one who got away.”
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Usually I end up thanking my family near the bottom, but after one of the hardest years we’ve ever had, I need to tell them how much I love and appreciate them. They make me laugh, they boost me up, and everyone pitches in when I get down to the deadline wire. They are the reason I get out of bed every day. (Well, them and the cats, who follow up their cuddles with demands for food.)
At this point, I don’t even have words for the amount of love I have for Rebecca Yarros and Gina L. Maxwell. From our daily running chats to our writing sprints to our late-night phone calls and everything in between. #UHT4EVER.
Thanks to Stacy Abrams, Liz Pelletier, and the entire team at Entangled. Again, this year was extremely difficult for me, and I know that things came down to the wire, so thank you for having my back when I needed to take care of my family and myself. Thanks to Riki Cleveland, the marketing team, Jessica Turner, Katie Clapsad
l, Heather Riccio, and everyone else who helps my book get into readers’ hands.
Did I mention it’s been a year? Well, thank goodness I had my rock-star agent, Nicole Resciniti, by my side to help me maneuver the twists of not only this industry but my life. Thank you for the phone calls and the assurances and for the emotional support. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me.
Miranda Grissom, I was drowning in to-do list items, and you swooped in and took several of them off my plate. Big hugs!
Huge thanks to my readers for supporting my books and sending me messages that keep me going. And thank YOU, dear reader! Whether this is the first book of mine you’ve read or if you’ve read several, I appreciate every time a reader gives one of my novels a chance. And of course I’m extra grateful for repeat offenders. XOXO
About the Author
Cindi Madsen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. She loves music and dancing and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She and her family also take their Marvel addiction very seriously, as their one-eyed cat, Agent Fury, and their kitty named Valkyrie can attest.
You can visit Cindi at www.cindimadsen.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter to get all the up-to-date information on her books.
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