You, Me, and Forever (Blushing)

“So how do you feel about closing on your house?” he asked as we walked toward the Moose Brew.

“I mean, the fact that Violet bought it sort of feels like it’s still in the family, you know?”

“Yeah, that worked out well.” He cleared his throat. He’d been a little off today. Very distracted, which wasn’t like Myles. But the Seaside Inn was almost completed, and he’d had to travel to New York a few times over the last two months for work.

“Are you sure you want to go get dinner? We can just go home. I’m sure you’re exhausted. You’ve been going nonstop.”

“Baby, I don’t get exhausted. I want to take my girl to dinner.” He squeezed my hand in his as he glanced over at Clifford, lying in the snow in the center of town. “I don’t know how long it’ll take me to get used to seeing that dude just hanging out wherever the hell he feels like it.”

I laughed. “We have some breaks in the upcoming wedding season, and I’m looking forward to spending some long weekends in New York soon.”

“Me too.” He pulled the door open, and I heard the song playing immediately: “I Remember Everything,” by Zach Bryan.

The lights were turned off, which didn’t catch me off guard at first because it was still dark outside. But the entire place was lit up with twinkle lights. They were strung from the ceiling, running from one end to the other. Candles were lit on every single table, and tall pillars lined a walkway along the floor. There wasn’t anyone here.

Just Myles and me.

“Oh my gosh. What is this?” I whispered as tears pricked my eyes.

“This is where it all happened, Dominique.” He chuckled as he led me down the candlelit walkway to the bar.

The place where we first met.

There were vases filled with red roses covering the bar top, and my legs shook as we continued to move closer.

“Myles,” I whispered when we stopped in front of the bar.

Zach Bryan was singing my favorite song.

“So, I found myself a great diamond dealer from Chicago,” he teased.

“Oh yeah? I’ve heard they do a lot of imports and exports.”

“Oh yes. This woman, she’s the queen of imports and exports.” He smiled as he stroked the hair away from my face. His thumb moved to my cheek, swiping away the single tear that had escaped. “Don’t cry, baby.”

“I’m just really happy,” I croaked.

He nodded. “I’ve never been happier.”

And then he dropped to his knee, my hand in his, and I could no longer keep the tears at bay. I looked down at him through blurred vision.

“Me either.”

“Montana, you are the love of my life. The love that I never knew existed. I want to spend my life with you. I want to travel and see the world with you. I want to fill our home with as many babies as you want. I want to grow old in this small town with you,” he said as he looked up at me, his voice deep and even. “You, me, and forever, baby.”

“Me too.” My words were barely audible as I dropped down on my knees to be closer to him.

“Montana Kingsley, will you marry me?” He pulled a black velvet ring box from his coat pocket and opened it.

I gaped at the large stunning princess-cut diamond set on a platinum band.

“Yes.” I fell forward, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”

“I love you,” he said against my ear. “Thanks for making me the happiest man in the world.”

I pulled back to look at him. He smiled as his thumbs swiped at the liquid beneath my eyes. And then he took the ring from the box and slipped it onto my finger. “Wow. You must have found yourself the best diamond dealer in town. This is stunning.”

“So are you, Mrs. St. James.” He stared down at my hand.

“Mrs. St. James,” I whispered. “So we’re really doing this? We’re getting married?”

“I mean, we have the song, and we have the hashtag, right?” he said as he pulled me up to stand.

“You, me, and forever, Myles St. James.”

“You, me, and forever, baby.” He leaned down and kissed me.

My hands tangled in his hair, and I was lost in the moment.

Because I’d been selling happily ever after for the last five years, but I’d never truly believed in it for myself.

Until this man strolled into town and swept me off my feet.

I’d found my forever, and I was never letting go.

Myles and I had slept in because it was Saturday, and the snow made me want to stay inside with my fiancé wrapped around me. But the call from Violet was so frantic that we’d thrown on clothes and hurried over to her house.

My old house that she’d just bought a few weeks ago.

I couldn’t believe my eyes as I took in the place. It had completely flooded and was an absolute mess.

“I mean, you lived here for a few years and had no issues. I buy the place and the pipes burst? What kind of fucked-up deal is that?” Violet said as she threw her hands in the air for the millionth time.

Myles had immediately called Charlie, who was currently walking from room to room assessing the damage as his daughter held his hand and walked beside him.noveldrama

“Vi, I’m so sorry about this. I can’t believe this happened.”

“Well, she went out of town, and she didn’t turn off the water to the house,” Charlie said as he came down the hallway and back into the flooded kitchen and family room. Harper moved to stand between me and Violet as she beamed up at us.

“Who turns their water off when they go out of town?” Violet screeched at him.

“I do.” He shrugged. “Anyway, insurance will cover the cost, but it’s going to be a gut job. You’ve got to rip up all the floors and replace the whole kitchen, and the bathrooms are probably unsalvageable.”

She groaned. “Aren’t you supposed to make me feel better, Charles? This is a nightmare. How long do you think it will take to get this place put back together?”

“Assuming we can get the materials quickly, I would say you’re looking at around three months.”

“Where am I supposed to live until then?”

“You can stay with us,” I said, wrapping an arm around her.

“I love you, Monny, but you two are all over each other. I don’t want to be hiding in a guest room when you’re climbing your man like a tree.” She glanced down at Harper and winced, but the little girl was busy looking around at the mess.

“You’re being ridiculous. It would be great. Just like our old college days, minus the ball and chain.” I chuckled as I glanced at my fiancé, who didn’t look pleased with the idea.

“Hey, didn’t your cousin just move out of your guesthouse?” Myles asked Charlie.

“Yes. And she smelled like broccoli and toothpaste,” Harper said, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yes, Jordan just moved to be closer to her boyfriend. The place is small, but it’s in good shape.”

“How much is it a month?” Violet crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well, I didn’t charge her rent. She just agreed to help me with Harper. You know, getting her to school if I have to be on a jobsite early, or picking her up and getting her started on her homework until I get home. So that’s more what I was looking for.”

“Yay. Violet can take me to school. She smells like birthday cake and flowers.” Harper looked up at Violet, who gaped at her as if she had no idea what she was talking about.

“I mean, if I’m going to smell like cake, I suppose birthday cake would be the best option.”

Harper covered her mouth and chuckled. “It’s the best kind of cake ever. I’m hungry, Daddy,” she said as Charlie scooped her up and held her on his hip.

“I’ve got to get this one some food. We ran out of the house when you called, Myles.” Charlie moved toward the door. “I’ll get the estimates to you by the end of the day, and we’ll have to sit down and go over the pricing and some options for replacing everything. Why don’t we meet Monday morning at my office?”

“Monday morning? It’s Saturday morning and I have a flooded house, Charles.”

He rolled his eyes. “We can’t order anything before Monday, Violet. And you’ll need to call your insurance company today. If you want to stay in the guesthouse until the renovation is done, it’s yours. Just stay out of my hair, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

“I thought you wanted help with Harper?” Violet narrowed her gaze as she looked at him.

“Not sure how I feel about that.”

“Not sure how you feel about that? Are you kidding me? I have four siblings, you jackass—er, jackass-uming man,” she corrected for Harper’s sake. “You should be so lucky to have me help out.”

“Fine, Violet.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as his daughter clapped her hands together. “Meet me at my house in an hour. I’m taking Harps to the Brown Bear Diner for some pancakes.”

“Yay for pancakes!” Harper cheered, and I couldn’t help but smile at how adorable she was. Her long hair hung down her back, and she had these pink little cherub cheeks.

“I’ll be there, unless I find a free place to live in the next half hour that isn’t with a couple who can’t keep their hands to themselves,” Violet said. “Feel free to bring leftover pancakes home, roomie.”

“Yeah, room service doesn’t come with the house,” Charlie grumped before walking out the door.

“That man can be a real jackass,” Violet huffed, moving toward her bedroom. “I can’t believe I have to pack up and move out.”

I flashed Myles my best apologetic smile and told him I was going to go help Violet get her clothes packed up. We agreed to come back tomorrow and grab some dishes and a few other things from her kitchen.

“I’m so sorry about this, Vi,” I said as we pulled clothing from her closet.

“It’s fine. Thankfully the moodiest bastard in town has an opening at the inn,” she said, oozing sarcasm.

“I can’t believe you won’t just stay with me.” I loaded a few sweaters into a duffel bag.

“I’m a grown-up, Monny. You know how I am about having my own space. And what if I meet a hot tourist? I can’t bring him home to my friend’s house.”

“When was the last time you brought a hot tourist home? Everyone seems to bug you pretty quickly lately.”

A pair of socks hit me in the face, and I chuckled.

“Hey, I can’t help it if the male species is annoying. But do you think he was joking about me taking care of Harper? Because I’m not really into babysitting.”

“Yet you got defensive when he said he didn’t think it was a good idea.”

“Correct. How dare he question my capabilities? I’m quite capable. I just don’t necessarily want to be tied down to taking care of a kid I hardly know.”

“Listen, I offered you a room in my home, and you turned it down. You wanted the guesthouse at Charlie’s so you’d have a place of your own, so I suggest you just say thank you and do whatever he needs you to do.”

“Whatever he needs me to do, huh? You make it sound so dirty,” she said over a fit of laughter.

“No, you made it sound dirty.” I rolled my eyes and slung the duffel over my shoulder. I walked out to find Myles placing a few things on her kitchen counter to bring to Charlie’s place, while Violet packed up her bathroom and makeup products.

“Almost done?” he asked as he maneuvered around a puddle to stay on an area that had less water on the floor.

“Yep. I can ride with Violet over there if you want to go home.”

“Not a chance, Honey Badger. We can follow her over. Maybe we can even get her to stop for pancakes on the way.”

“Ahhh . . . you’re hungry, huh?”

“Hungry for you,” he whispered against my ear.

“And this is why I can’t live with you two. It’s like a porno, twenty-four seven. I’m in a bit of a rut lately, so I can’t be living with two horndogs.” Violet set her bag and hangers on the counter.

Myles laughed and grabbed the duffel and the hangers and piled them over his forearm. “I’ll start loading the cars. But we’re getting pancakes on the way. I need fuel before we move you in.”

“I can live with that!” Violet shouted after him.

We spent the next hour loading both Violet’s car and Myles’s car with her stuff, and she called the insurance company to get the process started. We told Violet we’d meet her at the Brown Bear Diner, and I slipped into the passenger seat beside my fiancé. “Thanks for helping her.”

“She’s your best friend. Of course I’ll help her. I already told Charlie I’d be happy to cover the rent for her while she’s living there. I just didn’t want to say it in front of her, because she tends to get a little . . . hostile.” He chuckled.

“She’s go

t a lot more bark than bite to her.”

“Damn, woman. You made that sound sexy too,” he said.

I shook my head with a laugh as he drove toward the diner. The snow was falling, and we’d rushed out of the house before we’d even had time to do much to ourselves. But here he was, stepping right into my messy little life.

This man who’d lived in the city just a few months ago was wearing a pair of sexy-as-sin gray joggers, a flannel shirt, and some snow boots.

And he was doing it all for me.

He pulled in to the lot beside the diner and put the car in park. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

I turned to look at him as I unbuckled my seat belt. “Thank you for being the man of my dreams.”

“Happy to oblige, beautiful.” He smirked as I climbed over the seat and onto his lap.

“I love you.”

“I love you. It’s you, me, and forever,” he said before he tugged my head down and kissed me.