“Hello?”
“Did you read the article?”
Putting it on speaker, I answer, “Yes. Poppy’s here, and she just read it to me.”
“He’s talking about you,” Lily says excitedly.
“No, I thought he was talking about another mystery woman,” I say sarcastically.
“Okay, smart-ass. What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing? What am I supposed to do?”
“I’m no rocket scientist, but you should probably be prepared for him to show up on your doorstep.”
Poppy gives me a smug look. “Told you so. You better hustle home and manage that forest you’ve been growing.”
Lily laughs. “Oh my God, that’s what I was thinking.”
“That’s why we need to meet. We’re destined to be friends,” Poppy says.
“Is this seriously happening?” I’m in shock and can’t wrap my head around it. “Wait! Lily, did his memory come back? What if he’s making this decision without all the facts?”
“Sweetie, I love you, but I’m not getting involved. This is between you and Eli. You’re both special to me, and whatever is meant to be, will be. Now get your ass home and deforest yourself.”
“Hey, it’s taken a long time to grow out.”
Poppy makes a gagging motion. “Gross, if nothing else comes out of this, at least that will.”
25
DEMANDS
Eli
I’ve never been to Montana. But flying over it this afternoon, I understand the draw. There are mountains for miles—rivers, lakes, and bare land in every direction. I’m not exactly sure what real estate Jackson’s been talking about, but there must be something somewhere. After he visited Cici last year, I planned to make a trip over, but since she ended up in San Diego again, I never needed to.
I’ve been chasing that woman since the night we locked eyes in the club almost three years ago. It was always her. Deep down, I felt it from our first kiss, but it took a while for my brain to catch up and the wild streak I was sporting to come to terms with it. By the time I realized she was the one, she made the move to Bozeman. I always knew how against relationships she was, and early on, that was A-okay with me, but when the idea of being more started to take shape, she certainly wasn’t on board. I eventually found out she never would be.
Until now.
Nothing stands in our way at this point. Well, other than the thousand miles between us, but that’s simple logistics. I’d love for her to move back to San Diego, but my home is wherever she is. I’m slightly concerned about not being honest with her about my trust, but shouldn’t I get a hall pass since she didn’t tell me aboutourbaby? Our baby. I’m about to be a father. Holy shit. It still blows my mind every time I think about it, which is often, and never fails to make me smile.
I’m constantly looking back and thinking how different things might have been if I’d shared the condition of marriage from the beginning or if she had told me about being pregnant right when she found out, but I reach the same conclusion every time—that I wouldn’t change a thing. Because it all brought me to this moment, right here, knocking on a door, waiting for the woman I love to open up and save me from a life that I can’t fathom to live… without her in it.
The second it opens, I’m overwhelmed by the sight before me. It’s my angel in the flesh. She’s an absolute vision of beauty from top to bottom, and her pregnant belly only accentuates every detail.
When I planned this out, I knew I’d have to prove to her, without a doubt, that my memory came back. So I hold the orchid out. “You left something behind.”
Tears spring to her eyes as she takes it and steps back for me to enter. Shutting the door, she goes to the living room and sets it on the coffee table, turning to me in silence.
Adding the proof she needs, I recite the words only I would know from my first proposal. “When you turned me down on New Year’s Eve, you told me I deserved someone who could give me everything in return, but what you don’t realize is that there’s nothing anyone can give me that I want… more than I want you.”
“Eli,” she gasps before leaping into my arms.
Suddenly, all is right in the world. Her lips are on mine, and as I match her ferocity, it’s as if we’ve been starving for each other our whole lives. Maybe we have, but the famine is over, and I’ll never let her go again.
The only way to accomplish that is to do what I came here to do, so I reluctantly extract her from my arms. Her whimper of protest makes my heart swell and assures me I’m on the right track. Without further ado, I take a knee, pull the box from my pocket, and open it as her hands fly to her mouth in shock.
