Standing up, she broke their contact and crossed her arms over her chest in a vulnerable stance. “Can you?”
It wasn’t so much a question, but a hope, a dream—one that he could give her. He wouldn’t let her fears come between them, and he stood in front of her, his hands tenderly pressed against her arms. “Money will be tight at first, but we can make it on my pay. I never expected to fall in love, but asI’vespent time with you, I’ve come to admire your inner strength, dedication, and desire to follow God in all you do. When I thought about leaving you, it made me sick, and I realized that admiration had turned to love.”
“Money isn’t the stability I need.” She blinked and cleared her throat. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but now I have Alice to consider.”
“I understand, and I promise to love Alice as my own daughter and to lead our family only in a manner to honor God. We’ll come to Jasper Lake as often as we can to see your family and have an open door policy for them to come as often as they’d like.”
“Our family? This is so sudden.” Her airy voice tickled his cheek as she leaned in close with a hesitant but promising sigh.
“Is it?” His eyes met hers in a pleading gaze. “We’ve been dancing around our feelings for months, buttonight’smessage made me understand I need to see the truth for what it is, and the truth is … I love you. Marry me.”
A tear trickled over the ridge of her cheek. “I love you too.”
“Will you trust me?” He brushed his hand over her cheek, allowed it to linger and say all the things he didn’t.Will you trust me to love you always and never leave you, to be a good daddy to Alice, to honor you and treat you with respect. To be a good husband.
She leaned in, leaving little space between them. “I trust you. Yes, I’ll come to South Carolina with you as your wife.”
Her words of trust and acceptance wound around his heart and squeezed it tight until he couldn’t express his feelings in words. He closed the gap between their lips and gave her the kiss he’d longed to give for months, allowing that to speak for him.
Chapter Fourteen
“Sorry you have to move out to make room for me.” Hunter grinned, then drank his iced tea.
Trixie shot a smirk back to him. “You know I get special privileges as the youngest. They’d never kick me out.”
“I’m the only boy. That takes priority.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and lifted her glass of lemonade to her mouth.
She relaxed on the deck chair with a content smile on her face. Hunter’s early release had been delayed by paperwork until early July, but the day had finally come. He was temporarily living with their parents, who gladly had a full house again. Since Trixie had grown up sharing a room with her sisters, she was used to it. She planned to soak up all the family time possible before she moved to South Carolina.
One month from today she’d marry Elijah and start a new life with him.
The plans had moved at lightning speed, but they’d decided to start this new adventure together, which meant marrying before he left Jasper Lake.
Hunter cleared his throat. “Are you positive Elijah is the one? If you have any doubts, it’s not too late to back out. I’ll stand by you, no matter what.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m certain.” She left the chair and walked to the deck’s edge, stared over the landscape. “This time last year, I didn’t know my left from right. All I knew was I loved my daughter more than anything, but I didn’t know what to do with that love. Does that make sense?”
He came and stood beside her, leaning over and resting his arms on the railing. “Completely. You didn’t feel worthy of love, and you didn’t know how to dig yourself out of the mess you’d created.”
She glanced at him, the bittersweet bond between them growing. They understood each other in a way their other siblings couldn’t. “God is so good. All of this—you home, Alice, Elijah—it’s all from Him. I don’t deserve it, but I’ll be forever grateful.”
“You deserve happiness.” He draped a brotherly arm over her shoulder. “I know you’ve come a long way, but don’t ever let guilt from past mistakes hold you back.”
“Take your own advice, brother dear.”
“It’s a daily process.” He sighed and lowered his arm. “I worry about the future and what kind of life I’ll have with a record. Will anyone hire me for more than a minimum wage job? I own the responsibility for what I did. It was wrong and stupid, but do I have to pay for it the rest of my life? It’s this constant battle in my head.”
“Follow God and trust in Him to take care of you. He’ll provide.” She cast a sympathetic smile. “Don’t let the enemy win.”
“I won’t, don’t worry.” He stood upright. “Okay. Enough downer talk. What time are you leaving for dress shopping?”
“Around three when Alice wakes up. Jessa and Phoebe will meet us here, and we’ll go into Farthington.”
“Good.” He deepened his voice and flexed his arms. “Dad and I can grill out and do manly things.”
She snorted. “You do that.”
