“He’s been in love with you since before the holidays, but he knew you weren’t in a good place then. He’s been giving you time to heal.”
Had he been waiting like a predator—
“You’re doing it again,” Amelia cried. “I can see it on your face. No, he hasn’t been working you to convince you to marry him so he can have you and then neglect your kids. Come on, Rae. This is Dylan. We’ve known him for years.”
“I know.” Rae rubbed her temples against the headache building there.
Amelia watched her. “This isn’t just about Dr. Aurora’s advice, is it? What else is driving your fear?”
“I had a friend I knew in high school, who got involved with a man after her divorce. She’d thought he was a good guy too, but he ended up abusing her daughter. He killed her.”
“That poor baby.” Amelia sighed. “If you really believe Dylan is capable of that, don’t marry him. But now it’s time to move on either way. I don’t for a minute think Mike would want you to hole yourself up and not love again until those kids are raised. Good grief. That’s sixteen years. He’d trust you to make the right decision. You’ve got yourself a gem in Dylan.”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
Amelia gave her another hug and rose from the bench. “I know he had a tough time growing up. I’ve often thought when he’s with Jayden or your kids, he’s giving them his missing childhood, and that’s why he works so hard to make it magical for them.”
There was so much truth in her words. Rae stood.
“I need to get back to work. I know I’ve told you this before, but I appreciate how you’ve mothered me. I don’t know what I’d have done without you this year.” She hugged Amelia.
“I’ve done my best.” She placed her hand on Rae’s shoulder and said softly, “You hurt him, you know, when you kissed him and then told him you’d never marry him.”
“Yes, I know.” A lump formed in Rae’s throat, and she found it hard to speak. “I hurt myself too.”
“Ah, but what do you think it would do to a good man to be told he couldn’t be trusted around a woman’s children? What if I’d had a child from my first marriage and had said that to Micah?”
Rae closed her eyes but couldn’t stop the moisture from running down her cheeks. Amelia was right. There was only one man who was Micah Greer’s equal, and that was Dylan Rademaker. Understanding the magnitude of what Rae had done to him struck her like a lightning bolt and pain stabbed into her chest. How had he even been able to look at her after what she’d said to him?
“I think you understand now,” Amelia said. “If you decide to switch out that promise you made to yourself into something that would include Dylan, do it in a grand way.”
Rae opened her eyes. Amelia smiled, nodding her head, and walked away.
A lightness filled Rae for a second, and she thought she might float away. Then sharp reality hit her again. Did he hate her now? She didn’t think so because he’d accepted her support at the announcement.
Then Rae knew she’d made up her mind, and the lightness returned. She wanted to skip along the cemetery walk. Could he forgive her for doubting him? A sudden resolve, even more powerful than the one she’d felt about staying clear of romance, hit her. She would fight for him.
Amelia had said to do it in a grand way. What had she meant? An image from one of the romance books she’d read came to mind. A grand gesture. That must be it.
An idea started to grow. Itwouldbe a grand gesture, something incredibly difficult for Rae to do but which Dylan would understand. Was she brave enough to do it? Would he tell her no?
Rae would never know unless she tried.
* * *
Dylan finishedhis final route with a sense of nostalgia. He hoped the decision to purchase the company wasn’t a mistake. He loved working outdoors and talking to people.
As he headed to the office, he was surprised to find Lee. It was almost as though he’d been waiting for him. Would he make some kind of snarky comment about Dylan being the boss?
“Hey, man,” Dylan said. “Break the company records again for sales?”
Lee grinned. “Already worried about making money, Mr. D.?”
“No,” Dylan said, ignoring the new name all the employees were now calling him. “We’re really lucky to have someone with your talent working for us. I’ll be honest. Until I started shadowing Mr. G., I didn’t realize how much you do for the company. He said you could make more money moving to one of the franchises.”
“That’s true, but job satisfaction is more important to me than money,” Lee said, his expression sobering, “Mr. G. gives me freedom to do things my way which is not something I would get working for one of them.”
“As long as you continue to be honest in how you represent Green’s services, I don’t have a problem with you doing it your way.” Dylan extended his hand. “How are you doing?”
