Since moving into the house with me, we’ve expanded the office in the barn, building out from the main structure to add two more rooms, as well as another bathroom. And since we were already making changes to the plumbing, we added a small kitchen to what was originally office space.
It’s not big, but it’s cozy and functional and allows Cas and Wyatt to live at Serendipity with us. Cas hasn’t given up on his own place, but it’s fair to say that dream has shifted some in recent months.
"You ready?" Jovi asks, poking his head in through the open door. "I’m all done with the horses for the night."
I glance over my shoulder at him, still planted at my desk, editing the photos I took earlier this morning of Holly and Cas.
I may be playing a more active role in the ranch business than I ever expected to, and am finally booking new clients here in town, but I haven't let go of my subscription service. Quite the opposite.
Holly was right when she pushed me to start shooting the boys in all their rugged cowboy glory. Country romance themed images sell like hotcakes. And I'm happy to provide them as long as they do.
"Where are the kids?" I ask, clicking out of the screen to shut things down for the rest of the day.“Shouldn’t they be making some sort of noise right about now? This silence is making me very nervous.”
He rolls his eyes. "They’re fine. Cas made mac and cheese for dinner and lured them away.”
“You didn’t want any?” I ask, walking up to meet him and slide an arm around his waist while his drapes over my shoulders. “No curry, no interest?”
He chuckles. “Mostly, yeah.”
“Mostly?”
He guides us to the stairs and together we start taking the steps down. “I may have already had a little something else in mind for dinner tonight.”
My brow crinkles. “You have something in mind without the kids?”
We still have our weekly check-in nights. We call them date nights now. And while the trust is still raw between us, we offer those nights to Tammy and Abe for sleepovers. Provided we can get the kids to give up a night of hanging out with Wyatt. Not that Cas is our live-in nanny these days. It’s been a very mutually beneficial living situation. Cas has even started rodeoing again.
But tonight isn’t one of our nights. Not that I’m aware of anyway.
“You don’t know what date it is, do you?” Jovi teases, nudging my side when we reach the bottom and start making our way to the door leading out from the feed room. The walkway isn’t as direct from here, but it’s a nice stroll, especially this time of evening, when the sky is painted vivid shades of pink and violet and a crescent moon hangs like a sliver of silver overhead.
But I tear my gaze away from the startling beauty of it all to peer at something even more strikingly handsome.
“Should I?”
JOVI
I knew I would do this the night Liz presented me with all her wishes on the wishing tree. Wishes of me. Of us. Of our life.
Wishes I wish for too.
Wishes I think I’ve been making for far longer than I ever realized.
Wishes I held in a little longer. Biding my time until the right moment.
The right date.
“One year ago today,” I say, drawing the words out slowly to buy the time I need to reach the house, “you and I made a deal.”
I feel her jerk to a stop in my arm, but I chuckle and tug her forward. “Are you sure?” she asks, and I can practically hear her mind counting backwards. We survived the first anniversary of Trent and Lena’s passing. It was messy and painful and about a hundred times worse to witness the children ensnared in their grief as though no time had passed at all.
But we got through it. Together.
We hunkered in the house all day. Stayed in our pajamas. Shared stories and looked through a million photographs. Watched every video we could find. And Liz made all of Trent and Lena’s favorite foods. Had a birthday cake for Lena with a candle that both kids blew out.
It was exhausting and healing and heartbreakingly beautiful all at once.
And after a family sleepover on the living room floor, we woke to the sun shining through the front windows. And life came back for us.
