“Depends.There’s a lot of square footage here, so probably a year if everything goes well.Most likely eighteen months.”
I leaned toward him.“Do youreallywant to live in the house where we ki—”
He put his finger to my lips.“I’m going to live wherever you are, Ivy.What happened is over, and I don’t believe in ghosts.When this place is finished, it’s gonna be fuckin’ gorgeous –almost as gorgeous as you.And when we’re ready to have kids, there’s plenty of fuckin’ room for them.”
I took a deep breath.“I’m gonna need a new car.”
He grabbed my hands and turned me toward him.“That’s another thing.You aren’t happy with your firm.Haven’t been for a while now.”
“Yeah, but—”
He leaned toward me.“There are no ‘buts’ when it comes to your happiness, Ivy.You could get hired by a different realty firm, one that’s closer.I know that’s easy for me to say, but I’ve been biting my tongue for a while.I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you’re happy.So, keep that in mind.”
I wandered closer to the house and in the direction of where we’d taken Campbell’s body.
Ryan chuckled as he followed me.“We dug out those palmetto bushes, and cut down one of the trees.That area doesn’t look the same any more because I knew you’d be superstitious.”
I turned around.“I’m not superstitious.”
He jerked his head toward the house.“Let’s take a look.”
We wandered up the steps to the wrap-around porch.I noticed that down the far side, a porch swing had been hung with two wicker chairs sitting beside it.A small table sat between the chairs with a tall vase of sunflowers on top.
“What on earth?”I asked in a low voice.
“Go take a look at that,” Ryan encouraged.
I crept down the porch and heard Ryan’s footsteps behind me, until I didn’t.When I turned around, I saw he was crouched on one knee.
My eyes widened.“You cannot be—”
He held out a hand with a small velvet box sitting in his palm.My hands went to my mouth as I gasped.His other hand shook while he opened the box.“Ivy, my troublesome woman, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.Will you marry me?”
I put my left hand out.“Like you even have to ask!Of course!”
He slid the ring with a huge square-cut diamond onto my finger and stood.I wrapped my arms around his neck, went up on my toes, and kissed him as hard as I could.
Ryan
“She said yes,” I murmured into my cell phone while I sat on my bed.
“Of course she did,” Mom said.“Congratulations, honey.I can’t wait to see you get married.”
“I was wrong,” I blurted.
Shit.I hadn’t meant to say that and I couldn’t think of a decent fib to lie my way out of it.
“Wrong about what?”Mom asked.
I sighed.“I told myself I’d never find what you and Dad have.”
“Sweetheart,” she started.
“No, it was more than that, Mom.I figured it wasn’t worth the trouble either.Hearing from the other brothers what you and Dad went through.I never wanted that.”
“I see,” she murmured.
I took a deep breath.“But I was wrong because it wasn’t up to me.”
