Three dots appeared as Grayson typed his response.
Propose yet?
Told her on Saturday we were getting married.
Damn, bro. You might’ve beat Levi’s record. Congratulations! Definitely worth taking another day off. See you tomorrow…or y’know…next year.
Maverick chuckled. Ella lifted her head, looking at him curiously. He flipped the phone around so she could read the text thread.
She rolled her eyes. “There’s something wrong with you and your brothers. Who thinks it’s normal to propose after a few weeks?”
Maverick gave her a quick, hard kiss. “A Storm man who’s met his true love.”
“You know, telling me isn’t the same thing as proposing,” she said, the twinkle in her eye letting him know she was having some fun at his expense. “Grayson’s congratulations are premature.”
Maverick snorted, because while Ella hadn’t come straight out and said that she would move in or marry him, they’d spent every waking minute the past three days making plans for their future. Sure, those decisions had primarily revolved aroundElla’simmediate future—one where she sold her Gigi’s house and the two of them packed all her stuff in a U-Haul and drove cross-country with it and her car. But Maverick figured if she was that serious about moving to Gracemont, the rest—them living together, getting married, and having kids—would follow suit.
However, perhaps, he would be wise not to assume. He refused to lose one more minute of time with Ella because of miscommunication and misunderstandings.
“Firefly, I love you.”
Every time he said those words to her, Ella lit up brighter than a Christmas tree.
“I’ve waited fifteen years for you to get your ass back home where you belong. If I wasn’t clear before, let me make sure I am now. Once we roll back into Gracemont with your belongings, we’re driving straight to this cabin and unloading it all here.”
She bit her lower lip.
Maverick wasn’t worried. He didn’t think she was hesitating due to lack of interest. Her concerns were based on inconsequential shit, like them not dating long enough or her lingering concerns about the past.
He was still reeling over her revelations regarding that letter, dealing with a healthy dose of his own guilt. He should have known something was off, should have realized Ella wouldn’t have used the words that she did.
So maybe the past stuff wasn’t inconsequential. It was clear they were both still struggling with some powerful emotions regarding everything that went down. However, they would be better able to overcome that together. God knew they hadn’t managed to do so all those years they were on their own.
“Whatever you’re worrying about,” he said, using his thumb to tug her lip away from her teeth, “put it away.”
Ella sighed. “I feel like one of us should be sensible here, but I don’t see myself taking on that role. The last few days with you have been like a dream, and I don’t want to wake up from it.”
“We promised we wouldn’t, remember? I intend to hold tight to that vow, to this dream.”
Ella pressed a kiss to his jaw. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he prodded, wanting to be sure of what she was agreeing to.
“Okay. I’ll move in here with you.”
“And…”
She laughed softly. “And somewhere down the road, after an appropriate amount of time, we can get married.”
“November,” he said.
“What?”
“We’ll get married in November. I like the idea of a fall wedding, and the harvest is over by then.”
“That doesn’t feel like an appropriate amount of time,” she said, though he noticed she wasn’t saying no. In fact, she looked excited by the idea.
“Once we tell the girls the date, they’ll shift into overdrive. You won’t believe how quickly they planned Kasi and Levi’s wedding, and it was perfect.”
