She rested her head on my shoulder and smiled. “Love you too, sweet pea.”
Gran had become like a second mother to me. She’d completely taken me in and I was so grateful to have been given a spot in this family.
“Ready?” I asked her, loading the pan-“cake” into my arms.
“Ready.”
Gran stepped in front of me to open the sliding door and I walked out into the beautiful garden on her farm. Looking up at the picnic table to find a good place to set the cake, my brain malfunctioned at the sight of my parents and Julie and John.
Why were my parents back in Tennessee? They just left.
Why were Julie and John early?
Did Ashton invite them to celebrate Wayne’s one-year recovery?
Was it my birthday and I’d forgotten?
“What are—?”
Ashton dropped to one knee, pulling a ring box out of his pocket, and my legs went weak.
Ashton
Gran swooped in and grabbed the cake from Millie because she looked like she was about to drop it. Then Gran gave me a conspiratorial wink and Millie’s hands flew to her mouth in shock.
I’m going to vomit.
This was a bad idea, all public like this. But she’d dropped a hint once that she’d want her family and friends there if we ever got engaged, and so dammit I was determined to give the woman I loved what she wanted. I’d wanted to propose to her for over a year now, but I also wanted to be financially stable—give her the wedding of her dreams, a house, anything she wanted. Now that Wayne’s Place was doing well, I felt like I could give her everything she deserved.
I cleared my throat before I lost my nerve. “Millie, you’re the nicest, most beautiful, intelligent, hard working woman I know, and I have no idea why you’re with me.” Everyone laughed and my nerves settled a tiny fraction. “So I’m gonna count my blessings and ask you humbly … if you would be my wife?”
Her eyes filled with tears and my throat tightened. I looked over at her mom, who was crying. Julie was crying, Wayne and Gran … everyone was crying. I held the ring up close to her finger and swallowed hard.
“Yes,” she managed to squeak out, and the nervous pressure in my chest fell away.
“Yeehaw!” I burst from where I was crouched on one knee and pulled her into my arms, spinning her around.
Pulling back from her, I slid the ring onto her finger as she pressed her lips to mine and I held her close. This woman drove into my life like a hurricane. She’d thrown everything into disarray. But when the dust settled, and everything got rebuilt, it was stronger than it had ever been before.
After giving us a moment, Julie ran over and pried Millie away from me, both of them screaming and jumping up and down like yapping chihuahuas.
“Congratulations, son,” Wayne said shyly, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing. The old man had done a complete overhaul on himself this past year. He looked healthy, he was in man therapy or whatever it was called. He did yoga and all that other foo-foo shit, and most importantly he was sober and had a job. I’d received a check in the mail last month for a hundred dollars, and a note from him that he’d like to pay back his time in the facility on a monthly repayment basis. That’s something heneverdid before. I didn’t mention to him that the place Millie and Gran had picked out for him was five grand a month and he’d probably never pay it back. I just texted him that I got the check and said thank you, and then deposited it. I wouldn’t hurt his pride by tearing it up. I didn’t know this man, this was a new man to me and I was willing to give our relationship a fresh start. I was willing to allow him to be a father to me. Something I hadn’t done since I was young.
“Thanks, Dad.” I spun and pulled him in for a hug.
His entire body went rigid, and I wasn’t sure if I’d shocked him with my words, or the hug had, or both. I hadn’t called the man Dad since I was a teenager.
When we pulled away, he wiped at his eyes quickly and cleared his throat.
“If you cry on me, I’m takin’ your man card,” I warned him.
He socked me in the arm, hard, and I grinned.
“Shut up,” he said, but he was smiling too.
There was a lightness in the air between us, something that had never been there before. It was nice.
Gran was next. She gave me a big hug and a kiss and made me promise a dozen grand babies and to never hurt Millie or she’d kill me. Then her parents and Julie and everyone congratulated us. This much attention was a bit awkward but I took it in stride. We ate and laughed and had the weird bacon pan-“cake” thing that Millie made that was actually amazing.
