He leads me towards the sunflower fields with a heavy hand at the small of my back. Families are scattered around, laughing in joy as they pick sunflowers. But Beau leads me towards one of the plots not being picked. Noise disappears the further we go, until he cuts through a path to lead me into the field. I trust him though, because this man knows these fields like the back of his hands. Like he knows me.
His hand is firm on mine, thumb caressing the tender skin on top of my knuckles. Sun pours down on us, but the air is crisp considering summer is slowly giving up her grips. Beau comes to a stand amongst the sunflowers.
“I wanna tell you something.”
“Alright.”
Beau nervously licks his lips. He pushes his ball cap up on his head a little, so I can see his eyes better.
“I’ve got this crazy idea,” Beau confesses.
“I love crazy ideas.”
Beau chuckles but sends me a worried smile. “I think maybe we could build you an office one day, in the middle of a sunflower field. You can have clients here. See them inside, or out in nature. What do you think about that?”
The force of Beau almost knocks me over. This perfect man. I’m just barely thinking about the future, but he’s already got it halfway planned out. I could assume it’s our difference in age, but I really don’t think that’s it. I think it's just the difference between Beau and me. I worry about the now, and he worries about the then. Makes us kind of perfect for one another.
“I think that sounds perfect.”
Beau smiles shyly. “Yeah?”
“I think coming to work, surrounded by sunflowers to help people, only to return home to you… sounds like a dream come true.”
“You’ll always come home to me,” Beau says gruffly.
“Always,” I reassure him.
And then Beau tenderly tugs me into his arms, kissing me with all the urgency of a man that knows his future is held tightly in the cage of his arms. The kiss goes on and on, until I’m reassured of one single thing. Love is a gentle man that holds my battered heart safely in the palm of his hand.For keeps, I think, in the middle of the warm sunflower field. Beau’s elated smile widens against my lips, and I know without a doubt that I’m home.
EPILOGUE
FOUR YEARS LATER
The fall season is finally over at the farm. Spring, summer, and fall are always the roughest seasons for me. Worn ragged by hard work, I use winter to decompress, to work the earth, to spend time with Trevor.
Time passes a little differently now.
I quietly leave the front office behind with a kiss to Mama’s brow. Then I start the thirty-minute trek to Trevor’s office. We’d built the small office a year ago, after he’d graduated with his clinical hours under his belt. A small little office at the edge of the property is all Trevor wanted. Colby, Lee, Joey, Jackson, and I had planted rows of sunflowers around it before painting it a bright baby blue. Happy is the only vibe we wanted Trevor’s workplace to give off. I think we succeeded.
For the past year, Trevor has been seeing clients in the small office. People drive thirty minutes from the city to spend an hour with him. He’s young, but he’s building a client base. And I’m so damn proud of him. It doesn’t hurt that he’s within my reach. Close enough that we can get lunch together most days throughout the week. Close enough that my heart longs forhim even though we’re only a short walking distance from each other.
Short for me, too long for Trevor. He usually hops in the classic Ford I surprised him with for graduation that we rebuilt together. Trevor still drives my truck sometimes. Usually just when he wants to really get me going. Which is a lot. Everything about Trevor gets me going and it only gets better with time.
The walk clears my mind of the cobwebs of the day. By the time I reach the small office, everything feels so much lighter than it had just moments before. I knock on the door and kick the dirt off my shoes before entering.
“Sweetheart?” I call out.
Trevor’s head peeks out from the office. His hair is longer now, held up most days with a hair tie to stay professional. One look from me has him chuckling and tugging his hair down without a single argument. His hair cascades down his back as his chuckles echo around the office.
“Hey, handsome.” Trevor grabs his workbag, then slowly makes his way down the hallway. He presses a soft kiss to my cheek, smelling like lemon, sunshine, and sweetness.
“Ready to go home?”
“Are we walking or taking my truck?”
“Let's take your truck. Been a long day.”
Trevor winks at me, then leads us out to his truck. Tossing his bag into the bed, he slowly climbs into the cab. “I got an interesting call today.”
