Page 146 of When We Were Young

I gasp, and his eyes widen.

“I’m sorry⁠—”

“You do? You want to be his dad?” My voice is thick with emotion.

“I do. Of course I do. Who wouldn’t? I want to be his dad, and I want to be your husband. I’d marry you today if you were ready.”

I cast my gaze downward.

“You don’t mean that.”

He places a finger under my chin and lifts it until our eyes meet again.

“I absolutely do mean that. I want to marry you, Lizette. I want our forever.”

And that’s when my stomach interjects again, this time with a thunderous growl.

We stare at each other until laughter erupts from both of us. When we finally settle down, he leans in and kisses my forehead.

“Let’s cook,” he suggests.

We work side by side to make the paprikash, and it’s tremendously relaxing. While it bakes, I sip a glass of wine, and Holden drinks a craft beer.

As Holden raises the bottle to take a drink, I blurt out, “I want to marry you, too.”

He freezes, then slowly lowers the bottle from his mouth. His smile melts me.

“Yeah?”

I nod vehemently. “And Simon would be lucky to have you for a dad. I mean, when, and if, you’re ready at some point.”

He leans toward me, but when he’s just inches away, the timer on the oven goes off.

“Ugh,” he groans. “We should just let it burn.”

* * *

“Will you take a walk with me?” Holden stands and extends his hand to me.

“Uh, I’ll try, but I’m so full you just might have to roll me along.”

“I can carry you,” he offers.

“Uh, no. I’ll manage.” I smile up at him. “I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

A minute or two later, we’re on the sidewalk, holding hands and walking around the town square. It’s idyllic. The only thing that would make it better is if Simon were with us.

When we’ve made it across to the other side of the square, Holden stops directly in front of one of the empty shops Landon is soon to own. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. He holds it out to me, and I grasp it.

“Landon Carter can’t hurt Sugar ‘n Spice.”

I’m so confused.

“Open the box, Lizette.”

I lift the lid and stare at the ring of keys inside. I glance up at Holden.

“I don’t understand. Landon made an offer on these properties.”