Page 51 of A Family Affair: The Plan

“You’re going to love Hank.”

“I already do.” Hope had met him twice, and taken several photographs, shared them with his parents, Mimi, Lily, and Harry.

The pet sanctuary was scheduled to open this summer, followed by the rehab center. “You better let Martin know we’re getting a dog, and as a Dog Mom you might need some time off to adjust to that new role.”

She laughed. “I think Martin will give me whatever I want.”

That was true. Martin Southerfield really did care about Hope, and he cared about integrity. In fact, he’d reassigned hisnephew to the West Coast office where Kent could observe and hopefully, make better choices. Not that it would help, but… Hope had recommended her replacement, and the woman had found a location for a bed-and-breakfast in Indiana. Now, Hope could analyze, advise, and live her authentic life with the luckiest man in the world—him.

“Are you getting hungry? I can heat up the beef stew your mother sent over.”

“Maybe in a bit.” Sam’s mother provided them with at least two meals a week, had been doing it since they moved into the farmhouse almost three months ago. The woman admitted the other day that the only thing that could give her greater joy than seeing Sam happy, was a grandchild. Okay, not so fast. It would happen when it was supposed to, but not this soon.

First things first. He reached into his sweatpants pocket, pulled out the small box that had been hidden in his underwear drawer for the last three weeks. He shifted onto his elbow, opened the velvet box, and spoke the truth that lay in his heart. “Hope Newland, will you marry me, share my life…the joys and the sorrows, the children, dogs, and this crazy existence we call life?” The tears started then, an all-out gushing accompanied by quivering lips. For a woman who’d claimed she rarely cried, this woman had turned into a regular faucet. “Are those happy tears?”

A sniff, more gushing. A nod. “Oh, Sam.”

He removed the diamond, slid it on to her finger. “So, is that a yes?”

She swiped her eyes, held out her hand. “That’s a definite, absolute, forever-and-ever yes!”