“Come and give me a hand, K.”
I pull Katy into the kitchen with me. For all my strengths in the kitchen, baking is not one of them, but Katy happens to bake the most amazing cookies. Between the two of us, with Amie as the chief planner, we spent a good part of the afternoon baking an enormous cookie and icing it with the wordshappy 40th birthday Cam. Katy pulls two number-shaped candles from a drawer and sticks them into the middle of the soft cookie, lighting them with a match. I lift the tray carefully and between us, we carry it out to the table.
Maisy is in Cam’s arms now, smiling sleepily with Roger the dinosaur tucked under one arm as Cam presses repeated kisses to her temples. Paloma spots us first, shielding the candles from the gentle evening breeze, and begins to sing. Soon, everyone is joining in—including Pup, who howls along, much to Maisy’s delight. She blowsout the candles for Cam and manages a few mouthfuls of cookie before turning her face into Amie’s shoulder.
“Bedtime for you, Miss Mouse,” Amie whispers into Maisy’s hair. “Who’s reading your story tonight?”
“Unca Evvy read a story?”
Amie looks over at Everett, who has one arm wrapped around my shoulders, holding me to his chest, and the other hand holding his beer bottle halfway to his lips.
“I can read a story,” he declares with a nod. His beer bottle is returned to the table as Maisy immediately holds her arms out to him, clambering from Cam’s arms, across Amie and into Everett’s lap. I tuck myself against them both, hugging Maisy between my body and Everett’s. Amie smiles gratefully, knowing her daughter is safe and looked after, and settles into Cam’s arms.
“Help me clear everything, Lo?” Katy begins to stack plates, and she and Paloma take care of loading the dishwasher and putting away leftovers while Jay walks Pup to the far corner of the yard to do his business.
Within minutes, Cam whispers something into Amie’s ear and they stand, walking slowly across the yard. Amie stops to scratch Pup’s ears as they cross paths.
“C’mon, baby girl. Better view of the sunset over here.” Everett stands carefully with Maisy in his arms, already fast asleep before her story has even happened, and he leads me to the porch steps. From here, we’re out of the shadow of the porch roof overhang, and the backyard glows orange. Amie and Cam are all but silhouetted in the fading light. Katy, Jay, and Paloma join us on the steps.
“Is it happening?” Paloma stoops to whisper in Katy’s ear, and Katy elbows her lightly.
“Is what happening?”
“Shush, Roo,” Paloma says. “It’s happening.” I roll my eyes. Cam drops his head to whisper something to Amie, and she looks up with a smile. Even as daylight fades, I can see the smirk on her face and the feigned look of despair on his.
And then he sinks to one knee.
Amie’s hands fly to her face as she shrieks, bending at the waist and leaning down towards Cam, on the ground. Katy and Paloma gasp on either side of me. Everett’s arm tightens its hold on me as my eyes fill with tears.
Cam slips a ring onto Amie’s hand as she nods, her grin clear as day even from across the yard, and they stand together. He lifts her off her feet and swings her around, kissing her deeply, before lowering her to her feet and kissing her again, more chastely this time. It’s a tender moment and it feels like an intrusion to watch it, even from a distance. I turn my face into Everett’s chest and he dips his head to kiss my hair.
“I love you, Ruth,” he whispers. “I love you now and always.”
“I love you forever, Cowboy.”
Chapter thirty-nine
Everett
After a little excitement,where the girls squeal over Amie’s ring and the guys congratulate Cam, I hand Maisy back to her parents and the party breaks up pretty quickly. Katy, Ruth, and I put away the last of our leftover food and tidy up the porch. Paloma takes Maisy to her room for the night to let Amie and Cam celebrate their engagement.
Eventually, I follow the girls out of the kitchen and stand to the side while they say their goodnights. Katy retreats to one side of the house, following the path Jay took with Pup a few minutes earlier, and Ruth and I take a slow walk to our bedroom on the other side.
I don’t know that I’ll ever get enough of this woman. We take turns to brush our teeth and get ready for bed, and by the time I return from washing my face, Ruth is already waiting for me.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to just… go home without you.” She’s lying on the bed, head at the foot end, with her feet propped up against the headboard. She swears it’s good for you, but it just looks a little weird.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that just yet,” I say, climbing onto the bed and lying beside her. I reach for her hand and lace our fingers together. “We still have six more days here. Don’t go borrowing trouble where it’s not needed, Ruth.”
“But—”
“No buts, honey. Not unless it’s your butt.” I nudge her lightly, and the frown on her face flickers as she fights a smile. “We’re not thinking about that. We have a whole week stretched out ahead of us right now.”
“And then?”
“And then, forever.”
I exhale slowly. Truth be told, it’s not something I want to think about, either. The more time I spend with Ruth Bevan, the more determined I am to spendallmy time with her, to devote my life to making her smile that beautiful smile. I don’t want her to go home without me any more than I want to go home without her.
