My father had never been an openly religious man, but I suspected he’d had a few conversations with his Maker, as of late.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I know you do.” His nod was brief. “Right back atcha, baby girl.”
Chapter 20
Knox
The last few days had been a whirlwind, and for a man who lived in the fast lane, that was saying a lot. Chee made it through the surgery, with no unexpected setbacks, and was on the slow road to recovery.
I’d been working behind the scenes, securing the house both Aidy and Chee had given their stamp of approval. And setting plans in motion… for the rest of my life.
Now I was driving down an old country road, trying to deflect questions from my girl, praying she had the same vision I did for our future.
“You want to take a look at my grandparents’ old farmhouse in the daylight?” she asked, recognizing the familiar route.
“Yeah.” Not much else I could say without tipping her off. “I thought we could use a little fresh air too. Maybe have a picnic.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet.” She threaded her fingers through mine. “That would be awesome, especially after being cooped up in that hospital so long. I swear, after Daddy’s released, I hope we never have to see the inside of a hospital again for a long, long time.”
“Not so long, I hope.” I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, trying to gauge her reaction. “Unless you’re into those at home, underwater births? That might be kind of cool.” I wanted her to know that I’d thought about it and was anxious to have a family with her. We hadn’t talked about it since before Chee got sick, and hadn’t been sure even then, but I hoped we were on the same page now.
“What are you saying?” she asked, hesitantly. “You could see yourself being a daddy someday?”
Watching the relationship Chee had with his girls solidified it for me. I wanted a baby girl that I could spoil, whose boyfriends I could harass. I wanted her to count on me to protect her, to be her hero, and for her to look at me the way Charli and Cece looked at their daddy. I wanted her to have her mama’s crazy curls and huge heart. Maybe my wild streak and big personality. Whoever she was, I knew she’d be perfect in my eyes.
“I could.” I kissed the back of her hand. “But only if you could see yourself bein’ a mama, baby.” I didn’t want to pressure her, but I prayed she wanted this as much as I did.
Her smile was slow, but eventually spread to light up her whole face. “I definitely could. I’m so glad to hear you say that.”
We pulled into the long gravel drive that had been a huge part of her childhood and she cast me an uncertain look. “Uh Knox, aren’t we trespassing?”
“No worries, babe. I got permission to be here.” I wanted this to be the place where we started our next chapter. A place where she had some of her best memories, and I could blend the old with the new, to let her know that her past made her the woman I’d fallen in love with.
“I can’t believe you did this,” she said, wide-eyed, as she looked around. “I haven’t been back here in years.”
It wasn’t a working farm anymore. The farmer who’d bought the property had two sons. One had died in a work related accident five years ago and the other was in the military. His wife had Alzheimer’s and had to live in a full-time care facility in town. I’d come out here to talk to him a couple of days ago, when I told Cece I had some business to take care of.
The old farmer and I talked for hours, over sweet tea on the front porch. He told me about his family. I told him about mine. He asked some questions about the music business, after he asked what I did for a living. It was a good talk. He was a nice man, someone I knew Cece would have liked.
She pointed to the old barn. “That’s where granddaddy used to keep the chickens,” she said, pointing to an old coup. “And the goats were right there.” She smiled. “We had a favorite cow, my cousins and sister and I. We named her Maisy, and we’d feed her before the other cows got theirs.”
I smiled, squeezing her thigh. “Did you ride horses too?” I raised an eyebrow, thinking how hot my girl would look riding bareback. We had room for horses on my acreage in Nashville, and I just might have to add a few if it meant I’d get to see that on the daily.
“Sure did,” she said, laying her hand over mine. “I took lessons from the time I was four. I loved it. Granddaddy kept a few here so we could ride.”
“You spent a lot of time here during the summers?” I cut the engine of my rental car and turned to face her.
“As much as possible.” She wrinkled her nose. “I felt so cooped up in town. I loved the wide open spaces and fresh air out here.” She pointed to an old oak tree. “That was my favorite place for playing my guitar and writing songs. ‘Course the song writing didn’t start ‘til the summer I turned eleven, if memory serves.”
I leaned in to kiss her, needing to taste those sweet lips. Curling my hand around her face, I whispered, “That looks like the perfect place for a picnic. Come on.”
She giggled as she climbed out of the car, spreading her arms wide and tipping her head back to admire the clear blue sky. “This is exactly what I needed today. How’d you know?”
I met her around the side of the car after snagging the picnic basket from the trunk. “Because I know you, Cece.”
I was looking into her eyes, thinking how easy it was to read her. I knew her heart. Her mind. Her fears. Her dreams. I’d invested years getting to know this woman, and it was the best investment I’d ever made. Knowing someone as well as I knew myself was a blessing and a curse, because when she was in pain and experiencing fear, like she had been during Chee’s ordeal, I felt it as acutely as my own.
