“Oh, yeah,” I say, my voice soft, but certain. “On one condition.”
“Anything.”
I shift slightly, ignoring the pull in my ribs, just enough to meet his eyes fully.
“No more firing me.”
For a second, he just stares at me, then he blows out a quiet laugh and shakes his head.
“Yeah,” he says. “I think I can agree to that.”
“Good.” I settle back into the pillow, my hand tightening around his. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
His gaze softens. “Neither am I, sweetheart. Ever.”
Six Months Later…
Lilly
Business is thriving.More than thriving.
Once my ribs fully healed from the accident, and Luke and I were able to go back home and get properly settled in, we didn’t waste any time getting to work on expanding his already thriving financial advising business into a full-fledged agency. Many of our new clients, came to us from Barrett’s own agency, never failing to give me a little thrill.
With Luke’s natural investing skills, coupled with my instincts and organizational talents, we became unstoppable. It only took a few months for us to have more clientsthan we knew what to do with. All of them were reaching their financial goals, and the investments we handled for them were all exceeding everyone’s expectations.
We’ve recently started turning prospective clients away and even hired an assistant to work forbothof us. She works virtually of course, because neither Luke nor I wanted to give up our mid-daybreaksor thecasual Fridayswhere pants were optional.
There are definitely perks to working from a home office with your fiancé.
The massive diamond on my left hand sparkles in the late afternoon sun. Luke surprised me with the proposal on Christmas morning. We were cuddled on the couch, wrapped in a blanket next to the tree we’d decorated together, when hefoundone last present for me to open.
We’re planning a late spring wedding in only a few weeks.
Once Tessa and Holt’s baby is a little older.
As if my thoughts have conjured them, I hear the familiar sound of Holt’s truck outside, announcing their arrival. I quickly finish up with the file I’m working on and close the office door, hurrying to greet our guests.
By the time I make it to the living room, Luke already has his grandson in his arms. At only a few weeks old, the baby already has his grandfather wrapped around his little finger. And…everybody else’s, as well.
I pause in the doorway for a moment and take in the scene. The cabin is full of love and life. A far cry from the cold, lonely place I barged my way into six months ago. I never could have imagined all the ways my life would change all that time ago when I drove up the twisty mountain road for the first time in November to meet my grumpy mountain man boss.
Now, I can’t imagine it any other way.
I give Tessa and Holt hugs and kisses before moving to the couch, where Luke is completely wrapped up in his grandchild.
“It looks good on you.” I kiss him on the cheek. He looks up long enough to smile at me. “And it’s good practice, too.”
Behind me, I hear Tessa bite back a laugh. She already knows what I’m going to say.
Luke‘s brow furrows as he looks up at me again. “Practice?”
I let my lips curl up into the slightest smile, letting him see it this time. The secret I’ve tried to keep for the last few weeks. Myhand drifts to my stomach. “For when you’re holding your own,” I say softly.
The room goes still.
Luke doesn’t move for a moment. Tessa appears, taking the baby from his arms, aiming a wink in my direction before she moves away. I confided in her a few days earlier, and she was so happy that she insisted on being present when I told Luke.
“What?” The word comes out rough, like he’s still trying to process what I just told him. “You mean, we’re?—”
