Page 107 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

The grief in his voice was the same as Piper’s the day she talked about being too frightened to move after the explosion.

‘Piper quickly built her arsenal while my dad worked on turning on the propane tank outside. Watching her build those snowballs, my competitive side kicked in.’ Shame rippled over every line in his face. ‘I convinced my dad to cut up the carrots for the stew so I could show Piper how a snowball was really made. If I hadn’t been so selfish, childish, I would have been inside when the RV caught fire. Maybe I could have pulled my mom out. My dad, he would have been outside with Piper. Alive. One choice and it changed my life forever.’

‘Beck, it’s not your fault. You need to forgive yourself.’

‘I know but it’s not that easy. Since they died, I’ve had this sense that my life is no longer my own. That I’m responsible for Piper because my parents aren’t around to watch out for her. It’s an obligation I take seriously, and it’s ruled every part of my life: my job, my heart, my future.’ He heaved in a huge breath. ‘It wasn’t until I drove past the Ivy Falls sign on the day of the auction that I began to realize I’d let so much of my life be ruled by fear. Fear of not taking care of my sister. Fear that I’d failed my parents. Fear that I was being punished for my selfish choice that day.’

Every part of Beck shook. I ached to reach out but I was so tired of him pushing me away. All I could do now was keep my eyes focused on him so he knew I was truly listening.

‘I thought I was doing the right thing by protecting my sister. Giving everything up to keep her sober, but I’ve learned that my hovering only makes things worse. If Piper’s going to recover, she has to do it on her own.’

He slid his hand over mine and I welcomed its warmth.

‘It’s taken me too long to find my way back to Ivy Falls.’ His stare moved along the new hand-carved railing Manny had made for the porch. ‘This house doesn’t bring me pain. It’s a reminder that the past can help you heal.’

‘But it caused Piper to go back to drinking, to drugs,’ I argued. ‘How do you know that won’t happen again when she returns?’

‘When those criminals were hammering at the walls, stealing the antiques, she said it felt like it was tearing our parents’ memory away again. But now, she realizes how much she wants to honor and protect that memory. It’s what she’s holding on to in recovery.’

He shifted his steady gaze back to me.

‘This house might actually save her. Save us both.’ He tucked his chin down. ‘Maybe save us all,’ he whispered.

A long beat of silence passed. Inside, the people of Ivy Falls worked to bring the house back to life. They were giving it, giving us, another chance.

‘I love you, Torran. I have loved you since that day your mom guided me down that sunlit aisle at the P&P and you moved aside to make a spot for me next to the window. I know I’ve hurt you, but I’m not running away this time. You’re stuck with me, and I swear if you give me this one last chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving I’m worthy of you.’

‘I’ve made some wrong choices too, Beck. Grief, fear and anger have ruled too much of my life. I want to fight for this. For us, but I’m scared that when the house is done, this bubble will burst. You’ll have to go back to Nashville and I’ll pick a new project here. How do we make us work in that picture?’

‘We make it work because we fight for it.’

He must have sensed my panic because he edged in closer.

‘Do you love me?’ he whispered.

I dragged in a long breath and tried to look anywhere but at him. He caught my chin in his hand and I stared into his warm brown eyes.

‘Torran, do you love me?’ he repeated.

He was a stubborn and infuriating man, but if I was going to love him I had to love every single part of him. Deep down I knew that no matter what had happened in the past, what challenges we faced in the future, I couldn’t bear to live another day without him.

‘Yes,’ I stuttered. ‘I’ve never stopped.’

He wrapped me in his arms and hung on. All the small hums of his body reminded me how perfectly we fit together. That the day my mother had walked him down that aisle in the bookstore, his wide brown eyes and funny smirk landing on me, I’d fallen in love with him too.

‘For so long I’d fought the pull back to Ivy Falls. I’d convinced myself that after being gone for so many years, you would never want me. That this house would only be a reminder of everything I’d lost. But time and circumstances, and maybe a sign I’d denied months ago, brought me home.’ Beck slid his hands through my hair. ‘Back to the town who still accepts, and loves, both me and my sister. To the girl who’s haunted my dreams all my life and carved an indelible mark into my soul.’

His tight embrace felt like a promise that he’d never let me go again. I sank into the heat of him. He’d said I was his home, but he was my safe harbor too. Neither of us could predict the future. What would happen with the show. How his sister would do in rehab. The one thing we could count on was each other. Were things going to go wrong? Of course. Was it possible that the show wouldn’t get picked up? Yes. But whatever happened, at least we’d be together now. In the end, that was all that mattered to me.

‘There is one final issue we need to discuss.’ He stepped back, his gaze sweeping over the house. ‘I’ve decided I’m going to move in once it’s done.’

‘But what about your condo in Nashville?’

‘My place is here. I want to ensure that the house stays in our historic care.’

‘Our care?’ I stuttered.

‘Yes.’ He clutched my hands tighter. ‘When you’re ready, I’d love for this to be our home. My parents built some gorgeous memories here. One day I’d love for us to continue that legacy.’