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A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You love me, even though I come with responsibilities.”
“If you’re talking about Izzy and Molly, I love them, too.”
“You’re willing to put up with the hormonal explosions, and the silences, and the constant nagging feeling that you’ve said the wrong thing again? You really want this?”
“I am. I do.” It sounded as if she was saying her vows and she shifted away from him, suddenly awkward. “Well that was—”
He pulled her close and kissed her hard. “Molly already proposed to you, I think. If you’re expecting tact and finesse forget it. You don’t get that with a seven-year-old around the house. You get whatever comes out of their mouths.”
She laughed, realizing that if she could find enough courage to swim in the lake, then she could find the courage to tackle awkward situations. “I’m not waiting for you to propose, Jack. All I need is to be with you. Nothing more or less than that.” And if she ever felt she needed marriage, she’d tell him. Maybe she’d be the one to propose. Why not?
For now, all she needed was his love, and she had that. She understood why he hadn’t told her everything, and she knew it had made him think hard about their relationship, too. In the end it was a reminder for both of them that healthy relationships needed love, thought and care, but they also needed trust.
She shifted in his arms and noticed, for the first time, a large bunch of flowers abandoned on the lawn. “What’s that?” She sat up, wondering how she hadn’t noticed it before.
“Those were for you.”
“You bought me flowers?” No one had ever bought her flowers. She’d always had to buy them herself. She stood up and retrieved them, burying her face in their soft petals and inhaling their scent. “They’re beautiful. I can’t believe you bought me flowers.”
“In the spirit of honesty I have to confess it was Izzy’s idea.”
“Izzy?” She lifted her nose out of the blooms.
“I was all ready to present them to you in the most romantic way possible, but then I saw you in the water and I—well, I’m not sure what happened. I might have flung them.”
“Flung them.” She looked from him to the petals on the ground. “You flung them.”
“What can I say? I panicked when I saw you. Next time I buy you flowers, I’ll make sure the mode of delivery is better. But knowing your love of flowers, I hope you’ll love them anyway.”
“Oh, Jack—” She clutched them, knowing that even missing a few petals this would be the most precious bunch of flowers anyone had ever given her.
He knew her so well. He knew she loved flowers. He knew she struggled with confrontation. He knew she was as afraid of rejection as she was of water. He knew she sometimes did things just to please other people. And he knew about the deep loneliness that had felt like a huge hollow space inside her. He knew all that. He knew the important stuff.
Still holding the flowers, she leaned her head against his chest. “I’m going to miss this place.”
“Me, too. But I’m also looking forward to going home. I have some ideas.”
She lifted her head and looked at him. “Care to share them?”
“In time. Let’s just say that you can stop looking for apartments. You’re moving in with us while I put plan A into action.”
She was about to ask about his plan, but decided it didn’t matter. She didn’t need to know. All she needed to know was that whatever it was, they’d be doing it together as a family. That he loved her as much as she loved him.
And as he lowered his head and kissed her again, there was no doubt in her heart.
Epilogue
“This is my bedroom!” Molly’s voice echoed through the empty house. “I want this top one. It has a view of the river.”
“I should have that one, because I’m the oldest.” Izzy could be heard arguing with her sister, their feet thumping on bare floorboards as they chased each other from room to room.
“But you’re going to college.”
“Not forever. And I’ll be back often to make sure you’re behaving.”
Jack slid his arms round Flora and kissed her. “How about you? Have you picked your bedroom? Fancy misbehaving?”
The house was a beautifully renovated nineteenth-century Greek Revival in the heart of New York’s historic Hudson River Valley. It had been a mutual decision to move out of the city and this had been the second property they’d viewed. They’d fallen in love with it right away, and on their second visit, less than twenty-four hours later, they’d brought the girls and now here they were in their new home.
