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Two Weeks Later
“I can’t believewe’re just lying here, not doing anything.” The hammock swung slowly with our weight. It was tied to two very substantial trees with a view of the bayou. We were shaded and the temperature was cooler than usual, given the dead of summer was here. I was lying halfway on Tanner, our legs tangled together.
“Hmm-mm.” He might have been half asleep, his arms stretched over his head. “I’m never moving from this spot.” He spoke but didn’t open his eyes. There was a day’s growth of stubble on his jaw. He was so sexy.
This, right now, was perfect. “So, what’s next?” I wasn’t one to sit still for long.
“Next?” Tanner opened an eye.
I elbowed him in the ribs.
“Ow!” He put his arms around me and kissed my head.
“I mean, with everything. We worked so hard to bring your shady dad to justice and he’s finally sitting in jail. And now we can move forward—with everything.” The suit against Tanner filed by Carson was obviously dropped since both the plaintiff and the judge in the case were being arraigned and charged with numerous crimes.
“That sounds like you answered your own question.”
“I mean with us. I kind of like it here with you.” I’d spent the last couple weeks mostly with Tanner. We finally found our stride together and now had time to explore our pent-up feelings for one another.
“Well, as you know, I’m crazy about you, Carly Bertrand. And I can’t ask you to live with me in this trailer forever.” His grin was mesmerizing.
“Yes, that shower is far too small to wash all this hair.” I wiggled against him as I pulled my long, thick hair out of its clip and plopped it on his chest.
“I want to build a house on this property. And I want you to live in it with me. It might take a while, but that’s what I hope is next—for us.”
I sat up, causing the hammock to swing. “You do?” I knew Tanner wasn’t one to say things he didn’t mean.
“I do. Oh, and speaking of that, I’ve got something for you.” He rolled us to the side and I squealed, but Tanner’s big legs caught the ground and stabilized the hammock. “I’ll be right back.”
My heart thudded in my chest. Was he really doing what I thought he was? When I went to work for Tanner, I’d not expected such an adventure. And I’d definitely not expected to fall headlong, crazy in love with my former childhood crush. He was a good man. The best, as Leah had said. He was so much more than that, butthe bestkind of summed it up for me.
When Tanner returned, he still wore the same old gym shorts, faded T-shirt, and he was still barefoot. But he clutched something in his hand. And before I could process it all, he sat down cross-legged at my feet where I perched on the edge of the hammock.
“Oh, hi.” I smiled at his gorgeous face.
He took a deep breath before he spoke. Was he nervous? “Carly Bertrand, I had no idea what was missing from my life until you showed up and started managing it.”
I laughed. “Me? Managing?”
“I needed managing. I needed your ideas, passion, and your huge heart. You came into my life like an infusion of sparkling light. I never want to be without you. I love you, Carly. Will you marry me?” He held out a gorgeous diamond ring. It looked like an heirloom.
My eyes widened at the magnificence. As far as proposals went, that was fantastic. “Oh, Tanner. You’ve been a part of my life since I can remember. I’ve loved you from childhood. You’ll never be without me. And, yes, I’ll marry you.”
He pulled me gently down onto his lap from the hammock and I slid into his arms like I’d lived there my whole life. His voice was husky. “How could I get so lucky? And how could I be so blind? You’ve been here all the time and I’ve missed it.”
“Well, it’s not like we’ve had much time to bond until recently. And to be fair, my feelings for you are well documented in my hormonal middle school diary, so there wasn’t any confusion on my part.”
His chest rumbled as he laughed. “I’ll need to see proof of that.”
“Never. In fact, as soon as I find it, I’m going to burn the evidence.”
“Just as long as you make me the happiest man in Louisiana, I won’t require written proof.” Then, he kissed me so gently, and so lovingly, I might’ve melted into a puddle.
I sighed. “I will make you so happy.”
EPILOGUE
The sheer amountof purple, sorry,lavender, everywhere made the wisteria growing in the trees throughout Nana’s backyard seem paltry in comparison to the amount of lavender at the ceremony. And there was plenty wisteria. Enough that it was cut back every year so as not to destroy the healthy flora and trees.
