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Chapter Sixteen
“I can’t believe everyone showed up,” Shanda said.
“Why is that? My family adores you,” Kenneth said. “Besides, I think my mother threatened my brothers if they didn’t come.”
Shanda laughed as she looked at Marcy, who appeared to be in deep conversation with her mom. “Should I go over and break that up?” she asked.
“If you’re worried about what they are saying, send DeeDee. She’s pregnant. They’ll go easy on her.”
Shanda gave him a playful slap on the arm and said, “That’s horrible. Brilliant, but still horrible.”
“I don’t know. I think she can handle herself,” Kenneth said.
“I am more worried about our mothers. Pregnancy has made DeeDee more outspoken. But then again, she might be using that to get away with saying what’s on her mind.”
Kenneth said, “Glad I got the quiet sister.”
Shanda said, “That’s not what you called me last night.”
“Oh you can scream out my name all you want baby,” he said as he gave her a tap on her rump. “Maybe we can see how well it echoes out on the back porch tonight.”
“Tell me you didn’t just build this big deck so we can have sex on it all the time,” she asked.
“Hell no. It’s too cold out here in the winter.” Pulling her close, he added, “But the other three seasons, well, that’s different.”
She pushed him away and said, “You’re impossible. This party was your idea.”
“I know. That was dumb. Now I can’t wait for them all to leave,” he teased.
“That is not being a nice host. They came to celebrate Just Blown. So, no more being rude and hinting for them to go,” she warned. She not only appreciated them all coming to show their love and support, but needed it, too. It wasn’t just her company any longer, it was hers and Kenneth’s. That probably explained why it was already turning a profit. People were booking classes months in advance. She had even met with the mayor of Hope Valley, who personally thanked her for bringing in tourists that wanted to enjoy the laid-back feel and culture of the town. Their B&Bs were booking up as well.
“Shanda, are you happy?” he asked.
She looked up at him and said, “Of course I am. Why are you asking?”
“Living with you for the last six months has brought a lot of changes in your life. I’m not just talking about the new deck or the landing pad for the helicopter, either.”
“The only thing I have said no to so far was us getting farm animals. We’re both too busy for that. And honestly Kenneth, I can’t picture you getting up and cleaning stalls before flying off to Boston,” she said, her nose wrinkled just thinking about the cow-manure smell they’d have on hot summer days. She loved the country, but not in her yard.
“I was just wondering if you thought this place was big enough. I mean, if we one day decided to expand and have a family,” he said.
He had her full attention now. They’d never spoken about children before. She’d hoped he’d bring it up, but so far they’d been busy working on the house or on her companies. “I guess if that time came, we might want to talk about a bigger place.”
“It takes time to build a house.”
She nodded. “I know.”
He said, “Probably about the same amount of time it takes to plan a wedding. Wouldn’t you think?”
Wedding?“Kenneth, what are you talking about?”
“And then babies take another forty weeks or so,” he stated.
“Are you talking to me or to yourself, because I’m not following you,” she said.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house and shut the door. “Shanda, I wasn’t planning this, and I don’t have a ring or anything, but I can’t picture my life without you in it. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That is, if you can picture yourself married into the Heart family.”
Her heart was racing and her ears ringing. “Kenneth, did you just ask me to marry you?”
