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I had missed her every second of every day we had been apart, and I was damn sure going to make certain that would never happen again. I gently placed her on her feet. “So what do you say? Are you ready to make all your dreams come true?”
She shook her head and looked around. “It’s too much. This is too much.”
I smirked. “Well, if you think this is too much, buckle up, because there’s more.” I loved the bewildered expression she wore as I flicked the tip of her nose and grabbed her hand to lead her outside. Still holding her tightly, I smiled at the crew. “Thanks, guys, it’s all yours.”
As they filed back into the barn to continue their work, I dragged Annie into the sunlight. She stopped, and her hand squeezed mine as she looked up at me. “Wait. I have something for you.”
Annie took a few steps toward the barn. “Wait here.” She ran up a few stairs before stopping to turn back to me. “I’ll be right back! Please, just one second.”
Annie ran into the apartment. It was only a few moments before she was pushing open the door and running down the stairs. She stopped in front of me. “Here.”
She shoved a slim envelope in my hands. Turning it over, I recognized the overseas address. There was a stamp in the corner, and the edges of the envelope had been bent and crinkled with time. “I should have mailed this. It’s been sitting at the bottom of the box for years. I should have given it to you, but I was so afraid. Only I’m not afraid anymore. I want you to have it.”
I turned the old envelope over in my hands before slipping a finger under the seal. A letter, written on familiar lined paper. I looked from the letter to Annie.
“I wanted to tell you.So many times.I tried but couldn’t do it. I can’t give us back those years, but I wanted you to know that I always wanted to tell you. I was afraid—of losing you, losing your whole incredible family. They had no reason to take me in and love me the way they do. I couldn’t bear that heartbreak, and I would take you however I could have you. Eventually, I had convinced myself that us being friends would be enough.”
My eyes scanned the pages. Right there, in black ink, Annie had spilled her secret and exposed her heart. My fingers moved over the words on the page as I read them. My best friend’s words were raw and honest, and the last pieces of my broken heart clicked into place. I didn’t need this letter to feel complete with Annie, but simply knowing her words were genuine and unfiltered soothed my soul.
I looked down into her hopeful blue eyes. “Thank you.” I lowered my head to kiss my girl, soft and slow. Her breath hitched. “Please don’t cry.”
“I’m so mad at myself,” she whispered. “All this time it could have been like this. I tried to tell you.”
I smoothed her wild hair away from her face. “I know you did. And I’m sorry I didn’t let you. But we have a lifetime of new memories to make. Right here, you and me.”
“Here?”
My grin widened as I tipped my head toward Highfield House. “You’ve always loved this house, and I’ve always loved you. I made a deal with Aunt Tootie, and it’s yours if you want it. We can redo it however you want to.”
Fresh tears swam in her eyes as I painted a picture of a new life together. “I want laughter and babies and lazy Sundays. I want it all with you—the passion, the laughter. I want to sit across a kitchen table and go over a grocery list with you. I don’t know how to love small. Not when it comes to you.”
She managed a tight nod as hope danced in her eyes.
“But I have one condition.”
She blinked back tears. “What’s that?”
“I’d like to build a coop. Bring over Horny Henrietta and maybe get her a few friends.”
Her watery laugh lifted my spirits. “You are so weird about that bird.”
I laughed. “I can’t explain it. Henrietta and I share a bond.”
Annie gripped onto me, pulling her face to my chest. “I want that life, and I want it all with you.”
Our mouths fused as a sense of urgency moved through me. I had never been so certain about anything in my entire life than I was with Annie. “Come on,” I growled as I lifted her into my arms and stomped up the porch steps to the house.Our house.The home where I would build a life with the woman who was my entire universe. I knew in time she would forgive herself, and I would use that time to prove to her that everything in our past had laid the foundation for a solid future. I would show her every day that she and I were meant for each other. That every day with her was the best day of my life.
All I needed was one chance.
EPILOGUE
Annie
The warm coastalbreeze carried the familiar scent of blueberry fields as I stood outside the Sand Dune Art Barn, my heart overflowing with gratitude. It had been a remarkable year—a year of growth, love, and fulfillment. The once-rundown, probably haunted barn had transformed into a thriving sanctuary of creativity, where locals and tourists alike flocked to unleash their artistic talents. The community events we hosted were always filled with laughter, joy, and the sense of connection that came from shared artistic expression.
I glanced over at Lee, my anchor, my love, my best friend. He stood beside me, his eyes filled with pride. His commitment to his role as a firefighter was unwavering, and his dedication to our relationship was unmatched. Together we had built a home at Highfield House, a place where laughter echoed through the rooms, lazy Sundays were spent in each other’s arms, and dreams found their safe haven.
As the sun cast a golden glow over the distant fields, I marveled at the beauty of the life we had created together. Lee’s hand found mine, and a surge of warmth spread through me, reminding me that every moment of heartache and missed opportunity had led us to this place of unwavering love and unbreakable bond.
