AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There it was. He’d tried to cover it up, but she’d seen it. The tender heart he kept hidden behind the bluster and sarcasm.
“Truly, Rox, why the hell would I date anyone else? I have you.” He cringed. “Er... I hope I still have you?”
“You do,” she said, her heart filling. “I’m so sorry I doubted you.”
He flashed her that charming Buchanan grin, and for the first time, she didn’t find it annoying. At all. Because in that charming grin, she noticed something different. She saw his wariness, his fear that she’d say no and turn him away. She damn near saw his heart on his freaking sleeve.
“You’re everything to me, Roxanne. Everything. You’ve been my dream girl since I was sixteen. You’re the one I want to be with. Forever. It’s always been you. Always.”
Her breath caught. She hadn’t been expectingthat.
“Joe,” she whispered as tears welled in her eyes.
He took her hand and laid his lips on the back of it. “You don’t have to say anything, baby. And don’t worry, I’m not planning to officially declare my love for you in a hospital. Just like I’m not going to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me while you’re still wearing that fabulous hospital gown.”
A sly, lopsided smile spread across Joe’s face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little wooden box. Her mouth fell open in shock. Was he serious?
“What’s that?” she asked, heart pounding.
“Oh, this?” He showed her the box, then shook his head. “You don’t get this until it’s check-out time.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you playing at, Joseph Buchanan?”
He kissed her again. “I’m not playing at anything, Roxanne. I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I will continue to love you until the day I die.”
“I love you, too,” she said, tears spilling down her face. She draped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, ignoring every ache and twinge of pain in her body. With a watery laugh, she said, “I thought you weren’t going to declare your love and all that while I’m still here.”
He chuckled. “I said I wasn’tplanningto. Change of plans, Rox. Besides, I should have told you I loved you years ago.” He shrugged and brought her hand to his lips again. “I’m a little slow. What can I say?”
She grinned, then tugged on his hand. “What do you say you squeeze in here and hold me for a little bit?”
A smile lit up his face, and his blue eyes twinkled. Moments later, she was wrapped in his arms.
She sighed and leaned into him. “I love you, Joe.”
“I love you, too, baby.” She felt his lips press to the top of her head. “But you’re still not getting the box until discharge time.”
EPILOGUE
THREE WEEKS LATER
The whirl of a bandsaw and the thudding of hammers drowned out the classic rock blaring from the dusty portable speaker. Wood, sawdust, and paint thinner scented the air. From the kitchen archway, Roxie surveyed the work taking place in the front of her café, and a lump formed in her throat.
Her landlord had been mercifully quick to bring a crew in to rebuild Comfort Food. New counters, new walls and windows, new flooring... new everything. The fire had done a number on the front of the café, but only minimal damage to the kitchen area. And thankfully, it hadn’t spread to the neighboring buildings.
She’d been touched when the community had rallied around her after the brick-in-the-window incident. But the way they’d come together to support her after the fire? It humbled her beyond belief and brought tears to her eyes on a regular basis. If she hadn’t been an emotional mess before the fire, she certainly was now.
Glancing down at the air-cast around her ankle, she smiled. Her bruises and injuries would heal. And her café was a week away from its grand re-opening.
She was lucky. So damn lucky.
An arm snaked around her waist and gently pulled her backward. Familiar, spicy aftershave cocooned her like a warm blanket. Soft lips landed on her neck, and she leaned against the man behind her.
Joe. He’d been by her side since she’d come home from the hospital.
Another smile lifted her lips when she glimpsed the thin, light-blue silicone band on her ring finger. The sneaky man had indeed given her the little wooden jewelry box upon her release from the hospital, and her heart warmed at the memory.
After she’d been discharged, Joe had helped her settle into the hospital wheelchair. But before wheeling her out of her room, he’d presented her with the little box. Upon opening it, she’d been surprised to see the silicone band nestled in the cushion. When she’d glanced up at him, she’d laughed at the sweet, sheepish smile that had spread over his handsome face.
