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They ate a leisurely meal and filled each other in on what they’d been up to the last six years. J.T. wanted to know all about Finn and tried not to let it bother him that he wasn’t there to witness things firsthand. He didn’t have too much to tell. He’d just been working the ranch over the last six years. But he had some good anecdotes about Sage and Sawyer. And Joey was very interested in Jake and Ember’s story.
She finished her second glass of wine. “Now that’s a love story.”
“Yeah. Kind of hard to compete with.”
Joey reached for his hand. “I don’t know. Reunited high school sweethearts are quite romantic, too.”
“I guess time will tell.”
She cocked her head. “You still have doubts we’ll make it?”
“I’m trying to be cautious. But honestly, if I went with my gut, I’d be dragging you off to the Justice of the Peace again.”
“Oh, my gosh. What if we’d gone through with it?”
“Well, first off, your father would’ve shot me. So it could’ve ended really badly.”
“He wouldn’t have literally shot you.”
“Hmm. I’m pretty sure he would’ve.”
“And what would your dad have said?”
“He would’ve told me we should’ve waited until we graduated high school.”
Joey shook her head. “Sixteen and so in love.”
“In love, yes. But also kind of stupid.”
“Well, we were smart enough not to go through with it.”
“My dad and granddad, and Sage and Sawyer to a degree, believe my great-grandmother had…a sixth sense, I guess. They’re sure she still has a hold over them and communicates with them in various ways. I never believed it too much. But one thing she said, I agree with. Everything happens for a reason. And things turn out the way they’re supposed to. As a kid who lost his mother, that was a little hard to believe in. But now, as an adult, I think it’s true. I think we’re here now because we were supposed to end up together. And we needed to take two separate paths for a while in order to end up in this place at this time in our lives.”
She took his hand. “I believe you’re right.”
He nodded. “Let me show you the house before it’s completely dark.”
They got up and went through the wooden frame which would soon contain a sliding glass door. “This is the living room. Woodstove on that wall. A counter will separate the kitchen from the living room. And there will be room in the kitchen for a table and chairs.”
Joey went into the kitchen space. “Is this window over the sink?”
“Yes. So I can wash dishes and wish I was outside instead.”
“And is that a pantry?”
“I have to have a pantry for my cans of Chicken Noodle soup. And a mudroom with a side door for muddy boots. I’m even putting a half-bath in there.”
“So if you do have muddy boots, you don’t have to track mud through the house. Very smart. How many bedrooms?”
“Three bedrooms.”
“Three?”
“I was planning ahead. I figured it was better to build them now, then have to add them on later.”
“Later for the family you’re planning on having?”
“Yeah. Seems it was a good idea. Finn can have his own room.”
