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“I still don’t understand where they came from, but lesson learned.”
My collar grows tight when I recall the journal I found. The happiness they share as they reminisce, coupled with the inviting warmth of their home, draws a small part of my past to the surface. “My mom had a passion for gardening, too.”
“Well, who knows? Maybe the two of them are thick as thieves up there,” Dan says, glancing up, as if Heaven resides directly above him.
“There’s a reason I’ve come here today, Mr. Hart,” I say, moving the conversation along before things get too emotion-heavy.
“Dan,” he interjects, and damn if that’s not a fucking win.
Molly nudges me with her knee in response to my smug grin.
I’ll be gloating about that later, but for now… “I’d like your blessing to marry Molly.”
His brows find his hairline and because I’m a selfish bastard who refuses to spend one more day suffering alone in that house, I say, “I thought it’d be best to ask before she moves into the manor with me.”
Her spine straightens before she whips her head toward me.
“What manor are you talking about?” Dan asks.
“Rowan’s a Radley,” Molly says, barely clinging to her blissfully-in-love guise.
“I’ve moved to town to take over the estate,” I say, not elaborating on the rest. The less details anyone else knows, the better.
“You’re related to Tom?”
I nod. “My mother was his daughter, Amelia.”
His face drains of color as he sits forward. “You’re kidding? All these years she’s been gone…”
My heart rate spikes, but I play it cool. “I assume you knew her?”
“Had some classes with her in school, and a big fat crush on her, too,” he says, grinning sheepishly. “She may not have been the one for me, but she sure was special. I’d always hoped nothing bad had happened to her.” His gaze turns sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”
“All good,” I assure him. “And thank you.”
It’s honestly kind of nice getting to know her through other people. Like I’m a spectator to a version of her I never knew, and to find that she was well loved by this community brings me some semblance of peace.
Dan takes a deep breath and releases it slowly once we’re standing. “This really what you want, Mol? Marriage isn’t some willy-nilly fantasy, you know. It’s a cherished bond between two people who love each other deeply. The kind of trust that should never be broken.”
Her fingers intertwine with mine, and like a cast stone, her loyalty to our agreement sends a ripple of assurance through me. “I know it’s sudden, but marrying Rowan just feels… right. He’s a good man, and I know I’ll be happy. I’m honored to become his wife.”
She gives me a convincing smile. I hadn’t considered this before now, but the yearning in her tone makes me wonder if Molly has hopes for a family like I once had. If being a wife, and some day, a mother, is something she truly desires.
He reaches for her, wrapping his arms around her small shoulders and tucking his face into her neck. I turn away to give them privacy, resisting the thoughts of our impending divorce and the effect it may have on him.
I’m helping them save their home. For now, that’s what matters.
When they separate, he shakes my hand once more. “I give you my blessing.”
“Thank you,” I say, meeting Molly’s misty gaze and a grateful half-smile.
I give a near imperceptible nod before the three of us step out on the stoop.
“There was one thing I forgot to mention.” I remove my wallet and hand her father my business card. “I’d like to hire you to help us with some repairs I need done on the inside of the manor.”
Dan’s eyes widen. “I figured Thomas had a whole gaggle of people workin’ for him.”
My lips quirk at his accent, so similar to Molly’s and equally as endearing.
