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Chapter Twenty-One
Nate threw his cowboy hat into the air along with the other people wearing hats as the cheers went up and the clock clicked to midnight. “Happy New Year!” chorused through the West Wing, and Nate raised his voice along with the others.
He slipped his arm around Ginger’s waist and pulled her into his body before he kissed her. They laughed together, and the kiss was pretty sloppy. But it didn’t matter. Nate finally felt like his future held more than sleeping in a dormitory with a bunch of other men.
This year, he’d be free.
This year, he could start a new life.
This year, he would learn how to be a better father—and hopefully a husband.
He hugged Nick and wished him a Happy New Year. Everyone went around, laughing and talking and embracing. Nate had never been part of such a tight-knit community, and he sure did like it. He didn’t want to leave Hope Eternal, and he and Ginger had started talking about life after February seventeenth.
The date felt impossibly far away but also very, very close. He had no diamond ring to give to Ginger. He wasn’t sure where they’d live, as they both currently had a room in a house filled with other people. He wanted to talk to Connor and find out how he felt about Ginger being his stepmother.
He wanted to go visit his parents and his sister in White Lake, and he wanted to be more involved in their lives. He wanted Connor to have them in his life.
He needed a vehicle of his own, and he wanted to go through Ward’s house and see what had been left there. All of Nate’s personal property from his life before should be at Ward’s. He wasn’t even sure he’d want any of it, but he wanted to see what there was.
Ward had once gone through Nate’s apartment and boxed up what he deemed important. Now Nate would have to do the same for his older brother, his hero.
If he thought too hard about it, his chest started to collapse, and Nate couldn’t quite remember how to breathe.
His smile faltered, and he suddenly felt so tired. Cowboys didn’t stay up until midnight, that was for dang sure. Not when their chores started by six the next morning.
So he kissed Ginger again, this time not as sloppily, and went down the hall to the front room, where the girls had a piano and a small loveseat. Connor slept there, his face smashed into the upholstery. Nate smiled down at him, slipped the little boy into his arms, and disappeared out the front door to the quiet night beyond.
In the Annex, he took Connor into their bedroom and laid him on his side of the bed. Nate went to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas, and as he looked at himself in the mirror, he hardly recognized the man looking back at him. His skin had tanned in the months he’d been working on the ranch. His eyes almost seemed electric, because they possessed a quality he hadn’t been sure he’d ever feel again.
Happiness.
No, joy.
He had gone into prison as one man, and he’d come out a different one. A better one. “A hopeful one,” he said to his reflection. He reached up and ran his hand through his hair, which had just started to grow out from his cut from a couple of weeks ago.
He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in the last six months. Heck, in the last six years, Nate had grown more than he thought possible.
He was sure he was going to make stupid decisions again, but he hoped they wouldn’t have such devastating consequences. “I’m going to do my best, Ward,” he said. “I am. I’m going to do my best with Connor.”
The sweetest feeling of peace moved through him, and Nate turned and went back into the bedroom. He lay down on the other side of the bed from Connor, a powerful sense of relief moving through him. He listened to Connor’s steady, deep breathing, a smile dancing through his soul, before he fell asleep.
* * *
“All right,”Nate said, stepping into the jewelry store and stopping immediately. “We only have a few minutes. Have you got that list?” He looked down at Connor as a salesman came toward them. Thankfully.
“Yep.” Connor held up the lined, yellow paper Nate had scrawled a few notes on. He and Connor had been slipping questions into normal conversation with Ginger for the past few weeks to find out what kind of ring she might like.
He’d learned she didn’t like anything too big or gaudy. Connor had learned she liked gold more than silver. Nate had asked Emma about the cut on the diamond, and learned that Ginger liked the sparkliest things.
Nate could use the Internet, and he’d learned about a brilliant diamond with the most shiny facets—the Gassan diamond. He wanted that one, and he wanted it to be simple.
“Good morning,” the salesman said. “My name is Chandler. What are you looking for today?”
Connor looked at Nate, and Nate looked at Connor. “An engagement ring,” he said, a smile immediately following the words. “And we have a list.” He nodded to the boy, and Connor handed it to Chandler.
“Oh, okay.” Chandler grinned at Connor, and then he focused on the list. “Something small, but expensive. Princess or brilliant cut. Gold band. Simple. Gassan diamond.” He lifted his eyes to Nate’s, his eyebrows going right up too. “A Gassan diamond isveryexpensive, sir.”
“And I want it to be very white,” Nate said with a smile. “Do you have something like that, or do I need to special order it?” He knew the Gassan diamonds came from the Netherlands, but he assumed he’d be able to talk to a good jeweler and get some answers.
