Page 149 of Burning Skies
I lean up to kiss him. “Thank you again for my earrings. They’re beautiful.” They probably cost a small fortune. “You know you don’t need to adorn me with expensive jewelry, right? Not that I don’t love these, because I do. I just don’t want you to spend a lot on me.”
His eyes soften. “I like buying you nice things. But I promise I won’t go crazy. I wanted to give them to you for Christmas, but thought you might like them for the wedding.”
“That was really thoughtful. Thank you.”
He drags his lips up my neck, and I shiver. “You look beautiful.” His eyes grow concerned. “Any headaches?”
“I feel great.” I really do. I could’ve been killed in that crash. It’s given me a lot of perspective.
I’m told that Adrian will make a full recovery, though he has a lot of legal issues ahead of him. Hopefully, he’ll get the help he needs. I’m just grateful no one died that night. The principal named Trish his replacement as newspaper adviser. That will be interesting.
Beau takes my good health to heart and spins me across the dance floor. A huge grin tilts my lips. I don’t think I could be happier. I’m so grateful to have this handsome, brave man in my life. He works so hard and is so genuine. I think I’m going to love our life together.
As we cut across the floor, I think back to my lessons aboutRomeo and Juliet. When I told my students I’ve always imagined a happy ending for those characters, this is what I meant. In my version of that story, Romeo and Juliet confront their families with the truth of their relationship, go on to embrace their love, and live long, happy lives.
And although my father might never accept my relationship with Beau, I know my brothers support me. Seeing them here today to celebrate a Walker wedding makes me happy in a way I can’t describe. I feel like it’s the first step to healing old wounds.
When the song ends, Beau takes my hand and leads me out onto the terrace where he takes off his jacket and tucks it around me. “I have one more surprise for you.” He takes a deep breath. “I guess I should preface this by saying don’t get mad.”
“Why would I get mad?”
“I had to do something you might not be pleased with, but I did it with good intentions.”
“What’s going on?”
He reaches into the inside pocket of his tux jacket that I’m wearing and pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me. “The Turner farm is yours.”
I stare at him, stunned. “What? How?”
He taps on the paper. “We’re still working out the details, but we made an offer, and Old Man Turner accepted.”
“We?” I scan the paper from the realtor. “How did you do this?”
“I had a little help from your brothers. And Cynthia.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I gambled twenty grand at the Devil’s Den last weekend.”
“What?!” I glance around when I realize I’ve yelled.
“I know. I hate that I had to go there, but I wanted to surprise you.” He explains how that errand for Rhett was really hanging out with my brothers and Baylee and then heading into that mansion all by himself.
“Are you nuts? What if something had happened?”
He nods slowly. “It was a chance I was willing to take. You’ve given up a lot to be with me, and I wanted to show you I have your back. I love you with my whole heart and soul, and if it’s in my power to make your dreams come true, I’m gonna try. I figured if I lost, well, it’s only money. I guess I’ve learned that there are more important things than money. Like you.”
God, this man kills me. “That’s really sweet, but…” My vision goes blurry, and I sniffle. “But you work really hard to save. What about your house? The repairs you need to make?”
He shrugs. “My brothers are always offering to help me rehab the cabin, and I think I’m gonna let them. It’s silly to do the work by myself.” His lips tilt up. “Plus, I won enough for that property—Mr. Turner was eager to sell—and to return everyone’s initial investments. And maybe a little extra that I used to get your earrings.”
“This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” My voice cracks, and I throw my arms around him. “Thank you.”
As he hugs me back, he tells me Cyn got them the invite and fronted five grand. “I think she’s sorry, for what it’s worth.”
I let out a sigh. “I was really angry and hurt at first.”
He rubs my back. “Understandable.”
“But maybe I’ll call her to thank her for helping you.”
“Whatever you want to do.”
