Page 110 of Searching for Bristol
“Good.”
“Am I gonna get a ring?” Bristol asked after a moment.
“Oh, you want a ring too?” Rocky asked.
For a second, Bristol thought he was serious, but then she saw the grin on his face.
“You’re mean,” she complained with a pout.
Rocky brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it. She relaxed against the seat as they headed into Fallport. Seeing Rocky relax enough to smile was one of the best gifts she could get. The last week in the hospital had been just as hard on him. Hell, the last fewweekshad been extraordinarily hard on him.
Bristol couldn’t help but tense as they neared the apartment complex. The building held some of her happiest moments, and some of her worst memories as well.
But instead of slowing down to pull into the parking lot, Rocky drove right past it.
“Um,” Bristol said, turning to see the large brick building disappearing behind them. “You missed the turn.”
“No, I didn’t. I want to show you something.”
“Oh, okay,” Bristol said. She was confused and her leg was throbbing, but if Rocky wanted to show her something, she’d hang in there a little longer. She also couldn’t deny that she was glad for a delay from going up those stairs to the second floor. Having to pass the apartment where she’d been kept hostage wouldn’t be fun, but she was determined not to let Lance Zaun take any more from her than he already had.
They drove past the square, past the Chestnut Street Manor Bed and Breakfast, until they were on the outskirts of Fallport. Rocky turned down a dirt road. It looked as if they were just driving straight into the forest surrounding them, but at the last minute, the road made a sharp turn—and then a large colonial house was sitting in front of them. A huge, dilapidated red barn stood off to the left. The grass was at least knee length and the property looked neglected and forgotten.
Bristol turned to look at Rocky in confusion.
“Welcome home,” he said quietly.
* * *
Rocky was nervous. He’d already fucked up his marriage proposal by blurting it out like he had, he didn’t want to mess this up too. But then again, buying a house for a woman without her laying eyes on it wasn’t exactly the smartest thing he’d ever done.
The second he’d seen this property, he’d known it was home. There was a lot of work needed but he was a damn good contractor, and while it might take a while, he’d fix it up exactly how Bristol wanted it.
He waited with bated breath for her reaction to his words.
“What?” she asked, turning her gaze from him back to the house, barn, and land.
“Your realtor called me while you were missing, said she’d found what she thought was the perfect place for you. You and her had talked a lot about what you were looking for. As soon as I saw it, I knew you were meant to live here. This is what I’ve been doing while you were in the hospital. I had to come back and sign some papers, finalize the finances, things like that. But it’s a done deal. It’s yours. Ours.”
“I…I don’t know what to say,” Bristol said.
Rocky swallowed hard. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
When she looked back at him, there were tears in her eyes.
“If you hate it, we’ll—”
“I love it!” she said, interrupting him. “I want to jump out of this car and go look at it, but I can’t and that pisses me off! It’s perfect, Rocky! I can already see myself in the barn, making my stained glass. And that porch is to die for. Can we get a porch swing? It looks like it goes all the way around. Does it? I hope it does! We can sit out there and have dinner and stuff when it’s nice out. And the yard is huge! We can have everyone over. Oh! Can we get married here? It might be cold in December, but we can use the barn to have our reception and—”
It was Rocky’s turn to interrupt. He reached over and put his lips over hers, halting her rambling with a deep kiss.
When they were both breathing hard, he pulled back, keeping his hand behind her neck—he wasn’t even sure when he’d put it there—and said, “I love you, Bristol. So much. I want to make this our home. Raise our children here. Watch you create your art. I’m gonna put floor-to-ceiling windows all along the back of the house. Our bedroom will have a balcony so we can open the doors and let in the breeze. I never want you to feel cooped up or be in the dark, ever again. I promise to always find you, even when you run away because I’ve pissed you off. Of course we can get married here; it’s a great idea. Maybe we can even practice with Ethan and Lilly’s wedding…it shouldn’t be too hard to get at least the barn all fixed up, even though October isn’t that far away.”
Bristol smiled at him. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. “I love you so much. Although…” She lifted her head and frowned. “This place couldn’t have been cheap. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. Will you let me pay off the mortgage?”
He smiled. “There’s no mortgage, Punky. I bought it outright. Cash. No inspection or anything. You picked a great realtor. She played hardball. Their list price was way too high for all the work that needs to be done with this place. We offered a low but fair price, and the owner agreed. He was ready to be done with it.”
Bristol frowned. “I don’t mean to bring this up, but since wearegetting married…you had that much cash lying around?”
