Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
He kisses the side of my head and squeezes me tight against him, then continues.
“Anyway, I went to get them so I could drop them at the charity center. When the young woman at the jewelry store came out with the box and opened it, I was shocked. There was some mix up, because the box wasn’t the rings I dropped off, it was this ring. When I pointed out the error, she quickly apologized and found my mother’s rings. But, as soon as I saw this ring, I knew it would be yours, so I bought it then and there, and I’ve been carrying it around ever since. Waiting to put it on your finger.”
My heart beats so hard it feels like it’s coming out of my chest.
“You bought this ring for me, before you even met me?”
He nods as I look into those silver-gray eyes. “I knew, Selma. And when I know, I know. I trust my gut. It never leads me astray.”
“Life is so weird, isn’t it? You come down to meet Anastasia Snow, food blogger, and YouTube starlet, and you end up engaged to Selma, the preacher’s daughter.”
“I did, and now I’m going to marry both of them.” He kisses me softly, and it feels like home. When he pulls back, he’s smiling.
“What?”
“Are you ready for another surprise?”
I sit up in his lap and clap. “Always.”
“Okay, I want to show you something I bought. For you. For us. Get dressed, we’re actually going to leave the hotel.”
S I X T E E N
Ash
EPILOGUE ONE - TWO Months later
From my seat in my office at the new house, I watch her wander around on the front porch wearing a yellow apron and white sundress, and it has me harder than usual.
I finish off an email to the coordinator at The Food Network about Selma’s—or Anastasia’s, to be more precise—upcoming feature and send it off copying Cameron as I have hired him as one of her staff because he keeps things straight and everyone around her straighter.
She’s singing and spinning around. Her red hair is flying in the breeze as our new puppy, Oscar, nips at her ankles.
That last day in the hotel, I brought her here and told her I’d bought the house for us. I let her know we could stay in it as much as she liked, or not at all for that matter.
She cried. Then I cried because she was so happy.
Her ties here to Thomas Valley are still strong, and we are renovating and decorating and also building a recording studio kitchen for Anastasia to do her video blogs and feature spots. Her best friend Libertine comes to visit a couple of times a week and has taken Selma to have her nails done for the first time as well as getting a facial and a few other girly services in a posh salon in Cleveland. All paid in full of course.
I read through another couple emails, then hear the front door slam shut. My girl doesn’t know how to close a door quietly, but it works for me. I always know when she’s coming and going, which has become mandatory for me. I’m still obsessed with her, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
There’s a soft knock on my office door, and I shake my head before I answer, “Come in, baby.” Her smiling face pops through, and she walks on her tiptoes to my desk, Oscar following close behind. “I told you, you don’t have to knock. Come in anytime.”
She shrugs. “I don’t want to disturb you if you are doing something important.”
I reach up for her hand and pull her behind the desk, leaning her ass on the edge as I roll my chair back a few inches.
“Listen to me.” My voice is deep. “Nothing is more important than you. I hope, in time, you will understand what that means.”
She scrunches her nose and nods. “I’m trying.”
“Good girl. Now, what’s going on with you? I’m done with my work.” I look over and watch as Oscar flops on his belly, back legs out behind him, closing his eyes.
“Well, the foreman has some questions about the kitchen. He wants our final appliance choices, and I just am not sure what to choose.” She holds the back of her neck with one hand.
“Okay, we can go over that. Easy, baby. Why do you look so distressed?” I’ve never been happier than I have since I came to Ohio and taking care of Selma has brought me a joy I never knew before. Making her happy, taking away her worries, feeds me in so many ways I’ll never tire of being her guardian and protector.
We got married two weeks after leaving the hotel, in a courthouse in South Carolina where you can marry the same day as you get your license flying Cameron, Libertine, Olivia, my assistant, and Deacon my housekeeper as attendants.