Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
I pulled the ring from the front pocket of my jeans and handed it to Miss Martha, who opened the lid and bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears. “Your mother’s ring.” She sighed. “Griffen gave you this?”
I nodded. “You remember it?” I asked, wishing I could picture it on my mother’s hand.
“Oh, I do. I do. Lord knows why, but she loved your father. And she loved you kids. She’d be so happy.” Miss Martha fanned herself, then pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to blink back the tears. “She’d be so happy, Finn. And I’m so happy. I always liked you best, you know.”
I gave her a cocky grin, my only defense against more tears. “I know,” I said. “That’s why you’ll be the best mother-in-law ever.”
“Well, that’s true.” She handed me back the ring with a watery smile. “I’m going to go home and let you talk my stubborn daughter into marrying you.”
The hours between dinner and when I usually headed over to Savannah’s cottage passed in excruciating slowness, the ring burning a hole in my pocket. When it was finally long enough after Nicky’s bedtime that I didn’t have to worry about waking him, I let myself out the side door of the Manor for the short walk to Savannah.
In the time that had passed since dinner, I’d come up with a plan, and it didn’t involve talking. Savannah was going to try to argue with me. She would use logic and what she saw as good sense to convince me we weren’t getting married. Savannah’s good sense was one of the things I loved most about her. And she wasn’t wrong. I’d done this ass-backward. I was rushing her, and she needed time to catch up.
I didn’t know what she was scared of, but I could guess. She didn’t fully trust me yet. If she trusted me, she would have told me about Lydia going for custody. And she’d lost her first husband, her first love, in a horrible way, and she still hadn’t fully recovered. She had Nicky to think of. I’m sure there was a long list of other reasons she was running from the idea of marrying me. I’d counter them one by one if I had to.
For now, I was going to take this slowly. If I pushed too hard, she’d say no, and that wasn’t going to happen. She loved me. I knew she did. There was no way I could feel this much for her, and she didn’t feel it back. We’d never be as happy apart as we could be together.
Savannah was an intelligent woman. She’d figure it out—with some nudging from me. Starting with my three-part plan.
I let myself into the cottage, locked the door behind me, and crept upstairs. Nicky slept like a rock, but I wasn’t risking waking him up. Not tonight.
I found Savannah tucked into bed, her hair in a loose bun, her face scrubbed clean. The second I cleared the doorway, she said, “I’m not marrying you.”
I shrugged. “Disagree.”
“Finn, you can’t just announce we’re getting married and think I’m going to fall in line.”
“You falling in line is the last thing I expect. But we don’t need to talk about it tonight,” I said.
Her jaw dropped, then snapped shut. “I want to talk about it,” she said mulishly, lifting her jaw and glaring at me. “You can’t just—”
“Look,” I interrupted. “I don’t have a shotgun. There’s no preacher downstairs waiting. I can’t make you marry me, right?”
“No,” she agreed carefully, sounding skeptical.
“So don’t worry about it,” I said easily. “Just relax.”
“Because we’re not getting married?” she asked slowly, suspicion heavy in her voice.
“No,” I answered equally slowly, as if it should be obvious. “We’re definitely getting married. Someday. But we don’t have to talk about it right now, do we? I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. So if you don’t want to talk right now . . .” I shrugged again.
“I don’t believe you’re giving up that easily,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Unless you didn’t mean it.”
“I absolutely meant it. I don’t think I’ve ever meant anything more,” I said, pulling my t-shirt over my head. Her eyes flicked to my bare chest, and I felt a thrill of satisfaction.
Plan engaged.
Before I shoved off my jeans, I pulled the black velvet box out of my pocket.
“I’m not giving up,” I said. “I love you. You love me. We’re going to get married.”
“I just told you I’m not marrying you.”
“I know what you told me,” I said, sliding under the covers. “And I’m saying we don’t have to fight about it. I want to marry you. I love you. I’ll make a damn good husband, and you’ll be an amazing wife. You’re a great mom. I think I have it in me to be a good dad. I never did before, but after spending time with the kids, I know I have it in me. And I love Nicky. I want to be his dad. I’m open to more kids if you want, but I’d also be happy if it’s just you, me, and Nicky.”