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“I could never regret you.” Being with Hanna wasn’t a mistake. Tonight, and all the moments we’d shared before, felt right. I knew that deep in my bones. Hanna was it for me. We’d weather any storm, and if Brandy showed up, we would handle that, too.
My mind tripped over that a bit, but I had time to get used to this new way of being. By the time Brandy showed up again, we’d be steady in our relationship. There wouldn’t be any doubts about my love for Hanna.
She’d know deep in her soul that nothing could come between us, especially not Ember’s mother.
CHAPTER 18
HANNA
Things between me and Sebastian had changed in the last few days. He’d talked to Ember several times about us, that we were dating, and we’d kiss and hug from time to time. But we didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
But Ember had merely rolled her eyes at him and said, “That’s what people do when they date. I’m not a little kid.”
It had been funny, but her words had amplified how scared we’d been to make a move. It was more Sebastian than me, since he was her father. But I could see that we were both afraid to do anything to jeopardize our friendship and relationship with Ember.
Each morning, Sebastian’s face lit up when I joined them in the kitchen. He drew me to him and kissed me softly on the lips. Ember griped about it, but it was in a way that made us feel like she liked the displays of affection. They made her realize that what we had was real.
He took every chance he could to touch me, whether it was a brush of our fingertips when I handed him a coffee mug or a touch of his hands on my hip when we ran into each other in the kitchen.
We spent most nights together, too. I did lesson plans and graded worksheets while he watched TV or ran numbers with his brothers on the phone.
It sounded like the income on the farm had increased with the recent additions, the light display, the bachelorette auction, and the movie nights. They’d gotten many inquiries about what people could expect going into the new year, and Marley was hard at work on plans.
One night, when we were watching TV and Ember had already gone to bed, I looked up from a text from Marley. “I’m supposed to start that blog for Marley. I’d forgotten all about it.”
“You should write about the bachelorette auction and the ice rink.”
“Are you planning on opening the rink to everyone?” I asked, contemplating what I should write about.
“I’d need to talk to the rest of the family about that and research insurance issues.”
“Marley wanted me to do a little write-up on each brother, and everyone agreed that I should start with you. You can talk about the cabin and what it’s like living on the property with family.”
“That should be easy enough.”
“You’re not dreading it? It didn’t seem like any of your brothers were excited about the prospect.”
“We’re private. We don’t like to talk about our father and the reasons we all live on the farm. At least not publicly. People ask about our dad all the time, and that’s hard enough.”
“I can understand that.”
“We used to hang out in the woods when we were kids. It was the one place where our parents didn’t interfere. We could build forts and wrestle without them telling us to stop or be careful. We could be free. When we were hanging out in the woods one day, and Emmett was about to graduate, he made us promise that we’d come back here one day. That we’d take care of our parents, maybe even live on the property. We’d agreed, not really thinking too much about it.
“Then Knox went away to college and got a job near his school. Then we started jobs outside of the farm. The reality is that the farm can’t sustain five families.”
“That’s understandable. You grew up. Had different wants and needs. You were kids when you made that promise, yet you’re all here.”
“That took my dad dying. Knox moved back out of what we later found out was guilt. He felt awful that he wasn’t here when Dad died. He thought he could have prevented it.”
I’d heard varying versions of their history over the years, but not this specific story about their vow to live on the farm when they grew up. It was heartwarming to see that it had come true. That the boys wanted to live here.
“Do you want me to write about the vow?” I asked him.
“I’d rather you talk about that than my dad dying.”
“If you think your brothers would be okay with it.” I was conscious that not everyone had the same comfort level, especially Emmett.
“I’ll talk to them.”
