AllFreeNovel
Share Us
More butterflies filled my stomach. “What is it?”
“Come on,” Kayla hollered. “Spit it out.”
Noah pointed to her. “There is one person who knows what this first announcement will be. Because she brokered the deal.”
Kayla suddenly had a Cheshire cat grin on her face.
“I sold my partnership in the business, and I bought all of this land up here—the land Kayla wanted our family to acquire.”
I gasped. “What?”
His family responded with murmurs and laughter.
Noah’s father looked aghast. “You had that much money?”
Everyone laughed.
Kayla shushed them. “Let the man tell us the other thing.”
Noah, much to my delight, got down on one knee. “Ella, from the day I met you, when I was three, I didn’t know what our relationship would be like. But at the age of fifteen, we had our first kiss on this very rock.”
“I didn’t know that,” his mother said, prompting more laughter.
Noah smiled at me. “Through all the ups and downs over the past few years, we were led back to Refuge Falls. Back to this very spot, reminding us what it means to be together. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
I hadn’t thought I would cry, but my eyes were misty. “Yes. Of course, yes!”
He pulled me to my feet, and I threw my arms around him. I hardly noticed that everyone was cheering.
I kneeled in front of my brother’s grave, wearing my wedding dress. Even though this was a somewhat sad day because I didn’t have my brother here, I knew I would look back on it with joy, because I would get to be with my first love forever.
“Hey, bro. I don’t know everything about the afterlife, but I know you’re there. You’re not really in this grave. I just had to stop by and tell you that I think this is going to be a good day; I’m marrying Noah. I love him so much—but you probably alreadyknew that.” I laughed quietly. “I haven’t even had time to tell you everything, but Mom’s here. She’s probably going to come see you today. Maybe she already has. Everything is good, bro. We are all finally healing, and I know you would want that. I know that God wants that, and that has been a huge comfort to me.”
I straightened and dabbed at my tears, hoping I hadn’t ruined my makeup already. “I love you, bro. Now, I’m going to go get myself married.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Noah
I found it funny that, not for the first time, I was standing in the Hamilton mausoleum watching Ella while she spoke to her brother’s grave.
If I were a superstitious man, I wouldn’t want to see her before the wedding, but my life experiences had taught me that God was in charge and I didn’t need superstition. There was such happiness in my soul right now, both because she was going to marry me and because I’d heard what she’d said to her brother. Everything was working out.
God really did have perfect timing.
I retreated toward the church just in time to watch Damon pull up with his sidekicks, Jason and Trent.
“Uncle Noah!” Trent called out as he rushed toward me.
I would’ve told him to quit running so he wouldn’t hurt his arm, but I didn’t want to jinx it. Funny—I’d just told myself I didn’t believe in superstition.
Jason also ran toward me, and I scooped them both up in my arms and squeezed them in a big hug.
When I put them down, Damon was there, laughing and slapping me on the shoulder. “Are you ready for this?”
I pulled back. “Born ready.”
Then I watched as my other brothers and Kayla got out of our parents’ large passenger van. All of them were dressed to the nines and looked amazing. One by one, they greeted me and gave me words of encouragement.
