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“I don’t think I could be happier.” Except maybe in ten more minutes.
Mom gives me in a quick hug. “Seeing your joy makesushappy. You deserve every bit of it.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I won’t get choked up. I can’t spoil the fun that’s coming.
Charlie Callahan waves at me from the back of the room.It’s showtime.Also, it’s probably not safe for my heart rate to go any faster.
“If you want to see a little more of my joy, why don’t you sit here in the front?”
I gesture to the chairs Leo and Ian hastily set up in two rows down the center of the converted barn. Mom and Dad probably have questions that go along with their curious looks, but I just steer them closer until they sit. Leo ushers Grandma over while Ian guides Lila’s parents to the other side of the aisle.
“If I could get your attention.” My shout into the small crowd results in a hush. Everyone turns toward me. “If you could all take a seat, please.”
I give them a minute to shuffle into chairs while Jodi Ellison joins me at the front of the room. Who knew the diner’s co-owner was also an ordained minister? My beautiful fiancée who knows every last detail about this town, that’s who.
Eliza gasps like she just figured out why I’m overdressed in a suit for this casual party.
“On behalf of the whole Irwin family, I want to thank every one of you for coming out to mark the opening of our first Oregon location.” Applause moves around the room, along with a few wolf-whistles from Griffin. “But I have something to confess.”
The room goes silent.
“When Lila and I realized all of our friends and family would be here with us tonight, we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. We decided we’ve been engaged long enough.” Two months has never seemed so much like an eternity. “We don’t want to wait to start our life together. So we’re getting married tonight.”
Excited whispers fill the space, along with an “I knew it,” from Eliza. Charlie pushes open the back doors, and an instrumental version ofA Thousand Yearsplays on the air.
Lila appears holding a bouquet of orange and red dahlias, her long-sleeve white dress making her look more ethereal than ever. A thousand years would never be enough to love this woman, but I plan to cherish every single one I get with her. Starting right now.
My gaze is locked on her grin I can’t get enough of. She draws closer too slowly and somehow too quickly. I want to savor every precious moment, but I also want her in my arms right this second. Every beat of my heart confirms she belongs with me.
Today. Tonight. Forever.
When she finally reaches me, it takes superhuman strength not to jump to the end and kiss her. I don’t think our audience would mind. But I call on all my patience, and take her hand in mine.
Her eyes fill with tears, but she shines even brighter. “Are you ready to marry me, mountain man?”
I lean in close. “I thought you’d never ask, princess.”
Grab a quick, flirty slice of life scene between Lila and Grant when you sign up for my newsletter, and keep reading for a sneak peek at Tess’s book…
BONUS EPILOGUE
TESS
Earlier that summer…
Wow. That is one big scowl.
I park my car in front of the duplex Amy Ellison showed me two weeks ago, my gaze locked on the surly man standing on the porch with her. AKA, my new neighbor. AKA, my project.
Behind me in his booster seat, August gasps. “Look at the dog!”
Naturally, my son would focus on the most innocent piece of this puzzle. Not the man with the wild mop of shoulder-length red hair and matching scraggly beard. Not Amy, grinning at me like nothing in this arrangement could possibly be uncomfortable. But the giant, mottled-brown dog with its tongue lolling out, zero thoughts in its head.
“It’s so cool,” August adds.
Right now, he thinks everything iscool. The sports car that cut us off on our way here was cool. His blue shirt he’sworn for three days straight iscool. Even the old scars on my forearms from oven burns have been deemedcool.
At least August is enthusiastic about our move out of my mom’s house.So far.I need to keep that positive attitude in place for as long as I can. Soon, he’s going to realize his grandma and aunt are across town instead of across the hall, and I expect his excitement to crumble like an over-baked cake.
