Page 104 of The Grump I Got Stuck With

“So it’s a bit of your birth mother and a bit of you all in one.”

I caught my lip between my teeth, blinking back a heavy wave of emotion. I couldn’t believe he’d done all this. The store was beautiful. It was everything I could have wanted in a crafting space. And the idea of holding classes and encouraging the community to come hang out…it all sounded wonderful. Like the kind of job I’d been looking for my whole adult life, one that was immeasurably better suited to me than being a paralegal.

All the same, though, if this was his way of making amends, then he still didn’t get it. “It’s a lovely shop,” I said, clearing my throat. “But what does this really change? I don’t think you realize how much you hurt me. That pain just doesn’t disappear because you renovated a shop and bribed me with⁠—”

“This isn’t a bribe,” he insisted. “This is me trying to show you that I see you for who you are, Madison. I love you for who you are. And I want to support you in achieving all of your dreams. I know how happy you are when you make jewelry, and I wanted to give you a space where you could share that joy with every single person who walks through that door. Because that’s not just your magic—that’s your gift. You don’t have to be great at glassblowing because you’re already living up to your birth mother’s legacy in your own way. And I think she would be proud of the woman you’ve become.”

Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, and the weight of his words rested on my heart like a warm blanket. I was so used to being disregarded in relationships, so used to wishing people would just see and accept me instead of who they wanted me to be. And here Alistair was, seeing me more clearly than anyone ever had.

“I’d never want you to change those parts of yourself for me,” he said. “Ever.” He reached under the counter, producing the photo album I’d given him when we’d first discussed my contract. “I do want you to keep chasing your connection to your mother also. But wherever you go, you should know that you always have a home to come back to with me and Kenna.”

I swiped tears from my cheeks as he opened the album. “You figured it out?” I said, running my hands over the sticky notes next to each photo, labeled with locations and business names.

“My team did most of the work,” he said. “So I can’t take the credit there. But Kenna did add one last addition.”

I flipped to the last page of the album to find a hand-drawn picture of the three of us, Dunhope Castle rising up in the background.

“Do you really mean what you’re saying?” I asked, the tears falling freely now.

He nodded. “You have a home. Not at Dunhope,” he said. “But with us. Wherever that is. Here. London. The Isle of Arran. Wherever life takes us. I’m not afraid of going out into the world anymore. As long as I’m with you, I’ll always feel at home. Because you’ll always be my family.”

I sobbed hard, the emotion overwhelming. These were the words I’d always longed for someone to say to me, but I couldn’t quite let myself bask in the feeling. I’d been caught out too many times, thinking I belonged when I didn’t.

“How can I know you’ll stand by that?” I asked. “That you won’t change your mind and shut me out again when something sends your walls shooting back up?”

“I can’t promise to always get it right,” Alistair admitted, taking my hands in his, “but I can promise to work on not always jumping into defensive mode. I understand now that I can’t keep closing myself off out of fear. It’s not fair to Kenna, and it’s not fair to me. You were right about that. In fact, you were right about so much.” His eyebrows drew together, his expression pained. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I see now how wrong I was. That just because I can build the walls doesn’t mean I should. It’s important to me to do better—as a father, as a friend, as a lover. It’ll be a journey…but I hope it’s one you’ll be willing to take with me. What I can promise, today and always, is that I see you as an equal partner. And I want to share this life with you in every way possible.”

“I like the sound of that,” I admitted, my words garbled through tears.

“Good.” With a soft smile, he sank down to one knee, and my pulse jumped into my throat. “Because I want you to trust me to be home for you, for as long as we both shall live.”

“Oh, Alistair,” I started to say, covering my mouth.

He produced a ring box and popped it open. My eyes widened. There on the velvet cushion sat a homemade ring of wire with a beautiful piece of sea glass in place of a diamond. “Kenna helped me make it because we both want you to be part of our family forever. Madison, will you marry me?”

A bubble of watery laughter shot up my throat, and I fell into his arms, tears staining his shirt.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, holding me close.

“It’s a yes,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes as I pulled back. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Kenna. To face all the hard things and the wonderful things together.”

“And everything in between,” he said, pressing his forehead to mine. “I love you.”

“Love you more,” I said, breathless as he slipped the ring onto my finger.

“Not possible,” he whispered, tilting his head to kiss me. I sank into it, feeling at peace and hopeful for everything the future might bring. Alistair pulled back, a smile curling up the side of his face. “Let’s go home.”

32

ALISTAIR

As I drove us through town, Madison held her left hand out, admiring the ring on her finger. The blue-green piece of sea glass sparkled in the light.

“Just so you know, I intend to replace that with a diamond by the end of the week.”

“Don’t you dare!” she gasped, clutching her hand to her chest. “I love it exactly as it is.” She leaned over, pressing her head against my arm. “I wouldn’t want any other ring.”

“You can wear both,” I reasoned.