Page 84 of Our Now and Forever

With a knowing chuckle, the older woman said, “Smart woman.”

By the time they’d finished eating Caleb’s birthday dinner of Granny’s fried chicken, which Snow proudly made all by herself, she had nearly talked herself out of giving Caleb his gift. When she’d come up with the idea and Spencer had generously agreed to help her out, Snow had been excited to see his face. Now she wasn’t so sure. What if he hated it? What if he expected something else?

“What are you fretting about over there?” Caleb asked, tapping his fork on Snow’s plate to get her attention.

“I’m fine,” she said a little too quickly. “No fretting at all.”

“You really are a terrible liar,” he said.

Giving her husband a narrow-eyed glare, she said, “Fine.” Snow reached under the end table on her side of the couch and pulled out a long box. “This is for you.” Before he could take the gift, she pulled it back. “But if you hate it, you have to tell me.”

Caleb reached for the box. “I’m not going to hate it.”

“I mean it.” She struggled for a few seconds before surrendering the present. “I won’t be mad if you don’t like it.”

“Let me have my present, woman,” he said, ripping into the balloon-covered paper like a little boy on Christmas morning. Once he’d loaded her lap with shredded balloons, Caleb opened the end of the box and peered inside. “What is it?”

“Take it out and you’ll see,” she said, anxiety making her words sharper than necessary.

Turning his attention her way, he said, “Is that any way to talk to the birthday boy?”

“You’re killing me.” Snow pulled her legs beneath her, sending the paper onto the floor. “Let’s forget it. I’ll get you something else.”

“Now I’m really curious.” Caleb tilted the box until the triangular block of mahogany slid into his hand. Turning it over, he stared at the metal plate across the front that read his name. “It’s a nameplate.”

“For your desk,” she said, as if this wasn’t obvious. He continued to stare as if waiting for the sliver of wood to do a trick. “You don’t like it.”

Rubbing his finger over the engraving, he said, “I love it.”

“Really?” she asked, doubting his sincerity. “Because you don’t have to lie.”

Setting the gift on the coffee table, he sat back and looked at it. “It’s perfect.” Without warning, he leaned to his left and pulled her on top of him. “Thank you. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift.”

“Spencer made it,” she blurted, reluctant to take full credit. “It was my idea, but he did all the work.”

“It’s the idea that counts,” Caleb said, placing hot kisses along her jawline. “Allow me to show my true gratitude.” He took her mouth in a searing kiss that communicated much more than a simple thank you.

“There’s a second part to the present,” she murmured, struggling to remember her plan.

The kisses stopped long enough for Caleb to say, “Oh, really? What could be better than a custom-made nameplate?”

Tapping his chin with one finger, she said, “There’s a little red number in my dresser that I thought I might put on.”

“You know, Mrs. McGraw, this is shaping up to be my best birthday ever.”

She wiggled her hips against his. “Then hold on, Mr. McGraw, because we’re just getting started.”

Chapter 28

Though they’d chosen not to take Hattie up on her birthday party offer, Snow and Caleb did throw another event inside the spacious Victorian—their New Year’s Eve wedding.

Technically, the ceremony was a vow renewal, but only three people in the room, other than the bride and groom, knew that fact. For all intents and purposes, this was the joining of two young people who were madly in love and ready to spend their lives together. A fact that kept a radiant smile on Snow’s face the entire day.

The ceremony was small, with only a handful in attendance. Snow’s parents and a few aunts, uncles, and cousins made the trip up from Alabama. Hattie had insisted they all stay in the big house, and the visit started two days before Christmas, which made this the best holiday in Snow’s recent memory.

Her new friends, who felt more like family every day, were also scattered about the room. Spencer and Lorelei served as maid of honor and best man, and they would clearly be the next to host a similar celebration. Cooper sat next to Carrie, who held two-week-old Molly in her arms. Simply looking into the little cherub’s face made Snow feel at peace.

As for the mechanic, Snow almost didn’t recognize him. Free of grease, flannel, and backward ball cap, the good old boy cleaned up well.

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