Page 90 of Seeing You

“No, we’ve never been downthisroad. This time, this road? This is the one where I stop only paying attention to my own voice and start listening to yours. I want the life we once planned, but without all the crap I was forcing on you. I see nowhow wrong I was, and I see how all the material things aren’t what makes someone a success. It doesn’t equal happiness. It’s the people we’re with. It’s the things we do for others. It’s how we love. I see it all now.”

He saw the hesitation, but he also saw her slowly start to relax.

“I’m seeingyou, Billie Donovan. I think for the first time I’m well and truly seeing you—not the person I thought you wanted to be or a version of you I wanted you to be—just you. And you are the person I love.”

She whispered his name, and the tears were back. This time, he closed the distance between them, cupping her face.

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I’m always going to love you. Tell me I didn’t screw things up. Tell me that there’s still a chance for us, because I don’t want to live another day without you.”

“I’m scared,” she admitted. “I don’t want to get my hopes up and then you leave again.”

“Beautiful girl, this house—this house that is smack-dab in the middle of Sweetbriar Ridge with a kitchen fit for a baker—is for us. Me and you and all the kids we’re going to have. I’m not going anywhere because the only place in the world I want to be is with you.”

The next thing he knew, she was wrapped around him and kissing him, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. He cursed the fact that there wasn’t a stitch of furniture in the house because he wanted to carry her out of the kitchen and put her on something comfortable, but…that would have to come later.

Breathlessly, they broke apart, and her smile was positively radiant. She caressed his jaw as she gazed up at him lovingly. “There’s just…one minor problem.”

It wasn’t possible, he thought, because he had seriously thought of everything.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“One of your dogs just peed on my foot.” She grimaced slightly, but then laughed.

“You mean one ofourdogs,” he corrected before looking down at the puppies. “Okay, guys, which one of you peed on Billie? Fess up.”

The dogs yipped and then ran away.

“Sorry about that. Hang on. I’ve got wipes out in my car.”

“No worries.” Slipping her sandals off, she asked, “Where’s Reid? Is he still waiting outside?”

“One sec!” he called out before racing out to his car and getting towels and wipes—he was learning to keep that sort of thing with him because the puppies weren’t trained yet. When he got back inside, he immediately handed her the wipes before cleaning the floor. “Reid’s back at his place with your family. They’re waiting for me to text them and let them know if one of them has to come and get you or if we’re joining them for dinner.” He tossed the used wipes into the construction trash pail. “Personally, I’m hoping we can join them for dinner because Reid mentioned burgers and I am a sucker for a burger cooked on a grill.”

Rolling her eyes, hands on her hips, she chuckled. “Who are you, and what did you do with Marcus?”

“What? What’s wrong with enjoying a burger?”

“You’re a snob, Marcus!” she said loudly, but she was still laughing. “You’re dressed like the boy I went to school with, and you’re acting like the guy you were when we first started dating. You’re saying all the right things, and…I guess I’m having a hard time believing it. You’re nothing like the man I left, and certainly nothing like the man who walked into Books & Beans a few months ago. I…I just can’t believe it.”

Moving in close again, Marcus rested his hands on her hips, giving them a soft squeeze. “And I don’t blame you. Ihaven’t given you a reason to believe anything, but I’m asking you to take a leap of faith and give me another chance. If you don’t like this house, we can sell it and buy another one that you choose. I probably should have waited and did that to begin with, but I wanted you to see me making this kind of commitment—to you, to the move, to starting our lives. And for the record, Butterscotch, Brownie, and Cookie are all willing to live wherever you want to. They’re pretty adaptable. My dad has requested, however, that we not stay with him too much longer. Brownie likes slippers and has chewed through two pairs already.” He shrugged. “Other than that, the four of us will follow you wherever you go.”

She whispered his name again. “If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

“It’s not a dream,” he murmured softly. “This is us finally getting it right. If you’ll have me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to be your husband, your partner, your lover, your friend. I want to be everything you need me to be.”

Nodding, the tears were back, and he reached out to brush them away.

“I want all of that, too,” she told him. “Every bit of it.”

“That’s good because…” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a ring. It was the ring he originally proposed to her with over ten years ago. Holding it up to her, he made a promise. “I’ve kept this ring all these years because I remember picking it out with you. I remembered how much you loved it. I know there are some not-so-great memories associated with it, so if you want to pick out a new ring, we can do that too. But I thought…”

“Marcus?”

“Hmm?”

“Put the ring on my finger. Please.”

So, he did and then watched as she held up her hand and admired it.

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