Page 92 of Lodged

“What happened? Is Ruin okay?” Miles asks, confused by the commotion. “Oh damn, she’s more than okay. Look at that rock,” he answers himself as Ruin wiggles her fingers at him. Then he shouts, “Rain, come on over. Ruin has something to show you.”

I chuckle at his antics, but I’m happy no one seems to be surprised. I know this has been a crazy year for all of us, and Ruin and I have spent more time apart than together since we met, but it just felt right to ask her to marry me today.

“Oh my. We have a wedding to plan,” Rain says as she and Ruin melt in a hug.

“Where’s Granny and River?” I ask.

“Granny is napping. She’s going to be so pissed she missed this,” Miles says with a grin. “And River is out in the orchard.”

I nod. He’s always working.

“Congratulations, Gio. Welcome to the family. Thank you for loving my girl so much.” Jossie comes to hug me, and I can’t helpbut feel a lump in my throat. I feel so loved by Ruin’s family, and I can only hope the love of my siblings and their partners is enough to show her we also have a family from my side, too.

“Okay, so details?”

Ruin and I frown at Rain as everyone makes their way to the living room.

“I mean, when are you planning to get married? Where? Details,” Rain explains, and Ruin and I chuckle.

“We got engaged a couple of hours ago. Relax, Raindrop,” Ruin says, and Rain huffs in frustration.

“How can you be so calm? You’re marrying the love of your life,” Rain says as she gets up from the couch.

“I’m calm because I know he’s the love of my life. This is the biggest news of the day but maybe not the only news.”

Everyone looks at us expectantly.

“I drove my own car here,” Ruin announces, clapping her hands. A deafening silence fills the room, and I just hope they don't screw up this moment for her. She’s so proud of herself, and so I am. After a beat, Jossie and Rain are the first to smile and rush over to hug her, while Miles heads to the window.

“Hot damn, that’s your car?”

My girl gets the pretty blush on her face she gets when she’s the center of attention, and she simply nods. I hug her close to me, and she giggles against my chest.

Rain cranes her neck to take a peek at the car and nods. “Yup, it’s the perfect car to go along with that rock, Ru. Good job, Gio.”

She smiles at me, and I return it in kind. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Ruin.

“And also—” Ruin starts talking, but Jossie interrupts her.

“What? There’s more?” Jossie holds her chest, and Ruin laughs.

“It’s nothing like that, Mama. I promise. It’s just that I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do now that my life is inorder. I was talking to Gio about wanting to open a place for people who have been under a lot of stress or have gone through difficult situations like I did. I want to go to school and become a therapist. I envision that place here in the mountains; maybe it’d help others like it helped me.”

My heart bursts with pride for this woman who decided to dedicate her life to helping others overcome hardships. Every time I think there’s no possible way to love her more, she surprises me, and my love for her grows.

When no one else says anything, Ruin starts fidgeting with her hands under the table—a telltale sign she’s nervous. My thoughts go from pride and love to downright murderous. If they make Ruin feel bad about her decision, I’m not sure I can keep it civil. I know my face betrays me, because when I look at River, he clears his throat and says, “Right. Well, even though it’s a surprising change, I have to admit I’m so proud of you, Ruin. Your heart has so much love to give, and I’m sure you’ll help lots of people. I think this is great.”

I nod at him as the others murmur their agreement. My Ruin takes a deep breath and releases it with a big smile on her face.

“I’ve been thinking we can open such a space on part of the land I bought. We can bring in some medical staff to help Ruin and, of course, we can open it once she’s done with school. So there’s no rush, but you are going to have plenty of work for the foreseeable future,” I say as I point to Miles, who gives me a salute.

Not only do I want to build a rehab center for Ruin to run, but I also want to build our dream house, the one she sketched in our bucket list notebook. There’s plenty more to come in Azalea Creek.

Chapter 40

Ruin MacAllister

Eight Months Later

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