Page 67 of Let Me

She chuckles, slaps me in the chest, and says, “Stop being silly.”

“She does.”I scoop her up in my arms, carry her up the stairs while she squirms, and then lower her to the porch.“I cooked dinner.”

Entering the house, she says, “And you lit candles.”

“I did.Go get comfortable and then come back and have a seat.”

“Okay.Be right back.”

She goes straight to the bathroom.I pull out some ceramic plates that I didn’t even realize were in the cabinet, wipe them down, and then put our food on the table.

When she returns, she says, “Everything looks so good, Judah.”

“I’m glad you approve.”

I pray over the meal and then she digs in.“This is soo good,” she exclaims.

“You don’t have to be nice.”

“No, I mean it.It’s delicious!”

I watch her eat for a moment and then say, “Autumn, I have something to tell you.”

She stops eating abruptly and says, “Nope.You’re not breaking up with me.I told you I’ll fight you and I meant that.”

I laugh, but she’s not laughing.She raises a brow.

I say, “I’m not breaking up with you, sweetheart.I wanted to celebrate tonight because you’re looking at the newest senior-level economist for the city of Asheville.”

Her eyes grow big.“Stop playing with me.”

“I’m not.It’s official.”

“Are you serious?”

“I start on Monday.”

“Oh my God!Judah, I’m so happy for you!”

She gets up, wraps her arms around my neck, and holds me here in her embrace.Then I feel wetness slide down the side of my face.

“Autumn, are you crying?”

“Yes, but they’re happy tears.”

“But, why are you crying, sweetheart?”

“Because I’ve watched you grow and transform into this person, Judah.I’m so proud of you for everything you’ve accomplished.You deserve this and so much more.”

“Thank you for saying that,” I tell her, wiping her tears before she returns to her seat.“But I have you.I don’t need much else.”

The tears flow again.She walks back over to me and straddles me, her tears dampening my shoulder.I close my eyes and connect fully with her emotions.The joy is overwhelming.Immeasurable.This woman loves me unshakably deep.I love her the same.

Chapter 26

I’m a bit on high alert due to the fact that on the drive over here, Autumn told me how strict her parents were when she was growing up.Said they wanted the very best for her and it took years of convincing for them to understand that, as an adult, she had to do what she had to do for herself without weighing their constant input.They’d lived their lives.It was time for her to live hers.

Still, that hadn’t stopped them from trying.When she decided to move to Arden, that took a lot of convincing.When she dated her last boyfriend – that was an issue, though they were right about him – he wasn’t any good.I’m hoping they look at me and see how much I love their daughter.That’s my goal for this dinner – to show them that I’m in this, and I’m not playing games.

---