Page 153 of Choosing Forever
He lets go of my hand and reaches into the back pocket of hisjeans. A thick piece of folded parchment settles between us, and then he starts to peel it open. God, he’s even left the bracelet I made him on his wrist.
“It’s not finished yet. I just wanted something to show you that this land is going tobesomething. A place for us and our future. It’s time, Delaney. We’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?”
I bite down on my lip and focus on the charcoal sketches on the paper. The two-storey house with the wraparound porch and garden. Four bedrooms, a large dining room, and fireplace in the living room. He’s even drawn a pool in the yard beneath a rough sketch of a sun wearing a pair of sunglasses.
“You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of you saying that to me,” I whisper.
He moves in close, the strong wall of his body shielding me from the wind as it rips by, the air turning crisp. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“We needed to wait. It wasn’t the right time.”
“I love you,” he declares, the certainty in his voice echoing what I feel.
“Give me my ring back, Darren.”
Without a second of hesitation, he reaches up beneath his hoodie and rips the chain clean off. I extend my hand and wait for him to drop the ring into his and then glide it back into place onto my finger.
“Should I take that as an I love you too?” he teases softly, twisting the ring.
I roll my eyes and yank him into me by the pocket of his hoodie. “Take that as an obviously. I’m choosing you, Darren. I’m choosing forever with you because of how much I love you.”
The first snowflake of the year hits my nose, and then he’s kissing me, cementing my belief that this is where we’ve always supposed to have wound up. Together, right now, right here.
EPILOGUE
DARREN
“Dowe really have to do this today? There are a million other things I’d prefer instead.”
Delaney touches my thigh, her fingers creeping closer to my dick as I bark a laugh. Taking her hand, I pull it away and ignore the pout she gives me.
“It’s time, Elle. We’ve already organized the storage locker, and now we need to fill it. You can’t keep living in this house. Not with it in this shape.”
“Are you sure this just isn’t your way of making more room for your things?”
I smirk, pulling her toward the tower of boxes in front of us. “It’s a bit of both. I know we’re waiting a bit longer, so at least give me this. If we’re both going to stay here once the house closes, it needs to be more liveable.”
“You’re right. Just don’t let it get to your head.”
“Too late.”
She sits on the ground and pats the ground in front of her. “Let’s start, then.”
“I promise to reward you, baby,” I tease.
“Oh? How?”
“Let’s get through a few boxes first.”
“Jerk,” she grumbles, watching as I lower the first box in front of her.
Looking over the stack, I can’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed. It’s a miracle that Delaney’s been able to stand living in this house for so long without tossing everything out on the lawn. There’s no room for her things, and I know that’s started to take its toll.
It wasn’t until Abbie came over with me for the first time and had her favourite beads roll behind the boxes and get lost that she decided enough was enough. Delaney ordered her multiples of those same beads that night, but it was the experience itself that shoved this into motion.
Moving another box to the ground, I open the flaps and start pulling all of the old CDs out. I snicker when I find the first-ever Brody Steele one tucked between a few I don’t recognize.
Delaney looks at my hands. “Oh! Brody would have a hell of a time with that. Should we put it on? There’s a stereo in the guest room.”
