Page 156 of Meet Me in the Valley
Torren’s spot.
The bike slows as we crest the hill. I ease the brakes, kill the engine, and kick down the stand. Tia says nothing. She pulls off her helmet, her eyes fixed ahead, frozen by the sight before her.
I look at her first with wind-tossed hair, hazel eyes lit with something between wonder and disbelief. I lean back on the seat, crossing my arms, watching her take it in.
“Do you want to explain that?” she asks, her voice shaking slightly as she points toward the clearing—now wide open. The trees and wild brush are gone, the land flattened and framed with neon orange flags. Just past it, the dock and lake gleam in the early sun.
I push off my bike, stepping behind her. My arms wrap around her waist, my chin resting on her shoulder as I breathe her in, everything familiar anchoring me in this surreal moment.
Love never made sense to me. Not growing up. Not with the example I had. It felt like a fairy tale meant for someone else, not for the kid who learned early how to keep his heart locked tight.
But then there was Tia.
Our friendship was always the one thing I never questioned. Even during the years apart, when life pushed us into different corners of the country, her belief in me never faded. That belief became the backbone of everything I built. Of the man I became.
I look down at the dirt clearing staked with neon orange flags, the outline of our future taking shape. The dock we’ve always known glows beneath the sun. The trees that have seen us grow frame the view like a promise.
I’ve spent my career designing other people’s dreams. Families. Retirees. New beginnings. Homes full of futures that weren’t mine.
Butthis—this patch of earth right here—is mine.
And the woman in my arms?
She’s always been the dream.
“That down there is a promise, T.”
“Logan …” Her voice catches, and I tighten my hold around her, feeling her emotion fold into mine.
I kiss her shoulder, then her cheek, and rest my lips against her temple as I whisper, “I promise to always protect you. To be the man you deserve. To give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. I’ll build it with my bare hands until they bleed.”
She holds my arms closer, lacing our fingers together, her head resting against mine.
“That down there, baby?” I murmur, my voice low against her cheek, nodding toward the clearing, “That’s where I’m going to attempt to cook for you, even though I’m shit in the kitchen.”
Tia laughs through fresh tears, wiping her face with the back of her hand, her eyes locked on the land like she’s already imagining the life we’ll build on it.
“It’s where I’ll come back after long days, just to lay my head in your lap and hear about yours. It’s where I’ll make love to you in every corner, on every surface, until we can’t breathe—and then do it all over again.”
I swallow the emotions crawling up my throat, feeling Tia’s wet tears stick against my cheek as I continue painting the perfect picture.
“It’s where I’ll walk through the front door day after day, knowing I’ll be coming home tomy wife.It’s where at least four rooms will belong to our beautiful babies that I’ll put in you, because one isn’t enough, and four seems like a good number, right?”
Tia nods, her smile bright and tear-streaked.
“Four is perfect,” she says, her voice breaking with joy. “How did you make this happen?”
“Mr. Torren’s lawyer called after his passing. He had no heirs—no kids, no living siblings. Said he wanted to gift me four acres as a thank you for loving this place like he did,” I say gently.
If only Mr. Torren knew what this placereally gave me.
“Donovan helped with the county paperwork. Roy hooked me up with a builder out of San Francisco. I had the plans drawn up a long time ago. I just didn’t know where you’d land—whether it was Texas, Colorado, Montana or California. And I wasn’t going to break ground until I knew.”
I turn her to face me, brushing the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs.
“Every line I sketched, every detail I mapped out … it was always for you. Always with you in mind. I just didn’t know it yet.” I press my lips to hers, gentle and full of promise. “It’s ours, baby. I want to build this life with you.”
Tia holds my wrists, looking from me to the clearing and back again, her heart written across her face.
