Page 56 of Cherished Lands
Fortunately, this community wasn't a huge fan of his. Our contractors were local, and they were more than happy to keep things under wraps.
The walk to the construction site was silent. Tessa's hand found mine, and I squeezed it, knowing we both felt the weight of this moment.
The excavator sat ready, yellow paint bright against the white landscape. Beyond it stretched acres of Ever Eden land that had been in my family for generations. Land that, depending on what happened in the next six months, would either save us or sink us.
"Here." Dad handed me the shovel. Its blade had been painted gold for the occasion. "You should do it, Son."
I looked at Tessa. "Together?"
She nodded, stepping closer to wrap her hands around mineon the handle. We positioned the blade against the frozen ground.
"Wait!" Mom called out. "Let me get a picture!"
Chase groaned. "Ma, it's freezing out here."
"Hush," Nana scolded. "You better get used to the cold if you insist on helping the construction crew."
Chase had come to me the day after Christmas, hat in hand, begging for a chance to be part of the cidery project.It's time I get off my ass, he'd said, and I couldn't agree more. Tessa and I had spoken with the contractor, who agreed to let Chase put in a few hours a day supporting his crew. It was a start, and hopefully it would get my brother set on the right path. I wanted the best for him, but I was getting damn sick of taking care of him.
I had my own shit to work out.
I caught Tessa's eye and saw my own mix of hope and terror reflected. This was it—no turning back now.
"Ready?" I whispered.
"Ready."
Together, we pushed the shovel into the earth. The sound of metal breaking soil was lost beneath our family's cheers, but I barely heard them. All I could focus on was Tessa's elated smile as she threw her arms around my neck.
"We're really doing this," she whispered against my ear.
"Yeah," I replied, holding her close. "We really are."
And despite everything—the risk, the pressure, the peculiar ambiguity of our marriage—in that moment, I believed we could do anything.
As long as we did it together.
Chapter Twenty
ELLIOT
On January first,Tessa and I walked hand-in-hand through downtown Sable Point for the annual winter festival.
It was cold as fuck and my balls were trying their best to crawl back inside my body. But Tessa seemed immune to the arctic hell, bouncing along beside me in her fancy wool coat and matching hat like some kind of demented winter fairy.
"Look! They have those maple syrup snow cones!" She tugged my arm, nearly sending me sliding on a patch of ice. "Can we get one?"
"You want frozen sugar in this weather?" I stared at her in disbelief. "It's literally below freezing."
"That's the point." She pressed closer, and even through our winter layers, her warmth was distracting. "The colder it is outside, the better they taste. Trust me."
"If you get hypothermia, I'm not explaining to my mother why her new daughter-in-law is in the hospital."
But my wife—fuck, that word still hit different—justgrinned and pressed herself against my side. "You're such a worrier, Husband."
The way she said 'husband' did dangerous things to me. Things that made me forget about my retreating balls and give serious consideration to dragging her into the nearest alley.
Instead, I bought her the damn maple snow cone.
