Page 30 of Grace Notes
Emryn,
Meet me at your parents’ house. I have a surprise for you.
Love,
Brooks
Chapter 18
Emryn
The drive up to my parent’s house is beautiful, with white fencing that lines it until it opens up to their mountain cabin.
This morning, I’d gone to get my hair done. I was initially supposed to be getting it done for the ceremony today, but since that’s not happening, I turned it into a color appointment instead. My favorite stylist curled it into soft curls that framed my face, and I was excited to come home and show Brooks. But when I arrived, he was gone, along with Avery and Kip.
It’s been four days since Brooks and Avery picked Kip up at the hospital, and we are adjusting—even though we are all still sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for the biopsy results to come back. We should hear no later than next week, but that doesn’t make the waiting any easier.
I take the last curve of the drive before it opens up to the cabin, and I’m instantly confused. Cars line the drive, some bleeding into the grass. There have to be at least fifty cars here, but even with the multitude of people that have to be packed into my parent’s home, my eyes skip over it all to Brooks, who is standing on the front porch, wearing a tux, that I’m afraid to know what he pulled to get it, and a grin full of mischief. My heart skips a beat, and I wonder if that’s how I’ll die one day—from my heart malfunctioning at the sight of my husband. Hishair is styled, and his shoulder is leaned against one of the porch posts. He looks relaxed, more than I’ve seen in a couple of weeks.
I don’t bother trying to find a place to park. Coming to a stop in the middle of the driveway, I put my car in park and open my door, stepping out.
Brooks stays where he is, leaning against the post and giving me an appreciative stare as I walk toward him. He raises one brow and smiles, the dimple poking in on his cheek. It makes me want to stick my finger in it so he’ll stop looking so handsome that it makes it hard to breathe.
When I’m standing on the porch in front of him, I cock an eyebrow. “What’s going on here?”
That smile of his kicks up a notch, and with it, my heart.
“We’re having a party.”
And man, if his voice doesn’t pebble my skin even in the warm air.
“In a suit?” I ask, looking him up and down, making a show of how much I appreciate the view.
Biting his lip, he doesn’t bother hiding the heat in his eyes. “All parties are better in a tux.”
“Uh-huh. Now tell me what’s really going on. You look suspicious.”
Without warning, he grabs me around the waist, pulling me to him. I go willingly, melting into the hard planes of his chest. I could spend forever in his arms, but it still wouldn’t be long enough. “Avery and I have a surprise for you, but you have to get ready first. Your mom is waiting for you in your room.”
My arms are around his neck, and I tilt my head back to look up at him. “Does this have anything to do with the cars parked out there?”
He shrugs. “Perhaps, but before I tell you, I have a question.”
Brooks’s hand slides across my lower back, barely skimming over the fabric of my shirt, but I feel it all the way down to mytoes. He takes his hand from my back, shoving his hand in his pocket and leaving a trail of heat on my skin. And when he pulls his hand from his pocket, that heat takes over my whole body.
I drag my eyes up from the thing in his hand to meet his gaze. He’s watching me, that heat a living furnace in his eyes. “What do you say about marrying me again?”
“Right now?” I ask, my voice cracking.
With the hand still on my back, he takes my hand and lifts it, slipping the RingPop he holds onto my ring finger along with my wedding ring. “Right now. Right here in your parent’s backyard. Marry me again—but just so you know, if you say no, there are a lot of people here that will be disappointed.”
“How can I say no then?” I ask with a teasing grin. “Of course, I’ll marry you again. But I have a stipulation.”
Brooks rolls his eyes. “Of course you do.”
Lifting my hand, I lay my hand against his face and swipe my thumb over his cheek. “Kiss me.”
And so he does.
