Page 94 of The Promises We Broke
She pulled back to look at the ring, and her eyes went wide. "Gage, it's beautiful."
"It was my grandmother's. My grandfather saved it for you," I said, wiping tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. "Dad told me Grandfather knew, somehow he knew, that you would be the one to wear it. He said it was written all over my face every time someone mentioned your name, even when we were teenagers."
"He really knew? About us? All that time ago?"
"He knew we belonged together before we did." I kissed her softly. "He'd be so proud of you, of us, of the man you helped me become."
"I can't believe you did all this," she said, looking around at the candles and then back at me with wonder. "On Christmas morning, in our house..."
"Our house," I repeated, loving the sound of it. "Our life. Our forever."
I pulled her to her feet and kissed her again, deeper this time, pouring all my gratitude and love and promise into the connection between us.
"I brought breakfast," I said when we finally broke apart, gesturing to the picnic basket I'd left by the door. "Thought we could celebrate properly."
"You thought of everything," she said, but she was looking at me like I was the only thing she wanted to think about.
I spread the blanket on the living room floor and unpacked the breakfast I'd carefully prepared. Fresh fruit, pastries from the bakery in town that I'd made Marie open early exactly for this purpose, and coffee in a thermos. But the moment I seteverything out, Billie was in my arms again, kissing me with a passion that made my head spin.
"Your breakfast," I murmured against her lips.
"I don't care," she whispered back. "I just want you."
And as we sank onto the blanket together, surrounded by candlelight in the house we'd built with our own hands, the house where we'd spend our married life, I knew that this was what home felt like. Not just a place, but the woman in my arms, the ring on her finger, the love that had survived everything and emerged stronger than ever.
The breakfast could wait. Everything else could wait. Right now, there was only us, only this moment, only the promise of forever stretching out ahead of us like the most beautiful gift I'd ever received.
Chapter 34
Billie
When we pulled into the ranch driveway, I gasped and grabbed Gage's arm. "Oh my God, what happened here?"
The farmhouse that had always been Booker's domain—practical, sparse, decorated with whatever mismatched furniture could survive ranch life—had been completely transformed. Garlands wrapped around every porch post, twinkling lights outlined the roofline, and a massive wreath hung on the front door. Through the windows, I could see the warm glow of what looked like an actual Christmas tree.
"Reece happened," Gage said, grinning at my shock. "She's been working on this for weeks. Said she wanted Barrett's first Christmas to be magical."
"But what about Booker's tiny table tree that leaned sideways?"
"Oh, that's still here. She just... enhanced things a little."
As we climbed the front steps, I could hear the chaos inside. Children's laughter, multiple conversations, baby Barrett's softcoos, and what sounded like Jasper's deep chuckle mixing with the rest. The moment we walked through the door, the noise stopped completely.
"Holy shit," Blake said, then immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry, Cade. Holy... cow. Billie, your hand!"
Every eye in the room immediately focused on my left hand, where the emerald ring caught the light from the elaborately decorated Christmas tree that had replaced Booker's sad little table tree. This tree reached nearly to the ceiling, covered in lights and ornaments that actually matched.
"Is that what I think it is?" Delaney squealed, gently adjusting Barrett in her arms.
"Gage proposed," I said, unable to stop grinning. "This morning, at the house. It was perfect."
The room erupted. Blake and Reece rushed over to examine the ring while Trace and Booker slapped Gage on the back. Cade started jumping up and down asking if he could be in the wedding, and Jasper stood from his chair by the fireplace with a huge smile spreading across his face.
"Finally!" Cade said, grinning at Gage. "I was starting to think you'd never figure out how to ask her. Good thing you didn't wait until you were old and gray."
I burst out laughing. "Cade!"
"What? Uncle Gage isn't getting any younger," Cade said with a shrug that was pure Farrington male logic.
