Page 65 of Haunted Hearts
“Yep,” Benji says simply. It’s not so much that he’sshy—he’s just a low key kind of guy.
“And you live in Boston?”
Benji shakes his long hair out of his eyes. “Sure do. Will keeps trying to get me to move out here and open a yoga studio, but I don’t know. It’s pretty quiet.”
“Well, it seems like Will wishes it was a littlemorequiet around his house,” Autumn says, shooting me a wink. She’s right. I’m always complaining about what Zeke’s getting up to. “Hell, if you moved out here, maybe you could take the poor orphan in. From what I hear, Will’s place is nothing but pizza rolls and Axe body spray these days.”
I groan like it’s a joke, but I’m actually kind of annoyed. Our living situation is a sore spot for me. If it weren’t for Zeke, Lydia and I would have been living together months ago. And anyway, Axe body spray? Really?
“Well,you’rewelcome to take in Little Orphan Zekey,” I say, hitting Autumn with my most winsome smile. “I might even throw in a couple boxes of pizza rolls if you ask nicely.”
She laughs, about to retort—and then stops. She looks at me, then at Benji, and then at Zeke. He’s still scanning the crowd, no doubt trying to figure out where the 100% legal college chick wandered off to.
“Actually,” Autumn says, her voice suddenly excited. “That’s not such a bad idea. My lake house has a cabin on the grounds,where the caretaker used to stay. I’m not fucking around with any hired help, and honestly, it’s just sitting there empty…”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Benji cuts in. “You’re not suggesting that Zeke moves onto your property… right?”
“That’sexactlywhat I’m suggesting,” Autumn says brightly. She snaps her fingers in front of Zeke’s face, and he jolts back to face us. “Hey. You. You wanna live in my grounds cabin? Get out of your brother’s hair?”
“Uhhh…” Zeke stalls, trying to orient himself in the conversation.
“Jesus, kid. Try to keep up.” Autumn rolls her eyes. “There’s an empty cabin on my property, and I’m asking if you want to move in there for a while. It’ll get you out of Will’s hair, Lydia will stop bitching about having to sleep apart from Will, and there’ll be a dude around to protect little old me if anyone tries to break into the grounds. Honestly, it’s a win for everyone.”
Benji shoots me a questioning look, and I shrug. I’ve got my doubts, but I’m thinking about the box in my pocket. If all goes well… the idea of finally being able to share a space with Lydia is tempting. I’m already imagining us bustling around the kitchen together and spending lazy Sunday mornings in bed. Hell, fucking on the living room couch if we feel like it.
Phoebe and Lydia appear behind my shoulder, just as Zeke asserts a resounding, “Fuck yes.”
“If what I think I just heard is correct, Autumn, my heart goes out to you,” Phoebe says. “And also you’re crazy.”
“I know I am,” Autumn says, smiling proudly.
Next to me, Lydia grins. She whispers something into Phoebe’s ear, and my sister snickers. I have no clue what they’re gossiping about, but the fact that Lydia fits so well into my family is seriously the stuff of dreams. For a guy who’s spent the better part of his adult life ashamed of where he comes from, I neverdreameda woman like Lydia Chandler would show up andfit right in. That she’d take the parts of me I spent so long trying to shove out of sight and somehow turn them into something beautiful.
It’s a fucking miracle, honestly.
And that’s when I know it’s time. The velvet box is burning a hole in my pocket, and despite the fluttering of my stomach, I know this moment is the right one.
Placing my hand on the small of Lydia’s back, I guide her out to the foyer. She shoots me a questioning look, but she lets me lead her, the gentle twang of the music drifting along with us. When we reach the banister, I turn to look at her, sliding my hand from her back to my pocket.
She’s looking up at me curiously. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Are there too many people? Do you need to take a minute?—”
I drop to my knee, and she stops. I can tell by the look on her face that she knows what’s coming, and it makes my heart beat that much faster. We’ve only talked about this once—a couple months ago—and then I tabled the subject, frustrated by the situation with Zeke, with our living space. But I’m going to take the leap. And I’m hoping against hope that Lydia will take it with me.
“Lydia,” I say.
Her voice is breathless as she stares at me, cheeks slightly flushed. “Yes?”
“I’ve been trying forever to figure out the best way to do this—and I don’t fucking know. You know me. I’m not good at this.”
Lydia’s silent, but I can see her lips twitching, like she’s holding back a smile. It makes me grin, and something in my chest loosens. I can do this.Wecan do this.
“The one thing I do know,” I continue, “is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Brother or no brother, yourhouse or my house—I don’t fucking care. I just need you with me.”
I pause, drawing the velvet box out of my pocket and flicking it open. I hold Lydia’s gaze, and the warmth of her cinnamon eyes is downright intoxicating. “So I want to know, Lydia. Will you marry me?”
