Page 69 of Love on the Brain
After saying good night to Noah, who was still running around with Jamie, they were last in line to say goodbye. When they reached the sweetheart table, Pastor Porter joined them, wearing a wide smile and holding a thick manila envelope.
“Dad, what’s that? We said no gifts,” Shelby scolded.
“It’s not from me. Your mother’s great-uncle Wolf brought it. Had to leave early for a breathing treatment and didn’t want it to get lost in the chaos tomorrow. It’s for both of you.”
“Both of us?” Jane asked.
Ryan studied the envelope. A dollar-size bulge was obvious. Cash?
“Yes. It’s your mother’s inheritance.”
“Inheritance?” Shelby asked. “From who?”
“Her mother. Uncle Wolf was getting his affairs in order, and his lawyer discovered that your grandmother—his sister—had made him executor of a hidden account where she deposited all her government checks. Tax returns, federal aid, everything. It has matured over the years, and it’s … a lot.” He chuckled. “This isn’t all of it.”
Jane gasped. “How much is a lot?”
“Well, it’ll cover that empty lot next to Shelby and Damon’s new house, the house you build on it, and alotmore.”
Jane grabbed Ryan’s hand, and he gave her an encouraging squeeze. “Is it still available?” she asked.
Shelby exchanged a look with Damon. “It was neveravailablebecause we bought it, hoping you’d build on it someday.”
Jane tightened her grip on Ryan’s hand. “But … Dad. You think he’ll be okay living on his own? He’s starting to forget things and gets so busy, who will remind him to eat?”
Shelby tipped her chin in the direction of the door, where Molly’s mother-in-law Beverly was smiling at the quintet. “I think Dad’s going to be okay. Have you not seen him with Beverly this week? He’s a goner.”
They chuckled, and the pastor confirmed. “She’s decided to sell her house in Massachusetts and move to Crane’s Cove to be close to Molly, Jack, and Jamie.”
Shelby rolled her eyes. “And you, Dad. She’s crazy about you.”
“Well, that’s good, because I’m crazy about her, too.” He handed the envelope to Damon. “Your grandmother said she’d keep it in her safe tonight. Take what you need for your honeymoon. Noah and I’ll be by early to deposit the rest at the bank tomorrow morning while you’re all getting ready. Once it’s available, I’ll distribute the funds. The rest will be transferred next week sometime.”
“This is amazing, Dad,” Jane said. She leaned back against Ryan. The warmth from her skin radiated through the thin layers of her cotton sundress and his button-down. A fire was burning inside him, along with an idea.
“It is. Only God.” He lifted his free hand to wave at Beverly. “I have one more good night to say, and then Noah and I are off.” He looked at Damon, then Ryan. “Don’t keep my girls out too late.”
“Yes, sir,” they replied.
Jane’s chuckle made Ryan smile. He wanted to hear her laugh every day, multiple times per day. And he’d tell her so tonight.
Minutes later, they were hand in hand, strolling through the square across the street. Ryan led her toward a tall live oak tree with sweeping branches. They ducked under a low-hanging curtain of Spanish moss, and he pulled her to him.
She hugged him tightly, turning her head to rest it on his chest. “Just hold me for a minute, okay?”
“I’d hold you forever if you asked me to.”
She squeezed him harder, then stepped back. The dim light of the streetlamps behind the tree cast shadows on her, but he could see her eyes clearly as they locked on his. “I would like that so much, Ryan. I love you. I—I’ve always loved you, since the day we met. And that love has grown and changed, and it scares me a little. Because I don’t know what that means for us. I only know that I don’t want to be apart from you.”
They were the words he’d been waiting months—years?—to hear. “I love you, too, Jane. And I don’t want to be apart from you, either.” He bent his head and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “This last month away from you and Noah has been painful.”
She nodded. “It has. I don’t want a long-distance relationship. Noah and I will move to Texas, if you want us to.”
He shook his head, and her face fell. He hurried to explain. “No—I’d like to move to Maine. I—”
She cut him off. “Your job—”
“Is not my priority anymore,” he finished.
