Page 28 of Curves and Cradles

“Let’s clean everything up so we can head over there. I’ve got your suitcase in the car.”

“Mr. Chicken?”

“Yes, Mr. Chicken is packed, too.”

Twenty minutes later, we pull up to the Thompson house, and something pinches inside my chest. My mother comes out the front door, closing it behind her.

Stella runs to her grandmother while I grab her stuff to transfer to my mother’s car.

“How’d your showing go?” I ask.

“Great. I think we may have a contract soon.”

“That’s good.”

“You should go in and see it. The work they’ve done in the kitchen is amazing. You’ll love it.”

I eye the front door.

“You remember how to lock up with the box?” my mom asks.

“Sure.” I one-arm hug my mom and kiss Stella. “Night, my beautiful girl. You be good for Noodle, okay?”

Stella nods, her blonde ringlets bobbing.

I walk up the sidewalk to the house and step inside. It smells of fresh paint and lemon cleaner. The large open floor plan leads me from the living area to the kitchen with a huge island. It’s beautiful. The realtors often leave their business cards on the kitchen counters if they show the property, but I’ve never seen anyone leave a note on the fridge. I move closer.

Please open.

That’s odd, but maybe there are cookies or something left over from an open house. I open the fridge, and my breath catches when I see what’s inside—the black box with the ring that Kevin offered me. I pull out the box and turn to find the man himself kneeling behind me.

chaptertwenty-one

Kevin

“You have to stop proposing,” she says.

“Not until you say yes.”

“Kevin—”

“I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. I’m buying this house, Janie. We can get a swing set for the backyard, and Stella can grow up here.”

She frowns. “Why are you buying a house if you’re leaving? Isn’t that a waste of money to have a house payment when you never know how long you’ll be away on a mission?”

“No more missions. I’m done. I retired.” This is it—I have to lay my heart on the line for her. But she’s worth it. “I’m here for good, and if I have to propose to you every day until Stella graduates from high school, I will. I love her. She’s my daughter. But you, Janie, are my heart and soul. The love of my life.”

Her breath catches, and tears fill her eyes. “I thought you said you didn’t know what love was.”

“If what I feel for you isn’t love, then every love song and romantic poem got it wrong. I feel it all, just for you. Only you.”

She stares at me but says nothing.

“Will you say something? Please?”

“Get up off your knees and come here and kiss me. I love you, too.”

“Thank fuck.” I stand and pull her to me, kissing her with everything I have.

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