Page 37 of One More Chance

Simone pauses, and I can tell she’s doing the math.

“In four months and twenty days. Robert and Tuuli will be announcing their decision about the land on October fourth.”

She nods, the pain in her eyes stealing my breath. Their wedding anniversary is late September, a few days before the third anniversary of Aiden’s death.

Silence settles over us as we walk through the neighborhood. The buzz of a lawnmower, the bark of a dog, the chirp of a bird are the only sounds that cut through the silence like cracks in a pane of glass. But it’s not enough to shatter the shield Simone has erected since she returned to Maple Ridge. That silence goes deeper than the absence of any sound.

“Troy built that house,” I say after we’ve been walking a few minutes, and I point to the narrow, two-story building. It’s modern, but it still holds the charm of the neighborhood. It belongs here without trying to be something it isn’t.

Wonder widens Simone’s eyes, and a smile as beautiful as a sunrise brightens her face. “He’s really talented. I can’t believe he went into the Marines after college instead of doing this right away.”

“I think it was because at the time he was still looking for adventure.” We all were—Aiden, Garrett, Kellan, Troy, and me.

“He joined the military because he thought it would be a great source of adventure? You know, there are other ways to be adventurous. Like traveling the world, exploring new cultures. All without risking your life.”

“There was more to it than that. My brothers, Aiden, and I were all searching for a chance to make a difference. For Troy and me, that wasn’t such a bad thing. It shaped us into who we are today.”

“How so?”

“My injury didn’t just make me realize I wanted to be a PT. I wanted to be a PT for military vets. I can relate to what they’re going through. I understand the challenges they face, and I don’t just mean the injury I’m helping them deal with.”

“What about Troy?”

“A lot of his projects involve modifying homes for vets or anyone who can no longer live in their home because of a disability or medical condition. He adapts their home to meet their new needs so they don’t have to move if they don’t want to. If it hadn’t been for his time in the Marines, he probably wouldn’t have ended up doing that.”

“That’s incredible.” She looks around. “I can’t believe how much this area has changed since I was a kid. But at the same time, a lot of it hasn’t changed at all.”

“I think they call that progress.”

Simone laughs. “Very astute…Cannon.” She grins at me with the same impish gleam she had when she first gave me that nickname. After Mom grumbled I was like a loose cannon. I can’t remember what I was doing at the time to earn that title.

I pull Simone to me and kiss her forehead. Then rest my brow against hers. If someone witnesses our tender moment, all the better. “So, Trouble, we should probably figure out our wedding date before my parents come over.”

Simone pulls away with a soft smile and starts walking again, tugging me along. Our fingers remain threaded together. “Emily has offered to help us plan the wedding. She wants to be a wedding consultant for couples who want a destination wedding in the mountains. We’ll be her practice clients.”

“Does Kellan know about this?” Given that she is his employee.

“No, not yet. And you can’t tell him about it. It’s not like she’s planning to quit her job. Not yet, anyway. But she’s hoping we’ll be her first clients.”

“You do realize my mom will want to take over the planning?”

“She will?”

A black car drives past us, its speed barely more than a crawl. I can’t see the driver to figure out if they’re looking for a specific house or if there’s another reason for the car’s slow speed.

“You’ve met my mother, right?” I say, continuing to watch the car. I don’t recognize it. “She’s been in wedding-planning mode since the day we could walk. With the way my brothers aren’t rushing to settle down, I’m sure she’ll think I’m her only chance for planning a wedding.”

“I guess it will be good experience for Em when it comes to working with the bride and her family.”

The car slowly turns the corner. It’s probably a lost tourist who took a wrong turn on Main Street.

“When do you want to tie the knot then?” I ask.

“We probably don’t want to wait too long. But we also don’t want to rush things. We don’t want the Wakefields to think we’re getting married just so your bid isn’t eliminated from consideration. We want them to believe we’re marrying for love.”

“Knowing the people in this town, they’ll probably assume I knocked you up if we get married too soon.”

Simone glances over to the other side of the street, where a dog is barking at a squirrel that ran up a tree. “Yes, that, too. But I don’t want to wait just to prove them wrong.”

---