Page 44 of Georgia On My Mind (Southern Promises)

“Oh, you know I will. I love her, man. She’s the love of my life!”

For the next hour, they sat around sipping on champagne Hart had conveniently kept in the fridge, celebrating the engagement of his sister to country music star, Clay Watkins. When Gia asked for details regarding the actual proposal, Katie blushed, squeezing her fiancé’s knee. “I’ll let Clay tell you,” she said.

Clay chugged what was left in his glass and set it on the coffee table. “Here’s the thing. I knew I wanted to ask her, but I didn’t want it to happen on some cramped tour bus while flying down the highway and I certainly didn’t want to do it on stage in front of thousands of people.” He shifted, leaning his elbows on his knees, running his palms back and forth. “We had some time off while we were on the West Coast leg of the tour. There’s a particular stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway I’m fond of near Malibu where the coastline has these incredible sea stacks and small caves that glow when the sun is setting.”

Hart noticed his sister staring dreamily at Clay, rubbing one hand up and down his back. To see her happy and relaxed meant the world to him. It was a far cry from her days as a big-wig in corporate America when she was married to her job. He clutched Gia’s free hand in his lap while listening and trying not to grin too broadly the entire time.

“I packed us a picnic and some wine from Napa we’d picked up earlier in the week and rented a car. Asked her on a real date. We parked on the bluff and took a trail down to the beach. You should have seen her. She was so excited to dip her toes in the Pacific Ocean for the very first time.” They all chuckled as Clay turned to gaze at his future bride. “You finish, pretty girl.”

Katie blushed as Clay sat up and put his arm around her. “The water was so cold, and I was fixated on the pools of sea-life collecting on the beach. There were so many different colored shells and wildlife. I’d never seen anything like it before, and I was oblivious to what Clay was up to. The sky was the perfect swirl of orange and pinks. It was breathtaking.” She swooned, retelling the story.

“My sister’s a sunset fanatic,” Hart said jokingly to Gia, making them all laugh.

“When I looked up to show him one of the shells I found, he was standing next to our picnic blanket in his bare feet, leaning on a large stick. I remember his hair was blowing in the wind and his face was gorgeous in the light. He had written something in the sand, and when I figured out what it was, I started to cry.”

“What was written in the sand?” Gia asked, her voice laced with anticipation.

Katie looked up at her beau with sparkling eyes. “It said, ‘Marry Me.’ Of course, I said yes!”

The group erupted in joyful laughter, and Hart watched as Clay leaned in and kissed his sister tenderly on the lips. They mouthed the words, “I love you” to each other, which sent a pang of happiness to his heart.

Refilling everyone’s glass with more bubbly, Hart lifted his glass in a toast. “Well, here’s to true love and to those who find it. Congratulations!” Watching Gia take a tiny sip of champagne, she seemed enraptured by the way he and his sister bantered back and forth; their sibling love obvious. He watched her glance at the clock over the mantel, gasp and jump to her feet. “Oh, shit! You have classes,” he remembered, standing quickly. He took the glass out of her hands and squeezed her shoulder.

She offered an apologetic smile to Katie and Clay. “It was wonderful meeting you both. I’ll be back before dinner.”

“Good to meet you too,” they said in unison, watching her run down the hall to the stairs.

Katie turned to him. “Wow, Hart. She is real!”

“Well, what did you think, that I made her up?” He chuckled before downing Gia’s glass and setting it on the table. “She’s living with me. Here. I hope that’s okay. I was gonna tell you before you came home, but you kind of surprised us today.” He watched her eyebrows rise with astonishment.

“She’s living with you? Does that mean it’s serious?”

Running his hands through his hair, he couldn’t help the bashful smile that played upon his lips. “I love her, Katie. I want her to be with me.”

Clay and Katie looked at each other in shock before looking back at him. “My big brother’s in love!” she whispered excitedly. “Do Mom and Dad know?”

Hart’s expression paled. “No. Not yet. They’ve met her, though. Several weeks ago at the club. Dad was not on his best behavior.”

“Oh, no. Have you talked to him since?”

“Nope. Just Mom. That’s okay. I don’t miss him.”

Clay set his glass down and looked at Hart sadly. “Dude, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you only get one father. I know your relationship hasn’t been the best recently, but you should try to make amends. I’d give anything to have my daddy back for just one more day. I don’t want you to have any regrets, man.”

Katie sat on the edge of the couch. “Clay’s right, Hart. Make amends. Your life is on such a better track now. And you have Gia. I can see the change in you. Maybe he will too.” Clay nodded in agreement.

“I don’t know…”

The thought of being in the same room with his father again made Hart uneasy. Sure, he still loved him, but he wasn’t about to continue to take the demoralizing bullshit he dished out. Perhaps he might see he was a changed man like his sister did. Gia was responsible for that. “Maybe,” he muttered, chugging the remnants of his glass.

“Well, I already told Mom we were coming back to town earlier than expected. She wants to have us all over for dinner tomorrow night. Gia is included, of course.”

How could he let down his sister who was basking in the glow of being newly engaged? It was a happy time for their family, for himself too. He and Gia were finally blatantly honest with one another, and she was done with that low-life, Bartelli and the stress of her failing business. No more entertainment gigs and no more living out of her studio. They had so much to look forward to—together. She deserved a loving family, and he had one to offer, even if his relationship with his father was at times, dysfunctional. Poor Gia never even knew who her father was. Welcoming her into their family was the right thing to do.

“Alright, alright. We’re both off tomorrow. We’ll come if it will make the bride-to-be happy.”

Katie catapulted herself into her brother’s arms. “Yay! Thank you!”

---