Heaven With You (26 page)

She turned to Hunter. “You need to buy her a ring that speaks to her heart.”

“You mean a really big diamond?”

“Not necessarily. You should pick something that she really loves—“ Laura suddenly gasped. “Heavens, I don’t even know your names!”

“I’m Hunter and this is Isabelle.”

Laura seemed relieved to finally have this bit of information. “Isabelle, what kind of ring would you like Hunter to give you when he proposes?”

The question totally caught me off guard even though I should have been expecting it. My eyes flew to Hunter’s and I got the weird feeling that he was upset.

“What kind of ring do you want, Izzy?”

I could tell that the question was important to him, but I had no idea how to answer. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve never thought about it.”

“Think about it now,” Laura instructed. “All women have an idea of what they’d like their engagement ring to look like. Close your eyes and describe what you see.”

I did as she asked. “Simple, Round.” Opening my eyes, I could have sworn Hunter looked more relaxed. “Were you afraid I was going to say I wanted a ten-karat rock?”

“I didn’t think you’d say that. It’s just that I’d never thought to ask you before. I guess I should have.”

“We’ve got time for that. It’s not like you’re proposing tonight.”

Hunter and Laura shared a look I didn’t quiet understand, and I felt I needed to assure him that I’d love anything he bought for me. I told him that.

“I’m sure that’s true, honey, but that kind of acceptance shouldn’t apply to an engagement ring. Now, that he knows what you want, he won’t disappoint you.”

“He’d never disappoint me,” I told Laura.

She glanced over at Tom. “Aren’t they the sweetest couple?”

Tom seemed to agree.

Hunter’s thumb rubbed my knuckles and I shivered. He pointed out various Christmas exhibits and they were all amazing. My eyes drank in all the glittering lights, but it was difficult to give them my full attention when I was sitting so close to Hunter and my heart was picking up speed with every brush of his leg against mine.

When the ride stopped in front of a dazzling giant tree with a replica of Santa’s Land lit up and glowing elves carrying presents, I looked over at Hunter.

“You want to look around?”

“Sure,” I told him, noticing that most everyone was getting off the hayride and looking at lights or heading over to the refreshments.

“The hot chocolate is the best here,” Tom told us.

“Thanks, we’ll have to try some.” Hunter peered down at me. “I wanted to show Isabelle the wishing tree. This is her first time here.”

“Did you say ‘wishing tree’?”

Laura’s eyes danced with enchantment. “They call it that because it’s said that if you make a wish and put it in the box beside the tree, it’ll come true.”

“I’ll bet all the kids are wishing for that new game they’re all talking about.”

“Oh, it’s not just for the kids. Laura and I made a wish ten years ago and nine months later, our youngest daughter gave birth to our first grandson.”

Laura had a dreamy look in her eyes. “That was the night Tom proposed again, and when we got home he gave me this.” She showed me an unusual green stone encircled with silver and attached to a piece of leather, which she wore around her neck.

I’d never seen a more fascinating piece of jewelry. “It’s magical.”

“You’re right,” she agreed with an odd gleam in her eyes. “It is. I’m giving it to you.”

“Oh, no. I can’t accept that.”

“Tom makes jewelry. He can always make me another one, and it’s value is more sentimental than monetary.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“You’ll hurt our feelings if you don’t accept it.”

“Thank you,” I told them, humbled by their generosity and kindness.

Laura fastened the stone around my neck. “Never take it off. It will keep you safe.”

“Thank you again. It’s lovely. So how many grandchildren do you have?”

“We have seven now, five girls and two boys. Our life together has been heaven.”

“Heaven is with you my dear,” Tom replied, with a smile in his eyes.

Laura smiled and Tom leaned over and kissed her.

I watched them, marveling at how incredible it would be to still feel that in love after all of those years.

“You should show Isabelle the tree,” Laura told Hunter with a wink.

“Yes Ma’am,” Hunter replied, leading me over to the gorgeous tree that looked at least fifty-feet tall and twinkled with tiny white lights.

“Why did she wink at you?’

“Maybe she thinks I’m cute.” He laughed.

“What am I missing here? Do you know Laura and Tom?”

“I’ve never seen them before in my life, but I sure like them.”

“Me too.”

Hunter led me to the tree and beside it sat a red wrapped box with a notepad and pencils.

“Are you going to make a wish?” I asked him, getting into the excitement of the moment.

“Sure, aren’t you?”

“I don’t need to. We’re already together, and that’s been my wish since as long as I can remember.”

His eyes caught mine. “Do you want to live with me for the rest of your life, Izzy?”

“Yes,” I responded enthusiastically.

I watched his smile fade. “That’s good. I want that too, but don’t you want a commitment from me?”

“You’re already committed to me, aren’t you?” I asked, confused. Suddenly, I snapped to attention and realized what he was talking about. “You don’t have to feel pressured to propose to me because of what Laura said.”

“Isabelle, make a wish.” He handed me a piece of paper and pencil.

He scribbled something on a piece of paper and deposited it in the box as if he’d already known what he was going to write before he got here. I’d just finished writing my wish down and dropping it into the box, when Hunter pulled me against him, leaned down and kissed my breath away.

“I love you,” I whispered, between kisses.

He didn’t say it back, and he didn’t kiss me again. What he did do was something I’d always remember for as long as I lived. Holding my hand tenderly in his, he dropped to one knee.

“I love you Izzy. Will you marry me?”

Looking into his eyes, I knew that no one would ever ask me a sweeter question. My heart filled with joy and my chest tightened. I opened my mouth to speak, but a lump of emotion choked me up and tears stung the backs of my eyes.

He waited patiently for me to pull myself together, seeming at ease with kneeling before me and content to wait for me to respond for however long that took.

 “
Yes
.”

A heart-stopping smile split his handsome face a second before he rose and embraced me, lifting me off the ground and swinging me around. “I love you, Izzy.” The words tickled my ear. Suddenly he set me down and pulled something out of his coat pocket. “Hell, I was so nervous I forgot to give you the ring.”

“You have a ring?” I asked, surprised.

“I’ve had it for weeks now. I saw it and I thought you’d like it. When Laura mentioned how I should have found out what you wanted, I got worried.”

“Oh, Hunter, I meant what I said about loving anything that you give me.”

He handed me the little black box and smiled. “Open it.”

I looked down and flipped open the box, and my breath caught when I gazed at the sparkly round diamond ring set in a white gold band with tiny diamonds encircling it. It was the loveliest thing I’d ever seen.

“It’s perfect.”

“I should have asked you what you wanted—“

“I love it. I love you.” Standing on my tiptoes, I lifted my chin and my mouth brushed his in a kiss that left me weak in the knees.

“Are you going to want a big wedding that’s going to take months to plan?” he asked, once we’d broken away to take a breath.

“I only want you.”

“Good, because I don’t want to wait to make you mine.”

“I’m already yours,” I breathed.

Standing beside the glowing wishing tree we kissed until our breathing was labored and puffs of white air filled the distance between us. We were lost in the moment and didn’t break away until we heard the driver of the hayride call out to us.

“Last call unless you two want to hike back,” he said good-naturedly.

Hunter’s hands encircled my waist and he was about to lift me onto the hayride when he glanced into the back, his gaze searching. “I don’t see Tom and Laura.”

I scanned the crowd and saw that he was right. They weren’t on the hayride.

“Hey, we’re missing an older couple,” Hunter told the driver, who frowned.

“You sure about that? We’ve got all twenty-five people, now that ya’ll are here.”

“No, they rode beside us on the way here. Tom and Laura. I don’t know their last names.”

At that piece of news, the driver roared with laughter. “Tom and Laura Winfield? Ha, ha, yeah that’s a good one, buddy. Now get on so we can take off.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, knowing we were missing something but clueless as to what it was.

The driver pointed toward the wishing tree and I saw the big glowing sign that I hadn’t noticed before. It read, IN MEMORY OF TOM AND LAURA WINFIELD BELOVED MOTHER AND FATHER.

“Hunter,” I said, reaching for him.

“I see it.”

“But they were just here.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time someone has reported seeing ‘em. They always seem to make people happy. We try to keep it close to the vest since we wouldn’t want it gettin’ out that the old place is haunted. Be bad for business.”

Hunter and I just looked at each other.

The driver frowned. “You two aren’t loose-lipped, are ya’ll?” he drawled with a thick accent.

“We won’t say anything,” Hunter assured him. Leaning down he said to me, “They’d think we were crazy.”

The ride back to Christmas World was interesting. Hunter and I marveled at what had happened with Tom and Laura.

Interestingly enough ghosts didn’t frighten me nearly as much as my real-life stalker, who I managed to forget about all night, but once we left for home I started to get a weird feeling.

Everything was falling neatly into place for me and I’d never had more to lose. I guess that was why I was terrified that it was all about to go up in smoke.

Maybe it was because Hunter kept checking the rearview mirror, exited before we should have and then stepped on the gas. Checking the passenger mirror, I saw the dark car speed up as well and pull right behind us.

“Make sure your seat belt is fastened,” Hunter said calmly.

“It is.” I was scared and couldn’t believe how relaxed he was.

“Don’t worry. We’re going to be fine. Where do you think we should get married?”

I knew that he was trying to get my mind off of the car behind us so I played along. “The courthouse?”

“That’s not what you really want, is it? I thought all women wanted their wedding to be a big deal.”

“We could get married at your house. I don’t mind something small, unless you want a big wedding.”

“I don’t think there’s a man alive that would say he wanted that, but I’d do it in a heartbeat if it made you happy.”

He floored the SUV and the engine growled.

“Hold on, Izzy.”

A second later I heard a loud crash and everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Flashing lights were everywhere.

The paramedic had just finished checking out Hunter and I. Neither of us was hurt, but my heart was beating a frantic rhythm. Hearing the car hit us and the explosion of the airbag gave me the shakes, but nothing compared to the shock that awaited me when I found out who’d hit us. I still couldn’t get over seeing the familiar man behind the wheel of the black car, the same car that had been following me. It was William Foster.

“What the hell is going on?”

I’d called Reed just after the accident and he’d hurried out, despite me telling him it was unnecessary.

“I don’t know, but I’ve got to find out.”

Even now my mind refused to accept that William would want to hurt me. I watched as he was strapped down on a stretcher and walked toward him purposefully. I needed answers and William had them. None of this made sense.

Seeing me, William turned and I saw his gaze sharpen. He seemed almost desperate.

“William?”

“He hit his head hard, ma’am. I’m afraid now isn’t the time for this,” a paramedic told me.

William’s arm shot out and grabbed mine with a sense of urgency. I gasped.

 “Be careful. K-kill you.” William choked out, his eyes wide with fear. “He’ll kill you!”

I froze, stunned. “Who?”

Looking behind me, I saw that William was staring at Hunter.

“McAllister,” William whispered and then he went limp.

I saw Hunter’s shocked expression, and I reached for his hand to assure him that I didn’t give William’s ramblings any credit.

“He didn’t know what he was saying.”

Hunter was still staring at William, as he was loaded into the ambulance. “I think he knew exactly what he was saying.”

“That’s crazy. He thinks you want to kill me.”

His eyes locked with mine. “You know I’d never hurt you.”

“Of course I know that.”

Hunter frowned. “Everything about this feels wrong.”

“Maybe you should stay with me tonight,” Reed suggested, watching Hunter warily.

I shot my brother a quelling look.

“It’s okay, Isabelle.” Hunter brushed his knuckles against my cheek, his gaze troubled. “Maybe you should go home with your brother.”

“No. I’m going home with you.” I spun around, confronting Reed. “I love him.”

 Reed looked over at Hunter. “I don’t mean any offense.”

“It’s alright,” Hunter replied calmly.

“No, it’s not alright and I’m offended on his behalf,” I told Reed. “He’s Ellie’s dad. We’ve known him for years. Have you forgotten how he helped us?”

“I haven’t forgotten anything Isabelle.” He spoke quietly, but his voice was heavy with concern.

Pulling me aside, Hunter looked down at me. “He’s just worried about you.”

“I know that, but I’m not leaving you, not tonight,” I told him, desperate to make him understand.