The Chesapeake Diaries Series (115 page)

He nodded.

“Everything sounds so perfect.” She sat up and pulled the sheet with her and tried to be supportive. “The job. The child care. And you found a house, right?” She tried to brighten. “You found a house that’s as perfect as the job and the child-care situation?”

Wade nodded. “Actually, I saw several I liked, but I did find one that would be perfect.”

“Tell me about it. What’s it look like?”

“It’s light gray clapboard and it has black shutters and a red door. The previous owner did a lot of renovation and it’s just been painted inside and out. Even the hardwood floors have been refinished and it has a new deck. It’s in that terrific neighborhood I told you about on the phone.”

“It really does sound perfect.” Even to herself, she sounded wistful.

“That’s exactly what I thought the minute I first walked through the front door. We went into the backyard and Austin ran around for a while. Then we went back inside and went from room to room, just trying to get a feel for the house, and all the time I was thinking, ‘This could be it. This could be home.’ And it almost was. It was almost home, Stef. But there was something missing, and as soon as I realized what it was, I knew if I bought that house and moved there, it would never be more than
almost.
”

“So what was missing?” She frowned.

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “You were.”

She tilted her head to one side, not sure she was understanding.

“If you’re not there with us, any place is always going to be
almost
. That’s not good enough for me, and it’s not good enough for Austin.”

For a moment Stef was certain that her heart had stopped beating. Had he just said …?

“What exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying that there’s no home for me—not there, not here in St. Dennis—without you.”

She took a deep breath and tried to slow the rapid
beating of her heart. “Just because I helped you today doesn’t mean that you have to change your plans. You’re not obligated to me because of anything that happened here tonight.”

“I changed my plans before I left Connecticut, Stef. I already told Ted that I was passing on the job.”

“Huh?” She wished her response had been more gracious, more eloquent, but her mind had gone mostly blank. She recovered enough to protest, “But … but it was all so perfect for you there.”

“The perfect job for me is having my own brewery. I can start over. It won’t be KenneMac, but it can be damned good. Actually, it can be great. Clay mentioned he was interested in working with me if I ever wanted to start up again. I called him last night to see if he still thought it was a good idea, and he does. He’s got the fields to grow whatever we need and he has a large unused barn that can be retrofitted with equipment. Clay’s interested in organics, so we talked about what he’d have to grow next year—barley, hops, and so on—and what we’d need in finances. Then I called Dallas because she’d said once before that if I wanted to go into business for myself, she’d fund it as an investment, so we talked that out.”

“So you’ll be back in business?”

“It’s going to take a while to get set up, but yes, I’ll be back in business.” He nodded happily, then added, “But the best part is that I’ll be back in business right here in St. Dennis.”

“That’s really good. Great. I’m sure Dallas and Berry will be happy to hear that you’re staying.”

“And how ’bout you, Stef. Are you happy that we’re staying?” He pulled her to him.

“Oh, well, yeah. Sure. If that’s what you want, if you’re sure. But you’re passing up on a lot. I mean, what about Angela Lansbury? And the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood?”

“I’m sure we can find some good child care here in St. Dennis. And as far as the house is concerned … Stef, did you hear anything I said about that house? About why we couldn’t live there?”

“You said … you said it wasn’t home …” She could barely get the words out. Had he really said such a thing?

“I said it wasn’t home because …” He prompted her.

“Because I wasn’t there.” She thought it over for a moment. “You really meant that? That it wasn’t perfect because I wasn’t there?”

“I can’t believe it took me all this time to figure it out, but there it is. There isn’t anyone else for me, Stef. I think it’s always been you.”

“Oh.” The small word squeaked out.

“Aren’t you going to say something? Like, ‘Wade, it’s always been you for me, too.’ ”

“I … I can’t seem to get … I mean, you were. You are. You always have been. But hearing you actually say it …” She pinched herself. “Ouch. I guess I’m not dreaming.”

“We have a lot of time to make up for, you and I.” He nuzzled the curve of her neck.

“Let me get this straight.” She tried to ignore the little flame that was igniting inside her again. “You passed on the job because of me.”

“Right.” His lips moved across her throat.

“You gave up perfect child care and the perfect house because of me.”

“Right again.” And across her shoulder.

“Any chance that someday you’re going to regret—”

“None,” he said adamantly. “Not gonna happen. As soon as I realized it, I knew it was right. I know this is where I belong. I know that I want Austin to grow up here and I know that I want to make my home here.”

“With me,” she said dreamily. “You want to make a home with me.”

“Yes,” he replied solemnly. “I want to make a home with you. If you’ll have me.”

“Oh, well. I’ll need to think about that. After all, I already have my own home.” She tried to appear solemn, thoughtful. Inside, she was positively giddy. “I’ve lived by myself for a long time, you know. I’m going to have to think long and hard about whether or not I want to give up my independence.”

“Well, while you’re thinking …” His lips found their way back to her skin.

“Stop.” She tapped him on the back. “If you want me, you know what you’re going to have to do, don’t you?” Finally—finally!—she’d hear the L-word from his lips. Finally, she could tell him exactly how she felt.

“I’m trying to but you keep interrupting me.”

“Not that.”

“All right.” He laughed. “I get it.” He paused. “Should I get down on one knee?”

“As long as you don’t take the sheet with you.” She grinned and started to sit up, then realized what he was about to do, and her smile faded. One knee …?
Did he really say, “One knee”? The thought took her breath away.

It was the moment she’d waited for since she was thirteen years old.

He took her hands in his and she held her breath.

“Stef, I’ve been falling in love with you for more years than I can remember. You’re the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I’ve never thought of saying those words to anyone else, because there’s never been anyone like you. I want to marry you and—”

He stopped.

Damn. Just as he was getting to the good part. “What?” she asked. Was he having second thoughts?

“I don’t have a ring.” Even in the dark, she could see that he was frowning.

“Don’t stop now,” she told him. “You can get a ring later. Keep going.”

“Okay, where was I?”

“You want to marry … oh, you’re teasing me.”

“I am.” He laughed softly. “I want to marry you and live a long and happy life with you. I want to spend every new morning and every new night with you in my arms. I want to plan vacations with you and worry over our kids with you. I want to celebrate birthdays and Christmases with you. I want to have brothers and sisters for Austin. Here, in St. Dennis, where we both belong.”

“That’s all I ever wanted, Wade.” She was almost too overcome to get those few words out.

“You didn’t say yes,” he pointed out.

“You didn’t ask me.”

“Oh. Right. Will you marry me, Stef?”

“Yes, of course I will marry you,” she squealed, and threw her arms around his neck. “I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love you. I would marry you tomorrow. I would marry you right now, this minute.”

She felt tears running down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away.

“This minute might be tough to pull off,” he whispered. “Tomorrow … that might be tight, too.”

“But we can’t get married before Dallas and Grant anyway,” she told him.

“Why not?”

“It’s the rule. They got engaged first.”

“So?”

“So they get first shot at choosing their date.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to know where that rule came from, but when I get back to Berry’s, I’ll ask Dallas if they have a date. And since the sun is just about up, I will need to get going.” He looked out the window at the light that was just starting to spread across the bedroom floor. “But I think we might have just enough time …”

“I think so, too.” She lifted her arms and her mouth to his, and welcomed him home.

It was a glorious morning. Wade stood on the dock with his son and smiled just because life was so damned good. He had everything that mattered to him. He had Austin, he had Stef, he had a place in St. Dennis that was just his, not one that was dependent upon his sister or his aunt or anyone else. And soon he’d have his own brewery again. Well, his, Clay’s, and Dallas’s. But he was going to be the brewmaster. All of this good fortune made his head spin, like someone who’d been living on the bare edge of poverty who’d just won the lottery. There seemed to be almost too much goodness in his life. Could there be such a thing, he wondered, as too much good fortune?

“What are you grinning about, silly boy?” Dallas came up behind him and pretended to push him toward the edge of the dock.

He told her. Life was overflowing with an embarrassment of riches.

“Don’t you think you deserve it after the two years you’ve had?” She sat on the dock and swung her legs over the side. Austin lay down next to her to see what he could see in the water below. “Your life was on a
mean streak there for a while, bud. I think it’s time you got a little break.”

“Thanks.” He sat next to her. “Actually, I got a big break. Several big breaks.”

“Name three things you’re thankful for this morning.”

“Austin and you, of course,” he replied without hesitation. “And Stef.”

“Oh, so she’s made it into the top three, has she?”

Wade nodded.

“That’s nice, sweetie.” She smacked him on the arm. “It shouldn’t have taken so long.”

“I know. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Me either. But at least you’ve seen the error of your ways.” Dallas smiled. “What is it about those Wylers that we MacGregors find so irresistible?”

“Speaking of the Wylers, when are you and Grant getting married?”

“We can’t decide. On the one hand, I’d love to be a Christmas bride, and get married at the inn.” Dallas’s eyes were shining. “On the other, a summer wedding is always so lovely. All the flowers I most love are only available then. But a winter wedding, with everything white and sparkly …”

“So the answer is, you don’t know.”

“It’s still under discussion. Why the sudden interest?”

When he didn’t respond, she said, “Wade? Why do you want to know?”

He cleared his throat. “Because, um, I … ah … asked Steffie to marry me and she said you and Grant had to get married first because you got engaged first. That it was some sort of rule. Not that we’re engaged
yet, not formally. I mean, I didn’t buy her a ring. But I will.” He paused. “Buy her a ring, that is.”

“You! You knew this and you’re sitting out here in the sun like a big fat old toad and you didn’t think to tell me?” She smacked his arm again.

“I just did tell you.”

“This constitutes Very Big News, brother.”

“I know. I was just sitting here thinking about it and thinking how lucky I was.” He turned to his sister. “I was going to tell you this morning, really. I just came outside with Austin because it’s such a beautiful morning and he likes to watch the little fish swim under the dock. But I was going to come back in, in a few minutes, and talk to you and Berry.”

“That was all so lovely, I’ll probably have to forgive you.” She smiled. “But Berry isn’t here. She went to Archer’s last night and didn’t come back.”

“She drove all the way to Annapolis last night in the dark? And you let her?”

“He has a place out near the inn, right before you go onto the bridge that goes over to Cannonball Island. It’s on the road that winds toward the Bay, so she didn’t drive to Annapolis. And since when has ‘letting’ been involved when Berry wanted to do something?”

“You have a point.” Wade nodded. “I didn’t know Archer had a place here in town.”

“He sold the Annapolis house last month and bought a smaller place here. To be closer to Berry, I’m sure.”

“He has kids, right?” Wade asked.

“Three or four, I think.”

“How do they feel about their father’s relationship with Berry?”

Dallas shrugged. “I don’t know if they even know that he’s seeing her. His wife has been dead for a few years, though, so it shouldn’t come as a complete shock that he’d want the company of a gorgeous, vibrant woman like Berry.”

“That’s your second good point of the morning,” he told her. “You’re on a roll.”

“I will be in about two hours. I’m meeting an architect at the warehouse at eleven to go over my plans for the studio.” She grinned. “We are just digging our heels in, aren’t we, the two of us? Me with my studio, you with the brewery. Your phone call made me very happy.”