The Chesapeake Diaries Series 7-Book Bundle: Coming HOme, Home Again, Almost Home, Hometown Girl, Home for the Summer, The Long Way Home, At the River's Edge (115 page)

“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.”

“I’m glad you’re happy. But hey, you just reminded me. I have a meeting this morning, too.” He stole a look at his watch. “Clay and I are going to go through his barns and see which is best suited for conversion into a brewery. Then we’re going to look into the equipment we need to order.”

“I’m delighted that you’re moving ahead immediately with this. But what are you going to do with Austin? I won’t be here to watch him.”

“Clay’s mom recommended a sitter, some friend of hers who’s looking for something she can do at home. I thought I’d give her a call. I need to find someone local anyway, if I’m going to be working here.”

Dallas stood and brushed off the seat of her jeans. “I’m really happy for you and Stef, Wade. I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s wonderful. I’ll have to give her a call later and tell her so.”

“Good idea,” he said. “Maybe you and she can work out the whole date thing.”

*   *   *

Steffie could barely contain herself all day. Her arm was almost black and blue from pinching herself every other minute to see if she was still awake. Having your best dreams come true was nothing short of awesome. That they did so unexpectedly made the reality even sweeter.

She couldn’t wait to tell Vanessa.

Calling on the phone wouldn’t do, and when she stopped at Bling around noon, Vanessa was taking delivery of some merchandise she’d ordered for the shop. She’d just realized that the order was short and was going back and forth between the vendor and the delivery guy.

“I’ll stop back later,” Stef told her.

Vanessa put her hand over the phone. “I have three more deliveries scheduled for this afternoon, and if this is any indication of how things are going for me today, you don’t want to be around to witness the aftermath.”

Steffie was keeping the shop open until seven, but Wade had brought her dinner—Chinese takeout—at six. Dallas had a meeting, and Wade had both Austin and Cody to feed and put to bed.

Cody had homework, which meant Wade needed to get the boys back to the house by six-thirty so that he could help Cody with those all important spelling words.

“Dallas called me this afternoon,” Steffie told him. “She said she was thrilled that you’d finally come to your senses and that she and Grant wanted to get together with us to celebrate really soon. Which I already knew because my brother stopped in this morning and I told him. I was going to tell my mother but
I thought I’d wait until we were together. Dallas and Grant are still talking about a date, though.”

“I have to ask your father for your hand.”

“I’d have thought there were other parts you were more interested in.”

“Ha-ha. That’s not part of the tradition. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it the right way,” he said.

“Did you tell Berry?”

Wade shook his head. “She wasn’t around today, at least, not when I was. Of course, I was at Clay’s for most of the afternoon.” He ruffled Austin’s hair. “And Austin got to meet his new babysitter, right, ace? Mrs. Lindstrom,” he told Stef.

“Cathy Lindstrom’s mom?” Stef asked.

Wade shrugged. “I don’t know. Clay’s mom recommended her and she seems really nice and Austin really had a good time at her place today, didn’t you?”

Austin nodded and picked up a piece of overcooked broccoli to lick.

“Nice manners,” Wade noted.

“He’s just a little guy.” Stef leaned on the back of Wade’s chair, her arms around his neck. “But if he eats his dinner, he can have ice cream.”