Butterfly Bayou
Page 32
She hoped this was it. Since that day in the hospital he hadn’t breathed another word about getting married. He’d had her move back in with him and they’d found a wonderful rhythm. Both he and Noelle went to PT, and Lila and Mabel had set up a temporary clinic at the gym. She would watch her two favorite people in the world as they worked their way back.
Noelle had found her strength. She was a warrior in that gym, and she was starting to find her balance. It would always be a struggle, but she was far more independent than she’d been. Although Lila wished she’d never mentioned that Noelle should learn to cook. There were some acts that could never be taken back, and Noelle’s meatloaf was one of them.
But Armie hadn’t mentioned marriage again. She hadn’t pushed because he’d been getting back on his feet.
She also had to wonder if he’d changed his mind. He’d been through something harrowing. She was perfectly happy she’d been unconscious for the last part of that particular adventure. She’d woken up in the hospital with her sister holding her hand. Lisa had been the one to tell her that Armie was in surgery and that her clinic had gone up in smoke. Luckily the fire department had managed to keep the fire contained.
“If you’re ready, then we should head out.” Armie was back at work but looking for a new station house manager since his daughter was now devoted to her PT and taking dual credit classes at a community college an hour away.
“You two can handle it, right?” she asked, smiling at her employees.
Mabel had returned to work after taking some time off. She claimed a week at a casino was all she needed to get back on her feet, but Lila had insisted they both talk to a counselor. They had a standing date with a lovely young woman who was guiding them all through the aftermath. Even Armie was going in for sessions.
“We’ve got it. We’ll be ready when we open up tomorrow.” Mabel winked her way. “You two go and have some fun. You’ve been working like a dog for weeks.”
She took Armie’s hand and he led her out toward his SUV, Peanut following behind. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere I’ve been wanting to take you for a while.” He opened the door and helped her up. The dog hopped into the back and took his normal seat. There was nothing Peanut liked more than hanging his head out the window and watching the world go by. “But the time is right now.”
“The time is right?” She rolled her window down, too. She kind of liked the fresh air as well.
He kissed the palm of her hand. “Yes, I’m working on my timing and now it’s right, though you should know my life became right the day you walked into it.”
“I drove into it and you pulled me over.”
“You’re a speed demon, my love. Now hush and enjoy the ride.”
He was being awfully mysterious, but she’d learned to trust him. He’d said he was all in, and she’d seen nothing from him that made her doubt it. He’d supported her in everything she wanted to do even when it meant cutting his red meat intake after she’d gotten his cholesterol numbers back. They’d settled into something amazing.
And he’d been more than supportive when she’d announced plans for the Maryanne George Women’s Shelter, serving all of Papillon Parish. She was using the land she’d bought and building something new and safe for any woman who needed it.
He was right. She wouldn’t give up on them.
And she wouldn’t ever give up on her town. She was quiet as Armie started to drive them through the town toward the bayou. How odd that she’d spent all those years of her childhood dreaming of some high-rise, thinking wealth would make her happy, and only finding the meaning of that word here. Her happiness wasn’t found in money or things. It had been found in this place, in serving her neighbors and discovering what it meant to be a mother and a wife. Finding her place in this tiny town had given her a freedom she’d never thought to have.
Armie parked in front of the remains of her old house. He opened the door and Peanut bounded out.
“Are we taking a tour ahead of the wreckers coming out?” In a few days they would clear out the entire lot and get it ready to rebuild it as a modern, secure home. She liked that she wouldn’t be too far from it.
He shook his head. “No. We’re going to one of my favorite places in the world. It’s a little out of the way, though. I guilted Major into coming out here and fixing up your dock. It still needs work, but it’s safe and I parked a boat there for us.”
She would go anywhere with him. “Let’s go.”
She let him lead her down to the dock, looking wistfully at her first house on the bayou. She loved Armie’s home, her home, but this one had been a nice introduction to her new life.
He helped her onto the flat-bottom boat and she enjoyed the beauty of the world around her. Peanut didn’t mind the boat at all. He simply laid his head in her lap and settled in for the ride. She’d never done this before, never simply let the loveliness of a place wash over her knowing she belonged amidst the trees and water, the sky and land. She didn’t even question where they were going, simply let Armie navigate the boat out and into the mighty forest that rose up from the water. It was a magical place.
“Do you know why they call this Butterfly Bayou?” Armie slowed the boat down, and up ahead she saw a small island and another couple of boats tied to the tiny dock there.
“I know Papillon means butterfly. Lisa said they migrate through here.” Was someone waiting for them? She thought she recognized one of the boats.
“Yes, they do, and they’re here now. They love this island in particular.” He tied the boat off and helped her onto the spongy earth. Peanut immediately started chasing bugs.
That was when she saw what had been hidden by the bushes.
Her family. They stood in a semicircle, her brother, Will, and his wife. Laurel and Mitch. Remy and Lisa. Noelle was in her chair next to Lisa. They were joined by what had to be thousands of butterflies. They clung to the trees and the plants, landed on her clothes. Their wings fluttered and her breath caught.
“I thought this was the proper place to do what I need to do. They come here on their way to Mexico. Butterflies transform and you transformed me.”
“And me,” Noelle said with a grin.
She could feel the tears start to roll, but they were sweet this time. He hadn’t changed his mind. He’d had a plan. “Tell me you didn’t ask my brother for my hand.”
Sometimes folks around here could be a bit on the old-fashioned side.
“I would never do that. No one can give you away, chérie. You are a force of nature. And I’m not asking you to give yourself to me. I’m asking you to bond with me, to take what was singular and turn it into something more. Turn it into a family. Turn us into a family.” He dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring. “It’s not much, but it has history. My father gave this to my mother. He spent every dime he had on this ring and told her they would live on hope if they had to. They lived on it for fifty years, and I want all that and more with you.”
The ring was beautiful, the sentiment behind it even more so. She got to her knees with him because they were always equals. “Yes.”
“I love you.” He slipped the ring on her finger as her small crowd cheered.
“Excellent. I brought the champagne,” Lisa said.
“Good, because I think we should stay out here for a long time.” Will was smiling.
His wife shook her head. “He says that because the baby’s teething and we left all the kiddos at Guidry’s.”
Remy frowned. “Where my brother and sister are supposed to be watching them. I hope they’re still whole when we get back.”
Her family started arguing about the pros and cons of life on the bayou, but she was far too busy kissing her almost husband.
He pressed his lips to hers as the butterflies flittered around them.
Life was good on the bayou.
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acknowledgments
Special thanks to my agent, Kevan Lyon. I love working with you and look forward to many more books. Thanks to my editor, Kate Seaver, for seeing how much fun we could have on the bayou. A shout-out to the Berkley publicity team, Fareeda Bullert and Jessica Brock. Much love to my publicist, Jenn Watson, and the whole Social Butterfly team, as well as my social media guru, Jillian Stein. I would like to acknowledge the great work my beta readers do. Stormy Pate and Riane Holt always keep it real for me. Liz Berry manages to ensure I don’t go crazy. Kori Smith and Sara Buell—if I got anything right with the medical aspects of this book, it’s because of you! As always, thanks to my personal team: Kim Guidroz, Maria Monroy, Margarita Coale, and my husband, Richard.
Look for Lexi Blake’s next Butterfly Bayou book
Bayou Baby
Coming soon from Berkley!
about the author
Lexi Blake is the New York Times bestselling author of over seventy titles. She lives in North Texas with her family and two of the most adorable rescue dogs ever. She’s a big city girl who married a small town boy and loves visiting his hometown. Except when the bears show up on the porch.
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