by Ava Miles
Sitting down heavily, she read it twice, unable to believe her eyes. She pressed the letter to her chest and cried out, “Thank you, God!” It was over. She couldn’t believe it was over.
“What’s the matter, Mom?” Iris asked. “What does that say?”
She wet her dry lips. “In a sec, honey. Arthur, when did this arrive?”
“Honestly, you just missed him.” Arthur’s steady blue eyes took her measure. “Is it good news?”
Good? Is that how she’d term it after all of the hurt and upheaval? She wasn’t sure. But she was darn glad she had her company back and full access to their home and lab. She knew they would never move back to the farm, but this way, she could remove all of their things without a battle.
Her company was in her hands again, hers to do with as she wanted. Knowing she was going to marry Flynn, what exactly did she want? Her future was different now. She needed to think about it.
“Your grandfather ended up listening to you girls,” she told Iris and Eloise. “He listened to all of us. He’s giving the company back.”
“And I have my pony back.” Amelia danced around the dining room table.
“But it’s different now, isn’t it, Mom?” Iris asked. “He hurt you. And us kinda.”
Oh, these were the moments when she felt stretched as a mother. She so wanted to say the right thing, but what would that be? In the end, she wanted them to be able to decide for themselves, which meant she needed to be truthful about her own feelings. “I’m still angry with him, but I’m glad he did the right thing. But yes, it does change things. I’m going to have to work hard to forgive him. You’ll have to decide how you feel. If you’re mad or hurt, that’s all right.”
“I am,” Iris said, her eyes firing. “It wasn’t okay what he did.”
Annie took her daughter’s hand. “It’s okay to feel that way. It’s not like you can flip a switch—”
“And everything goes back to normal,” Eloise said, her blue eyes darkening. “It was that way when Daddy died.”
“Right.” Nothing had been the same after that, and they all knew it. It had made the twins grow up that much faster.
“Now we have Flynn in our lives,” Iris said, taking Eloise by the hand and snagging Amelia’s hand too as she danced by. Iris then took Amelia’s free hand, the three forming a circle around Annie. “We’ll be finding a new home.”
“Together,” Eloise added, jiggling the hands she was holding.
“Of course, we’ll be together,” Amelia called out, rolling her eyes. “We’re family.”
Arthur’s mouth twitched, and Annie found herself smiling at her daughters. “That’s right. We’re family.”
“Nothing better than that,” Arthur said, tousling Amelia’s soft hair.
No, there was nothing better.
Chapter 36
He wanted to show Annie and her girls the world.
Hearing Tom had backed down and done the right thing hadn’t been a full-on cause for celebration, but he knew something that would be. After she’d told him, he’d snuck off to his room and closed the door, calling a Chicagoan jeweler recommended by Connor. He asked if the man could fly down and bring rings for Flynn to choose from.
That night after the girls went to sleep, he and Annie made love in her room. Afterward, she flew to the window, pointing to the aurora borealis streaking through the edge of the visible night sky.
“Every time I see it,” she told him, “something incredible happens, and tomorrow we’re finishing the baskets to ship out on Wednesday. It’s like the start of a whole new world.”
He looked into her eyes, knowing what was coming for them, anticipating it with all he was. But he didn’t want to ruin the surprise just yet. “I feel it too,” was all he said.
They linked hands and watched it together, and the moment made him feel even more grounded about their future together.
Flynn offered to pick the girls up from school the next day, and Caitlyn volunteered to go with him. Everyone was wrapping up the last of the baskets, and he knew he wouldn’t be missed. He’d be there to break open some champagne to toast the final one going out tomorrow, and if all went according to plan, he’d be kissing the hand on which she wore her engagement ring.
When they arrived at his house, Arthur was already sitting at the dining room table with the jeweler and Emily, who rose in one long line of red, grinning from ear to ear.
“You made it!” he yelled as the girls cried, “Aunt Emily,” rushing to her.
She exchanged hugs with the girls, and then with Caitlyn, whom she knew from fashion events and other parties. Then she finally turned to face Flynn, nearly as tall as he was in her heels. “You did good, Flynn Merriam—just like I hoped you would.”
“You did good too, Emily. Your champagne thank you is on the way to your Paris flat as we speak.”
“We’ll have to drink some when you, Annie, and the girls come visit,” she said, patting him sweetly on the cheeks.
“Paris!” Eloise turned in a circle, Amelia following suit.
“Oh, I can’t wait,” Iris said, beaming at him.
“If Hargreaves were here, he’d say something like, ‘May I serve you anything?’” He delivered this in an English accent that made Amelia giggle and the twins fight a smile. “But forget that. On with the show.”
Yes, it was past time. “You ready to help me pick out your mom’s ring?” he asked the girls.
They all nodded and clustered around the table, boosting Amelia onto it so she could have a better look as the jeweler unlocked his case. Flynn felt Caitlyn’s hand on his back, and he smiled at her. “Thanks for being here too.”
“It’s what best friends do,” she said, smiling that smile he knew like his own.
When the girls saw the arrangement of rings, they all gasped. “Oh my goodness,” Amelia cried out. “Those are so beautiful. Mom is going to love them.”
“We’re choosing the most special ring in the world for her.” He spied a princess-cut with French-set diamonds around the band. It was simple in execution but classically timeless, a style that suited Annie in his mind. “What about this one?”
“It’s perfect,” Iris said with awe as the jeweler presented it to Flynn.
The ring felt right in his hand, and he had a flash of putting it on her finger, and then another of him holding her hand and feeling the ring against his palm. “Yes,” he whispered.
Caitlyn nodded and impulsively kissed him on the cheek, tears in her eyes.
“She’ll love it,” Eloise said, holding her hand out as the diamonds caught the sunlight, showering them with mini rainbows.
“Yeah, she sure will,” Emily said, wiping her eyes as well.
“Mom is going to go crazy when you give it to her!” Amelia said, holding on to the edge of the table. “You should call her so she can come home right now.”
He’d thought about whisking her away for a night or proposing after the girls went to sleep on New Year’s. But why couldn’t today be perfect? Almost everyone they loved was here. “Girls, we have some plans to make. You up for it?”
“What am I?” his uncle said. “Chopped liver?”
“Liver,” Amelia said, gagging. “I hate liver.”
Flynn started chuckling along with everyone else. “You can help too, alongside my sis and Emily here.”
And so they began their preparations…
He enlisted Connor’s help in texting them when their entire crew was heading home for dinner. When the car lights appeared in the dining room, he put his arms around the girls and they walked out together, Emily hanging back with his sister and Arthur. The girls looked up to smile at him before they ran across the yard to Carrot.
Annie emerged from the car, laughing with J.T., whom he’d asked to keep her busy and looking away from the house until the last minute. The moment she spotted his surprise, her hand flew to her mouth.
He started walking toward the woman who held his future in her hands.
Chapter 37
Will you marry me, Annie?
The words were printed in large red letters on each of the three giant snowmen dancing in the front yard.
She pressed her hands to her mouth, emotion clogging her throat. Flynn was walking toward her, his handsome face smiling at her. When he reached her, he sank to one knee in the snow.
“Annie, I thought about taking you somewhere, but in the end, I couldn’t imagine doing this in a better place than with our friends and family—mine and yours and now ours—looking on. I love you. I want a forever of orange blossoms with you and the girls. Will you marry me?”
She cupped his dear face. Oh, how he’d changed the course of her life. “Yes, Flynn. I love you too and want forever with you.”
He stood and grabbed her to him, swinging her around in his arms. Applause started and then rose in volume. A few people whistled and cried out. His mouth found hers, and she fell into a perfect kiss, a soul kiss, to use Flynn and Caitlyn’s word for it, a kiss only possible between soulmates. Like them.
When he released her, he framed her face in his hands. Then he called over his shoulder, “Now, girls!”
His hands lowered, and she watched as Iris and Eloise led Carrot toward them with Amelia sitting on the pony. Her little girl was waving, and the twins were smiling brightly when she caught sight of Emily standing beside Caitlyn and Arthur.
“You’re here!” she yelled, waving to her friend, who waved back enthusiastically. Oh, nothing could be better! The girls reached her, and Carrot gave a loud neigh, shaking his white mane in the cold night air.
“Here’s the ring, Flynn,” Amelia said, holding out the box to her. “It’s like a princess, Mom. The trusty steed always brings the present.”
“Trusty steed?” She laughed, opening the box and gasping. A streak of light illuminated the diamonds, and for a moment, she thought again about the aurora borealis she and Flynn had seen together last night. Yes, here was yet another pivotal moment in her life, one that would forever change things, and she wanted to dance under the stars and celebrate.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful, Flynn. Everything I could ever want. Just like you.”
“I told you it was going to make her cry,” Eloise said, nudging her sister.
“Lots of women cry when someone asks them to marry them,” Iris declared. “It’s a really big deal.”
“One of the biggest,” Annie said, taking the ring out of the box, marveling as the diamonds sparkled magically again.
“Flynn, it’s your turn,” Amelia called. “Put it on her finger.”
His mouth was twitching with laughter, but he took the ring from her and sunk onto a knee once again, reaching for her hand. The fit was perfect—like he was for her.
“I promise to love you and make you laugh all the days of our lives,” he said to her.
She covered his hand, and he squeezed it.
“That’s a nice promise,” Amelia said to Flynn, patting him on the shoulder.
“I think so,” Annie said, turning to face his family. “Now I want to make another—to you and your family. I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with my company now that it’s mine legally. Shawn, I know you were going to do your assessment to decide if Merriam wants to buy it. But I have another proposition if I may be so bold.”
Flynn settled his hand on her back, and she was glad for the touch since a few nerves licked up her spine.
“I’d like to be a Merriam straight down the line, in family and in business. I want my company to join with yours, and I want to work for Merriam Enterprises like so many of you do. Like you, Flynn. I would be…very proud if you would accept me.”
The idea had come to her while she’d watched Flynn sleep, and it had felt right.
“Crap, that totally choked me up,” Flynn said, cupping her face for a moment. “I second the idea.”
“Me too!” Caitlyn called out. “She can work with me in skincare and makeup and maybe do some lotions and such with our perfume line. It would be a huge hit.”
“And I want to start a makeup line too,” she continued, everything inside her settling in place. “I know that’s really bold, but I’ll be darn good at it.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Emily shouted. “She’s a pro, guys. I’ll even endorse the products if you want me. I believe in my friend here. Flynn’s not bad either.”
That made everyone laugh, but Annie put her hand on her heart, looking over at her friend. They had so much catching up to do, but it choked her up to think their old dream was finally coming true in a new way. She could see herself putting makeup on Emily again—her makeup, Merriam makeup—before her friend went out on the catwalk to model.
“Dad, I know it’s Quinn’s call,” Trevor said, “but as a member of the board, I’m casting my vote on this. I know when I hear a good deal.”
A few more people called out excited responses, and Shawn dug out his phone. “Annie, if you’ll give me a moment to call the CEO.”
Arthur barked out a laugh at that. “Best not to get Quinn’s knickers in a wad.”
She grabbed Flynn’s hand. The call was short, too short for Annie to even feel the press of nerves, and then Shawn was crossing to Annie and holding out his hand. “Welcome to Merriam Enterprises. Quinn will look forward to discussing the merger and your future with the company.”
She took it, and then she was hugging him, crying tears of joy. “Oh, this is so wonderful! Thank you!”
Someone whistled, and another person hooted.
Flynn grabbed Annie by the shoulders and kissed her straight on the mouth. “I knew this was going to be the biggest merger of my life.”
Yes, and now they had a future together, one built on family and passion—the best kind of freedom anyone could ask for.
“Pick her up, Flynn, and carry her inside,” Amelia yelled out.
Annie started laughing. “Amelia, that’s what he’s supposed to do after we get married.”
“Oh,” she said, putting her finger to the side of her mouth. “When are you going to do that?”
“Yeah, when?” Annie heard one of his brothers call out.
She turned and gazed at each of the people watching. June was brushing away tears next to a smiling Clara. Arthur stood beside his wife now, his arm around her. He caught her eye and winked. Shawn and Assumpta were holding hands, as were Trevor and Becca. Emily, Caitlyn, Connor, and J.T. all stood smiling at them. Her girls hugged her side, and she looked at their precious faces. There was so much love here, and she was so happy at how their family had expanded.
“As soon as possible,” she called out, taking Flynn’s hand.
Because if there was one thing she’d learned, it was to never wait another moment to make your dreams come true.
Chapter 38
A holiday wedding couldn’t be more festive.
Clara grabbed another glass of champagne at the reception and put her arm around her husband’s waist. “It’s so wonderful Annie and Flynn decided to have their reception here at Shawn and Assumpta’s house to kick off our Christmas Eve celebration.”
The wedding had been family only and simple, the couple wanting to marry as quickly as possible to start their lives together. Emily had been a lovely maid of honor, and it had been dear to see both Annie’s mother, who’d flown in from Florida, and June stand up for her with the girls as they said their vows.
“Perhaps later, you’ll take a walk through the vineyards with me and have an eggnog,” Arthur said.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling as Flynn picked Amelia up so the little girl could dance with them, and Boyd sidled up to their circle, turning Michaela in a quick spin before they started to move together in harmony. The twins were dancing with J.T. and Caroline, some line dance Clara wanted to learn. Perhaps later. She also needed to catch June so she could invite her to visit them in Dare Valley. Her friend had some hard decisions to make in the weeks and months to come, and Clara wanted to be
there for her all the way. Arthur and Hargreaves had both enthusiastically agreed to the suggestion of an extended visit.
“Why drink eggnog when you can have champagne? But yes, I would be delighted to take a walk with you so long as it involves kissing in the moonlight.”
“It’s a specialty of mine,” he said with a wink.
She laughed. “That’s a kind of specialty I can approve of. Well, while we didn’t need to do much matchmaking, I feel good about what transpired.”
He gave a familiar harrumph. “Me too. They’re perfect for each other, and the girls are a bonus beyond any man’s belief. That little Amelia had my heart from the moment we met. So did her pony, I’m loath to admit. I certainly hope they settle in Dare Valley. It would be good to see them both frequently.”
The happy couple was still discussing their future residence. “We’ll be seeing them wherever they end up. But I too hope they end up in our hometown. Amelia has talked of little else, wanting to work at your newspaper.”
“Black ink in her blood, that one,” he said. “I’ve already told Meredith and Tanner I’ve found someone for them to consider even if she’s a touch young.”
As if she knew Arthur was speaking about her, Amelia was suddenly wiggling down and running their way.
Clara smiled and squeezed his arm. “Your little friend beckons.”
“Mr. Hale!” she cried, her purple princess dress, as she called it, flowing behind her. “I have an idea for another article. If we move to Dare Valley, can I publish it in your newspaper?”
Clara arched a brow. She wondered how her husband was going to respond.
“Amelia, if the article passes muster, it will be published no matter where you live,” Arthur said.
