“Don’t you read those for yourself?” Leah asked.
“She can’t read them all,” Sarah scoffed. “Do you know how many comments she gets on her videos and pictures?”
“I don’t, but apparently you do.” Leah turned to face Sarah. “Have you been watching her videos?”
“Yep, and I’ve been looking at her pictures on social media too. I mean, if she’s going to be part of our lives, we should support her in what she does, right?” Sarah looked at Leah, her gaze narrowing in such a way that Eli almost laughed because he knew what was coming. “Don’t for a minute try to tell me that you haven’t looked her up on social media, because I will call you on that one.”
Leah shrugged. “I’m only human, and curiosity is a human trait. Plus, we needed to know what sort of person Eli was getting involved with.”
“And what did you discover?” Eli asked with a wink at Anna.
“Well, you know, she’s not going to win an Emmy or anything, but I guess she’s okay.”
“Oh my word,” Anna exclaimed, pressing a hand to her heart. “That is high praise coming from you, Leah. I’ll take it!”
The last of the tension in the room dissipated as they began to laugh together.
Even Leah cracked a smile. “So, does this mean you’re officially a couple now?”
“It does,” Eli said without hesitation.
“Yes, it definitely does,” Anna agreed as she stood up and wrapped her arms around him.
Things weren’t perfect for either of them. He was still facing an investigation. She was still trying to get out from under a scandal, and now they had another one looming, but he had hope. This time he planned to hold his head up high, knowing that he was not alone. He had God on his side as well as his family.
And Anna. This time around, he had Anna, who had already shown him through her actions that she loved him and would support him through whatever lay ahead.
Eli looked down at Anna as she laughed at something Sarah said. The sound of her laughter spiralled through him, bringing with it the promise of joy and happiness. And he knew it would be his honor to love and support her throughout whatever journey God led them on.
EPILOGUE
Arianna let herself into her hotel room with a sigh. Shoulders slumping, she walked across the thickly carpeted floor until she reached the bed, then she turned and flopped back on it. She stared at the ceiling and tried not to scream. It was a lovely room, and she’d spent time with some lovely people, but she wanted to go home…to the people she loved.
Unfortunately, the room that had been her home for the past two nights was going to be her home for another two. This was the fourth trip in six months, and each time she’d left New Hope Falls, she’d done so with a feeling of dread in her stomach.
New Hope Falls had definitely become her home. Physically, she’d packed up her apartment and been moved to New Hope by Christmas. After debating between renting out her apartment and selling it, she’d decided to just cut that final string and put it on the market. She’d thought it might be hard to walk away from the first home she’d ever owned, but it hadn’t been. What lay ahead was so much more exciting than what had already come to pass.
On an emotional level, New Hope was where her heart had engaged in a way it never had in LA. She’d made friends—beyond just Sarah and Leah—and had found a church home that encouraged her spiritually. Her love for doing videos had been rekindled, and though people still continued to make videos about her and Eli off and on, their plan to ignore the efforts to destroy their relationship seemed to be working.
It seemed that because the drama channels weren’t getting any information from her or Eli, they were forced to go digging, and in the process, some of the drama channels had changed their tune, and several had even stopped making videos on them altogether. Maybe in another six months, everything would have completely blown over. Thankfully, the situation with David had finally died down around Christmas. That had been one of the best presents she’d gotten that year.
Surprisingly, the majority of her fans had stuck around through David’s continuing social media efforts to smear her reputation as well as the drama that had followed the assault video. It really wouldn’t have mattered if they hadn’t, she was happy to just be making the videos she wanted to make once again.
She’d pulled back on her vlogging since she wasn’t keen to share much of her life in New Hope. When she did vlog, she tended to wait until she was spending time in one of the surrounding cities or, as she had been doing the past couple of days, when she was out of town. Thankfully, aside from a couple instances, none of her viewers had come to the lodge looking for her. She’d been stopped several times in New Hope and even in Everett, but everyone had been friendly and polite when they’d recognized her.
With a groan, Arianna kicked off her shoes and turned over onto her stomach. Staring at her phone, she knew that putting off the inevitable wouldn’t make it any easier. Her stomach was in knots as she tapped the screen to call Eli.
He’d been so good about the time she’d been away from New Hope Falls because of her business, but each time she had to go, it was with great reluctance. It was hard on both of them to be apart, especially since they saw each other every single day when she was home.
When she’d made the decision to stay in New Hope, she hadn’t been sure what to do about a place to live. She’d considered looking for an apartment in town, but she loved the lodge. After some discussions with Nadine and Eli, they’d offered her one of their one-bedroom cabins. She’d insisted on paying the full amount of what they would have made on it had it been available to rent. The last thing Arianna had wanted was for them to lose money because of her.
“Hello, love,” Eli said, his deep, affectionate voice washing over her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay,” Arianna said with a sigh. “How about you?”
“I’m tired. We had a plumbing emergency in one of the cabins, so I spent the day trying to get that sorted out then cleaned up.”
“Oh no. Was there a lot of damage?”
“Enough. We’ll probably have to replace the carpet if we can’t get it to dry out without smelling horrible. We didn’t realize what was happening until Leah went there today to get it ready for people who are arriving on Friday.”
“Is there another cabin available for them?”
“Yeah, they wanted a studio, but we’re going to put them into a one-bedroom at the same rate. Next week that wouldn’t have been an option, but this week we weren’t fully booked.”
“I wish I was there to help you out.”
“You can help out tomorrow when you get home,” Eli said with a laugh.
Arianna sighed. “About that…” She took a deep breath and rushed on. “It turns out that the company wants to have a couple more meetings to finalize the range of items we’re working on for next year. I didn’t want to stay and tried to get them to have the meetings via video conferencing, but they said that since I was already here, this was more convenient. I’m so sorry, Eli. I know—”
“Love.” His one word stopped her.
She took a deep breath and let it out, trying to keep her worry from prompting her to start babbling again.
“Love,” he said again, his tone softer. “I trust you. I know you’d rather be here, and, of course, I’d rather have you here, but I trust you.”
“I just don’t want you to decide that me being away so much is more hassle than I’m worth.” So much for not babbling.
“Your being gone is not a hassle, and even if it was, you would still be worth it. You’re worth everything to me. Absolutely everything. Don’t ever doubt that.”
A weight she hadn’t known she was carrying fell away. Because of Eli’s experience with his dad, she had worried that he’d eventually get tired of her traveling. Hearing him say that not only was it not bothering him, but that even if it had, she was worth it, made all the difference for her.
“I lo
ve you, Eli,” she whispered into the phone, her throat tight with emotion. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so thankful that God brought you into my life to show me what real love is.”
“I love you too, and I do miss you, so tell me when I can pick you up from the airport.”
Arianna laughed with the joy that Eli brought to her life. Knowing that he would be waiting for her at the airport, just like he had each time she’d returned, made her all the more excited to go home. She gave him her flight information then they spent a few more minutes talking before they said goodnight. Though it was only eight o’clock in New Hope, it was eleven in New York City, and she had an early meeting the next morning.
Though she wished she’d be seeing Eli the next day, Arianna felt nothing but happiness as she crawled into bed a short time later. She hoped that she’d be busy enough the next day so that time would fly by. If her parents had been in town, she would have made arrangements to see them, but as luck would have it, they were in London on business for the week.
So she’d focus on her business and then return to where her heart yearned to be. Home.
***
Eli glanced up at the arrivals board, happy to see that Anna’s flight was on time, and it wasn’t just because he was anxious to see her. With her flight leaving at 6 AM New York time, she’d likely been up since midnight or 1 AM New Hope time. He hoped that she’d been able to get some rest on the plane. Luckily, she still flew first class, so hopefully she’d been comfortable enough to sleep a bit.
As he shoved his hand into his pocket, he felt a flutter of nerves mixed with excitement. He’d been disappointed when she’d delayed her plans to come back because it meant he’d had to delay his plans. However, since no one else knew about his plans, the delay wasn’t of any real consequence.
“Wife or girlfriend?”
Eli turned toward the sound of the voice, and his gaze landed on an elderly woman who stood a short distance away with a man of a similar age. The woman’s gaze moved from his face to the rose he held in his hand.
“Girlfriend,” he responded, giving the woman a brief—but hopefully friendly—smile.
“The rose is beautiful.”
“I hope she thinks so too.” He’d learned early on that while Anna loved bouquets of assorted flowers, when it came to roses, she preferred just one. Though he’d brought her bouquets before, this time around, he’d chosen a single red rose.
“I’m sure she will.” The woman beamed at him. “Just the fact you brought something will touch her, I’m sure. I know that I always loved it when my Albert did that for me.”
She smiled at the man beside her then leaned her head against his shoulder. This time Eli’s smile was a bit broader. He couldn’t help but wonder what he and Anna would be like in years to come. Would they still be together when they were that age? If he had his way, they would be, and he was doing what he could to make that future a reality.
He glanced at the arrivals screen again, his heart skipping a beat when he saw that the flight had arrived. Since it was just before noon, the airport was a bit busier than it was when she arrived late at night. There were quite a few people standing around near him which had him rethinking his plans, but he shook off his doubts and hesitations. He’d been praying about it and had felt at peace in moving forward, so he wasn’t going to turn back now.
Ignoring the movement of people around him, Eli kept his gaze on the people who were arriving, watching for Anna. Just knowing that they were within minutes of seeing each other after four days apart had him smiling. The only good thing about Anna going on these trips was the anticipation of seeing her again.
Finally, he saw her. The sudden pounding of his heart robbed him of breath for a moment. She was his world, his heart walking around outside his body. All he wanted was for her to be happy, to find joy with him the way he’d found it with her. Forever.
As soon as their gazes met, a smile burst on her face. He couldn’t help but smile in return. When she was a few feet away, he pulled his hand from his pocket and slowly sank to one knee.
The world narrowed to just them as her steps faltered for a moment. Her eyes went wide, and she lifted a hand to cover her mouth. Eli waited for her to get closer so he could give her the speech he’d rehearsed. When she did move, however, it was to close the distance between them then drop to her knees in front of him, her hands reaching to grasp his arms.
“Yes,” she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Yes!”
Eli laughed as he pulled her into his arms, inhaling the now-familiar scent that he would always associate with her. “You didn’t even let me ask you.”
“Sorry,” Anna whispered as she moved back to look at him. “Okay. Ask me.”
“I had a whole speech planned, but I don’t think it’s necessary now.” Eli reached out to run the tips of his fingers down her cheek. She turned into his touch, and he blew out a breath. “Anna, my love, will you make me the happiest man on earth by agreeing to be my wife?”
She didn’t answer right away, apparently waiting to make sure he was done. When all he did was lift a brow, she laughed and said, “Yes. Forever and always…yes.”
Eli leaned forward to press his lips to hers, then gave her the rose. “I want you to remember this moment and know that each and every time you have to leave, I promise I will be waiting here for you when you come back home.”
“Thank you,” Anna whispered. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Eli said then got to his feet, pulling her up with him. “And before I forget…”
He pulled the ring box out of his pocket. Once he’d popped it open, he extracted the ring then reached for her hand. After giving Anna a lingering smile, he slid the ring onto her finger then lifted her hand to kiss it.
As he slid his arms around her, the world around them slowly came back into focus, and Eli realized they had the attention of people around them. A few even clapped as they stood there hugging. Anna hid her face in his shoulder and laughed.
“For someone who doesn’t like the public eye, you’ve certainly drawn plenty of attention to yourself,” she said as she pulled back to look at him, her fingers still linked behind his neck. Her gaze went serious. “Thank you for giving me something to take with me whenever I leave. I will always come home to you.”
“That’s all I want.” He gave her a smile. “So let’s get your bags and get out of here. I can’t wait to get home and share the news with Mom and the girls.”
As they stepped out of their embrace, Anna took his hand. “Did they know you were going to do this?”
Eli shook his head. “No one knows but you.”
“Oo, a surprise! Maybe we shouldn’t say anything and see who’s first to spot the ring.”
“I like that idea.” Hand in hand, they moved toward the baggage claim. “Who do you think it will be?”
“Leah,” she said with no hesitation.
“Yeah,” Eli agreed. “You’re probably right.”
As they stood watching the bags circle around, she leaned into his side and let out a long sigh. “I am so glad to be back to where I’m just Anna.”
One day, he might venture with her into the world of Arianna, but even though she’d invited him to come with her on one of her trips, he hadn’t accepted. Yet. Maybe once they were married, he would go with her sometimes.
“And I’m glad to have you back here.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead then moved to grab her suitcase.
After having been there to help her with her luggage each time she left and came back, he knew them now by sight. It wasn’t long before her second one arrived, then they were on their way out of the airport. As had become their habit, they stopped somewhere to grab a bite to eat before heading back to New Hope.
He pulled to a stop in front of the cabin that was now Anna’s home. He had been glad when they’d been able to work out an arrangement so that she could stay close by. It was nice to have extra help arou
nd the lodge, especially now that they were entering into their busiest time of the year.
After they’d taken her suitcases inside, they climbed back into the truck and made their way to the lodge. They had guests coming that weekend, so his mom and the girls were all in the kitchen doing some baking in preparation for that.
“Anna!” Sarah hurried over to give Anna a hug. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
“Yeah, because you want more help getting the rooms and cabins ready,” Leah scoffed. The small smile she gave Anna took the edge off her words.
“Well, I’m glad she’s back too,” his mom said as she dried her hands off then came to give Anna a hug. “How was your trip?”
“Long. Tiring.” Anna settled on a stool at the counter while Eli went to the coffee machine to make them each a cup. “I’m also glad to be home.”
Eli smiled when she said the word home. She’d considered New Hope home since the Fall Festival, but it still thrilled him each time she said the word. There were times he’d wondered if her infatuation with the town would ebb the longer she was there, but that showed no sign of happening. Instead, she’d gone about making a place for herself in her new hometown.
Whether it was attending exercise classes at the dance studio in town or joining the church so that she could help in the children’s ministry, she hadn’t just taken up residence in a cabin at the lodge, she’d immersed herself in the town. She loved visiting the bookstore or shopping at Overmeier Groceries, and she even made regular trips to the bakery—when Cece wasn’t working. But the business that saw her the most was Norma’s. They went in together several times a week to eat, but she’d also helped out as hostess when Norma had been shorthanded.
Seeing how easily and eagerly she’d fit into his world had helped Eli to make his decision to propose to her. He’d known she loved him, but he’d needed to see that she also loved his family and his town. Because whether he liked it or not, he and the town were intertwined, and he wasn’t able to escape it.
A Love So Real: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 1) Page 32
