by Cathryn Fox
I laugh, but it holds no humor. “Oh really, like you know who I am.”
“I do,” he says. “Just like you know who I am.” I open my mouth to speak, and he gently presses his finger to my lips. “Please hear me out.” My first reaction is to say no, but when I walked away from Farmington, from him, I left a piece of my heart behind.
I’d like it back.
“Fine.” He takes a measured step back, and I instantly miss his warmth.
“I screwed up.” His jaw clenches, his muscles so tight, I think they might snap. “Big time,” he adds.
“Yeah,” I say. “We’ve established that.”
“I was wrong, Alyson, and when you said I was no better than anyone else in your life because of what I did, you were right.”
I swallow, remembering all his kindness, the way he cared for me. The man is all strength and character, but like me, he has demons and flaws. Yes, he bet against me, and while I hate everything about that, including the godawful pain ripping me apart, there is a part of me that understands his actions.
I left the city to run a farm I had no idea how to run, and maybe I was a little bit cocky, flippant, and dismissive when I tossed around words like “How hard it could it be?” I was insensitive, judgy, and harsh, and probably hurt Jay more than I ever realized. Maybe we both said and did some really stupid things.
“I met you, and the first thing I did was judge. I assumed you were just another city girl, afraid to get her nails dirty, and that sooner or later, you’d run back to the city. I was projecting my fears, expecting you to be no better than my ex. I think I wanted to drive you away before you could hurt me, but I made a stupid mistake, and I’m so sorry, Alyson.”
A sound crawls out of my throat as I wave one hand around. “I did run back.”
“No, you didn’t. You didn’t run back to the city because a leopard can’t change its spots. You left because I’m an asshole.”
“I guess Capone was right all this time.”
That brings a small smile to his face. “Looks that way, and you are nothing like my ex. Your place was sabotaged. Even when all the signs pointed to me, you still believed in me.”
I glance at my feet, take in my pink painted nails. Talk about a hack job, but a pedicure does not fit into my budget, and I’m okay with that. “You’ve been nothing but kind. Your mother, your brothers…”
“They miss you.”
I lift my head, and the need I see in his eyes sucks the air from my lungs. Jay is here. Here for me. That realization worms its way through my body, warming every inch of me. I love this man. My God, I love this man so damn much, I have no idea how I put one foot in front of the other since I left Farmington.
“I miss them, too,” I whisper. God, walking away from them all hurt so much, but I’d do it again if it meant saving their farm.
“You don’t belong here, Alyson. Not anymore. You’re better than this; you know that.”
A garbled laugh catches in my throat. “I’m a girl who loves a party, Jay. Just ask Bradley,” I say with a jerk of my thumb as my douche ex climbs to his feet and stumbles into the other room.
“You have value and worth. I know it. You know it. You’re the strongest, smartest, most compassionate woman in the world, and if you give me a second chance, I promise not to fuck it up.”
I shake my head, needing a repeat since my brain is on hyperdrive. “What are you asking, Jay?”
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” He holds one hand out, palm up. “And I’m asking you to come with me.”
I take one breath and then another. Instead of sliding my palm into his, I say, “No.”
He fumbles backward a bit, like I just sucker punched him. “Alyson. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay here and fight for you. I have to go back for the wedding but—”
“Come with me,” I say.
He nods his head in understanding. “You want to stay here, in New York, then?”
Good God, the man is dense. “I’m saying you need to come with me.”
“Where?”
“Does it matter?”
He takes a fast breath and puts his hands on my trembling body. “No, because whatever you want, I want to give to you, and wherever you are, it’s where I want to be. If you want to stay here in New York and give me a chance, then I’ll stay here with you. You are the most important person in the world to me, Alyson. I love my family, you know that, but I love you so goddamn much, nothing makes sense anymore. I’m miserable without you.” His eyes move over my face. “What I’m saying is, if you want to make a life here, I want to make one here with you. You’re the whole package, marriage material, and I’m glad that douche couldn’t see it. Otherwise, I never would have met you.”
Tears sting my eyes as I search his face and find nothing but honesty and sincerity. Is this really happening? Jay would give up the farm for me? Stay in a city he hates for me? Break a promise to his dad for me?
“Jay,” I say, my throat closing over as tears spill. I swipe at them and sniff. “Come with me.”
“Okay,” he says, and I take his hand. We walk through the living room, and all eyes turn our way. My God, this man sticks out like an apple tree springing up on a New York City sidewalk, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Silence surrounds us as I lead him upstairs and into the spare bedroom. “This is where I’ve been staying.”
He sits on the bed. “You didn’t go back to your condo?”
“No, I gave it up. You see, it was a safety net, kind of like what you said to me.” He opens his mouth to speak but this time I press my finger to his lips. “I was a spoiled little rich girl who wanted to make it on her own but didn’t know how. I can see why you judged me, Jay.” He swallows hard. “I judged you, too. We both had preconceived notions based on our upbringings, our own experiences, but I think we were really wrong about so many things.” I walk away from him and open my laptop. “Look at this.”
I place the laptop on his knees, and he zeroes in on the words. “You’re writing,” he finally says.
“Yes, I am. For the first time in my life, I’m focused.” I give a half laugh, half snort. “You see, I don’t have a trust fund to fall back on, so I really need to get my shit together.”
He smirks. “I’m so happy you’re writing, Alyson. This is going to be fantastic.”
“Yeah, it is,” I say. “I based my story on all my experiences over the last month.”
“So, it’s a romantic comedy?” he asks with a laugh.
I roll my eyes. “Could it be anything else?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He points to the screen. “I’m in this, right?”
I arch one brow playfully. “Everyone needs a comedic sidekick.”
“Hey.”
“Kidding. You’re the main character.”
“Then when it comes out, I’m going to be the first in line to buy it.”
I frown and look down. “Only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“It doesn’t have a happily ever after.”
He stares at me for a moment, and I give his brain a second to catch up. “Shit,” he says and places the laptop on the bed as he goes down on one knee. “I love you, Alyson.”
My heart bursts with all the love and want bubbling up inside me. “I love you, too.” I touch his cheek. “You believed in me, and I know you still do. That’s what gave me the courage and drive to write. I’m sticking to this, Jay.”
He reaches into his back pocket, and I put my hands to my face. Ohmigod, is he going to ask me to marry him? My heart beats double time, and the room blurs through my tears. But he pulls out a piece of paper or cardboard or something and hands it to me.
“This is part of your For Sale sign. Cluck misses you.”
I laugh. “I doubt tha
t. Cluck—”
“I miss you,” he says, and my words fall off as his face turns serious, a new intensity about him, one I’ve never seen before. My breath catches. “Alyson, if you want to stay here, I get it. But I don’t think this is where you belong anymore.”
“Me, neither,” I say. “I miss my farm.”
Still on his knees, he reaches into his pocket again, but this time I know better than to think this is a proposal, until he pulls out a velvet box.
He gives me a mischievous wink. “Fooled you, didn’t I?”
“Capone is so right about you,” I say as tears pour down my cheeks. I pound on his shoulders as my heart soars.
“Marry me, Alyson. Make me the happiest man in the world.” I open my mouth, but he shakes his head to stop me. “Before you answer, you have to know that I come with two annoying brothers, an interfering mother, an apiary, an obscene parrot, a watchdog rooster who will grow fond of you—I promise—and a whole lot of crazy.”
“Do you have any idea what you’re taking on?” I ask, my voice as shaky as my hands as I think of my own funny farm.
He frowns. “Hmm, maybe I should rethink this,” he says, but there is truth, honesty, and love shining in his dark eyes.
“Hey!”
I laugh and he stands, pulling me up to my feet. I burrow into his warmth and strength. This is the man who will catch me if I fall but will also lift me up so I can stand on my own two feet.
“I love you, Alyson. I want a family and future with you.”
“You want a family?”
“I want a flock of kids, Alyson. We can renovate your place to accommodate them all.”
“A flock? We’re having kids, not sheep, right?”
He laughs. “Is that a yes?”
“I’m going to need to think about the whole flock thing, though.”
He presses his lips to mine, his kiss steeped in love and passion. “Lord knows I tried not to fall in love, but I think I was a goner the second I saw you on the rocks.”
“Before or after you pushed me in?”
He groans playfully, and I wrap my arms around him. “Are we doing this again?” he asks.
“Nah, we called a truce.”
“Maybe we can have our wedding there. The beginning of our lives at the exact spot we met.”
“Are you forgetting something?” I ask.
He looks up and to the left like he’s searching his memory bank. “I don’t think so.”
“I haven’t answered you yet.”
He gulps. “Shit, you’re right. Please say yes. Stick with me, baby. I promise you the world, or at least a farm full of crazy.”
“Yes,” I say. “There is no one else I’d rather stick to than the hot honey farmer next door.”
“You think I’m hot?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alyson
“Man, I can’t wait for this,” Tyler says and I give him a nudge to hush him.
My heart is full of love as I make eye contact with Jay, who’s sitting beside Colin at the bridal table. His shoulders are tight, and he keeps eyeing the door like he’s going to bolt. But I know he won’t. He’d do anything for those he loves, even dance in front of a crowd with his two left feet.
“Jay is going to be freaking hilarious,” Tyler says and smacks the table.
I wipe cake from the corner of my mouth and set my napkin down. “Shh,” I say to him. “The dance routine is a secret. Don’t give it away. And be nice. Jay is not going to be hilarious.” I bite my lip. “Okay, he is, but you have to give him credit for trying.”
Barbara chuckles. “I’m not sure I can look.”
I laugh with her as Beck shoves more cake into his face, oblivious to the girl at the table beside us and the adoring look in her eyes as she watches him. I shift in my seat, take in the room full of people. Honest to God, I think all of Farmington is here today to celebrate the joining of Colin and Sara. I want them all at my oceanside wedding, too. Never in my life have I felt like I belonged, but these people all took me in and treated me like I was one of their own. Who knew I was a farm girl at heart?
Jay stands and smooths a hand down his tie, and I glance at the deejay. The plan is for him to trick Sara into thinking it’s the first wedding dance, when in fact he’s going to play “Sugar.” Colin stands and leads Sara to the dance floor, but Jay follows behind, chair in hand. Sara’s eyes go wide when he gestures for her to sit, and all the guys make their way to the floor.
I clap my hands together and give Jay a reassuring nod when he looks to me for support. “You got this,” I say to him.
The music starts, and the guys all line up. Sara’s face is lit up like a Christmas tree, and my heart is so full of love, it actually aches in my chest. The guys begin the routine, and they dance around Sara, who is laughing and having the time of her life. When she looks at Colin, and I see the love in her eyes, I know it’s the real deal. Jay looks at me the same way.
I gasp and Tyler laughs his ass off when Jay trips, but trooper that he is, he picks himself up and brushes himself off. I couldn’t love him any more if I tried.
“He got his rhythm from his father,” Barbara says and Beck snickers.
“No way am I ever doing that,” Tyler says.
“What if it’s something I secretly wanted?” I ask him, with a raised brow.
“Oh, Jesus, Alyson, tell me you don’t.”
“Maybe I do.”
He slinks in his chair, and I laugh. “Do you hate me?” he asks.
I laugh. “No, Ty, I love you, but you’re fun to torture.”
“I love you, too, and if you really want a stupid dance routine, you know I’ll do it.”
I lean in and kiss my soon-to-be brother-in-law—or as I prefer to think of him, my baby brother—on the cheek, and he grins at me. Barbara smiles; the love she has for her family, for me, radiates off her.
I bounce in my chair to the beat as I return my attention to the dance floor.
“They’re nailing it,” I say to no one in particular.
Everyone starts clapping to the beat, joining in, the whole community coming together as the guys finish up the routine. The men are all sweating and laughing when the song finally ends, and Colin leans down and kisses his bride. A second later, he reaches for the microphone.
“A huge thank you to my buddies for doing this,” he says, and everyone claps. Breathless, he says, “We never could have pulled this off if it weren’t for Alyson.” Warmth climbs into my cheeks as he calls me out. “Can we have a big round of applause for her?” People hoot and holler, and I catch Sara’s eyes. She mouths the words, “Thank you.”
We’ve become close over the last month, and she’s brought me into her circle of friends. Everyone here is so inclusive and treats me like I’ve always lived here.
The wedding song begins, and Colin lifts his bride from her chair. The lights dim as the two share their first dance as husband and wife.
Jay comes my way and crouches down beside me. I shift and put my hands on his face.
“You were great.”
“Oh, you didn’t see me nearly face-plant.” I chuckle. “I’m just glad I never have to do that again,” he says.
“That’s what you think, dude,” Tyler says and snarls at me, but it’s a snarl full of love and respect.
“What are you…” His voice trails off, and his eyes go wide as understanding dawns. “Hell no, Alyson. You can’t want—”
I whistle innocently and look away, and Jay mumbles curses under his breath.
“You’re killing me, babe.”
I grin at him. “Well, our wedding isn’t until next year, so you have plenty of time to perfect your moves.”
He leans in. “I’ve got moves.”
“Jesus, get a room, you two,” Tyler mumbles, and Beck agrees with
a grunt.
The bridal song ends, and another slow song plays. “Come on,” I say. “Let’s get started on those moves.”
He puts his mouth close to my ear. “We can start on the dance floor, but we’re ending in our bed.”
Warmth flows through my veins as he lifts me from my chair and puts his hand on the small of my back, leading me to the dance floor. He pulls me to him, and I melt against his big, warm body.
“Promise?” I ask.
“Hell yeah, I promise.” He glances over his shoulder. “Think anyone will notice if we bail?”
I laugh, loving the way he always wants me. “Let’s give it another half an hour.”
He groans. “That’s like a lifetime, Alyson.”
“Yeah, a lifetime,” I say. “Exactly what we’re going to have.”
He smiles at me, and his lips find mine for a kiss steeped in love, passion, and a lifetime of promise…
Epilogue
Jay
Four Years Later
I step into the bedroom as Alyson puts the finishing touches on her makeup. My heart squeezes in my too-tight chest. It’s insane to think I can love someone more than yesterday and not as much as I know I’m going to love her tomorrow.
I cross the room and press a kiss to her shoulder. She turns and beams up at me before leaning in and kissing little Jacklyn on her chubby cheek. Jacklyn, our sweet eighteen-month-old, babbles “mama” in response and blows a spit bubble.
“Thanks for getting her ready,” Alyson says as she tugs on Jacklyn’s pink dress. “She looks adorable.” She touches my hand, checks my watch. “How are we doing for time, anyway?”
“Running late, as always.”
I adjust Jacklyn in my arms as Perry, our rambunctious three-year-old, comes running into the bedroom, Cluck tight on his heels.
“Clucky’s a douche,” Perry screams, and Alyson and I stifle a laugh as she points a finger at him, doing her damnedest to be serious.
“Perry, what did I say about not repeating everything you hear from Capone?”
“Sorry,” he says, not one bit remorseful, but neither of us can stay mad at him when he’s so damn adorable. Alyson shakes her head and gives me the look, one that suggests we need to work harder on cleaning up Capone’s language, and that we could do without Cluck running around inside our house. But she secretly loves the way the rooster protects our kids, and after we renovated Alyson’s place and allowed Cluck on the property, they both came to a truce.
