Hope Falls: Can't Forget Her (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Molly McLain

  This time, Kyle rolled his eyes. “I’m not that anal retentive. Cut me some slack.” He shifted his attention to Rose, his expression softer, though still serious. “I’m just worried about you getting hurt.”

  She nodded. “I am, too. But I have to trust that how I feel about Ryan is enough. That everything else will fall into place if I just give us this chance.”

  A chance she hadn’t given them nine years earlier.

  ***

  The next morning…

  “I am so sorry, Rosemary. I just can’t. I think I’m dying.”

  Standing outside the bathroom door, Rose bit back a groan. “Really? What is it, a stomach bug?”

  “Yes. A big bug. Like…tarantula-size.” Janine’s dramatic moan came before the sound of the toilet flushing for the fifth time in as many minutes. “Call Kyle. Or maybe Vivien. She should be up and getting ready to open the coffee shop.”

  Which meant their friend definitely wouldn’t have time for a drive to the airport. Gah!

  Rose paced back and forth, glancing between her packed suitcase and the clock on the wall. She had twenty minutes. Twenty minutes before she was set to board a plane to Nebraska.

  “You know what? Forget the ride. I’ll just drive myself and leave the keys in the car. Kyle can follow you later to pick it up.” It was the only option at this point. She needed to be in River Bend before Ryan got home from work in the afternoon.

  “Wait…what? No!” Janine’s footsteps hurried to the bathroom door and when she flung it open, Rose gasped.

  “You’re dressed for work.”

  “Kyle and I have a phone conference scheduled with a producer at six. This guy’s from New York. Time difference and all that.”

  “But you’re sick.” Rose blinked. “With the stomach flu.”

  Janine gave an exaggerated smile. “I’m suddenly feeling better.”

  Rose narrowed her eyes, but, just as quickly, her heart fell. “Oh, my God, Kyle talked you into this, didn’t he?”

  “No. Nooo.” Janine’s dark haired shifted around her shoulders as she shook her head adamantly. Too adamantly.

  “Oh, you two!” Rose shoved her hands into her hair and rushed toward the living room where her bags waited. “I can’t believe this!”

  She hurried around, sliding into her coat and gathering her purse and carry-on, while Janine chewed on her lip, looking guilty as heck.

  “You agreed that I should do this! You told me that Ryan was a good guy and that I’d be stupid not to go after him!” Frustration and panic began to burn in her face as she tugged her luggage toward the door. “God, Janine, I can’t lose him!”

  “You’re not going to lose him,” her roommate said easily. “Just calm down, Rose. You’re freaking out for no reason.”

  “No reason? My flight leaves in fifteen minutes!” Sure, she could grab another one, but the plan was to beat Ryan home. To be there when he pulled into the driveway, like she hoped would be the case a thousand times over between now and…well, forever.

  “You’re not going to make it to the airport and onto the plane in fifteen minutes, Rose. It’s too late.”

  No. No, no, no. Giving up was not an acceptable answer.

  She flung open the door and didn’t stop until she reached her car, John’s words echoing in her ears. Don’t wait seventy years, Rose. Why settle for less than the true love you’ve already found?

  Loading her things in the trunk, she sniffled. Just because things might not work out exactly as planned, didn’t mean she should just give up.

  She’d already done that one time too many.

  ***

  “Mom, I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later, okay?” Ryan put his gas station coffee into the cup holder and cranked over his truck engine.

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” she continued on. “It’s so unlike you to be so…so rash.”

  Yeah, well this decision wasn’t exactly rash. Some aspects, yes. He couldn’t deny that. But playing it safe hadn’t gotten him where he wanted to be in life. Time to change things up and see where he landed.

  “Is there anything I can do, honey? Something to help?”

  Ryan smiled as he buckled his seatbelt and turned up the heater. “You’ve already helped.”

  “I have?”

  “Yep. But I really can’t talk about it right now. I’m about to hit the highway.”

  “Ugh, fine. Call me as soon as soon as you can.”

  “I will. I promise.” He ended the call and opened up his text messages. He’d lasted a whole two weeks without reaching out to Rosie, but he couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Hey princess. Got something to talk to you about.

  Grinning like a fool, he shifted the truck into drive and pulled out onto the desolate road. Another hour or two and there’d be morning-commute traffic, but right now he had the road to himself. Suited him just fine, because that meant he could go a faster and get to where he was going a sooner.

  Rose’s response came only a minute later. Long time, no hear, stranger. Can you wait a few hours to chat?

  He could, but he wouldn’t have to. Five miles down the road, he hit his blinker and turned into the Hope Falls Airport.

  Spotting Rose’s car in the lot, he prayed like hell that he wasn’t too late. Hopefully Janine had done her job and bought him the time he needed.

  He sprinted across the lot and into the small building with more gusto than a guy who’d been up all night driving should have in him. But he was fueled by the desperate need to see the woman he loved. To take her into his arms and make promises he hadn’t thought possible.

  To reclaim her, once and for all.

  “Rose!” He spotted her by the ticket counter, luggage in tow. Good God, she was actually going to do it, wasn’t she? “Rosie!” He called again and, this time, she turned, a confused expression on her face. Until she saw him. Then those big, beautiful brown eyes went wide and bright.

  “Ryan?” She stepped away from the counter, leaving her suitcases behind. “What are you doing here?”

  He slowed to a stop before her, breathing hard. He didn’t care. Nothing mattered more than being near her again.

  “I’ve got something to talk to you about, remember?” He moved in close, brushing her hair from her still-startled face. “I thought it’d be best if I did it in person.”

  “You…you drove here?” She blinked up at him, mouth agape.

  “All night long, princess. For you.”

  Her bottom lip began to quiver, so he dipped down and kissed those pretty lips, long and slow and deep, until he she relaxed in his arms.

  “Mmm, so sweet,” he murmured, tangling their fingers. “Like candy.”

  She gave a soft, but uncertain laugh. “Ryan, what’s going on? What’s so important that you had to come all the way here?”

  He nodded toward the ticket counter, where the clerk still waited, a curious grin on her face. “What was so important you thought you should come to River Bend?”

  “I love you,” she said easily, her eyes searching his. “I still love you. I never got to tell you that before you left.”

  Thank you, God.

  “Well…” He lifted their enjoined hands to his lips. “It just so happens that I love you, too. Have for all these years.”

  She nodded slowly. “Okay, so…”

  “So I’m here to tell you that John Roberts has offered me his share of Falls Contracting, pending a one-year trial at the helm. During that time, I have to operate the company to his standards and make a permanent home in Hope Falls. With you.”

  Rose’s big brown eyes went dinner-plate wide. “What? Are you kidding me? I thought John wanted a family member in that role?”

  He nodded. “He did, but Will’s intentions weren’t in the right place. Vaughn knew that, but he was desperate to keep the business above water. It took a heart-to-heart with Kyle for him to finally admit his fear, mostly of letting John down.”

  “So�
�John’s just handing the company over to you? That’s…quite a gift.”

  “Not a gift, babe. I’m buying into the company. So is Kyle.”

  “Kyle?” Her lip began to shake again and he swiped his thumb across it.

  “It’s a risk for both of us, but it turns out we have a common interest at the heart of it all.” She frowned and he smiled. “You, babe. I want to be with you and he doesn’t want to see you leave Hope Falls.”

  For several long seconds, they stared at each other. Then she gave a disbelieving laugh. “Are you for real right now?”

  “Real about loving you? Hell yes.”

  A hopeful smile twitched at her lips. “And you’re going to move to Hope Falls to, what, date me?”

  Crazy woman. “Not quite what I had in mind.”

  Her face fell. “Oh.”

  God, she was adorable when she was clueless. But she positively radiated when she was happy and that’s what he wanted right now. Rosie filling up his life with more sunshine than he knew what to do with.

  “I want to marry you, Rosemary Shaw. I wanted to make you mine forever nine years ago and I want it even more today.” He pulled a black box from his jacket pocket and gave her a nervous, yet hopeful smile. “You left before I could give this to you.”

  For a second, her face pinched in confusion, but then her hands flew to her mouth, covering a cry. “You…you…” A wave of watery emotion overcame her and she melted right there in the middle of the airport. “You bought me a ring? And you…you saved it all this time?”

  “I guess I never really gave up on us.” He flipped open the lid, revealing the modest solitaire diamond ring he’d spent his entire senior year saving for. “I’m afraid it’s nothing fancy. In fact, if you’ll have me, we can upgrade. Get you something more—”

  “No.” She stuck a finger to his mouth. “You hush, Ryan Croft, because there is no way I would want to wear anything else.”

  Was there a yes buried somewhere in that statement? “You wouldn’t?”

  “Not a chance.” She shook her head and smiled down at the princess-cut stone. “This ring symbolizes everything we’ve been through and, more importantly, how true love can endure anything.” Biting her lip, she glanced up at him, tears glistening. “It’s almost perfect.”

  Almost? Well, shit.

  Her laugh filled the air around them, then she slugged him gently in the arm. “It’ll be perfect once it’s on my finger, you goofball.”

  “Oh.” Yeah. That. Hand shaking, he pulled the ring from the box and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I had this planned out years ago. It’s been a while since I practiced.”

  Another knowing smile. “Just ask me already.”

  That he could do. Dropping to a knee, while the early morning airport staffers and travelers watched on, he stared up at the woman who’d woven a permanent place in his heart. “I love you, Rosemary Shaw. Since we were fifteen years old, you are all I’ve ever wanted in my life. I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, let alone fall so hard for you twice, but here we are, getting a second chance. If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is.”

  She laughed again. “Who are we to argue with destiny?”

  “Exactly.” He poised the ring at the tip of her finger. “We’ve spent too much time apart, Rosie. How about we spend the rest of our lives together?”

  “I can’t think of anything I want more, so yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Grinning from ear to ear, he slid the ring onto her finger, then swept her off the ground, spinning them both in circles in front of the crowd of on-lookers. The small group clapped and cheered, and Rose squealed her excitement.

  “You don’t how many times I’ve dreamed of this very moment!”

  He laughed, pressing his lips to hers. “Nah, princess, I have a pretty good idea.”

  Epilogue

  One year later…

  “Take your crap and get the hell out.”

  Umph. Ryan grunted as Janine shoved a box full of books into his arms and pushed him toward the door. “Come on, Neen. You know you’re going to miss us.”

  “I’ve spent the last year suffering through cold showers because the marathon “bathing” you two do together takes all the hot water!” His cousin pointed a finger between him and Rose, standing next to him with a basket of toiletries. “No offense, but I’m pretty damn happy about having the place to myself.”

  His fiancée leaned into him and muttered under her breath, “Ten bucks says she shows up for dinner tonight.”

  “I’ve got twenty that she asks to spend the night.”

  “No!” Janine corralled them out of the condo. “Not happening. Now go and get on with your lives already. At your own place. With your own hot water heater.”

  Ryan snorted as he and Rose filed into the hall and Janine all but slammed the door behind them. “We weren’t that bad, were we?”

  “I think we were, but there’s nothing we can do about it now, is there?”

  He laughed, led the way outside to his truck, and loaded up with the last of their belongings. Kyle and the Maguire boys had helped them move the furniture and bigger boxes earlier in the day, so there wasn’t much left for them to deal with. “I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.”

  “I can.” Rose toed up for a quick kiss. “I’m ready to start the next phase our lives together.”

  “As homeowners.”

  “And husband and wife.”

  “Maybe parents?” He rubbed his nose against hers playfully, fully aware of what her reaction would be.

  “You only say that because it involves having sex.”

  He chuckled and helped her into the truck before he drove them across town to their new home. They’d bought the modest two-story in the fall and they’d spent every weekend for three months elbows-deep in renovations. Now the place was truly theirs. Something he knew they were both proud of. Among other things.

  “Kyle mentioned something about more funders coming on board for The Angel Alliance?”

  “Yes!” Rose bounced in the passenger seat. “We scored Jennifer Laurence! Can you believe it?”

  With Rose at the helm, yes. She’d put her heart and soul into the foundation this past year. “That’s amazing, princess. Just don’t forget to invite me to the next shindig.”

  She snorted as he pulled into their driveway and cut the engine. “I would never deprive you of seeing your other leading lady. Come on, Ry.”

  “Just sayin’.”

  For several long seconds, they sat in silence, both taking in the big home before them. Finally, Rose turned to him, happy tears glistening in her eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “For what?”

  “For coming back into my life and making all of my dreams come true.”

  “Mine, too.” He reached for her hand, squeezing gently. The past twelve months with her had been the best in his life. The restlessness had disappeared and now the only thing that made him anxious was getting on with their life together. “Three months and you’ll be mine forever.”

  “I’ve always been yours.” Unbuckling the seat belt, she slid across the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, princess. I can’t wait to give you everything you deserve.” Now that Falls Contracting was half his—and earning more business than he knew what to do with—it was only a matter of time before the really good stuff began.

  Her eyes sprang open. “There’s more than this?”

  Hell, yes. “If I recall correctly, you always wanted to go to Ireland.”

  She gasped. “I do, but I thought we were going to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon.”

  “We are. I’m talking down the road. Maybe next year. I’ll be done with school by then, too, so maybe we can make an extended vacation out of it. Really relax.”

  Sinking her teeth into her lip, she met his eyes. “That sounds great, but…”

  “But what, babe?” He bru
shed the hair back from her face, letting his fingers linger at the soft skin on her neck.

  “I thought we could start trying for a baby after the wedding.”

  Holy crap. “Really?”

  “Yes. I talked with my OB/GYN last week and she started me on prenatal vitamins. To make sure I’m as healthy as can be when the time comes.” She smiled, but he could sense her unease.

  “I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason, Rosie. Maybe the timing was wrong ten years ago…” Maybe they’d needed time apart to truly appreciate having each other in their lives. To understand how powerful their connection was and to know without a shadow of a doubt that they were meant to be together.

  “Who are you?” she laughed, slipping her fingers into his hair. “Where’s the guy who only believes in working for what he wants?”

  A wicked grin dimpled his cheek. “I’m very willing to work at making a baby with you, princess. Believe that.” Her pretty cheeks flushed pink and he leaned in for a kiss. “But if it doesn’t happen—or something goes wrong again—that won’t change how I feel about you. Ever.”

  Sweet emotion lined her eyes. “I know.”

  “Good.” Brushing his lips against hers, he gathered her close. “What if I told you I wanted to try now?”

  “Now? Like…”

  “Right now. Today.”

  She blinked up at him. “Are you serious?”

  “Dead. I want a family with you. Why wait?”

  A giddy grin spread across her face and she peppered kisses all over his. “You’re crazy, Ryan Croft. Totally, undeniably crazy.”

  “Just crazy in love with you, princess.”

  She threw her head back and her rich, addictive laughter filled the cab of his truck. “Then you’d better get me inside that house, handsome.”

  “Yeah?” Hope bloomed in his chest.

  “Uh huh. Seems we’ve got another project to work on together.”

  “Does this project require clothing?”

  She pursed her lips together deviously. “Nope.”

  Ah, hell. “Best project ever.”

  THE END

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