Rekindled Ember

by Sara Arden

  In the interest of not doing what she was supposed to do, Livie asked a question that caused everyone to choke all over again.

  "So, were you serious about a double wedding?"

  "Oh my God, do not even tease about that. Especially when I have champagne in my hand," Allie warned.

  She turned to Allie. "I've decided, with your permission, that when Royce gets home, I'm going to ask him to marry me."

  The room went silent. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she was frightened of what they meant. She couldn't believe she'd just blurted them out like that. But the words didn't stop, no. She kept talking.

  "You were right. It's about the moments that you're given and who you choose to spend them with. I don't know how many we have, I don't know where I'm going, or even what I want to be when I grow up, but I do know I want it to be with Royce. If he wants me."

  Allie started fanning herself. "I've died and gone to heaven. Not only did this sweet child tell me I'm right, but that she wants to marry my son."

  "If you don't Sophie, if you want it to be your special day, I understand."

  "It will be my special day. It'll be our special day." Sophie grinned. "This is why I've been having a hard time picking the invitations. None of them were ever right. I think part of me knew that they wouldn't be until your name and Royce's were on there, too."

  "Okay, oh God, we have to wait for Royce to agree. He may not--"

  "Oh, he will." Allie interrupted her. "You've always been it for him. Even when you married another man."

  Her heart tightened when she thought about Ben again. She remembered the vow she'd asked Royce to give at their wedding. Somehow, he'd always known this was how things would end up. At the time, she'd been hurt and confused by his words, but now, they brought her comfort. Not that she needed his permission to be happy, but it was nice to have.

  Hopefully, the groom would still be on the line when he got home.

  Maybe being away from her, he'd seen what a mess she was and--no, she wasn't going to do that to herself. She'd made the mistake before of not taking Royce at his word and it had kept them apart for far too long.

  No, she'd believe him.

  Believe IN him.

  Because everyone knew Royce Cole's word was as good as gold.

  "I have to call Bill!"

  "I have to call Hayden!"

  "Guys! We have to wait for the groom to say yes!"

  "If you insist." Allie crossed her arms over her chest. "But I don't like it." She harrumphed. "Not even a little hint?"

  "No! If you do, I'll tell Grammie you didn't call her first," Livie threatened.

  "Ah, you have taken our ways to heart. Perhaps the student shall outgrow the master."

  "Oh, I wouldn't dare to presume, Allie. We all know you're the boss."

  "That is definitely the right answer. Yes, your teaching is complete, grasshopper."

  "What if it was the wrong answer?" Livie asked.

  "Oh, you know. The same." Allie shrugged. "I'd call Grammie and tell her that you didn't ask her permission, too. Then you'd be out of the pie club."

  Livie gasped. "That's horrible. I'm already sorry and I didn't do anything."

  Allie grinned. "It's a good threat. But sweet girl, I'd never kick you out of the pie club. You're going to make me a grandma."

  "Let's not be hasty."

  "I didn't say tomorrow. Everything in its own time, dear."

  Part of her thought she might have lost her mind, but the rest of her, that voice she’d decided to listen to, it said she’d found it.

  She couldn’t wait to see him and ask him for forever.

  18

  When Royce and his dad pulled up to the front of Grammie’s house, it was a welcome sight. The clean, crisp, bright colors of the flowers in her yard. The familiar porch.

  The screen door he knew would open for them and carry the smells of fried chicken and pie.

  Warmth and familiarity washed over him, cradling him. Wrapping him in all the feelings of home.

  “It’s good to be back,” Bill said.

  “Yeah, it is.” He was only missing one thing, and when he saw her in the window, he knew, somehow, that this was the first day of the rest of his life.

  Royce stepped out of the truck and he held his arms open to her.

  A big grin spread across her face and she came flying out the door and ran to him. He caught her up and lifted her high.

  “Yeah?” he asked her. “Are you sure?”

  “You don’t know what I was going to say.”

  “I can see it on your face. You belong to me, and I belong to you. No matter what.”

  “There’s more.”

  He didn’t put her down, he didn’t want to let go of her. “Oh really?”

  “Are you going to let me say it?”

  “I’ll let you do anything you want to do.”

  “I know.” She tightened her arms around his neck and leaned close to his ear. “I asked your mom for your hand.”

  The meaning of her words didn’t quite sink in. Not until she said, “I want to go with the program. Christmas, with Hayden and Sophie works for me.”

  She pulled back to look him in the eye.

  “If it’s still what you want. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, only that I want to be it with you.”

  “You can live with this? What I do?”

  “I did live with it, and it wasn’t the worst. I don’t really want to do it again, but I’m not giving up a chance at the rest of my life with you because there will be some cloudy days. Hell, I might decide that I need to go back to school and I might do it in Finland. I’d want your support wholly, so I have to do that same for you. More than that, I can do the same for you. I’m not Widow Dodd with an aircraft carrier of baggage. I’m Just Livie.”

  “Even if I don’t ever ride a desk?”

  “Ride whatever you want, cowboy. Just be my best friend. My partner. My lover. You’re already my forever.”

  Royce decided that maybe he wasn’t just lucky, he was the luckiest man to ever live. “I guess you can tell my mother we said yes to the dress.”

  He kissed her then and decided that perhaps it was true after all—a rekindled ember burned the brightest.