by Elsie James
“Want to take a walk with me?” He asks, holding out his hand to mine.
“Yes, I do.”
We start out on the four mile trail around my neighborhood. Greyson squeezes my hand firmly and doesn’t let it go.
“You have to know that Chasity is crazy, right? There’s nothing between us.”
“I know. I mean, I figured. I just got so upset. You told me you’d be at work but you weren’t, and then I came to your place to talk to you and I saw you leaving with a woman who looks a whole lot like me.”
“You saw me leaving. No, Rach, let me explain. I’m sorry I lied to you. I—” He starts to explain but I cut him off. I need to get this out first.
“You bought a ring? I never knew. I only just found out about it, about all of it. My parents kept it from me and for all these years, I’ve blamed you. And I know you’re not innocent in all this, but now I can understand where you were coming from. It couldn’t have been an easy decision for you.”
Greyson stops walking and turns toward me. Taking both of my hands in his, he stares into my eyes.
“It’s my own fault. I respect your parents and they’re entitled to their opinion, but I didn’t have to accept it. I should have fought for you back then. So, that’s what I’m doing now. I love you, Rach. I always have. My world with you in it is filled with color. I never recovered from losing you the first time and I can’t go through that again. I want to take you on walks and hear all the stories about your students. I want to be by your side from now on.”
My eyes fill with tears as my heart swells. I’ve waited a lifetime to hear Greyson choose me.
“I’m sorry too. I assumed the worst of you and you deserve someone who will fight for you. I love you too, Greyson. I forgot how it feels to be loved by someone who truly knows you until I saw you again.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I wish I could get back the years that should have been ours but I can’t. All I can do is make sure that from now on, you’ll never have to wonder where my heart is.”
Greyson pulls me toward him. His lips land on mine. We continue our walk. A bright yellow post stands in the ground between the sidewalk and the grass. A wooden box with a glass door is affixed to the top of the post and it’s filled with books.
“This is new,” I say as I touch the handle. “A free tiny library,” I read the sign. “Take one or leave one.”
“Do you like it?” Greyson asks.
“Yes, this is brilliant. With the library closing downtown, this will allow my students access to books. And it’s on my daily walk. I can make sure it stays full of new adventures for them to go on. I love this!”
“Open it,” he says seriously.
“What? Greyson, did you do this?” My eyes widen at the thought.
“Open the door.”
I swing open the glass door by the handle to find amongst the stack of children’s books, a book with my name on it.
“I made this for you. Everytime you walk by it, you can trust that I’m thinking of you. It’s my way of helping you share your love of reading with your students.”
“You’re so sweet.” He is. Everything about this man makes me smile.
“Open the book.” He smirks at me, a hint of magic in his eyes.
I open it to find a hollowed center. Two keys on a circular keyring sit in the recess. “Keys? But to what?”
“To our house.” A broad grin crawls across his face.
“What?” In shock, I look up at the tiny house that sits on the back of the lot with the large front yard. A sold sign hangs from a post in the yard. On it is a picture of a realtor who looks an awful lot like the brunette I saw leaving his house.
“She’s your realtor?”
“Becky, yes, I started to tell you. She’s married to one of the guys at the station. So it was convenient to work with her, and she did a good job.”
“I saw her leaving your place and I thought…” I trail off, relieved and a little embarrassed.
He places both hands on my shoulders. “You can trust me.” I believe him.
“I sold the Hideout. This is my place now, our place if you’ll accept it. I want to give you the life we dreamed up together years ago on all those late nights we spent in my tiny apartment. Come in.”
Turning the handle, he pulls me into the house. There are creaky, old wood floors warmed by a cheery light blue paint on the walls accented with bright white trim.
“This is our home, or it could be if you’ll say yes. Here is our bedroom, and this room is yours.”
He points at the door at the end of the hall, and I wonder what else he could possibly have to offer me. All of my dreams have come true already. I turn the handle and am blown away. The tiny room has floor-to-ceiling, built in bookshelves full of my favorites.
“I talked to the director of the library. They let me take anything I wanted for you. So, I went to the romance section and piled them up. And here, this whole shelf, these are children's books for you to refill our Tiny Little Library. There should be enough here to keep it full for a long time.”
An overstuffed armchair big enough for two people sits in the corner of the room. Next to it is an old wooden table that I recognize with a single drawer and a dangling metal pull handle.
“I had an end table just like that in my room growing up. I kept my favorite books in the little drawer.”
“It is your table. When I went to talk to your parents, I asked them if I could take it. They said yes. There’s one more thing I had to ask them. Open the drawer.”
Walking to the table, I slide open the drawer. A black square box sits inside the drawer. My hands tremble as I take it out. I turn to look at Greyson. He stares at me with a surprising intensity.
“Rachel Dawson, will you marry me?”
Epilogue: Rachel One Year Later
The library is in its final days before officially being closed to the public. Miraculously, Juni’s husband has secured financing to renovate the building so it will only be out of commission for a few short months. But today, the building stands as I’ve always known it. Old and in need of work, but to me, it’s never looked more beautiful. The rows of old books are illuminated by the warm glow of candlelight that bounces from the beveled glass windows. An aisle of white rose petals leads to an ancient oak librarian’s desk that serves as an altar.
I stand looking in the mirror at myself in my wedding dress. It’s simple and elegant, just like I always imagined. I think back to the days when we first moved into our house. Greyson making me smile by hanging my plants on hooks placed at exactly the right angle to catch the sunlight. The way he surprised me with cheesecake.
But it’s not really about that. My love for Greyson is about the four additional tiny free libraries we’ve installed in our community. They way he holds my hand as we go on our walks to fill them together every evening. The way he has never waivered about his feelings for me. It’s the way he pours into me so I can pour into my students.
At the end of the white runner, anchored by Tarik and Juni, stands Greyson. My heart, my past, and my future all wrapped up in one stunning package. I make my way down the aisle as our friends and family look on with pride. The officiant holds a beautiful ceremony that brings everyone in the room to tears.
“I’m proud to announce for the first time as husband and wife, Greyson and Rachel Hale.”
We lock hands and walk into our new life together. At the reception, I ask our event planner to substitute my champagne for apple cider. It’s my turn to surprise Greyson.
THANK YOU
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Rachel and Greyson’s story. I am so honored you chose to spend your time with me in Peony Pointe!
My heros in real life are women who are beautiful, curvy, smart, and independent. Rachel is a testament to all of us who have had to learn to trust after heartbreak. Cheers to each of us finding our Greyson.
If you have enjoyed reading Rachel, ple
ase consider leaving a review. It means the world to me! Even just one sentence is incredibly helpful.
Rachel is the fourth book in the Peony Pointe series. I hope you’ll join me for my next series in Candlelight Cove.
Hugs,
Elsie
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ALSO BY ELSIE JAMES
Peony Pointe
Book One Jessa
Book Two Ainsley
Book Three Juni
Book Four Rachel
Peony Pointe the Complete Collection with bonus epilogue:
Gram’s 100th Birthday
Candlelight Cove (Coming Soon to Kindle Unlimited)ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elsie James is proud to be a lifelong curvy girl. She writes stories about beautiful, strong, women who always find their happily ever afters.
Her books are romantic, sweet, and steamy with a whole lot of heart.
Connect with Elsie
Facebook: @authorelsiejames
Instagram: @authorelsiejames
Amazon: amazon.com/author/elsiejames
Email: [email protected]
