Lana stared up at the night sky as Derek carried her across the grass to her home. Her shoes swung back and forth from her hand and he moved at a steady pace. The festivities had finally wrapped up late into the night, with the entire town, friends and family. The well-wishes and hugs filled with joy, continued during the whole evening and both Lana and Derek were overwhelmed by the love that was shown.
“Was it really necessary for me to take off my shoes?” Lana asked happily.
“Yes, it fulfills my dream.”
She looked at him as he focused on their destination. “What dream is that?”
“To carry my barefoot wife-to-be.” He kissed her cheek.
“That’s very cliché,” Lana told him with a smile.
Derek chuckled as they arrived. “At least I didn’t say barefoot and pregnant,” he commented.
Lana looked at him as they stood at the door. “You’d be right on all accounts, if you did.”
She screamed as he almost dropped her on the doorstep. Derek was able to regain his composure before she hit the ground. Steadying her again, he stared into her eyes.
“Are you serious?”
Lana laughed softly. “You’re not the only one full of surprises tonight.”
He smiled at her. “Is this my dark hair and chocolate surprise?”
“I told you that was definitely a possibility… if he takes after my side,” she whispered.
Derek turned serious. “Is that why you said yes to my proposal?”
Lana returned his sober expression. “Let’s go inside, please.”
The coupled entered the home and Derek carried her over to the sofa then sat with her on his lap. He turned to her and waited.
“What?” Lana asked.
He gave her look. “Girl, don’t ‘what’ me?” he told her. “When were you going to tell me this?”
Lana touched his face. “When you came to tell me how we’re going to be together.”
“You’re sure that’s what I’ve come to do?” He lifted a brow.
She nodded. “Positive…that’s what you told me and I believed you.” Lana put her arms around him. “You’ve shown up here and asked me to marry you in front of our families’ and the whole town. That had better be what you’ve come here to do.”
Derek looked at her for a minute, then kissed her softly. “Yes, baby, that’s exactly what I came here to do.”
“I know my man,” she whispered then caught sight of the ring on her finger. “At least, somewhat. When you walked in, I couldn’t breathe…”
He smiled. “That’s the reaction I was hoping for.”
“Your family came all the way to Grayling,” Lana said amazed.
“When I told them I was proposing, nothing would have stopped them from getting here. Your father was kind enough to pick them up and set them up with rooms at the Inn,” Derek explained.
“My Daddy is so sneaky,” Lana said with a frown. “He kept me completely in the dark.”
“When I talked to him, we discussed keeping it a surprise so…”
Lana looked confused and cut him off. “When did you talk to my Daddy?
“I talk to your father all the time,” Derek admitted. “I have to make sure that you’re okay.”
“You check up on me?”
Derek rubbed her stomach. “Of course, you’re my heart. If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do, and now even more.”
She kissed his lips and placed her hand over his. “Tell me where we’re taking this little one, when we bring him home.”
He moved his hand up to caress her face. “Our son will come home to the land where his ancestors lived and built this incredible legacy.”
Lana blinked. “We’re staying in Grayling?”
Derek sat up and positioned her on his lap. “So here’s the deal. I got a call from the Mayor down in Detroit, the one whose campaign I headed up. The funny thing was, I was on my way down to see him when I stopped here and met you. He was also the one who recommended the Inn to me.”
“I remember you mentioning him before,” Lana said quietly. “Is he up for re-election?”
Derek shook his head. “No, he still has some time left on his tenure.”
“So he was just calling to check in with you?” she asked.
“No, he had an opportunity for me,” Derek explained. “After I left California, I stopped in Detroit to meet with him and his father.”
Lana listened intently.
“Brandon’s father is a very prominent judge in Detroit. He’s won more than a few landmark cases as an attorney and has a sterling reputation on the bench. Judge Williams has also been watching the political landscape and has decided to run for U.S. Senator in Michigan.”
Lana smiled happily. “He wants you to run his campaign?”
Derek nodded.
“And you agreed?” Lana questioned.
“He’s a man of integrity and exactly the type that we need in Congress.” Derek looked at her. “He’s well connected and able to access the funds he’ll need, and most of all, it allows my baby to stay at home… because no matter what she says, I know that’s where she wants to be.”
Lana’s tears began to drop and there was no way she could control them if she tried.
“I told you that sometimes you just have to wait until the solution appears,” Derek finished and wiped her cheek gently.
“You waited for the perfect one,” Lana told him.
“It had to be, for the perfect woman,” Derek said softly.
Lana kissed him, pressing her lips against his firmly. “What about D.C.?” she whispered.
“We’ll keep the house in D.C. since I’ll still be traveling back and forth to check up on business. Brian and Gina will run the office in my absence, which is what they’ve done in the past anyway and I’ll set up a satellite here to manage the Williams campaign.”
“We’ll have campaign events all over the state for the next year, so Grayling being my home base won’t be an issue for now,” Derek finished.
Lana lifted a brow. “For now?”
“I want our kids to have the best of both worlds, Lana,” Derek began. “Grayling is beautiful, peaceful and a part of their history, but I also want them to know the outside world and how it works, how they fit in, and how to make their place there.”
“I can agree with that,” Lana whispered. “I know our upbringing was very unorthodox and caused me to have a lot of attachment issues. I do want our kids to make their marks in the world, just like their Daddy.”
“And their mother,” He lifted her face to his. “You’re continuing an inheritance that they can always come home to, wherever they choose to go.”
Lana laid her head on his shoulder. “You know I hate goodbyes. I can’t even think about my children leaving.”
“We’re going to work on that,” Derek told her.
She smiled. “I’m getting better, though.”
Derek rubbed her back. “Yes, you are. You said yes to my proposal, without even knowing what the scenario was going to look like.”
“My head wanted to stay in Grayling, but my heart wanted to be with you more,” Lana admitted. “Even if that meant leaving at some point.”
He pulled her closer for his next words. “When our kids are school age, I want them to attend in D.C.”
Lana pulled back. “So we’d be there for the entire school year?”
“We could come back to Grayling for summer and holidays,” he offered then waited for her response.
She sat silently for a moment and they watched one another.
“Come on baby, I’ve giving you at least five years to get used to the idea,” Derek prodded.
Lana bit her lip then smiled. “I should be ready by then to live in the big city.”
Derek sucked on her lips slowly before kissing her with passion. “I know what I’m ready for,” he whispered against her mouth.
Lana began untying his bowtie. “A chocolate buffet?”
Derek nodded, then picked her up and headed to the bedroom.
“One that lasts the rest of my life.”
THE END