CHAPTER 27
“Thanks for doing this, Ali,” Jess said as she turned onto the road that led up to Foster Pond. They were going to do a photo shoot for the new tourist brochures that Jess had been roped into taking pictures for. She’d done such a great job with photos to advertise The Mane Attraction, she’d become the go-to girl for all pro bono photography jobs in town.
“Of course! You know I love Foster Pond and I get to spend the day with you. I’ve missed you.”
The past month had been crazy with tourist season in full swing but also because in addition to his jiu-jitsu classes KJ had decided to play summer league baseball and Ricky was volunteering at a summer reading program and had joined the Whisper Lake Playhouse teen program. He auditioned and was cast as Danny Zuko in Grease. It made things a lot easier having Kade around, and not just because she hadn’t had to cook and there was an extra driver. The boys were happier, she was happier…and it was nice not having to cook and having an extra driver.
Ali’s phone buzzed and she pulled it out and saw it was a text from Kade. It just said:
I love you
She messaged him back.
I love you too.
Since they’d told each other how they felt he rarely went more than a few hours without saying those three words to her. Her favorite was at night, when she was drifting off to sleep in his arms, she’d hear him whisper it. “I love you.” It was as if now that he’d said it, he couldn’t stop and she loved it almost as much as she loved him.
“I would ask how things are going with your secret lover, but from the goofy grin on your face, I assume good.”
The “goofy grin” Ali hadn’t even known she was wearing spread wider. “You assume correctly.”
“When are you going to put that man out of his misery and go public?”
“Soon.”
Kade had made it clear he was not happy about keeping things between the two of them, well, them and Ethan and Jess private but Ali had insisted. With the exception of a few stolen kisses, she and Kade had fallen into a routine of business as usual during the day, and then he’d sneak into her room at night for some business of the adult variety and sneak out before the boys got up.
It wasn’t ideal but things were so good and Ali just wanted to enjoy it. The twins were happy. She was happy. Kade was happy. She just wanted to enjoy the happy.
But even she had to admit that it was starting to feel wrong hiding it from the twins. It was starting to feel a lot like lying. She didn’t want the boys to have trust issues because of her.
“In other relationship news,” Jess interrupted her thoughts, “did I tell you that I saw Presley and KJ walking down by the lake yesterday? They were holding hands.”
A couple weeks ago KJ answered the door when she came over. Ali had been shocked, but not as shocked as she was when he invited her in to play video games. They’d been “together” ever since.
“They are so cute.” Ali turned and pointed at Jess. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
KJ didn’t like it when people made a “big deal” about them; and evidently commenting on them at all was considered a big deal.
“Not a word.” Jess promised. “I have to say, I’m impressed by that girl’s persistence. She put in time.”
“Yes, she did.” Ali snapped her fingers. “Speaking of relationship news, I think I might know who the next victim of the Needlepoint Mafia is.”
“Who?”
Since Jess had revealed that she’d overheard the women talking about Keaton there had been no talk of anything gossip worthy at the salon.
Ali watched her friend’s face closely as she said, “I think it’s Ethan.”
Jess had always insisted that she had no feelings for him, but Ali never bought it. It was definitely a case of her protesting just a little too much. She wasn’t sure why Jess wouldn’t just admit it, but Ali knew she had feelings for the hunky sheriff.
“Why do you think it’s Ethan?” Jess’s voice was calm, cool, and collected but Ali noticed a twitch in her right eye.
Her bestie had always had one of the best poker faces Ali had ever seen. But there was one tell that she had: her right eye twitched when she was nervous.
“We went to get ice cream after Ricky got his cast off yesterday—”
“Ricky got his cast off?”
“Yep, and we saw Kennedy at The Snack Shop.”
“Oooh, running into the ex.” Jess made it sound much more scandalous than it was.
“And she said that last weekend Ethan had shown up at an open house that she was having because he’d received an anonymous report of suspicious activity in the area. He didn’t find anything, but guess who lives next door to the house she was showing.” Ali paused for dramatic effect before continuing, “Mrs. Weathersby. Then, a few days later she walked to her car after work and found him there responding to an anonymous call about break-ins in the parking lot. There were no break-ins but guess who owns the building that the real estate office is in. Mr. and Mrs. Chen.”
“Don’t they know that making false police reports is a crime?” Jess snapped defensively.
Ali suppressed a smile. Usually her friend found the ladies’ shenanigans entertaining. But, it seemed that their antics weren’t so funny when they involved Ethan.
“I don’t think they care. Plus, someone would have to prove that it was them and that they were knowingly lying. Who in Whisper Lake is going to do that?”
“So, what, Kennedy thinks it’s a setup?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we thought that it was Keaton, too, and it turned out to be just coincidences.”
Again Ali had to fight a smile. Jess never missed an opportunity to gossip about the old ladies.
The rest of the ride to Foster Pond was quiet and Ali wished she could read minds.
“We’re here!” Jess announced loudly. “I think we should start at the bridge before the gazebo. I want to get a few shots there before we set up the picnic.”
“Remember how upset I was that Dean broke up with me two days before prom and I never got my pictures here?” It was Whisper Lake tradition to take prom pictures at Foster Pond standing on the bridge and in the white gazebo that it led to. Ali had been more upset about not having the picture than she’d been about her breakup.
Jess grabbed her camera and they started walking to the gazebo. Jess stopped on the grassy area a few yards from the bridge. “Why don’t you walk to the middle of the bridge and I’ll take some shots with you there.”
Ali was almost at the center of the bridge when Jess yelled, “Stop!”
“Okay.” Ali froze.
“The light is perfect there. Just look over here.”
Ali turned and Jess took several shots before she said, “Okay, now turn around. I want to get some of you walking to the gazebo.”
“You do?” Ali questioned unsure why Jess would want that for the brochure.
Jess smiled and nodded her head animatedly. “Yes,”
“Oookay,” Ali said beneath her breath.
She turned and gasped when she almost walked right into Kade.
“Hi.” He bent down and kissed her before she’d even totally registered that he was there.
“What are you doing…?” she looked around, out of habit. They’d been sneaking around so much that it had become a reflex. Jess was giving her a thumbs up.
She looked back at Kade who was beaming at her. “I’m kissing the woman that I love.”
Ali could feel her cheeks warm up. “Did Jess know you were going to be here?”
“Yes. I asked her to get you up here because I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, mission accomplished.” A nervous laugh bubbled up in Ali.
But she fell silent when she saw the serious look in his eyes.
He took a deep breath and took her hands in his. “I love you, Ali. I always have. Even before that love was romantic, it was real and it was deep. You’ve always been my safe place. You’ve always been my home. You were the person that taught me what unconditional love was. The first time I felt it, was when I showed up on your doorstep after my accident. You threw your arms around me and hugged me and I felt it. Then you started beating the crap out of me and I felt it even more.”
Ali smiled as tears swelled in her eyes. She didn’t remember hitting him, but that sounded like something she would’ve done. She just remembered being so scared.
“I want to be the man that’s worthy of your unconditional love. I sold my motorcycle yesterday.”
“You did?” She knew how much he loved that thing. “I didn’t ask you to…I wouldn’t ask you to…”
“I know you didn’t, but I wanted to. That bike was a symbol of freedom for me. I knew that at any moment I could just get on it and be gone. But I’m not going anywhere. I’m home. Finally. I know that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most. And I’m sorry. But I’m here now. And I want to be here forever.”
She sucked in a shaky breath when Kade lowered down to one knee. A knee. There was only one reason a man would want to surprise someone and then get on their knee. Her mind was going a mile a minute as a single tear slid down her cheek.
“Allison Leanna Walsh, you are the only woman that I’ve ever loved and the only woman I ever will. I want to spend the rest of my life arguing with you as an old married couple.” Kade pulled out a stunning solitaire diamond ring. “So, what do you say? Will you make an honest man out of me and let me put a ring on it?”
“Yes.” Tears were falling down her cheeks as he slid the ring on her finger, stood, and captured her mouth in a soul-branding kiss.
Cheers erupted behind her and she turned to see that KJ, Ricky, Dumbass, and Ethan had all joined Jess on the grass whistling and clapping.
“The twins!” She gasped as she turned back to Kade.
“They knew. The whole time,” He told her as he pressed another kiss to her mouth. “They knew.”
“They knew?” she asked against his lips.
“Yes.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. “We were not as stealth as we thought.”
Her head fell back as she laughed and the group on the grass joined them and congratulated them. And even though he wasn’t there physically, she felt Patrick with them. He was watching them and he’d been right. She didn’t know what life had in store for them, but with Kade by her side and her at his, she knew that they could face anything. Together.
We got this, she silently promised her brother. We got this.
The End