Chapter 21: Chelsea

Flynn and I toasted a celebration to him being in Paris for two months. It started off rocky, with me going into work and him not knowing what the fuck to do around the apartment, but ultimately it worked out for the better. I’d made reservations at a restaurant that wasn’t afraid to cook with grease and Flynn really enjoyed the steak they made there. He enjoyed it when the waiter came out with half of the cheese wheel and melted cheese right on top of the steak, and he was all about it. Turned out he liked French food.

“To two months in Paris!” I smiled.

“Here here!” Flynn exclaimed.

We clinked our wine glasses, but I didn’t drink, over the luscious food sitting in front of us, and then we began to devour it. Flynn had found an actual rodeo that took place just outside of the city, and he started riding again. He entered himself as a newbie into some of the competitions, but then one of the regular riders recognized him and put him straight into the professional circuit. He traveled a bit with them around the country, but mostly he stayed just outside of Paris. He rode when he could and, when the rodeo wasn’t in town, he was hired as a contractor to help train other riders and help with other people’s ranches.

He had found his niche, and it wasn’t too far off from what he was doing back in Oklahoma.

“Has Bradley called you lately?” I asked.

“Oh, yep. He called me a couple days ago. Says the calves are doing just fine and growing faster than he can keep up.”

“That’s good. That’s so good, Flynn.”

“I’m thinkin’ ‘bout takin’ a trip out there soon just to check up on things.”

“I think that would be a good idea. You could stay for a week or two and give Bradley a break.”

“I don’t know if I’d wanna stay that long…” he trailed off.

“Well, I’ll come with ya if it helps,” I smiled.

Flynn had put his ranch hand on full-time duty, and Bradley checked in every once in a while, to see how things were going. Flynn had traveled back once since he’d arrived in Paris and when he came back, I could tell he had missed me. We stayed up that entire night feeding each other food and making love to one another on my couch, and when I’d woken up that morning he wouldn’t even let me go take a damn shower!

So, I knew that me going with him would help him to actually go back and check on things.

“I think I’d like that,” Flynn smirked.

“I know,” I winked.

Flynn and I had also moved out of the heart of the city. It was a massive transition for me, but because Flynn was determined to learn how to drive and have a car of his own, transportation was no longer an issue. I still took the busses and trains into town, but he was now able to get around on his own. I knew he liked the freedom.,

I came home one day to see all our things packed in the one truck he found in all of Paris, and I had no fucking clue what was up to his sleeve. He just told me he had a surprise for me, and when I looked up at my apartment, I could see other people already moving into it.

I jumped into his truck, fuming at the idea that he’d subleased my apartment without telling me about it, but when we hit the outskirts of the city, and the hills began to roll, I felt sort of like I was at home. My eyes darted along the wineries and vineyards, and beautiful sprawling French mansions peppered the roads we were traveling down, and when we took a sharp right and hit a gravel driveway, all the memories from the past few years came barreling back to my mind.

College. Flynn. His encouragement throughout my college years. The summer horse camps I helped with. Flynn’s home. The horse accident. How he cared for me. The first time I told him I loved him. The way he looked at the airport as I was leaving.

It all came flooding back, but tears crested my eyes when the beautiful home that was sitting at the end of it came into view.

“Oh my God,” I breathed.

“It still needs some work, but that’s sort of what I do,” Flynn smiled.

“Holy shi-... this is ours!?” I shrieked.

“Yep. Closed on it today. I was lucky to find a sub-lease that was lookin’ for a place quick.”

I slammed myself out of his truck and went running to the porch, and when I saw the beautiful rocking chairs over in the corner, I felt my tears streaming down my face.

And then, I heard whinnying in the background.

“Flynn…?” I asked.

“Come on,” he smiled.

I ran and took his hand, and he led me around back, and when the backyard came into view, I was absolutely stunned. Three horses were in the field with two different foals, and five bulls were over in another part of the yard altogether. Hills upon hills sprawled out in the background, and there was a silver barn way off in the distance.

“That’s the heifer barn. There’s seven of ‘em in there. And don’t worry, I plan to ride the horses out to it until I can get me a four-wheeler or somethin’.”

“Flynn! I breathed.

Apparently, one of the people he ran into at the rodeo owned this farm at one point, but were actually switching their profession and looking to sell. He’d injured himself pretty badly and was losing money bringing in people to take care of the animals he trained and took after they were retired from the rodeo circuit, and that shit was right up Flynn’s alley. The price he quoted included all the animals, and Flynn simply couldn’t turn it down.

Not when there were animals involved.

“I’m sorry, I’m just still in shock with the house,” I said after I swallowed a massive bite.

“I know, but I think I got somethin’ that’ll trump it,” Flynn smirked.

“Jesus, Flynn. I can’t handle anything else. Can’t ya just let a woman’s heart rest a bit?” I asked.

“Not a chance,” he murmured.

I giggled and took a drink of my water, and when I turned my head back around to him, there was a little box in his hand. I froze, feeling my entire body lock up with shock, and when I slowly panned my eyes up to his face, he clicked the box open and showed me what was inside.

It was a beautiful diamond ring glistening in the dim light of the restaurant, and everyone around us had stilled to watch and listen.

“Chelsea August, you are, single-handedly, the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Ya make me feel at home in a city that I shouldn’t belong in, ya warm my body at night after I’ve been fightin’ with them damn bulls, and watchin’ you do what you love day in and day out lets me know I pushed you to do the right thing in college.”

Tears of joy trickled down my cheeks as my gaze slowly rose to his.

“When your mama called me that day, I thought I’d lost you. I thought that I’d never get a chance to ever tell you I loved you again, or hold you close to me and kiss those sweet lips of yours, or even cuddle you into my side while we watched a movie. I saw all them memories slip away from me, and it made me sick.”

I heard sniffling around us while tears glistened in Flynn’s eyes, and I couldn’t help but wrap my small hands around his wrists that were suspended with the ring in midair.

“I prayed to God that night that if He pulled you outta this… if you came back to me… I’d do all the things I never thought I’d get to do with you ever again. I’d take you on adventures, and I’d kiss your lips at night, and I’d hunker down behind you just to make sure you were safe every single time you slept.”

“Oh, Flynn,” I choked out.

“Chelsea August, I love every single part of you. I have since I was 19, and I will until I’m 109. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

The entire restaurant fell under a hushed state, and a smile bloomed deep across my cheeks. My body was shaking, and my legs were trembling, but when I shot myself into Flynn’s lap and crashed my lips onto his, the entire restaurant erupted into cheers and chants of congratulations.

“Yes, Flynn,” I whispered into his lips, “I will marry you and together we’ll make a beautiful family.”

He took that beautiful ring out of the box and slid it onto my finger. “A family?” He asked, eyes hopeful.

I laughed, “Yeah, that last appointment was more than I bargained for with the doctor. We’re having a baby!”

He kissed my lips and then all over my face. I relished in his touch, my eyes wet even though I was laughing.

He stood up and announced to the whole place, “I’m going to be a father!”

Everyone applauded and that’s when something was set on our table.

“Courtesy of the owner,” the waiter nodded. “Toutes nos félicitations.”

And when we opened up the little envelope, it was a note that simply read, “On The House.”

“I love you, Flynn,” I smiled through my tears.

“And I love you, Chelsea,” he smiled back.