Chapter Twenty-Nine
Autumn patiently held Dina and Sam’s little girl as Dina wandered aimlessly down the sidewalk toward Autumn’s B&B, The Blackberry Patch. Dina had been looking for Sam and thought he might be across the street at his brother Joel’s house, but the search turned up empty.
Dina waved at Autumn who was gently bouncing Dina’s one-month-old daughter, Bella Grace North, in her arms. They were standing by the rose garden in the front yard, and the sight warmed Dina’s heart. Dina never would have guessed that when she moved here, she’d be a mom in less than a year’s time in Silver Ridge. She also never imagined she’d be living with the man of her dreams.
“Did you find him?” Autumn hollered, still bouncing Bella Grace.
“No. I didn’t see Joel either.”
“Huh, that’s weird.” Autumn glanced toward the herb garden, and Dina followed her gaze, finally spotting who she was looking at.
“There you are.” Dina laughed. “I thought you might have changed your mind about the afternoon tea with Emilia and—”
She stopped talking when she saw her other best friend, Tami Paulson, and her brother, James, standing behind Sam. Dina’s gaze wandered to the arbor and saw Sam’s mom, Grandma Martha, and all of his brothers gathered beside the arbor.
Dina looked back at Autumn and shook her head. “What is everyone doing here?”
“You’ll see.” She smiled and Dina watched as Sam came walking toward her, holding a little box in his hand. Her heart started pounding fast as she saw the man of her dreams coming toward her.
His stride was so long that he managed to get through the yard fairly quickly and picked her up in his arms and swung her around.
“I love you, Dina Romano.” He kissed her quickly and put her down. “And I want you to marry me.”
She glanced at their friends and family still on the far side of the yard and she looked back at Sam, somewhat puzzled.
“And because I know you’ve had so many failed engagements, I wanted to make that part as quick and painless as possible.” He smiled and opened up the ring box to reveal a solitaire diamond larger than any she’d ever seen in person.
“I don’t understand.” Dina shook her head and took Bella Grace from Autumn.
“Dina, I want someone who I can share good news and bad news with, who I can grow with as a person, who I can make mistakes with and learn with. I want to give everything I am and have to you and our little girl. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are that someone.” Sam sank to one knee and held out the ring. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she squealed, squeezing Bella Grace and hopping up on her toes as Sam stood back up and slipped the ring on Dina’s finger.
But before she had a chance to say or do anything else, Autumn took Bella Grace back out of her arms, and Sam scooped Dina into his and carried Dina toward their friends and family.
“Put me down, Sam North. I mean it.” She laughed, unable to believe he’d proposed, but completely confused as to why he did it away from everyone he’d invited here. “Put me down.”
“Not until you walk away with me as Mrs. Sam North.” He laughed, carrying her as he walked them through the brilliantly colored garden toward their friends and family.
“Sam, what are you talking about?” Her eyes connected with his and he just smiled. “Come on, Sam. What’s going on? We’re not…Are we?” Her eyes brightened with excitement at the thought. Leave it to Sam to solve a problem. None of her engagements stuck so they were just going to skip over that part.
“You said you wanted a surprise wedding when you were talking to Emilia so…”
“You heard that?” Dina asked, nearly speechless.
Sam smiled and nodded as he set her down near the arbor adorned with white climbing roses. The little red studio Autumn had built for the B&B had the doors wide open with tables of food inside and a beautiful wedding cake.
“So, I’ll ask again.” Sam smiled. “Will you marry me this very second in front of our friends and family?”
“I will.” Dina looked into Sam’s blue eyes and saw nothing but the kind, gentle, and loyal man she loved.
He knew she got nervous every time he brought up an engagement, but he also knew her well enough to know she couldn’t imagine spending her life with anyone else.
Autumn handed Bella Grace to Sam’s mom as Sam held Dina’s hand in his and led her to the arbor where their pastor was waiting.
Sam leaned toward her and whispered, “You ready for this?”
“More than you can imagine.” Dina smiled and Sam kissed her.
The pastor cleared his throat and all of their friends and family laughed as Sam broke his lips from Dina’s. He could kiss her all day, and maybe some day, he would.
As Dina stood at the altar in the middle of her best friend’s garden, she couldn’t imagine a wedding she’d rather have. Her daughter was here, her friends, and Sam’s family that would soon become hers were here, and she realized that she finally learned the secret about love.
The secret to love was that there were different kinds for different people for different times with different meanings. None were right or wrong. They were all just different.
One kind of love sneaks up on you slowly until one day you realize you can’t live without that person in your life. Another kind of love comes on so fast and strong it will consume a person so wholly life can’t be imagined another way.
There’s love that helps care for a dying parent who might not have always been kind, and there’s love so pure for a child that every time you hold them, your heart bleeds a little thinking about the moment they will grow up and leave. There is also the kind of love that will let that child spread their wings. There is love for friends who will do anything to make you realize that you’re about to make a mistake in life and also help praise you for your accomplishments.
Dina glanced at Sam North, and her heart filled with every kind of love imaginable. He was her friend, her lover, her partner, her hero, her reason for trying love again, and she couldn’t imagine living her life without him.
“Do you take Dina Romano to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
“And forever after,” Sam said, bending down to kiss Dina once more.
One thing was certain in the world. Love was good, no matter the kind, and for once in Dina’s life, she had plenty.
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I hope you enjoyed the second book in the Silver Ridge Series! The third book, A Funny Thing About Love, is coming this Spring. Emilia is coming to Silver Ridge! .
A Funny Thing About Love Preview
Emilia Hudson has never been one to consider arranged marriages, especially if it meant her seventy-five year old parents would have a say, but with her dismal love life, she’s almost reconsidering.
After her latest dating disaster, Emilia writes a simple blog post that goes viral. Worse yet, people start considering her a relationship expert, and all she feels like is a fraud.
As the emails and speaking engagements start rolling in, she realizes her only option is to take the bull by the horns and run with the unexpected fame.
What she doesn’t want to do is talk about the real reason why she won’t ever fall in love again.
But when she gets an offer she can’t refuse from a major publisher, that’s all they want her to write about.
It isn’t until she meets the man behind the proposal that she realizes why…