Page 39 of Ember’s Heart

Ember

O ctober has always been my favorite month. I love the season change, the slightly warm days and cool nights. And I especially love all the baking my mom starts to do. Our house smells incredible this time of year. It smells like apple pie and warm cider.

It’s been almost a month since Colton and I were at the cabin and I’m still desperate to escape there again with him.

When you and your… boyfriend?? Boyfriend seems so minor to what he is to me, but he’s not my fiance- yet.

Anyways, with both of us living with our parents, privacy is hard to come by.

That weekend was the best thing for us. It brought us closer together and it proved to him I’m not going anywhere. It showed him I can handle his PTSD and he knows he can lean on me without worrying it’s going to push me away.

Today was saturday and our farm was bustling with customers this morning looking to buy apples and pears. Almost all the pumpkins we put out were almost gone and people were excited for the upcoming Fall Festival my family always put together.

Owen, as usual, was home from college for the weekend to help where he could and so we could get some more videos filmed. I was so proud of my baby brother. For being twenty-one and in college, he never complained about coming home. It was actually his idea.

We were currently in the kitchen filming Mom making her delicious turkey and stuffing, and then she was going to show how to make pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin, not a can.

Owen was walking around trying to get the best angle and I was seated on a stool at the island chopping the bread and herbs she needed.

“And remember,” Mom chirped, “the key to a moist bird is to cook it upside down and to bast, bast, bast!”

“And that’s a wrap!” Owen called out.

“Was that okay?” Mom asked.

“It was perfect, Mom.” I reassured her. She was always concerned with what people were going to think, but she didn’t need to be. Everyone loved her and the comments always poured in and were all so positive.

Just as Mom was about to say something the back door opened, and Colton stepped inside.

He was wearing a worn flannel shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders and faded jeans, his hair a little messy from the wind.

Man, he looked good. So handsome and all mine, I thought as my stomach did a familiar flutter.

He paused, taking in the scene in the kitchen, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Smells delicious in here.” he commented, as he rubbed his stomach. “Makes me hungry.”

Mom beamed. “Colton! Perfect timing. Come, try this stuffing.”

He walked over to take the small bowl of stuffing from Mom, his eyes meeting mine. “Hey, Firefly,” he murmured, leaning down to press a soft kiss to my temple. “Got a minute? I wanted to show you something.”

Owen spoke up. “Go ahead, Em! I’ve got this. Mom and I can handle the rest.” He smiled at me.

“You sure?”

“Positive. Go on, get out of here.”

Colton finished the stuffing, placing the bowl in the sink.

Coming back to me, he placed his hand on the small of my back.

“Come on.” He said, leading me towards the back door.

“You’ll need this,” he said, grabbing my winter coat from the hook by the door.

He held it open for me as I slipped my arms inside.

“Thanks,” I said, pulling the zipper up to my chin. “So, what’s the big mystery?”

He just grinned mischievously as he led me around the side of the house to where the Polaris was parked. Helping me into the side seat, he went around to his side and slid in.

“Hold on,” he said, as the engine roared to life, and then we were off. The wind whipped through my hair, as we sped past rows of cornstalks and the apple orchard.

He didn’t take the usual paths. Instead, he veered off onto a less-used path, one that wound its way through a dense patch of woods on the far side of our property.

Finally, he slowed, pulling the Polaris to a stop in a small clearing, and shut off the engine. The view from this spot of our property was breathtaking. You could still see my parents house in the distance. And even though you couldn’t see Garrett’s house from here, it wasn’t far.

I climbed off the Polaris, my eyes just taking in the view. “It’s so beautiful out here. I haven’t been to this part of the property in years. I forgot how quiet it is this far back.” I turned to him, a question in my eyes. “But, what are we doing here?”

He walked over to me, his hands finding my waist. He pulled me close, his gaze sweeping over the landscape, a soft, knowing smile on his lips. “So, you like this location then, Firefly?”

I shrugged, still confused. “Yeah, it’s nice out here. Really peaceful. Why?”

He chuckled, his eyes meeting mine, and I could see so much emotion in them. “Because, Ember,” he said, his voice low, “this is the future spot of our family home.”

My jaw dropped. I stared at him, speechless, my mind struggling to process his words. Our family home. The words echoed in my head. I felt the tears welling up, and before I could even think, I launched myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist, burying my face in his neck.

“Colton!” I cried, my voice muffled against his flannel. “Are you serious?”

I could feel his laughter vibrate against my body as he held me tight. “Of course I’m serious.”

I pulled back, my eyes shining with tears. “When I was little, I always wanted to live on my parents’ land. To raise my kids here. But I haven’t thought about any of that in so long. I didn’t think…” My voice trailed off, overcome with emotion.

He gently set me back down on the ground, then pulled me towards the Polaris. He sat on the back seat that faced the opposite direction, then pulled me into his lap, wrapping his arms around me.

“So,” he said, his voice soft, “about those kids. And that family home. Is that something you still want, Ember?”

I nodded, my head resting against his chest. “More than anything, Colton. What about you? Is that something you want too?”

He kissed the top of my head. “Only if it’s with you, Firefly. When the time is right. When we’re both ready. But yeah. That’s the plan. I want to build a life with you. I want to have little Fireflies and little country boys running around this land. Just like we did.”

A wave of joy washed over me. Looking up at him, I asked, “What do you see yourself doing?”

He sighed, thinking. “I see myself continuing to help Scott at Habitat. It’s good, honest work, and it feels good to give back to the community.

But I also want to focus on helping out here on the farm.

For your family. For our family.” He paused, his gaze drifting over the land.

“And… I’d like to talk to Alejandro about doing something where I can help guys and women like me.

Who are struggling to deal with what happened to them. ”

My heart swelled with pride. “Colton, that’s amazing. You’d be incredible at it.”

He shook his head slightly. “I’m not ready right now. I still have work to do on myself. But one day, I want to. I want to be able to give back, to help someone else find their way out of that darkness.”

I reached up, cupping his cheek, my thumb stroking gently. “You’ll get there. And I know you’d be great at helping others. It’s who you are. You’re kind, you’re strong, and you can relate to what they’re going through.”

He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Thank you, baby.”

We sat there for a while longer, just talking, dreaming, planning. We talked about renovations to the old barn, about adding an addition for more horses, about the festival coming up.

“Oh!” I suddenly exclaimed, pulling back from him, my eyes wide with excitement. “I almost forgot to tell you something!”

He chuckled. “What is it?”

“Remember that baker, Emily, I told you about a couple of months back?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you said she was thinking of expanding and maybe moving here.”

“Well, I’ve been talking to her a lot,” I said.

“And she’s definitely moving to Rose Valley!

She’s looking for the perfect spot for her bakery.

” My mind immediately went to the old, vacant storefront at the end of Main Street that had been empty for years.

“I was thinking maybe that old store at the end of Main Street. It’s got the parking lot next to it, and it would be perfect.

She’s looking into it, and she’s also thinking of doing a food truck until she gets everything set up. ”

“Wow, that’s great, Ember. A new bakery would be great for the town. And a food truck would be a smart move to build up a customer base.”

“Right?” I beamed, thrilled that he was as excited as I was. “It’s going to be amazing. A real boost for Main Street. And she’s interested in getting some of her ingredients through us.”

He pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to my hair. “You’re amazing, Ember. I’m so proud of everything you’re achieving. You work so hard for your family’s business and are doing great things.”

I settled into his embrace, enjoying the way his warm, hard body felt against me.

I felt safe in his arms. Colton always had a way of making me feel that way.

As kids, he always cheered me on and knew what to say when I was doubting myself.

With him by my side I felt I could do anything.

And I couldn’t wait to see what we would create together.