Page 55 of Fractured Grief (Hope’s Ridge #2)

Indy

I was exhausted but happy to finally be on holiday.

Christmas was just around the corner, and I was excited to share it with Seb.

Grace had settled in with us seamlessly and had even found a job at the diner down the road, and was saving to find her own place. I didn’t blame her. The couch was comfortable, but nothing beat having your own space and some privacy.

Seb had taken to spending most weekdays at my townhouse, and we had weekends at Hope’s Ridge. Hazel loved playing with all the cousins and had made so many friends. And I was addicted to all the delicious food. We were regulars at the Sunday Brunches.

How had I gotten so lucky? To find such genuine, caring, and compassionate people. The whole town welcomed me, Hazel, and now, Grace, like we were all one of their own. It was the perfect town Lexi had dreamed of finding, and I had.

The anniversary of her death had been hard, but with Seb and Grace, we’d celebrated Lexi’s life and how awesome she was, rather than focusing on the fact that she was no longer here.

I couldn’t have done any of it without Seb by my side. As we shared story after story of my beautiful best friend, I knew we’d all be okay. She’d be with us, always, and we’d live on in her memory.

With Lyric’s help and support, I had a surprise offer for Seb tonight. We’d had Ma take Hazel for a sleepover, and Grace was at work. We had the townhouse to ourselves.

I hoped Seb would be on board with my plan. We had a light dinner and settled down to watch a movie.

“Hey, Seb,” I said, before we pressed play.

“Yes, Sunshine.” I loved it when he called me that.

“Do you think your brothers could help me with something this weekend?” I asked.

“Help with what?” he asked, distractedly.

Seb had made no secret of wanting to marry me, but had never said anything about me moving in with him. I wondered if we were on the same page.

I turned the TV off to ensure I had his full attention. “To help me move?”

“Move? Where?” He looked so confused.

“Well, I was hoping to move in with you, but if you don’t want us, I can find somewhere else,” I spoke playfully as a giant grin spread over Seb’s face .

He pulled me onto his lap. “Really? You want to move in with me?”

He was so adorable. “Yes, you big lug.” I beamed at him as he whooped with joy.

“Oh my God, yes! I’d love for you to move in.

” He sobered right then. “What about Hazel, Grace, and your work? I don’t want to cause any problems or make anything harder for anyone.

As much as I’d love to have you in my bed, my town, my life, every moment, I don’t want to cause you any added stress.

” He was pecking kisses over my cheeks and down my neck, quickly distracting me. I needed to focus.

“I already told Hazel, and she is so excited. I’ve already started the process of transferring her to your old school.

It’s what’s best for her and was what Lexi always wanted for us,” I grinned at Seb.

“I offered Grace this place until the lease is up, but she wants to come with us. She’s fallen in love with Hope’s Ridge as much as I have.

She might even be able to rent a room from Kathleen, to give us some privacy. ” I waggled my eyebrows.

The joy and happiness radiating off Seb warmed my soul.

I was overjoyed, too. Moving forward in my relationship with Seb was one thing, but moving to Hope’s Ridge would finally fulfill Lexi’s last dream.

To find a small, safe, and welcoming town and live our lives to the fullest. With Seb at my side, I vowed to do just that.

Seb

Indy and Hazel were all settled in. I couldn’t believe I got to wake up every day to this incredible man.

With my brother’s help, we moved my bedroom back upstairs in my house and cleared out my junk room for Hazel.

Lyric moved out, but I’m not sure if he went back to live with Kaydance or if he was staying with Ma. I hoped they found their way back to each other. They were both so miserable.

With Indy’s support and encouragement, and Levi’s constant nudging, I finally faced going into my garage workshop. It had been hard, but Indy’s resilience in the face of Lexi’s anniversary inspired me.

It was time.

My brothers were all by my side when I opened the doors. Seeing and being in the place where Pa had died was nearly excruciating, but Indy just held my hand and asked a question about Pa, and the tension broke. After that, we all shared various stories of Pa and what he was like .

Atticus checked over the Pontiac and noted it wasn’t in as bad a condition as we feared, and he offered to help me finish it.

I thanked him, but knew this was something I needed to do by myself.

I made a promise to my Pa that I would finish this car for him and gift it to Ma.

If I couldn’t use it, he’d want Ma to have it, I just knew it.

With Christmas tomorrow, I’d been sure to do all my shopping early and had hidden away all the presents in my old room downstairs. I just hoped Hazel wouldn’t go snooping.

We were just finishing watching Elf and drinking hot cocoa when Indy told Hazel, “ It’s time.” She squealed and bounced towards the front door.

“Time for what?” I asked, having no clue what was going on.

Just then, my old-fashioned dinner bell rang out, accompanied by Lyric’s voice. “Let us in, it’s freezing out here.”

I glanced at Indy, “Why is Lyric here?”

Hazel was opening the door, and not just Lyric came in, but my whole immediate family, along with Kaydence, Kathleen, and Grace. We all greeted each other, and as a good host, I offered everyone drinks.

Everyone settled in and around my living room as Hazel came to stand by the Christmas tree next to Indy.

Lyric gave me a nudge that almost had me stumbling.

“Hey,” I exclaimed.

Lyric just rolled his eyes and gestured to Indy. “Go over to your man,” he said, as he gave me another little shove. This was all so weird, but I dutifully walked over and pulled Indy to my side, kissing the top of his head.

My jaw dropped as Indy pulled back and went down on one knee in front of me. Hazel was right next to him and handed him a black velvet box.

“Seb. The day we met changed my life. I never dreamed I’d find my person, my forever—someone who loves me so completely and makes me want to be a better man. I love you and would love to be your sunshine forever. Will you marry me?”

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, and all I could do was nod. “Sunshine, of course!”

Indy rose and placed the beautiful gold band with the Greek meander key engraved on the outside on my finger. The ring looked so much like Pa’s.

I hugged Indy with all my heart, overwhelmed by happiness. Hazel joined our hug, and I knelt down to pick her up.

“Did you know about this?” I asked as I tickled her sides, making her giggle.

“Yes,” she exclaimed. “Uncle Lyric and I helped Daddy pick out the ring. Just like Papú’s”

My heart skipped a beat. “You know about your Papú?”

“Yes, Nanny-Yaya showed me.” She placed either of her little palms on my face and gazed seriously into my eyes. “Okay, so now that you and Daddy are going to be husbands, I can’t call you Mr. Seb anymore. Can I call you Papa, instead? ”

More tears overflowed from my eyes at her words. “Of course you can, sweetheart. I’d love nothing more than to be your Papa.”

We hugged again, and I kissed Hazel’s and then Indy’s cheek. I couldn’t believe the joy and love these two beautiful souls had brought into my life. I gazed at Indy, my sunshine, my man, my forever.

I never dreamed I’d get this lucky.