Page 31 of Just a Number (Magnolia Row #2)

Micah

I t’s Christmas in Magnolia Row, which means it’s almost been a year since Rhodes moved here, and I’ve never been happier.

He set up an office in the guest room and he and I sleep in my old room.

I keep Nana’s room exactly as she left it.

I know Rhodes and I would have more space if we moved to the master bedroom, but it doesn’t feel right.

Though I’ve almost gotten through my year of firsts without her, I still miss her so much I swear I hear her whisper to me when it’s quiet.

Even so, life has continued to carry me along.

I take joy in little things with Rhodes, like watching television together, going for walks, and stopping by the hotel job site to let him show me what’s going on there.

We’ve even made a few midnight trips to the old dilapidated house on the river to explore and relive the magical first kiss that set my soul alight and told me yes, he is my forever love.

Sometimes I worry he misses his life in Birmingham, but he assures me he’s excited about our new chapter together.

Over the summer, his son had an internship with a big law firm in the city, so he was able to use Rhodes’ condo during that time.

He even came to Magnolia Row one Sunday to meet me, and while it was a little strange at first, given he and I are relatively close in age, he was nothing but kind, gracious, and seemed genuinely happy for his dad.

The structural restoration of the hotel was completed in October, so a crew of eight men took the fountain out of my shop and returned it to its original home.

We had to take the front doors off the hinges to get it out, but we managed.

It shines in the old hotel lobby, and I know Nana looks down and smiles when she sees that a small piece of her is now part of the hotel’s legacy.

The hotel is primed, painted, and decorated in time for Christmas. Southern Living magazine even did a story about the full restoration in their November issue, so the place is fully booked for a year before it has even opened its doors.

Wilhelmina Caxton, whom I met a few times after Rhodes moved to Magnolia Row, is not one to miss an opportunity to celebrate herself, so she’s decided to throw a lavish Christmas party in the hotel’s ballroom and invited all her friends from Fairhope as well as everyone who is anyone in Magnolia Row.

Rhodes and I were of course invited, a) since he’s the architect and b) since she’s apparently been lusting after him since they met, which she does not even try to hide even when I’m around.

I get the feeling she only invited me out of a sense of propriety, but I don’t care.

I’m so excited to see the hotel in its full glory I can put up with her for one night.

Besides, I have nothing to worry about. Rhodes’ heart is all mine.

For the party, I wear one-strap red dress with huge flowers on the neckline and shoulder.

My arms are bare, which is new for me, but Rhodes insists I look ravishing.

Patsy helps with my hair, and I must say when I look in my brand-new full-length mirror, I do look beautiful. Most importantly, I look happy.

Rhodes, of course, is the sexiest man in the room in his tux.

His hair has a little more gray than it did when we met over a year ago, but it only serves to make him look more of a gentlemen, like he just stepped out of a Jane Austen novel.

Every time I look at him, I get goosebumps. I can’t believe he’s mine.

The party is a blast, though thanks to the open bar, most of Magnolia Row is smashed.

The entire police force is there offering free safe rides to anyone who isn’t okay to drive.

Kendall is there with Pierre, her movie-star-turned-novelist fiancé, and we have a great time dancing.

Patsy and Sistine are absent—Patsy couldn’t find a babysitter for her kids, and Sistine would rather die than get dressed up for a formal party—but even though we miss them, we still have a great time.

When we leave the party, instead of turning left to go home, Rhodes turns right and drives towards the old house on the river.

“We can’t go there tonight,” I tell Rhodes. “I’m in this dress. I’ll never be able to climb the fence.”

“I have a surprise for you,” he says.

We pull up to the house, and the gate is open.

“How did you—" I start to ask, but he taps my hand gently.

“I’ll explain when we get there.”

We’re able to drive through the weeds and park right at the foot of the stairs leading to the front door.

Moonlight glints off the broken windows at the top of the belvedere, and when Rhodes helps me out of the car, he puts his coat over my shoulders so I won’t be too cold.

He holds my hand and helps me navigate the uneven steps, then leads me into the house.

It’s pitch black since we didn’t bring any lights, but Rhodes tells me to stand still in the foyer, the exact spot where we had our first kiss, and retrieves a small lantern from behind the staircase and turns it on.

He puts it on the floor beside me, then pulls some papers out of the coat pocket that I hadn’t even noticed were there.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“The deed to this house,” he says.

“Are you serious?”

“One hundred percent. Turns out Pauline Cavendish owned it. She agreed to sell it to me for almost nothing after I told her I wanted to restore it for Barbara Bonaventure’s granddaughter.

I know you’re attached to our home now, since it’s where you grew up with your nana, but I thought maybe we could fix this place up and have a fresh start, if that’s what you want.

Or we can restore it for fun and use it as a wedding venue or something.

Either way, it’s special to us, and I want you to have it. ”

My mouth drops and tears roll down my cheeks. My imagination runs wild with all the potential lying dormant in these walls. My head is spinning and I have to remind myself to breathe as I stand here dumbfounded.

“This is the most amazing Christmas gift you could’ve given me,” I say. “This will be the adventure of a lifetime! Oh, I have so many ideas.” I clasp my hands together and look around as I talk, but before my thoughts get away from me, Rhodes puts his hands on my face and kisses me.

“I have one more surprise for you,” he says.

Then, like Cary Grant in an Old Hollywood movie, he gets down on one knee and pulls a small box out of his pocket.

I gasp. I can barely see the ring in this light, but I don’t even care what it looks like. This moment is everything.

“Micah, you’ve been the light of my life since we met. I love you, I love our life here together, and I want nothing more than for you to be my wife.”

My heart explodes and my hands shake so much I have to grab him to keep steady. “Yes, yes, yes,” I exclaim through happy tears. “A million times yes!”

He slides the ring on my finger, and he barely has time to stand before I grab him and kiss him as hard and with as much intensity as that night over one year ago in this very spot. And, just like then, I feel my body begin to float, my soul so happy not even gravity can keep my feet on the ground.

THE END