Page 46 of Unbroken (Poplar Springs #2)

SIX MONTHS LATER

“ W hy is that child such a daredevil?” Fiona asked, clucking like a mother hen as Patrick jumped a log on his horse. “He’s going to break his neck.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry, he’s been riding since he was a baby. That’s nothing.”

We were on a family ride, exploring a new trail that Josh wanted to add to the program.

Zoe had borrowed the drone from the mayor’s office again to get aerial footage for the town’s new website.

While she had it, Josh had gotten her to record videos of the areas that we hadn’t developed yet.

I had been the one to point it out when we were reviewing the files, and now Fiona, Patrick, and I were mixing business with pleasure by bringing a picnic lunch with us.

“This is an absolutely gorgeous ride,” Fiona said, swiveling her head to take in the land dotted with wildflowers.

“I think it’s perfect for all of our wedding folks.

Very picturesque and romantic. We should think about setting up some sort of yurt or glamping type tent for those who might want a more upscale camping experience. ”

“You think?” I asked, hoping that I could maintain a poker face.

“Definitely. Should we set up the picnic over there?”

She pointed to a flat patch of land near a stream, under the shade of a massive oak tree.

“Looks perfect,” I said. I cupped my hands to my mouth. “Hey, Patrick, come on back. We’re going to eat.”

We waited quietly until we heard the thunder of hoofbeats.

“He’s about to give me a heart attack,” Fiona said, clutching her hand over her heart as he skidded to a stop next to her. “Monkey, can you ride a little slower when I’m with you?”

I watched my son beam at Fiona. The change in him had been dramatic since we’d gone low contact with my father. Patrick was back to his usual cheerful, impish self all the time—but most especially when he was with Fiona, who seemed to bring out the best in him.

“Nope, I don’t know how to ride slow,” he said with a naughty grin.

“Well, it’s time to take a break,” I said. “Fiona and I are going to set up lunch. Why don’t you go pick some flowers for her?”

“Okay!” he shouted and slid off the horse.

“Patrick, you need to …” I drifted off as we watched him disappear into the tall grass. “Good thing Dakota isn’t a runner.” I slid off my horse and grabbed the reins of the other horse.

Fiona laughed. “Patrick is the best.”

“Funny, he said the same thing about you.” Fiona smiled in response.

The months since the movie night had been a seamless reintroduction to one another.

There was no awkwardness about combining our households, and Patrick had practically levitated with joy when we’d told him we were moving in together in the old foreman’s quarters at the ranch.

Dustin lived off property and it had sat empty for years, making it a fun albeit frustrating process to get it all fixed up for us to use.

I probably would have been fine living in the main house.

It was certainly large enough. But given how new this aspect of our relationship was, we agreed that it would be better if we kept our living quarters separate from Fiona’s family.

Plus, I wanted to take a page from Josh’s handbook and keep my work and home life as separate as possible.

Granted, given that Fiona and I both worked and lived together, it wasn’t going to be as easy as Josh and Zoe made it look, but we were determined to try.

Thankfully the cabin fix up was mostly cosmetic and we’d managed to catch the roof leak before we’d experienced our first snow.

Shannon had gifted us with a stack of their grandmother’s hand-stitched quilts and Patrick had been over the moon when he’d found Josh’s old dinosaur quilt, which now had pride of place spread across his bed.

Unfortunately, he still had the eating preferences of a toddler with his refusal to sample new foods, but Fiona had a way of making it all fun, so he’d been more open to trying lately.

If only my father were open to new things.

My mother was still holding out hope that he’d sign the divorce papers but rather than directly saying no, according to her, he’d taken to changing the subject when she brought it up.

Not that she was eager to date anyone, as far as I knew—but admittedly, there wasn’t much that I actually wanted to know when it came to my parents’ dating plans.

I watched Fiona setting up the blanket and unpacking the lunch she’d made for us.

I still couldn’t believe that I’d almost missed out on this by taking that job in Half Moon.

While Doug Braverman had been annoyed that I turned the job offer down, when I’d told him it was for the love of a woman, he’d congratulated me on making the right decision .

I walked up behind her and dropped to my knees, encircling her in a hug from behind. Fiona tipped her head back so that it rested on my shoulder and I pulled her onto my lap.

“Mmm, don’t make me get any ideas,” she said, laughing softly. “We need to keep it clean with the monkey here.”

“Trust me, we’re coming back here alone,” I growled into her ear.

“We need to christen the new trail just like all the others.” Zoe had recommended the current trail cams mounted all over the property and I hadn’t realized how well they worked until a very red-faced Josh told me that I would have responsibility for checking the footage from the cameras from now on.

Oops. Thankfully, Josh understood, which was when I realized that sometimes when the cameras would mysteriously go offline along Josh and Zoe’s favorite riding trail, it didn’t have anything to do with “connectivity issues” as Zoe called them.

And as much as I now considered Josh a good friend, there were simply some things that needed to remain unseen and my boss-friend getting it on with his fiancée was on that list.

I kissed Fiona on the side of her neck, then let go reluctantly, not wanting to get aroused with my son here. I fell onto my side on the blanket and smiled up at her.

“What?” She laughed at me. “You look like you’re up to something.”

“Oh, I am.”

She put the plates down and stared at me. “What?”

“I’m thinking about the future. Plotting it out. You know, long-term goals.”

“Well, this new ride is going to be a great addition?—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” I said quietly, my eyes locked on hers .

“Well, what are you talking about?” Fiona huffed playfully.

I rolled up onto one knee and reached into my breast pocket. “This.”

Fiona’s eyes went wide when she spotted the diamond ring clutched in my fingers. She gasped as her hands flew to her mouth.

“Fiona Cafferty, I never knew that my once sworn enemy would become my one true love. But deep down, I think I always sort of suspected that my feelings for you went deeper than I was willing to contemplate at the time—let alone acknowledge. It turns out the paste in your hair, the jump scares, and every paper airplane thrown in your direction were actually love letters to you from me. Not only do I want more, I need more. A lot more. Which is why I’m asking if you’ll do me the great honor of becoming my wife and letting me spend the rest of my life writing real love letters to you. ”

Fiona didn’t answer and instead leaped at me, pinning me beneath her as she cried and laughed. She covered my face in kisses.

“I take it that’s a yes?” I laughed back.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she exclaimed, kissing me with each answer.

“Are you guys wrestling?” a little voice behind us asked. “Who’s winning?”

We fell apart, then sat up. I beckoned Patrick over.

“Hey, bud. I did it,” I said, reaching out to grab my son’s hand.

Patrick’s eyes went wide, and he jumped up and down, dropping half of the flowers he’d picked in the process.

“What did she say?” he asked excitedly.

“I said yes, monkey,” Fiona said. “We’re going to be a family.”

Patrick cheered and leaped at us like he was jumping off a diving board. I caught him with a grunt and fell back against the blanket. Patrick ended up sprawled across the both of us.

“I take it that you’re happy about it?”

He nodded and gazed at Fiona like he couldn’t quite believe it.

“Well, that makes three of us,” she said, lying half on top of me and sweeping us into a hug.

I leaned my head against Fiona’s and wished I could bottle the perfect moment of the three of us lazing in the sunshine to savor for later.

But then I realized I didn’t have to because it was only the first of many wonderful moments to come as my fresh start began exactly where I was supposed to be—wrapped in the arms of the woman I loved with my son at our side.

THE END