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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

brOOKS

I t was late, almost nine o’clock by the time I pulled up to the house, so I was surprised to see that the lights were on.

After my fight with Baz, I hung back with my brothers while Finn went home to help Molly tuck Emma into bed.

I needed to cool off because I knew Harlow would have a million questions.

The last thing I wanted to do was walk through the door with bloody knuckles and a bad attitude.

I called her on the way home because I didn’t want her to worry or get second-hand information.

I peered through the windshield, where she was patiently waiting for me on the porch swing. Her brown hair was pulled back, her legs were tucked beneath her, and she looked like she had been crying.

She stood the second I stepped out of my truck. I wasn’t sure what to expect when she started walking toward me. Was she going to hit me or hug me?

My question was answered when she ran into my arms and folded her small frame against my body.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Wasn’t your fault,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and burying my face in her hair.

“You wouldn’t have been in a fight if it weren’t for me.”

I tightened my hold on her. “Do not apologize for him.”

She sniffed and curled deeper into my chest. “He isn’t going to let this go. This is so unfair to you.”

“Stop.” I pulled back to look into her eyes. “He threw the first punch. He started it, but I’m going to end it. I will find a way, I promise you that.”

She wiped at her eyes. “But he hurt you.”

I smirked. “I’ve been hurt worse in a pillow fight.”

She pressed her cheek to my chest and stared at my bruised knuckles. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m a big boy,” I said, trying to reassure her. “Once we’re legally married, he has no more leverage.”

She stepped back. Her eyes swept over me before bringing my swollen hand up to her lips. “You really got him good, huh?”

“I would have liked to have gotten in a few more punches, but yeah, I believe I gave him a lot more than I got.”

She shook her head. “Come inside. I’ll get you cleaned up. Your hand needs ice, and I want to tell you about my conversation with Molly.”

“Harlow, I’m fine.”

She scowled, like she didn’t believe me, and pulled me through the door. Diesel came running up and dropped a tennis ball at my feet.

Harlow picked up the ball and set it on the kitchen table. “Not now, Diesel.”

It was the first time I’d ever seen her make him pout. I guess she wasn’t in the mood to play games tonight.

I gave him a quick pat on the head as she pushed me into a kitchen chair. “Let me get you an ice pack.”

She started rummaging through the freezer. My hand hurt, but nothing too terrible. I could tell she needed to do something, so I let her fuss over me if it made her feel better.

“I made dinner,” she said, applying the ice pack to my knuckles.

I lifted my head in surprise. “You cooked?”

“Sort of.” She shrugged and walked over to the sink to grab a wet washcloth.

“What did you make?” I asked, staring at the stove. It smelled like fish. Now, I was nervous. Harlow wasn’t known for her culinary skills. She was better at making spreadsheets than supper.

“I picked up some salmon at the store earlier.”

My gaze lifted to hers. “You bought salmon?”

She grinned, looking proud of herself. “I did.”

I scratched the side of my head. “You know I have fish in the freezer in the garage, right? Free fish that I caught with my own hands.”

She rolled her eyes. “It was a last-minute decision, and I didn’t want to bother with thawing out frozen fish. I wanted fresh.”

I bit my tongue and kept my thoughts to myself. “Can’t wait to try it.”

She parked a hand on her hip. “Are you mocking me?”

“I would never.” I grinned and adjusted the ice pack on my hand. “What are we having with the salmon?”

She narrowed her eyes and then went to the cupboard to grab a few plates. “A tossed salad and rice.” She turned and smiled. “Just in case you were wondering, the salmon came in its own baking pan and was already seasoned, so all I had to do was cook it.”

I offered her a crooked smile. “So, I don’t have to worry about dying tonight?”

She pulled the oven open and pulled the pan out. “From the food, no. But if you keep making fun of my cooking, there is a good chance you won’t see the light of day tomorrow.”

Harlow and I sat and ate in silence. The fish wasn’t that bad. The edges were a little crispy, but I ate every last bite.

“So, what did Molly have to say about the permits?” I asked, leaning back in my chair to give her my full attention.

Her smile was wide. “She spoke with my mom’s attorney, who is the trustee of my estate. He has the responsibility to make sure the assets in the trust are properly cared for. He’s applying for new permits under the name of the trust.”

I took a sip of my water. “I don’t know much about the law, but that seems like a solid argument.”

She was playing with her fork when she looked up at me. “I also did something else today.”

“What’s that?”

“I picked up Marty, and we went to look at a few parcels of land. I wanted to see what was out there, so I could start working on some figures for my business plan.”

I paused, setting my fork down slowly. “You did?”

“Don’t act so surprised.”

I could sense the excitement in her tone. I knew she was thinking about it, but I had no idea she was looking at property.

“Did you find anything?”

“Kind of.” She nodded slowly. “Marty convinced me to consider some land over on Pottery Road. He knew of someone who was selling a few acres.”

“The Smiths?” I asked.

Chris and John Smith owned a detailing garage. The land was flat but had a beautiful view of the hills visible from the main road. There was enough space to build an office, parking lot, and a greenhouse.

“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Marty convinced them to give me a good deal. I was hoping you would help me build something.”

I leaned back in my chair. “I would be happy to. That land will be perfect for what you need it for. It’s peaceful, quiet, and there is enough room for you to do what you need to do.”

She was beaming. “I thought the same thing. It’s a little over five acres, so there is plenty of room to grow.”

I smiled. “Your eyes light up when you’re talking about it. I like seeing you like this.”

“Thank you, but I’m still afraid people will think I’m crazy.”

“I told you before, you’re not crazy. You’re starting something from scratch. Something totally different than what you’re used to. That takes a lot of courage.”

She played with her fork. “It feels right. Like it’s a blank slate and a fresh start. I just need to figure out the financials of it all.”

I reached for her hand across the table. “I think you can handle whatever is thrown your way. You won’t have any trouble figuring the rest out.”

At first, I thought she would cry, but then she laughed and squeezed my hand. “I needed to hear that. Now, I’m ready to admit that I overcooked the fish.”

I stood and walked my plate over to the sink. I rinsed it off, watching her out of the corner of my eye. “It wasn’t bad, but you’re going to have to feed me better than that if you want me to build you an office building.”

“I’ll work on my cooking skills.”

“I’m not a fancy guy when it comes to food, so it’s a pretty low bar to clear.” I winked playfully. “How was Marty today?”

She leaned back and folded her arms. “He wasn’t happy that I just showed up and took him out for a drive without asking him first.” I laughed because I bet he wasn’t. “I had to bribe him with a Big Mac from McDonald’s.”

I turned the faucet off and wiped my hand on the rag. “How did he seem health-wise?”

“He was having a good day, so I don’t think he minded a little change of scenery.”

My grandfather loved Harlow as much as his own grandkids, but the man was a creature of habit. He lived by routines. He was a tough old bird and set in his ways. I was surprised she convinced him to leave to begin with.

“Thank you. I’m sure he appreciated the gesture.”

She chuckled. “He complained for the first thirty minutes, but once we arrived at the property, a light switched. He seemed more like himself. I stood back and watched him flirt with the secretary and talk shop with the owner. I know these good days are rare, so I let him be himself. When I saw him getting tired, I called it a day and brought him back.”

I swallowed hard and looked away. My heart was filled with gratitude and a touch of sadness. Knowing he was sick was one thing, but knowing his days were numbered was something else. I was glad she got to see him like that today.

“I gotta get over there this week and see him.”

She nodded. “We had a great day, I even took him to the Amber Inn. He helped me go over the menu, and then we stopped by the stationery store to look at invitations.”

The glow of excitement on her face hit me square in the chest. “Don’t make this too hard on yourself. It’s just my family and our close friends.”

She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter.

I want to send them. We don’t exactly have months to plan.

We have two weeks,” she said as if I was slow to catch on.

“The only reason why the timeline isn’t stressing me out is because we are keeping it small and simple.

” She stood to bring her plate over beside mine.

“If someone told me a year ago that we would be sitting here in this kitchen, planning our wedding, and talking about starting my own landscape design business here in Marcellus Falls, I would have thought they were crazy, but here we are.”

I shook my head. “I still can’t believe we’re doing this.”

She tilted her head to the side. “You’re not freaking out on me, are you?”

“Harlow, I’ve been waiting to marry you my entire life.”

“You know,” she said softly, “a part of me always knew it was supposed to be you. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t marry him.”