Page 141 of The Rules We Broke
I pulled it free and unfolded it, hands trembling.
Dear Ellie,
I’ve hated these last few months apart. If ever you want me back, I’m yours. We can run away together and get married. Somewhere no one knows or cares about our last names. All you have to do is wear this ring, and I’ll know. I’ll look every day to see if you’ve changed your mind. I’ll always love you.
Brady
I could barely see through the tears.
He must have written it when I sent his things back. Why hadn’t I been brave enough to open the box back then?
It didn’t matter now.
All that mattered was our future.
I grabbed my purse, my shoes, and the note. Both rings securely in place.
And I sped to Brady’s house—ready to rewrite everything.
I pulled into his driveway and spotted his truck. My heart leaped. He was home.
I got out and heard the rhythmic thud of wood being chopped. I followed the sound around back.
And there he was.
My country boy. Chopping wood like it had personally offended him and was the reason for all the pain. Jeans, tight t-shirt, sweat glistening despite the cold.
He looked so good, I almost didn’t want to interrupt him.
But as he reached for the next log, I called out.
“Brady Jackson.”
He looked up and smiled—that smile I loved more than anything.
He dropped the ax into the stump and ran to me.
I met him halfway.
He picked me up and held me tight, repeating my name like a prayer.
“Ellie,” he said over and over, kissing every inch of my face and neck. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”
“I love you,” I whispered back. “So much.”
When he finally set me down, I pulled out the note—the one he’d written so long ago—and the ring.
“Did you mean what you wrote?” I asked, voice trembling. “Do you still want to run away and marry me?”
He looked at me, eyes shining, and grinned.
“Let’s go.”
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him once, soft and sure.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
We ran to Birmingham and caught the first flight to Vegas—the only place open on Christmas Day. After everything we’d been through, we weren’t going to let anything else stand in our way. Sure, we knew there’d be hell to pay for eloping. But we didn’t care. We’d waited long enough.
