Page 97 of More Than a Hero
By the time the last car pulled away from the driveway, Pete leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and took a long breath. The kind of breath you only let out when the chaos finally gives way to stillness. The house was quiet now.
Sunlight streamed in through the front windows, warm and golden, dust motes floating lazily in the air. The smell of cookies and muffins lingered—Bess had brought enough for a small army. Belle had brought flowers, the bouquet now offering a sweet scent. Somewhere in the kitchen, a card from Cora and Jeremy rested beside a wrapped tin of herbal tea. Mark and Karen had stopped by too, with Karen not letting Angie get away with anything less than elevated rest and perfectly timed ice packs.
It had been a steady stream of hugs, chatter, tears, and can-you-believe-it stories all day long. And Angie had smiled through every second of it with her leg propped on a pillow, the wrap firm around her swollen knee.
Now, though, the house had hushed.
Pete crossed the room slowly and sank beside her on the sofa, careful not to jostle her leg. The cushions cradled them as Angie let out a soft sigh, leaning against his side.
“Still good?” he asked, glancing at her knee.
She nodded, eyes soft. “Sore. But manageable. I mean, Cora and Karen checked it. That’s what happens when you have friends who are physicians and nurses. If I survive their care, I can survive anything.”
He smiled, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist. “You were a damn hero.”
“Pete, honey, I was just in survival mode. But thank God, I had backup.” She looked up at him with that look that always leveled him—the warmth in her eyes hit deeper than anything he’d ever felt before. “Those kids… the seniors… together they were so much more than just a hero.”
He glanced around the room. Earlier, throw pillows had been tossed to the side, mugs were half full on coasters, and paper plates of goodies had been left with nothing more than a little residual powdered sugar. But Angie’s parents and grandparents had cleaned every surface before they offered final hugs with tearful thanks to him and then heartfelt hugs to Angie.
“Your folks,” he said softly. “Your grandparents… they’re something else.”
Angie’s eyes went glassy for a second. “Yeah. I’m lucky.”
He hesitated, holding her tightly. “You know… I’ve always done better alone. Just how I’m wired, I guess. But somehow you and your people—you’ve pulled me in like it was always meant to be that way.”
Her lips twitched. “Well… I think you and I are fated to be.”
He let out a soft laugh, the kind that started low and ended with something like awe. “The timing might suck, but I have something to talk to you about.”
Eyes wide, she stared, uncertainty filling her expression. “Okay. That sounds ominous, but okay…”
“I got a call from my landlady the other day. I didn’t say anything about it. I… uh… I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.”
“Pete, honey, just talk to me. Please.”
“She’s decided to sell the house. She wanted to give me the first chance to buy it, or I could find another place to rent.”
Angie’s tongue swiped her bottom lip. “Okay…”
“The thing is that I don’t mind buying since I know I’m staying in the area. But… honestly, my rental house was good enough in the past, but it’s not what I want to buy.”
Now, her brow furrowed, but she nodded.
“I could buy a place, ask you to look with me, and then we could move in together,” he continued, now feeling his heart pounding more as the anxiety rolled over him.
She opened her mouth, then closed it, pressing her lips tightly together.
“But you love this place with your grandparents next door and your parents just a few houses down the street. And I know you don’t want to give that up… and honestly? I don’t want you to.”
“So… what are you thinking about doing?” she asked, a tremor running through her voice.
He sucked in a deep breath, then swallowed. “Angie, sweetheart… what do you think about me just staying here?”
She blinked, then gasped. Her lips curved as her eyes widened. “You mean like—move in? Here? With me?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, heart now galloping. “Not just sometimes at your place and sometimes at mine. But here… home. Together.”
The air rushed from her lungs, and she tilted her head, her brow furrowing. “I don’t know…”
