Page 51 of Christmas at Pine Ridge Inn
“Plus,” Kimberly added with a mischievous grin, “Brady said he had something important he wanted to share with all of us.”
Lila turned back to Brady. Had he wanted to tell them he was taking over Pine Ridge Inn? That was no secret, least of all from her. He moved to her side, and she got nervous. Was this going where she thought it was going?
“Lila,” Brady began, his voice steady but his eyes bright with emotion, “a year ago, you came to Pine Ridge looking for your past. You found Sarah, but you also found the rest of us.”
He reached into his pocket and dropped to one knee, producing a small velvet box that made Lila’s breath catch in her throat.
“I was lost before you got here,” he continued. “Going through the motions, taking care of this place and these people but not really living. You changed everything. You made me want to dream again, to plan for a future instead of just surviving day by day.”
Lila’s hands flew to her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. Around the room, she could see their little holiday family watching with joy and anticipation. Sophie and Miles were holding hands, the sisters were recording everything on their phones, Ali was crying happy tears while Mike rubbed her back, and Sarah was practically glowing with pride and love.
“I wanted to ask you this question surrounded by the people who watched the beginning of our love story,” Brady said, opening the box to reveal a beautiful vintage ring with a solitairediamond. “The family who’s going to celebrate with us for years to come.”
He took a shaky breath. “Lila McAllister, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she whispered, then louder, “Yes! Of course, yes!”
The room erupted in cheers and applause as Brady slipped the ring onto her finger and stood to kiss her. Lila felt surrounded by love—Brady’s arms, their friends’ joy, her birth mother getting to be part of a major moment in her life, and the warm glow of the inn that had brought them all together.
“I love you,” she whispered against Brady’s lips.
“I love you too,” he whispered back. “Welcome to the family, officially.”
As they were swept up in hugs and congratulations, Lila caught Sarah’s eye across the room. Her birth mother was crying openly; her hands pressed to her heart.
“I can’t believe I get to see my daughter get engaged,” Sarah said when Lila reached her. “I missed so many milestones, but I get to be here for this one.”
“You’ll be here for all of them from now on,” Lila promised, hugging her tightly. “All the important ones and all the ordinary ones, too.”
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of celebration and catching up. They gathered around the dining room table for dinner, sharing stories about the year that had passed. Sophie and Miles had gone on a cruise through the Greek isles and spent a month in Paris. The sisters had both gotten promotions at work and were planning a girls’ trip to Europe in the spring, which Sophie and Miles were now helping them plan. Ali and Mike had bought their first house in Miami and were beside themselves with excitement about the baby.
“What about you?” Kendall asked Sarah. “Are you still in Denver?”
Sarah smiled, glancing at Lila. “Actually, I moved to Pine Ridge three months ago. There was an opening for an elementary school counselor, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to be close to my daughter.”
“And she’s been helping us with the inn,” Carol added from where she sat beside Tom. “Sarah’s wonderful with the children of guests who visit. She has such a gift with kids.”
“I love my work,” Sarah said. “But I love being able to walk down the street to have coffee with Lila even more.”
As the night wound down and everyone began heading to their rooms, Brady pulled Lila aside.
“Thank you,” she said, touching the ring on her finger. “This was perfect. Having everyone here, doing it this way ... it was everything I didn’t even know I wanted.”
“I wanted them all to be part of our story,” Brady said. “They’re the ones who saw the unlikely adventure that started that first day over coffee machine suggestions.”
Lila laughed. “You were so stubborn about that coffee machine. I can’t believe you took it to your cabin instead of letting it just die in peace.”
“It makes perfectly good coffee.”
“Brady Hanson, that machine is held together with duct tape and prayers.”
“But still working.” He grinned and pulled her closer. “Though I have to admit, your suggestion about the buffet setup was pretty smart.”
“Only took you a year to admit it.”
They stood quietly for a moment, looking around the lobby that had become the center of their world. The fire crackled softly, the Christmas tree sparkled with lights, and upstairs they could hear everyone settling in for the night.
“Do you ever think about that first day?” Brady asked. “When you walked in here looking lost and trying so hard to help everyone?”
