Page 87 of Hello Handsome
“She would,” Knox echoed.
Ford nodded along, and Hayes did, too. Bryce had never really known Maya, but he wore a somber look on his face. He’d heard enough stories about her to agree.
I took a shaky breath, exhausted from the emotion, the fear that had been weighing on me. “I need you all to know that I loved your mom with everything I have. And if you or your kids ever want to know about her or talk about her or anything, I’m here. Aggie’s not replacing her.”
Hayes let out a laugh. “Dad, I think we know.”
I glared at him, but Knox smiled and said, “We know, Dad. But... it’s time.”
I nodded, breathing in deep. This was the turning of a page in my life. No longer did I regret the last chapter or how long it took for me to process it. I was just glad to be moving on with Aggie at my side.
55
AGGIE
“I got you a wedding present,”Gray said when I came into the kitchen for breakfast.
I raised my eyebrows as I slid into a chair at the table. “But the wedding’s not for another week.” We were flying Enzo in so he could be at our small ceremony.
Gray set a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of me, along with a steaming mug of coffee. “Guess I’m impatient.” He kissed my cheek, short stubble contrasting the softness of his lips.
I smiled. “I’m not turning down a gift.”
“Good.” He grabbed his plate and sat across from me. His foot nudged mine under the table, and my heart melted. He wasn’t the type of man for grand gestures. No, he was the man who showed me in a million every-day ways that he loved me. Like using this little moment to brush feet under the table. Or adding a drizzle of balsamic glaze to my eggs because I tried it once when we were out to eat and said I really liked it.
We ate our breakfast together, and I could tell he was really excited to give me his gift. He kept looking at me with a boyish smile that made me fall even harder for him. So I didn’t even bother washing our breakfast dishes, just left them in thestainless sink. I could see a sunflower through the window, one that had grown a little taller than all the others.
“Okay, so where’s this gift?” I asked.
“We have to go outside.”
That had my attention. I was quick to pull on my boots by the door and follow him outside, wondering what on earth was waiting for me. I didn’t need a new vehicle, and we’d already planted the garden. “Did my new flowers bloom?” I asked. We’d created a bed just for me to test new blooms.
“Not yet,” he said, leading me down the sidewalk.
There was nothing new in the driveway... and then he started walking toward the barn.
My eyebrows rose. I had my eye on some pygmy goats at a farmer’s market we went to. They were meant to be an attraction for the little kids there, but they were the cutest things I’d ever seen. I’d almost brought one home myself. Now that this was my home, I didn’t have the excuse of living in town to keep me from doing something like that. “Is it an animal?” I asked him as we walked.
He wound his fingers through mine and kissed the back of my hand. “This isn’t twenty questions, Ags.”
I laughed. “So yes. Is it the size of a dog?” I asked.
He gave me a look. “No.”
My eyebrows rose. That nixed my goat idea. “It’s bigger than a dog? What could that be...”
Just then, we reached the barn, and my jaw dropped open. Saddled next to Blister was the most beautiful horse I’d ever seen. It was a mare Paint Horse with splotches of buckskin coloring mixed with beautiful white hide. The mane was a matching glossy white falling over her strong neck.
My jaw hung open as I stared at the beautiful animal before me. Gray had to gently tug on my hand to get me into the corraland closer to this magnificent creature. Etta and Isa were going toflipwhen they saw her.
I pressed my hand to her shoulder, and she stood perfectly still, not skittish at all. I turned to Gray, saying, “You got me a horse?”
“I figured with as much time as we spend in the saddle, you should have a horse of your own. She’s three years old, perfectly broke to ride. And I thought you might like to name her and give her a better name than Blister.”
A happy laugh bubbled past my lips. “That shouldn’t be hard.”
Gray grinned, patting her neck. “I thought you could think about it on a ride?”
