my man compliment me on my biscuits. That’s what I want, Logan Barton. The long and short of it.”
He’s grinning as I finish my spiel.
“What are you smiling about?” I ask. “That little speech should have a man like you running for the hills.”
He laughs. “And why is that, Lucia?” he asks, pulling me into his lap.
“Because you already did all that,” I say with a sad laugh. “The wedding, the house, the babies.”
He pulls my mouth to his. “I may have done all that, Lucia, but I never once did that with you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Logan
When I drive her home, I don’t want to say goodbye. I want to stay with her, all night.
“I have to milk the cows at three-thirty,” she says as I stand at her apartment door. “And you have work in the morning. Aren’t you the boss?”
“I believe in love at first sight,” I tell her.
She blinks, the moon hanging in the sky. “So do I.”
“I meant it when I said it before. I love you.”
“Logan… I don’t want a broken heart.” She sighs. Scared. Not quite able to believe the words I’ve said. That I would do it all over again, for her. A family, a farmhouse, the whole nine yards. There are crazier things than falling in love and making a life with her.
“I know,” I tell her. “So it’s a good thing I don’t plan on breaking it.”
She laughs, pressing her hands to my chest. “You asked me to wait until the end of the date to rate it. But I must say I don’t take back anything. This was undoubtedly the highlight of my life.”
I pull her to me, kiss her softly under the stars, the dark, heavy sky. “Good. Because I’m planning on coming back for you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Driving away from her is torture, and the last thing I want to do… but I have a few things I need to deal with in the next twenty-four hours.
The next morning I call my kids over to the house. They show up, no questions asked, with their spouses. It’s still crazy to think of them as all grown up, but they are.
And I’m grateful they are easily bribed with a box of donuts and coffee.
“What’s this about, Dad?” Billy asks. His wife Bailey is here too, and they both look worried.
Kourtney though, is onto me. “Is this about your date last night?” Her husband Kaden hands her a mug of coffee and slips his hand around her waist. I’m so glad my daughter found a man who cherishes her the way she deserves. Apparently I’m getting all sentimental this morning.
“Are you crying?” Bailey asks, her eyes widening.
I blink back the tears and tell the kids to take a seat. With our donuts and coffee, I explain the situation. “Look, I know it’s sudden, but I’m asking Lucia to marry me.”
“Wait, who?” Billy asks.
“Lucia, Matt’s sister.” Kourtney exhales. “Dad, are you serious, you want to marry her? You just met her.”
Billy smirks. “Did Dad give you a hard time when you married the guy you met over taco trivia?”
“It wasn’t trivia about tacos,” she snaps. “It was tacos and trivia.”
“I feel like this is getting off topic,” Billy interjects. “Who is she?”
Kaden breaks an old-fashioned donut in two, dunking a piece in his coffee. “She works at Nettle Bank Farm, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, but not too much longer. I know she wants a family and—”
“Wait.” Kourtney’s eye bug out. “Did you already propose?”
“No, I wanted to talk to you guys first. I know it’s a big deal. Mom’s been gone a few years and it might feel sudden to spring this on you but—”
“You love her?” Bailey asks. Her hand is wrapped around a mug, the diamond ring on her finger my first wife’s.
“So much. I know you four understand better than most people. When you know, you know. I know.”
“Wow,” Billy says, shaking his head. “When can we meet this woman?”
“Hardly a woman. She’s my age,” Kourtney says, clearly not warming up to the idea the way her brother has.
“You’re enough of a woman to know what you want,” Kaden pushes gently. “Maybe Lucia and Logan do too.”
Kourtney laughs, shaking her head. “Fair enough. Sorry, Dad. You’re right. I trust you to know what you want.”
“You really want more kids?” Bailey asks. “Most people seem happy when their kids are all grown, happy to put the diaper years behind them.”
“I started young. Eve and I, we had Kourtney when we were eighteen.