69. Ella

69

ELLA

“ T his place is incredible,” I muse as we sit on the deck, rocking back and forth on the most comfortable swing seat I’ve ever sat on, staring out at the calm lake before us.

“You want it?” Colt asks, shocking me from my mindless state of relaxation.

After he proved to me just how much he missed me and how much he loves me at least four times over, I curled up into his big body and fell asleep. By the time I woke again, the sun was setting, casting the entire house in this beautiful orange hue. There was no chance we were staying inside and missing it.

“Do I want what?” I ask, turning to look at him with a frown pulling at my brow.

“This place.”

A laugh bursts out of me, but when he doesn’t join me in my amusement, it falters.

“Shit. You’re not joking, are you?”

He smirks.

“You can’t just buy us a house,” I argue.

“Of course I can. I can do whatever the fuck I want…what you want.

“I chose this place because it’s close to your mom, but far enough out of town to give us privacy. It’s perfect. Plus,” he says, reaching for my hand and lifting my engagement ring to his lips. “It’s where we consummated this.”

My heart tumbles in my chest.

“I’m not sure that’s a thing,” I whisper.

“It’s a thing if we want it to be a thing,” he says before tugging me closer and brushing a kiss over my lips.

“Is this place even for sale?” I ask when he lets me up for air.

“For the right price, anything is for sale,” he says with a wink.

“Jesus,” I mutter.

“I know we haven’t really talked much about the future and what it holds for us, but I always want you to be able to come home when you need it. Just because my life is in Seattle right now, it doesn’t mean that you have to be there all the time.”

“I want to be wherever you are,” I argue, his words making my stomach knot with anxiety.

“I know. And I want to be wherever you are, too. But I want you to know that you can always come home.”

Tears burn my eyes as he continues speaking.

“One of the guest rooms can be your mom’s. If you want to be here when this one is born, then we can do that. Or if you want her to stay in Seattle for a bit. Anything, Ella. I’ll do anything to make all of this easier for you.”

“You are,” I force out through the lump of emotion clogging my throat.

He smiles at me, his own emotion shining bright in his eyes.

“I don’t need you to buy a house.”

“I know, but this place is pretty fucking awesome, don’t you think?” he says, dragging me from the seat beside him and settling me on his lap.

His hands slide up my sides before twisting in my hair.

“I love you, Ella Rogers.”

Butterflies flutter in my belly at the sound of my married name falling from his lips.

“You’ve made all my dreams come true, Colton Rogers.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” he says, sounding choked.

“I’m not. We’re exactly where we’re meant to be.”

One of his hands slips down and places his giant palm over my stomach, covering where our little nugget is growing.

“I love you, too.”

We make out as the sun sets behind us and the air turns cooler, but we never part nor take it to the next level. It’s perfect.

It’s long dark with the stars twinkling in the sky when my stomach starts grumbling for food.

“Good thing we stopped at the store, huh?”

“I can’t believe you did all this.” He smirks suspiciously at me. “What?”

“Nothing,” he says, his smirk growing.

“What else have you done?” I ask suspiciously.

“Nothing.”

“You already bought this place, didn’t you?”

“Might have put things in motion, yes.”

“What if I hated it?” He raises a brow as if to say, how the hell could you hate this place?

“Yeah, yeah, okay. What about your house in Seattle?” I ask.

“What about it?”

“Well, other than the fact you kept it a secret from me…” I point out.

Colt hangs his head, regret oozing from him.

“It’s okay. It’s in the past. We’re moving forward.”

He looks up at me, and the emotion darkening his eyes makes my breath catch.

“It’s going to be our home, Ella. And I hope it’s where we’re going to raise our family.”

My heart begins to race. I’ve never seen his house. I don’t know anything about it. But I already know what I want and what he’s suggesting.

“I can’t wait.”

“Thanksgiving,” he blurts.

“What about it?” I ask, thinking of the quickly approaching holiday.

He pauses what he’s doing and looks up at me.

“If you’re ready, I’d really love it if we could have Thanksgiving in Seattle with our whole family.”

Thoughts of the Thanksgivings of my past at Mom’s house flicker through my head. But as much as I might miss some of our traditions, I know that it’s time to make new ones.

“Your mom and Benny are welcome, and anyone else you might want to?—”

“Just them and our family. Shit,” I hiss, hopping up from the island stool I was sitting on as Colt prepares dinner.

“What?” he calls as I rush toward the hallway and locate my purse.

Pulling my cell out, I find exactly what I feared.

The second I’m back in the room, I hold the screen up for him to see.

“Twenty-six missed calls,” he says, sounding confused. “Why has Letty called you that—” He cuts himself off as he remembers what happened at the airport. “It went viral, didn’t it?” he asks as I tap the screen to return her call.

“YOU’RE ENGAGED TO COLTON FREAKING ROGERS,” she screams so loud I have to pull my cell away from my ear.

Colt barks out a loud laugh as I cringe at the volume.

“I was going to tell you, but?—”

“Girl, it’s cool. I’m so fucking excited for you. Tell me everything. How did he ask? What’s the ring like?”

Giving Colt a little wave, I walk over to the couch and curl up with my legs beneath me, ready to tell my best friend everything.

“Oh my god. How have you kept all this to yourself without exploding?” Letty asks, making curiosity stir within me.

“All of this?” I ask.

“Uh…” She hesitates before whispering, “Congratulations. I know I shouldn’t know, and please, don’t shout at Colt. He just…fuck, Ella. He’s so excited. He didn’t tell me but…I knew. Oh my god, Ella.”

I watch Colt moving around the kitchen as she talks, and my heart swells.

He stills when he catches me watching him, and as I narrow my eyes in warning, realization dawns.

“I’m sorry,” he mouths.

I shake my head and smile.

“I love you,” I mouth back.

“Ella, are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here,” I confirm, turning my attention back to my best friend.

“All these years, and then you do everything all at once. I guess I should have predicted it.” She laughs.

“Colt punched Chad in the face,” I blurt, doing a one-eighty.

“Fuck, yeah. Tell me he broke that fucker’s nose.”

I can’t help but laugh at her excitement.

“I’m not sure, but you’re more than welcome to believe he did. Looked like it hurt.”

“Good. That’s the least of what that prick deserves.”

“So I heard…” I muse.

“What? You know that if you want him gone for good, Reid would sort that out in a heartbeat,” Letty says, following my train of thought.

“Not necessary, but I appreciate the gesture.”

“Enough about him. I need details, girl.”

While the scent of Colt’s dinner fills the air, I finally unload all the secrets I’ve been keeping from my best friend.

It feels good. No, it feels amazing.

And hearing her excitement down the line only makes me miss Seattle that much more.

Colt is right; it’s where our family is. It’s where we’re going to raise our kids and build our lives.

“Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?” I ask when the conversation trails off a little.

“Just having a quiet one here. Why?”

“We’re hosting at Colt’s house,” I announce, making Colt look over once more.

His expression starts serious, but it quickly morphs into joy.

“Yeah?” both Letty and Colt say together.

“Yeah. I’m moving to Seattle to be with him.”

“Ella,” Letty sobs.

Tears fill my own eyes again.

“I know,” I agree as years of close friendship and understanding pass through the line.

“Everything is going to be so awesome from here on out. Just you wait and see.”

“It’s all going to work out. Just like you said it would.”

C olt was nervous about his dinner, but there was no need. It was delicious. And my praise over it made him light up in a way I’ve never seen before.

“So what’s the plan then, Bombshell?” he asks once we’re back out in the swing snuggled under a blanket, watching the stars.

“I need a couple of weeks. I’ve got therapy sessions set up that I want to continue with. But I’m going to find someone who can take over in Seattle, and then I’ll come home with you.”

“Shit, El. Do you have any idea how good that sounds?” he asks, his fingers gripping mine tighter.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I really do.”

He stares at me as if we’re not surrounded by darkness, memorizing every inch of my face.

“I never thought I deserved any of this,” he says. “But fuck…it feels so fucking good.”

A wide smile spreads across my lips. “It feels amazing. I love you, Colt. I have since the first time I saw you. I knew back then that you were meant for me.”

“Same, Bombshell. It just took me a while to figure out why you were buried so deep under my skin.”

“You got there in the end,” I tease.

“That I did. Come on,” he says, climbing to his feet and pulling me along with him.

“What are you doing?” I ask, happily following his lead.

“Dancing with my girl under the stars,” he says as he twists me into his body and wraps his strong arms around me. “I have no idea what the future holds, Ella. But for the first time in my life, it doesn’t terrify me, because I know that no matter what, you’ll be standing right by my side.”

Holding him closer, I press my face into his chest and breathe him in.

“I will, always.”

“My bombshell.”

“Yours,” I promise. “I’ve always been yours.”

He ducks his head, capturing my lips in a searing kiss that I feel all the way down to my toes.

It feels just like it did that very first time he kissed me, but also so much more. Because this isn’t just our first kiss; it’s the start of our new lives.

Our new lives together, as a family.

Exactly as it always should have been, and always will be.