Chapter 24

Twenty-Four

Lily

E very day, I was greeted by new flowers and notes. Each handwritten note was more heartwarming than the last. I was practically floating on air as I went about my day. But I was getting a little tired of reading Jake’s thoughts on paper instead of from the man himself. I understood he was making a big gesture here, and maybe sorting through his feelings, but I was ready for more.

On the way home, I thought about how each night I’d waited on the porch, but he hadn’t come. I went to bed alone with only his flowers and notes to give me hope. I was ready for Jake to make his next move. I just hoped he wouldn’t wait too long.

I parked in my usual spot in front of my house, determined not to wait on the porch for him. Except this time, the porch was filled with red flowers. The meaning hit me square in the chest.

Love. Jake loved me.

He’d alluded to it with the flowers and his notes, but this was a declaration. He was shouting his love to me, and I was here for it. My heart rate picking up, I touched one soft petal, then another as I walked around to the back of the porch, the flowers continuing like they had that first day.

I stopped when I saw the addition of a swing on one end of the porch. My eyes stung with unshed tears as I sat on the swing and gave it a tentative push with my foot. It was perfect.

“You like it?” The voice startled me, and my eyes flew open to see Jake standing in front of me.

“I love it.” I moved to stand, but he held up a hand and said, “Stay.”

I settled back in the swing, and he crouched down in front of me, holding my hands in his.

My heart was beating a hard rhythm under my breastbone.

“I’m so sorry about the other night. I wanted to make it up to you, to tell you what happened the next morning, but I wanted to show you how much you mean to me, how committed I am to being with you.”

“I don’t understand. I don’t need things.” I just need you. “Not that I didn’t love the flowers because I did.”

He smiled softly. “You always give everyone else the thing you love the most, but who treats you?”

I gripped his hands tighter because he was saying all the right things.

“But you’re right. This is more than flowers. You deserve to know what happened the night of the party. And about the phone call.”

My stomach tightened as I waited, giving him the space to continue.

His eyes were unfocused, as if he were remembering that night. “When I came out of the bathroom, your mom was waiting for me.”

“I’m so sorry—”

Jake shook his head. “It’s not your fault. She said some things. Logically, I know they’re not true, but that night, in that party, amongst those people, I fell back into old patterns. Where I feel like I don’t fit in, or I’m not good enough. And she knew that. She fed into it. But it’s my fault that I fell for it.”

“What did she say, exactly?” I needed to know. I was sick of my mother doing this.

He sighed. “That I was no good for you. If I cared for you at all, I’d walk away now before I ruined your business and dimmed your light. She was wrong about so many things, but most importantly was that no one can dim your light. You’ll shine regardless. You’ve already proven that with your parents.”

He brushed a tear off my cheek I hadn’t realized had fallen.

I sniffed. “You’re not ruining my business.”

“I know that now. But that night, she fed into every one of my insecurities, and that’s on me. Not on her. I let her get to me, and I know better.” His jaw tightened. “If I’m so lucky to get another chance with you, I’m never letting you go. You deserve to be treated like a queen. And no one comes between us.”

I tipped my head to the side, considering him. He’d gone to all this trouble, to find this many arrays of flowers, delivering them each day with a thoughtful note, but he also was very self-aware. This wasn’t a man avoiding his feelings. He was facing them head on. “You think you’re the man to do it?”

“Do you want me to be?” His expression was so open. I wanted to say yes, but he hadn’t told the whole story yet. “Who called that night?”

He huffed out a breath and stood, pacing back and forth in front of me. “My mom. She shows up every few months. The last time, Hailey told her not to come back, and I thought that was it.”

“But it wasn’t.”

“I knew she wanted something, and there was a price I could pay to get her out of my life.”

Genuinely curious, I asked, “Why do you want her out of your life?”

“Her coming and going. It has to stop. It’s too disruptive for Hailey and now her unborn child.”

“Hailey’s pregnant?”

“Hailey told me before I picked you up for the party that she was.”

“That’s amazing news. I’m so happy for them.” I wanted to reach for Jake, but he seemed lost in whatever decision he’d made with his mother.

“I wanted to protect her from my mother.”

“It’s not your place to protect everyone in your life. Hailey is an adult now, and she has Ryan.” It was admirable, but maybe not as necessary as it once was.

“Ryan schooled me afterward. But at the time, I was in the big brother role. No one stood in between Hailey and her mother but me. I didn’t want her screwing with my niece or nephew.”

My heart squeezed when he said that. I could just see Jake with his niece or nephew. He’d make the best uncle because he was so sweet and caring. So much more than he gave himself credit for.

He stopped pacing and stood in front of me. “You’re in my life now. I didn’t want her bothering you or coming between us.”

It felt good that he’d considered me that night. That he thought he was protecting me, however misguided that was.

He grimaced and looked away. “I’m not proud of myself, but I paid her off.”

I sucked in a breath. “You didn’t.”

“I wanted her gone.”

“I hate that you gave her anything.” Each time she showed up, she took something from Jake, and I understood that he was stronger when she stayed gone.

“It’s just money. Besides, I already have my dream car. It might not be in my garage, but I’ve touched it and brought it back to life.”

Confused, I asked, “What are you talking about?”

Jake stood, texting someone on his phone.

When he was finished, he held out his hand to me. I stood and took it, letting him lead me to the edge of the porch. I heard the rumble of the engine before the gold paint came into view. I covered my mouth with my hand. “What did you do?”

He grinned. “I told you I’d restore it for you.”

“How did you do it in a week?”

“I had a lot of help. People willing to bring me parts. Maisy was amazing in tracking down everything. We hired a new mechanic, and Ryan helped too.”

Ryan parked it, got out of the car, and asked, “What do you think?”

I jogged down the steps, circling it. “It’s amazing. It looks better than when my grandfather drove it.”

Jake followed me. “All new leather, tires, interior, and other things you don’t see. But it runs like a dream now.”

“And this is your dream car?”

“It was,” he said succinctly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

I sensed Ryan leaving but focused on what was happening between Jake and me to thank him.

As I stared at the car, memories of my grandparents flitted through my mind. Each time my grandmother smiled when she retold the story of meeting my grandfather. Then I looked at Jake; he was happy the car had been restored. He appreciated it more than I ever could. For me, it was just a memory. “I feel like you should have it.”

Jake put his hands on my shoulders, slowly turning me to face him. “It’s yours. It’s your legacy. Use it for the weddings.”

The tears threatened to spill again.

“We’ll build you a garage when you’re ready, and it will have a home. But I’m hoping I can drive it whenever I want. If you’ll have me.” When I remained quiet, Jake dipped his knees to catch my gaze. “Lily, I’m so sorry for how I acted. I shut you out, and that’s not okay.”

I wanted to say I forgave him, that everything would be fine, but there was something holding me back.

He cupped my cheek. “I love you.”

Those three simple words hit me in the chest. It was what I was waiting for. “I love you too.”

“I realized it before the party, but it wasn’t the time or place to tell you. Then your mom stopped me, and I started to doubt everything. But I’m not doing that anymore. This last week, I realized I don’t want to live without you. I need you. You make everything better. You lift me up and remind me to believe in myself. You make me believe anything’s possible.”

“Because it is.” Tingles erupted over my skin.

“What do you say, Lily? Do you forgive me for screwing up?”

“I understand why it happened and that you don’t want it to happen again.”

“I told you in the beginning, I don’t know how to be in a relationship. And that’s not an excuse. But I need to talk to you when these things come up. Not shut you out. We can get through things together.”

“Yes,” I said as I went up on tiptoes, gripping his shirt with one hand and pulling his head down so I could kiss him.

He deepened the kiss, making me forget about everything, where we were, the millions of flowers on the porch, and the car next to us.

Finally, he pulled back slightly with soft kisses. “You want to take her for a ride?”

Happiness filled me that Jake was here. He loved me. And anything was possible.

I squealed as I hurried around to open the driver’s side door. As I sat on the new leather seats, my hands curled around the steering wheel. “I still can’t believe you did this.”

“I wanted to make you happy. Prove to you that you come first.”

“Are you coming with me?” I asked him as I patted the passenger side seat.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Jake said, rounding the hood and climbing inside.

I turned the key in the ignition, and the powerful engine flared to life.

Jake ran his hand over the dashboard. “It was designed with a light body and a large engine. It was made for speed.”

“Let’s take it for a spin.” I was smiling so wide it felt like my cheeks would crack, and then I saw the stick shift.

“Can you drive a manual?”

Confidently, I placed my hand on the stick. “My grandfather taught me. He thought I needed to know.”

“Your grandfather was a smart man.”

I smiled at Jake. “He sure was.”

And he would have loved that his baby had been restored and that we were driving it now. I pushed the clutch and eased the car into first gear, then second as we slowly drove around the house. “Where did Ryan go?”

“He wanted to give us privacy. Hailey was behind him. She gave him a ride home.”

“That’s good.”

Ryan covered my hand with his and squeezed.

“Let’s go for a ride!” I said as I pulled out onto the street. The windows were already down, so the wind caught my hair and held. It was glorious driving this car. I felt carefree. Happy. I had Jake by my side, his love wrapped around my heart, and the memories of my grandparents’ love to see us through. I couldn’t be happier.