Chapter 42

Winnie

M ax doesn’t answer, because Axel interrupts and says, “You’re forgetting something, bro.”

I watch as the blindfold exchanges hands.

“Can I…?” Max asks with hesitation in his voice and a tentativeness in his beautiful eyes.

I nod.

He covers my eyes with it and fastens it at the back of my head. Then he takes my hand again. Our fingers intertwined, he leads me outside.

“Did you hire one of those planes to skywrite your letter?” I ask.

“Nope, but damn if that isn’t a good idea.”

I can tell we’re in the backyard when he says, “Okay, turn around. I’m going to take the blindfold off but when I do, don’t look at anything but me, okay? ”

I nod.

When I can see again, I’m confused. He’s positioned me facing him, facing the back of the reno house.

“Don’t turn around,” he says.

“Ahhh,” I get it. “What I’m not supposed to see yet is behind me.”

“Yep.”

“Are you aware of what’s behind you?” I ask, because it’s the nine others peeking out of various windows.

Max glances back. “Goofballs.” But he says it good-naturedly.

Then he takes a deep breath. “Did I completely destroy your trust in me forever?”

There’s a fear in his eyes I’ve never seen before. He’s bracing himself for me to say yes, yes he has.

“Max,” I gesture for him to come closer and when he does, I hold him tight. He squeezes my body against his. “One really, really, really boneheaded decision couldn’t possibly destroy something you’ve spent most of our lives building.”

Am I letting him off the hook too easy? Maybe. But I also probably didn’t give enough consideration to what hell it was for him, to watch me with the others, whole-heartedly believing I was going to choose one of them. How it felt for him. One minute I was telling him I wanted him to be my first, and then the next minute, I had nine other offers and everything we had just went away, like he’d been a mere placeholder .

“Okay. For my surprise. Turn around, princess, and behold the castle I built for you with my own two hands. Well, with some woodworking help from Cruz on the final details.”

I turn around and nearly inhale all the grass in the backyard with my gasp.

“It’s not finished back here so don’t judge the landscaping yet, but–”

“Max.” Fresh tears flood my eyes again, joyful tears, that blur the most magnificent treehouse I’ve ever seen in the huge old oak tree. “Holy shit.”

“Is that a good holy shit or a bad holy shit?”

“That’s… the best holy shit in the history of time.”

I turn around again, facing him again, and give him the biggest bear hug in the history of time. “Can we go up?”

“Of course. This is what we wanted to do for you when we were younger. Obviously we didn’t have the supplies or the tools or the skills, but…”

I go up, up, up the ladder first with him coming up behind me.

When I get to the top, I laugh and tease, “Max Hammer, you perv, when we were younger you wanted to build me a treehouse with a freaking bed in it?”

This is the most magical place in the world. The bedframe looks like it’s made of actual branches, that it just sprouted organically from the tree.

“We didn’t have a chance to bring the mattress up, and I wanted to let you choose the bedding. The roof is obviously waterproof.”

I look at him in amazement, shaking my head. “This is… ”

I don’t have words. I spin around, seeing the handwriting on one of the walls.

“We’re going to paint that one with black chalkboard paint,” he says.

I step forward and read his letter.

Winnie,

I need you to know that signing on for “Who Wants To Marry A Hammer Brother?” was never about finding a woman I could fall in love with, and definitely not about finding a wife or even a fiance. You know Mason and I loved reality TV and wanted to continue on with it. When the offer was extended, I jumped on it because I thought dating twenty-something women at once would be the distraction I’d need after having my heart thoroughly shattered when you chose one of my brothers over me. It was a real jackass thing to do. But I could date a million women, princess, and I’d never ever find one I’d love even half as much as I love you. There’s no woman they could cast who would win my heart, Winnie, because that belongs to you and only you. It’s okay with me if you can’t say the same to me, that your heart belongs to me and only me. Because you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. And as long as I know you love me, I promise you, nothing else matters. That fact alone will make me the happiest man alive.

I turn to face him. Then I go to him and hug him again.

“Are you really going to be okay with all of this?” I ask him. “Because I need to know this time, Max. Without a doubt.”

“Yeah,” he says, pulling away a bit so we can gaze up into each other’s eyes, while still have our arms around each other’s waists. His fingers stroke my back. “Win, you told me you would call the whole thing off for me, remember?”

“And you told me you didn’t want me to! But obviously part of you must have because–”

He moves a hand up to my face and tucks a curl behind my ear. “Like I told you then, it was petty jealousy. Deep down, I never had an issue with you dating all of us, Win. I just couldn’t handle the thought of you ending up with someone that wasn’t me. Especially not one of my brothers. But now… I just want you, Win. And as long as you want me back…” he drops his voice to a whisper and scrunches up his nose so cutely and says, “Let’s make it work, princess.”

“Let’s make it work, Max.”

I stare into his eyes.

“Isn’t this the part where you say you choose me?” he stage-whispers.

“No, Maxwell Hammer. This is the part where I say I love you.”

He grins the biggest grin ever at me. “I love you, too, Win. So damn much and it feels so damn good to be able to say it.”

He lowers his mouth to mine and when he kisses me, I kiss him back with all my heart. Not 1/10th of it. Because he’s right. I’m a big girl–and I’m okay with that now–with a big ass heart to match.

“Does this mean you’ll take me out on a date now?” I tease, when we break apart.

“Well, um, I haven’t actually planned anything but–”

“Good,” I beam up at him. “I’ll plan it. ”

I have no idea what we’re going to do, but it’s going to be public as hell. Let the internet trolls talk. I want Max Hammer to take me out on the town.

“Okaaaaay…” he says, then he pauses then he adds, “Should I be scared? Does it involve the sex dungeon Gunnar wanted to build in the basement that this house thankfully doesn’t have?”

“No, no dungeon. It may or may not involve the S-E-X part, though.”

“Okay, I’m listening. And when do you want to go on this date that has potential for S-E-X, Miss Wainwright?”

“Tonight?” I ask.

“Can’t wait,” he says.

After we kiss again… and again… and again, he asks, “Do you want me to get the guys to help me bring the mattress up for the bed now?”

All the light bulbs go off in my head.

Fate, is that you?

“Wait… where is the mattress?” I ask.

“In the back of my truck,” he says.

I make him promise to leave it there.

Swoooooooooon.