Chapter 33

"You can't peek."

"I'm not peeking, Ally. You have me blindfolded… twice," Phoebe said.

"Dad said you'd be sneaky."

"Harsh."

Ally's small hand held one of hers as she led Phoebe into the house she now shared with her and her father.

"I was only gone a week. Surely I don't need a surprise?" Phoebe protested. "And how come it was you and Uncle Dan that picked me up at the airport and not your father?"

Brody and Phoebe had been a couple for eight months again. She'd moved in after six months when she was sure Ally wouldn't mind. Ally had said it would be nice to have someone to help her do the dishes, to which her father had replied, "Right, like you do those regularly."

"Phoebe, shut up. It's a surprise," Dan drawled from behind her.

"I'm not real big on surprises," Phoebe muttered.

"Brody said that. He also said you liked to know what was happening when you opened your eyes in the morning, and spontaneity was a curse word in your dictionary."

"I can be spontaneous," Phoebe muttered. When she was greeted by silence, she added, "I so can."

She'd been to New York to meet her editor. A quick trip that had felt like months, as she'd missed Brody and Ally desperately.

"Are we not going in the house?" Phoebe said as Ally led her to the left. "I'm pretty sure we're outside still."

"So many questions." Ally sighed.

Ally was a wonder to Phoebe. The moods, the noise, it was all an adjustment, and she was loving every minute of sharing her life with them. Ally had also decided that her mother and grandparents could visit with her in Lyntacky, where she felt safe. It had gone well, with all parties on their best behavior. What the future held, Phoebe wasn't sure, but they would face it together.

"She's a Stanway. They ask questions," Dan said.

"Everyone asks questions," Phoebe added. "It's how we learn things, such as do you like cream and sugar in your coffee? Hot sauce or?—"

"I'm not sure how my brother lives with you," Dan cut her off. "And we're here."

"Where exactly is here?"

"You're right, Brody, she's not good with surprises. And she asks lots of questions," Dan said.

"That's my girl," she heard Brody say.

Fingers tugged at her blindfold, and then she could see… kind of. Blinking several times, Phoebe let her eyes adjust, and then she found him. The love of her life, standing before a small wooden building beside his man shed. Cottage , Phoebe amended. A very cute cottage.

"Hey, baby." He came toward her, and she met him halfway. His big arms wrapped around her, and his kiss was gentle. "Welcome home. We missed you."

"I missed you too." She touched his cheek. "So much."

"But now you're back where you belong," he said with a smile.

"What's going on, Brody?"

"This is your writing cave," he said, taking her hand. "Come and look."

"I-I—this is for me?" Phoebe whispered the words as he tugged her in through the open door.

She saw a desk with a new office chair. Shelves filled with her books and a coffee maker. A comfortable sofa and a filing cabinet. On the walls were framed copies of her covers and the drawing he'd done of her that he'd named Sunshine Girl .

Brody had taken some convincing, but he'd eventually shown his family what he'd been doing in his man cave. They had been shocked, which had quickly turned to delight and pride. Now they were asking him to draw caricatures for them.

"Do you like it?" Brody asked her.

"So much," Phoebe whispered, looking at the soft rug Huffin was sleeping on. "I-it's wonderful, Brody."

"For someone who didn't enjoy crying when you came back to Lyntacky, you sure do now," Brody teased. He then caught her as she threw herself at him.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"If they kiss again, I'm puking," Ally said.

"One day you'll change your mind on that," Dan added.

Phoebe pulled out of Brody's arms and lunged at Ally, hugging her close. Little arms wrapped around her and hugged her back .

"Thank you, Ally. It's the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me."

"You're my gift," Brody said, grabbing his daughter when she released Phoebe.

"Come on, squirt, we'll make coffee in the house. Is there anything baked in there?" Dan asked, holding out his hand to Ally after Brody had let her go.

"Uncle Ryder dropped by some new donuts he wanted us to test this morning," Phoebe heard Ally say as they disappeared.

"Brody, you didn't have to do this for me. I was happy writing at your kitchen table."

"Our kitchen table," he corrected. "And I wanted you to have your own space, Phoebe. Somewhere to go when you have to hit those crazy deadlines. A lady cave, and it's right next to my man cave."

"I'll let you come in sometimes," she said, kissing him.

"Gee, thanks, and now I have another question for you," Brody said.

"What?"

"Will you marry me, Phoebe? We talked about this years ago and thought we'd always end up together, but now it's different. This, what we have, is so much more. I never want to be without you in my life."

She studied the face she knew as well as her own. This man had always been it for her.

"Yes," Phoebe said, and then no more words were needed.

***

Not ready to be done with the Duke Brothers just yet ?

The Moment He Saw Her , book #4 in the Duke Brothers series, is available for preorder now!

Ryder Duke's life was exactly where he wanted it to be.

Then Libby Gulliver walked into his town.

The woman was one hot mess and desperate for a job.

With her sweet smiles and over-the-top happiness, how could he say no?

His first mistake was employing her, his second was believing anything she told him.

Libby was running from her life.

That stopped when she found Ryder Duke.

The big, hot cafe owner was the first person who actually saw her and listened to what she had to say.

The problem was, she was living a lie, but she couldn't tell him the truth—and then it was too late.

Could she overcome a past that had alw ays dictated her future? Was he ready to embrace a relationship that came with complications… namely her family and his?