Chapter 19

chapter

nineteen

Six months later

Cooper

Harmony has an inkling of what the sledgehammer is for.

I can see it all over her face.

To be fair, I'm known for surprising her with big things, so she's catching on to me.

First, it was the backyard fence.

Then, it was the puppy, Rusty, who I adopted for her on her birthday.

"Are we building a pool in my yard?" Harmony asks from the passenger seat of my car.

I laugh. "Wouldn't we be heading toward your house if it were that?"

"Where are we going?"

"Take a guess."

We're headed to the mansion that she both hates and loves.

And I can't wait to let her do the honors.

From the back seat, Rusty snores quietly. That dog loves riding in the car. He does his best napping on our 30-minute treks between Fate and the house I still share with my twin brother.

"Share" is a bit of an exaggeration. Most days Carter spends with Summer either at Little Spoon, or at the job site of their new house in Fate. It's almost finished, so some nights those crazy kids sleep there on the unfinished floor with no furniture. Lunatics.

We arrive, and Rusty leaps from the back seat and trots into the trees to do his business.

"Good boy, Rusty," Harmony says.

I grab the sledgehammer from the trunk and hand it to Harmony.

"Cooper, what is going on?"

"Now's your chance, baby girl." I gesture toward the cupid fountain, which has been emptied of water.

The shock on her face is quickly replaced by fiendish glee. "Are you sure?"

"I think it's too late if I say no," I laugh. "My only requirement is you put these on."

I hand her my safety glasses. She ties her hair back. She dons my work gloves.

Rusty trots over.

"Stand back, pooch," I say.

We walk up to the fountain together, and I take one last look. The cement has been finished to look like marble. Two cupids are already missing arms and heads from weathering and wear.

"Really, it's time for it to go," I say.

Harmony pulls the sledgehammer back, winding up, her teeth bared, and lets it fly.

A pair of tiny cement wings go flying at the first whack.

Then a head. Then another and another, until the entire thing is rubble on the ground.

Rusty is perched on the terrace, watching.

When it's all over, my Harmony is dusty and sweaty, smiling from ear to ear.

"That felt good."

I nod, then gesture for her to get out of the way.

The professional diggers are here.

She jumps onto the terrace with Rusty and me. "Cooper, what is going on?"

The contractor exits his truck, and I shake his hand. "Mr. MacKenzie! Are we taking out a moat today?"

"We are."

Harmony gasps. "We are?"

"Not you. They are," I say, gesturing to the crew, reading their diggers, excavators, and other construction vehicles I barely know the names of.

"What brought this on?" Harmony asks, leaning against my side, getting her sweet sweat all over my shirt.

"Your sister's having Carter's baby. Owen has Graham and Daisy. Mills and Hayden are definitely going to start a family one day. And it got me thinking about what you said. We need to get this place ready sooner rather than later. Carter and Summer's new place isn't going to have enough bedrooms, so this is the plan."

A strange look comes over her face. "Oh. Okay."

She's disappointed but tries to hide it as I discuss the plans to renovate the bedrooms and the rec room to accommodate babies, toddlers, and beyond.

I hate it when she puts on a brave face for my sake.

Which is why I have one more prize in store.

"Would you like to see the blueprints? I just got them back from the architect," I say.

Harmony swallows. "Sure," she rasps.

She follows me into the backyard, with Rusty trotting along behind us.

I take her hand and guide her to the winding pathway down to the lake.

"I swear I left them in here somewhere."

"Cooper, why would you leave blueprints in the garden? That's crazy."

"Oh, that's because I have plans for the garden, and I was out here making sure everything was to scale." I'm just spouting bullshit now.

She sighs impatiently. Harmony deserves a gold medal for patience.

Finally, we reach the bench at the small clearing at the lake's edge.

"I think it's there. Under the bench," I say.

"I don't see any blueprints," she says flatly.

"Are you sure? Look under there.

Rusty sniffs the area. Harmony clucks her tongue as she squats down.

And finds the little black velvet box.

"Cooper, what is this?"

She goes from squatting to landing on her knees, holding the box.

"My blueprint! You found it!"

I was supposed to be the one on my knees, but why quibble about technicalities?

I get to my knees in front of her.

Rusty barks excitedly because he thinks it's play time.

"Are you high?" Harmony asks, her voice trembling, her lips shaking.

"No, I'm not high, Harmony. This is it. This is what I was looking for."

I take the box from her hand and open it for her.

She covers her mouth, and her breath comes in long gasps as she stares at the ring. It's a plain rose gold band, with a champagne diamond.

"It belonged to Aunt Gabby. So if you don't like it…"

"Shut up! I love it, and yes, I'll marry you!" Harmony shrieks.

"I didn't ask yet!"

Harmony whacks me on the shoulder.

"Then ask me, dummy!"

"Harmony…dream girl…will you marry me?"

She nods, choking out the word, "Yes."

"I didn't prepare for tears. I don't have any tissues."

She sobs into my shoulder. "It's fine, I'll use your shirt."

I laugh and hug her tight to me, my knees getting soaked in the sandy soil.

Rusty barks, wagging his tail excitedly.

Harmony pulls away and picks up the little mutt. He licks at her tears.

"You got me good, Cooper MacKenzie. You finally got me so good, I didn't see it coming."

Harmony Mosley got me good from day one. I never saw her coming. I never saw any of this coming.

But now, I see everything.

I see my future, and it's everything I ever wanted.