Love At Peace (Hometown Heartstrings #3)

Chapter 25

Heather

N ew Year’s Day...

Fergus shook his head as he took the glasses out of the box in the kitchen. He wasn’t a fan of moving heavy things, so in the teamwork-styled effort of Roarke and I moving into the farmhouse we’d both had our eyes on, he delegated himself to unpacking.

“These just scream...the nineties.” He sighed and set the brand-new glasses into the cupboard.

“They also screamed I’m on sale ,” I told him as I slid the knife over the tape of another box.

Buying this house was a breeze. No other serious offers were on the table. No one was really house hunting at this time of the year, and unless someone was working at the Grand River Ranch, no one was looking to relocate to work here and need a home. Burton was small and remote like that.

On the matter of relocations, Janelle wasn’t surprised when I told her I wanted to stay at my position at the bank right here in town. A week after David tried to shoot Roarke, I told her that I wasn’t going to apply for that transfer to the branch opening in Wisconsin Dells.

“Well, duh,” she’d said good-naturedly.

“You suspected I would pass on it?”

She nodded, smiling slyly. “I could just tell. When I first told you about it, your first reaction wasn’t one of oh, wow, I can’t wait! ”

I had no desire to start a new job without Janelle, Fergus, and Nance with me. After David was taken in, I had zero worries about my job at the bank. That toy drive and charity program was over, and with the evidence they had of David and Nevaeh breaking onto my laptop, I was cleared of any fault.

My job was secure here, and I was pleased about that. While it wasn’t what I went to college for and it wasn’t the career I daydreamed of having, something high-powered and important in a skyscraper office in a big city, it was my job and I intended to have it for a long while. A raise would help, but I could be patient.

“Money can’t be that tight,” Fergus said. “Can it?” He furrowed his brow.

“Only you would be so damn forward and blunt to outright ask her something like that ,” Nance scolded as she brought a couple more small boxes in.

She was helping, too, but she insisted she could do the grunt work the same as the boys. Her husband was out there with Roarke, Eric, and Todd moving the furniture. Gavin was still recovering and overseeing it all.

“Money is sort of tight,” I admitted. “Between Roarke’s ex wringing every penny she could from him, Nevaeh stealing from him, and then both of us pitching in what we could to help her move to Des Moines, yeah, money’s sort of slim. Besides. They’re just glasses. We can replace them once we replace a ton of outdated crap in this house.”

“You make it sound like you’ll be living in a reno,” Nance said.

“We will be,” I replied as she walked away. I grinned at the thought. Roarke and I weren’t just moving in together. We were making a home together.

“Would you have bought this house if Todd wasn’t taking those cabins out?” Fergus asked.

“Sooner or later.” I sighed, watching the men out the window. Gavin seemed to be directing the movers to get the bedframe off the truck, but Todd wasn’t hearing it. Nance joined the scene though and she told them what was what. They were back in business, moving the heavy wood.

“Todd wasn’t going to kick me out of the cabin until I had something lined up,” I reminded Fergus. “But it just so happened that when Roarke’s cabin flooded, he was looking at places. And this one was just it.”

“Don’t bang up the walls,” Todd shouted from the other room.

“No. Screw the walls,” Roarke argued. “We’re going to demo it in here. Just don’t scrape up the frame. It’s new.”

“That’s what I meant,” Todd replied.

I laughed. “ That’s why money is sort of tight. We had to buy almost everything new.” Roarke didn’t have much in storage. And I didn’t either. All the furniture was like starting from scratch. Some was used, like the things we found online, but those were hit or miss. “I prioritize having a new, solid, comfortable bed than non-nineties glassware.”

“Well, yeah, the bed is a priority.” Fergus winked at me. “With a stud like him...?” He bumped his hip to mine.

“Oh, hush,” I teased.

He was right though. Now that Roarke and I didn’t have to fight so much about being together. Now that I wasn’t trying to keep him at arm’s length. And now that we were a couple in love and starting a new chapter together buying a house and living together, I let Roarke in.

Completely.

Hours later, after we thanked our friends for the help, Eric and I took out the garbage. He was much better with his ankle, and his memory had returned. Seeing the footage from the Rosarios’ camera served as a trigger to make him remember it all, and there were a good few days when he was livid, wanting to hurt David worse than what he would likely get in prison.

“I still can’t believe he wanted to use me to get to you,” he said as I walked him back to his truck.

“I can. He stooped to anything to get what he wanted.”

“Well...” He exhaled long and hard, surprising me by pulling me in for a hug. It was awkward, but heartfelt. “I’m glad you came home and got away from him. I’m sorry you went through all that.”

“Thanks, Eric.”

He nodded. “And given how you grew up, with your mom and dad, I can see why you struggled to fit in when you came back, after David’s control.”

“Just make sure I don’t stay too stubborn and keep everyone out as much.”

He smiled. “I bet this New Year’s is one you’ll never forget,” he said as he got into his truck.

“Damn right it is,” I said.

I came back to the porch where Roarke stood waiting for me. “What was that about? Eric hugging someone?”

I laughed. “I know. He’s so awkward but he tries. He was just saying that this is a New Year’s to remember for you.”

“It is.” He wrapped his arms around me until he hoisted me over his shoulder. “And I’m going to give you one more reason to want to remember it.”

I cracked up, laughing as he carried me to the bedroom. Between kisses and frantically getting our clothes off, neither one of us seemed to care that the bed wasn’t assembled. The boxes and bags weren’t unpacked.

We were in that newlywed phase where we couldn’t get enough of each other.

Rabid for that sweet release, we fell to the floor together and christened the bedroom.

“One room down,” he said as we lay together, sweaty and catching our breath, “and nine more to go.” He smacked my ass lightly.

I lifted my head from his chest. Staying right where I was, draped over him, I smiled. “ Nine more to go?” I arched a brow. “You plan to have sex in that tiny little pantry or something?”

He smiled. “Yeah. Of course.”

I kissed him and sighed. “You’re crazy.”

“For you,” he replied. He sobered quickly though, glancing at his jeans that lay discarded on the floor. “If that’s Gavin texting to nitpick about how we moved that dresser again...”

I laughed. He was a good guy, and I was so happy he’d be all right.

When David shot him, he missed anything that would’ve been life-threatening. That was the real cincher in getting him charged and put behind bars. The call that had still been running between Gavin and Roarke’s phones was evidence against my ex. Coupling that with what Nevaeh testified, he was done for. No connection, no favor, and no bribe would save him now. He was facing the music for drugging women, for fraud, for attempted murder, assault. I think they were throwing on a few more things from previous crimes, too. All I knew was that he was officially, thoroughly, and undisputedly a thing of my past.

“Hmm.”

“What?” I asked when Roarke put his phone down.

“Nevaeh texted. She’s grumpy about her room.”

I rolled my eyes. “At least she has her own room. I’d be grumpy about a communal bathroom.”

After she’d confessed and apologized for all that she’d done, she finally seemed to grow up. She told Roarke she didn’t want his help. Or mine. With the baby growing in her belly, she realized she couldn’t repeat the cycle of raising a kid in a lousy environment. Just last week, we drove her to Des Moines where she could get the help and assistance that she needed. Therapy. Medical assistance for prenatal care. Her GED prep. And even a job. Moving into a woman’s shelter was her choice, and I was damned proud of her taking that step.

“Speaking of the bathroom,” I said, wincing a little at how much I was glued to him still, “I’m going to clean up.”

“Wait.” He reached over toward his jeans again, jostling me as I lay on him. “When I said I wanted to help make this a New Year’s you’d always remember, I didn’t just mean having sex.”

I laughed. “Oh. It didn’t?”

“No. I wanted to celebrate you being free from David. And I wanted to commemorate how much I’m committing to enjoying your ‘drama’ in my life.”

“As if you don’t have your own damn drama,” I teased.

“True. So we’ll share our drama.” He presented a ring box and opened it. “Forever.”

I blinked, staring at the diamond ring. “Are you... You’re proposing?”

“Yeah. What do you say, gorgeous?”

“I say... yes .” I smiled so wide that my cheeks hurt, taking a risk at opening my heart completely to become this stubborn man’s partner in drama. In life. In love.

Forever.

THE END