“Hey, Heath. Can I ask you something?” My mumbled drawl drew his attention.
“Anything you please, son. I’m all ears.”
I rolled the words I’d practiced around my mouth several times, tasting them before letting them pass my lips. “I love Tallus.”
Heath softly chuckled. “Don’t I know it? Hell, I see it in the way you look at him, and that boy is crazy about you, too. Never seen him so happy. I knew when he found the right person, he would settle down. I told Bernice to have patience, and here we are.”
“He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. He took a chance on a miserable asshole, and I’ll be honest, some days, I still don’t know why.”
“Because he knew you weren’t an asshole.”
“He’s always seen right through me.”
Heath smiled knowingly, and maybe Tallus wasn’t the only one.
I lightly spun the reel, drawing in my line inch by inch as I’d been taught. “A while ago, I told him that I wasn’t really the marrying kind. He seemed okay with it, but Tallus takes everything in stride.”
Heath bobbed his head. “Yep. Ain’t that the truth. Tallus isn’t fussy. He doesn’t ask for much… I mean, unless it’s to do with fashion or food, then he asks a great deal.”
I snorted. “Don’t I know it. He’ll put us in debt someday.”
“But he’ll look good while doing it.”
Indeed, he would. I thought of the running shoes he’d recently purchased that cost over three hundred and fifty dollars. The likelihood of them ever leaving the box was slim.They’re high-quality,he told me.Carbon fiber, constructed to absorb impact and improve performance for long-distance running.
What performance?I’d asked him.Are you joining the gym?
“Is this about his mother?” Heath asked, breaking into my thoughts. “She can be nosy and have a lot of opinions, but I assure you, she only cares that you two are happy. Ignore her. She gets whimsical ideas, but it’s none of her business what you two decide.”
“That’s the thing…” A lump caught in my throat, and I worked desperately to swallow it down. “We… I… I changed my mind. I do want to marry him. He chose me. He always chooses me, and I want to choose him back. Properly. But… before I ask, I wanted to get your permission. Call me old fashioned, but…”
“Ah, hell. You’re a true gentleman, Diem Krause. Of course you have my permission. I already consider you my son, but I’d be damn proud to make it official. Do you think you might call me Dad someday?”
“I… can try.”
“Excellent.” He held up his travel mug of burnt coffee. “To family.”
“To family.” And if tears prickled my eyes, Heath didn’t mention seeing them.
Epilogue
Tallus
Call it instinct or a vibe or witchiness, but the minute Diem came home from his fishing trip, I knew. Whatever wall he’d erected was gone. His thoughts flowed through the air, whispering profound secrets.
Was this what Kitty saw when she predicted the future?
Diem dropped his bags at the door and glanced around. I could practically hear the drumming of his heart.
“Is Darcy here?” he asked.
“Work. Just left.”
“Good.”
It was in his eyes. In the way he held his shoulders and carried his weight. It was in the way his chest rose and fell with shallow inhales and exhales. It was in the quiet flutter of his pulse under his jaw.
How had I not seen it before?