“Hi, Josiah.”
“Hey, Grace. Is Asher home?”
“Good timing, he just got off duty. Feel free to go in.”
“Thanks.”
I went inside and stepped over a few discarded kids’ shoes and a toy truck. Small jackets hung from hooks by the door and the mantle was full of photos, both of Asher’s kids and their growing group of cousins. I had to give it to them, the Baileys were fertile.
For the first time in my life, I felt an ache in my chest at the sight of someone else’s happy family and didn’t push it away. Could I imagine a mantle like that in my own house? Filled with tiny smiling Havens?
Yeah, I really could.
“Hey, Asher?”
He came out of the kitchen dressed in his TFD uniform. “Morning. What are you doing here?”
“Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. Want some coffee?”
“I’m good for now.”
He brought his cup to the dining table and I sat across from him.
“How’s the leg healing up?” he asked.
I flexed my leg under the table, feeling the ache that still lingered as it healed. “It’s fine. Could have been a lot worse.”
“You were smart not to pull the knife out yourself. That could have been bad.”
“Yeah, bleeding out on the forest floor is not my idea of a good time.”
“No shit. How’s Audrey?”
“Resilient as hell. It’s a lot, you know? But she’s handling it.”
“You probably have a lot to do with that.”
I glanced away. “I don’t know.”
“Own it, man. You’re good for her.” He paused for a moment. “That’s our job. Our calling.”
“You ever feel completely ill equipped for it?”
“All the time.”
I nodded in acknowledgment. “Glad it’s not just me. I don’t know, man, sometimes I wonder what she sees in me. I’m like a block of concrete and she’s cotton candy.”
“Yeah, I get it. But that’s the thing. Sometimes it’s up to us to be hard so they can stay soft.”
That resonated deep inside me. I was hard—always had been. I had no idea how my sharp edges didn’t constantly bruise Audrey’s tender heart. But maybe that was the reason. She wouldn’t always need me to protect her from being murdered—hopefully that had been a one-time deal—but she would need me to protect her softness. Her sweet nature that made her who she was.
I could do that. I could stand in the gap for her. Protect her from the world. Obviously I couldn’t protect her from every hurt that might come her way, but I could do my best to keep her safe—not just her body, but her heart.
It was my calling.
“I want to marry her,” I said, cutting to the chase. “She knows that. I told her when we were at the falls. Not the best timing, but I meant it.”
Asher smiled. “Good for you.”
“That’s why I’m here. I want to do it right. Give her the moment she deserves. But I’m an idiot when it comes to this stuff. I have no idea how to propose to her other than just handing her a ring and asking.”
“Do you have the ring already?”
“Yeah, I’ve been carrying it around with me.”
He paused for a long moment. “I wound up having to propose twice. The first time was a big show. I put a banner on a fire engine, asked her in front of the whole town.”
“I remember hearing about that.”
“It was a cool moment, don’t get me wrong. But when I asked her again, no one else was around. It was just for us. And it was right; it was what we both needed.”
I nodded slowly, thinking that through.
“That’s not very specific advice, but I’d say trust your gut. You know her. If a big show would make her happy, put on a big show. If not, just think about what would be meaningful to her. It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
“Okay. Thanks, Bailey.”
I stood and he offered me his hand. We shook.
“No problem. And congratulations.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you get back to your day.”
“Yeah, I need to go change so I can take over for Grace for a while.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you later.”
I left and said goodbye to Grace and their boys, still turning things over in my mind. Would Audrey want a big show? A banner across Main Street or a full-page ad in the newspaper?
No. Now that I thought about it, that would be the last thing she’d want. Too much of her life in Pinecrest had been for show. She didn’t want to be the center of attention. Not like that.