“To Santa?”
He nodded. “I met your mother and him in the jewelry shop this afternoon.”
My heart jumped. “What do you mean?”
He grinned. “It’s okay. Nick Peterson is a lucky man, but if you ever change your mind or find yourself looking for someone to take you golfing . . .”
Both stunned and confused, I thanked Mitch for being so understanding. I said good-bye to his mother and hustled out of the sanctuary. Frantically, I scanned the crowded narthex, but Nick was nowhere in sight. Had he already left?
“Mom, there’s Hailey and her Grandpa Jack!” Travis shouted, pointing outside.
I hadn’t realized Travis had caught up with me, but I followed his gaze. On the church steps outside stood Hailey, Grandpa Jack, and a young woman holding Gabby.
I dashed through the doors toward them. Gabby gave a squeal of delight and hurled herself into my arms.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Grandpa’s watching us while Nick does an important job,” Hailey explained. “This is Gina. My new grandma.”
I gave Hailey a hug and said hello to Jack and Gina. “I thought you were spending Christmas in Dallas.”
Hailey smiled. “We came back.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“Are you?” asked a deep voice behind me.
I spun around to see Nick. He wore a blue button-down shirt open at the collar, and his gaze was so intense, it reminded me of the first time we met. Exhilaration swept through me. “
Nick
. What are you doing here?”
He removed a small, velvet jewelry box, just the right size for an engagement ring. “I wanted to give you this Christmas present to make up for the horrible gift certificate I gave you.”
I stared down at the box. Did it contain a ring? And if it did, was this his idea of a proper proposal?
I was torn between being elated that perhaps he’d bought me a ring and frustrated he’d shoved it at me without any preamble.
“Open it,” Hailey urged.
“Here, I’ll take the baby.” Nick’s father reached for Gabby. “The kids and I will go introduce Gina to the Morgan clan.”
“But I want to see Miss Anna open her gift,” Hailey protested.
Travis gave an enthusiastic nod. “Yeah, me, too!”
“She’ll show it to you later,” Jack said, leading the way back inside the church.
Gina and Travis followed, but Hailey stood rooted in place. Nick squatted so he was eye level with his niece. “Let me talk to Miss Anna alone for a minute, okay? Then you can see her gift.”
Hailey jumped into his arms. “Okay, but I’m coming back.”
“Of course.” Nick set her on the ground, and she left with the others.
Taking my hand, he led me down the church steps, away from all the commotion. Although the air was crisp, his strong hand in mine and the anticipation racing through my body warmed me.
Underneath an oak tree on the sidewalk, he gestured toward the box in my hands. “Okay, open it.”
I gripped the box tightly before handing it back to him. “You don’t have to do this. Not now. We can wait.”
He grinned. “Your parents said you were stubborn. Just open it, okay?”
“I can’t believe you spoke to my parents.”
“I was in your father’s hospital room when you texted about flying. Your parents are so proud of you. And so am I.”
A wonderful tingly feeling zoomed through me. I’d flown the helicopter for myself, but having the support of my parents and Nick meant the world to me. “How did you know about my dad?”
“Luella called me.”
“She did?”
He nodded. “She told me you loved me. That was one of the things your father and I discussed this afternoon.”
“One of the things?”
He chuckled. “Well, he wanted me to play Santa, and I wanted to ask his opinion on what’s in the box.”
“What is in the box?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Open it, you stubborn woman.”
I stared down at the box, afraid of what it contained. I’d vowed to no longer be afraid, but at that moment, I was scared out of my mind. “Before I open this, I have to tell you something.”
“Okay.”
My throat throbbed, and I swallowed hard. “I’ve been a fool. I’ve held back from flying and living my life and loving you because of fear. I thought living a full life would be a dishonor to Marcus, and I was afraid of letting him go. I loved my husband, Nick. I really loved him.”
“I know you did. And I know you still do.”
“I’ll always love him. But you’ve come into my life, and . . . I’m in love with you, Nick. I never meant to fall in love with you, and I don’t want you to go, but I want what’s best for you, even if that doesn’t include me.” My voice broke and I blinked back tears. This was so hard.
Nick remained silent, patiently waiting for me to finish. Suddenly, I was afraid. Maybe the contents of the box had nothing to do with love and commitment. Maybe he’d simply found an empty box and had stuffed it with jelly beans.
“Open it,” he said.
Terrified, I lifted the lid. Inside, I found not an engagement ring but a neatly folded piece of paper. Confusion and disappointment swept over me. “What is this? Another gift certificate?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Such a cynic. Just read it.”
I slipped the velvet box into my coat pocket and unfolded the piece of paper to discover it was a formal letter dated three years in the future.
Dear Commander,
I, Nicholas Peterson, Captain, Infantry, hereby tender my resignation as an officer of the Army.
I stopped reading. “Nick, what is this?”
He stepped closer and pointed to the date. “I have to finish my obligation, but as soon as my time is up, I’ll resign my commission. I’ll go anywhere you want to go. If you want to come back to the island and raise our family, I will.”
“
Our family
?”
He nodded. “I want to marry you, Anna. Not because I’m afraid of losing you, but because I love you more than anything in the world. I want to build a life with you, have more children with you. I want to do everything in my power to give you the life and love you deserve.”
I blinked back tears and stared down at the note. “But what about your career?”
He shook his head and placed both hands on my shoulders. “We’ll figure it out together. I love you. And just so there’s no mistake . . .”
He pulled a diamond engagement ring from his pocket and knelt to the ground. “Anna Morgan, there is nothing more I want in this world than to be your husband. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Tears flowed freely down my face. I swiped at them and somehow managed to speak. Deliberately, I folded the letter and gave it back to him.
His face dropped, but he took the note and came to his feet. “Anna . . . I—”
I squeezed his hand. “I love you for who you are, Nick. I don’t need you to change for me. When the time comes, we’ll make the decision about your career based on what’s best for our family.”
“Does this mean—”
“Yes, Nick. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He gave a shout of joy and pulled me against his chest. I lifted my face, and when his lips met mine, fire consumed me. Why had I ever been afraid of this man? Why had I ever pushed him away?
“Did she say yes?” Hailey called from the church steps.
I turned around to see not just Hailey, but Nick’s father, Gina, Gabby, Travis, Walter, Luella, Jillian, Matt, Drew, Bianca, and Vicki waiting with eager anticipation. Bianca held up an iPad, showing my parents waving from the hospital room.
“Have you given him your answer?” my mother asked.
I smiled at everyone and turned toward Nick. “Yes. I said without a doubt, yes!”
The crowd burst into cheers and loud applause as Nick took me in his arms and kissed me.
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading my book
Anna’s Courage.
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Anna’s Courage
is the first book in the Rose Island series. Book 2 will be about Anna’s oldest sister-in-law Jillian. After everything Jillian has been through with her ex-husband, she deserves a happy ending, don’t you think?
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Kristin Noel Fischer