Her cheeks heated as she realized everyone’s eyes were on her. But she smiled up at him anyway, knowing there was no one whose eyes mattered to her more than his and Cody’s.
Cody was grinning like he was about to reveal the world’s best-kept secret. Then Cash counted them down and both guitars came to life, a simple but beautiful melody warbling from the wooden bodies and filling the room.
“I’ve been trying to write this song forever,”Cash sang softly.“But the words wouldn’t come out right.”
Bella’s breath caught in her throat as she realized what he was doing. And then the rest of the song flowed out of him, a sweet, simple song about loving someone from afar and wishing they were close.
When they reached the chorus, Cody joined in, adding a harmony to Cash wailing out Bella’s name.
It was such a straightforward melody, but something about the song struck a chord in her—beyond knowing itwas hers. This song felt timeless and universal, like all the old love songs that still moved people today.
At the end, there was a moment of awed silence, and then the whole family applauded.
“Bella,” Cash said, kneeling in front of her chair. “What did you think?”
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, lost in his eyes.
“It’s yours,” he told her simply. “Everything I have is yours. If you’ll have me?”
Before she knew what was happening, he was holding up a shimmering little thing, and it was all she could do not to sob.
“You don’t have to say yes right now,” he told her quickly, a note of concern in his deep voice.
“Cody,” she whispered, looking to her nephew. She wouldn’t do this if it shook his hard-earned equilibrium.
“You should say yes,” the teen said with a smile. “Then we can all be Lawrences.”
That made her laugh, even as she recognized how right he was. Cash could adopt Cody officially, and they could both change their last names if they wanted.
But mostly she felt good because Cody was happy about it.
“What do you say?” Cash asked her. “Do you want to be my wife?”
“Yes,” she said then, without hesitation. “Yes, definitely.”
Cash smiled at her, looking so happy that it made her chest ache.
It wasn’t until he slipped the little ring onto her finger that she realized there was somethingfunny about it.
She gazed down at the delicate band that looked like it was woven from the thinnest wire.
“I made it out of a guitar string,” he confided. “We’ll get you a real one tomorrow.”
She laughed and he pulled her close, kissing her with everything he had, with his whole family right there cheering them on.
“What do you think about a wedding as soon as possible?” he asked her quietly when he pulled back.
“Yes,” she agreed, gazing into the beautiful dark eyes of the man who had loved her for so long. “Let’s not waste another minute.”
But she already knew that no minute she spent with this man would ever be wasted.
28
BELLA
Bella stood at the center of the park a few days after Christmas, as the sun set pink over the snow-frosted pavilion.
She wore a pretty dress under her warm winter coat, and a big smile on her face.
