Boone
I settle back onto the stone bench just delivered yesterday and watch Lilly as she places flowers at the base of Aiden’s headstone. It’s a warm June day and the birds are singing in the shade trees that dot the rolling hills of the cemetery where he was laid to rest three weeks ago.
The bench is courtesy of the Titans’ organization. It’s hand-carved of the same Pennsylvania bluestone that the Titans’ memorial was made from, which was an incredibly thoughtful gesture Brienne Norcross orchestrated.
The headstone is simple with just Aiden’s name, his date of birth, his date of death, and the words “Free at last” underneath.
This isn’t the first time we’ve visited the grave. It’s close to the deli and Lilly comes here a lot, with and without me.
There’s been nothing easy about losing Aiden. While I didn’t have the same emotional connection to him that Lilly and Steven had, what little I’d forged left a fucking crater inside me when he died. He’d been through so much and was defying all the odds, only to be snatched away from us in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
I have marveled over Lilly’s strength. Or maybe the right word is resilience because on that early morning when Aiden died, I saw her break in half, and there were days following that I wasn’t sure she’d come back together correctly. That week after is a blur. Steven couldn’t hold it together and hit the bottle hard the day Aiden died. I found him in their apartment when I brought Lilly there after we visited the funeral home, passed out on the couch and coated in vomit.
I marched her right past him and ordered her to shower and get into bed. I then cleaned Steven and put him in his own bed.
When I joined Lilly in her room, we not only had to talk about the funeral and the plans after but how to handle her dad.
Ultimately, it all worked out. The funeral was held three days after Aiden died and I was one of the pallbearers. Coen, Drake, Stone, Kirill and Bain were the other five. Steven didn’t want to carry the coffin, instead preferring to stay by Lilly’s side. I’m not sure if that was to be a support to her or for her to be a support to him. Whatever it was, Lilly bore it like she always does—the strongest spine of the Hoffman family.
Steven entered inpatient rehab the day after the funeral and he gets out in five days. We visit him when we can and he seems to be doing well.
“Aiden hated flowers,” Lilly says, knocking me out of my thoughts. She glances at me over her shoulder. “Why did I even bother? I should have just brought Twizzlers and some hockey pucks.”
Smiling, I shake my head. “They make the grave look beautiful. And guess what… these memorials—the headstone, the bench, the flowers—they’re as much for you as they are for him. But next time, we’ll bring Twizzlers.”
Lilly smiles and it’s so serene and peaceful, I know she’s accepted Aiden’s death. She still cries and sometimes gets pissed about the unfairness of it, and I let her take it out on me. Like I told her before, I will always shoulder that for her because everyone else always depends on her.
Pushing up from the ground, she brushes off her jeans. Leaning over, she kisses the top of the headstone and turns to me, holding out her hand. “Ready to go? Got lots of stuff to do.”
I groan as I take her hand, rising from the bench. God, do we ever have so much to do. But although it’s a lot of work, secretly… I want to jump up and down with joy because my life with Lilly is starting in earnest.
As we walk to the car, she recites our to-do list. “First, stop at the deli to pick up the food, then to your place. You’ll head to the airport to pick up your parents and I’ll start on the kitchen.”
“Do you mind grabbing my parents from the airport?” I ask, opening the passenger door of my Porsche for her. “I’ve got to go pick up the keys from the Realtor, and there’s a document I missed signing at the closing.”
“No problem,” she replies, and step one of my super-secret plan she knows nothing about has been enacted.
♦
I know it probably wasn’t the best time to make such committed plans with Lilly, but I couldn’t help myself. Lilly and I have been through so much, there was no way this wasn’t appropriate. Even as she was planning Aiden’s funeral, I was looking for a house to buy.
Not a lot of thought went into it. I wanted it to be nice but location was more important. I wanted to be across the river and closer to the deli since Lilly will go right back to running it full time. While she did promote Georgie to manager, with her dad going into rehab, there was still too much to do and not enough time to do it. I wanted us to live more convenient to her work, and not mine.
I asked her to move in with me the night before the funeral. We were staying at the apartment because she didn’t want to be far from her dad. While there possibly should’ve been some lines of decorum for me to observe being in Lilly’s bedroom with her dad across the hall, I most certainly didn’t keep my hands to myself. We were quiet and I made love to her every night because we both wanted it.
Lilly had no hesitation and sweetly kissed me after she said she’d move in with me. Of course, she didn’t know I meant in a new house that I was looking to buy but she wasn’t displeased to be closer to the deli when I told her.
That’s why my parents are coming in for a few days. We’re moving my apartment and her stuff into the new house.
It was a lie that I needed to sign an extra document. I just wanted to have her out of my apartment so I could grab a bouquet.
Everything is ready.
I have Steven’s permission. I got that last week when I went to visit him in rehab, unbeknownst to Lilly. My parents are in on the plan as my mother and sister helped me pick out the ring, although it was done over FaceTime as I browsed the jeweler’s selections. Drake recommended the store where he got Brienne’s ring, and I’m very pleased with my choice.
And lastly, I have my speech worked out. I’m going to hit her with it as soon as she walks in the door.
I hear the key in the lock and watch as the dead bolt turns. I snag the ring box and flowers off the counter just as the door swings open. Lilly’s eyes go to the flowers and she smiles. But I can tell she doesn’t think they’re for her, but rather for my mom.
It would be a good assumption because I often send flowers to both my mom and my sister for no good reason, and Lilly’s not gotten used to the little things like that I do for her.
But I don’t address the flowers, instead shooting Lilly a wink as I step past her to hug my mom. She whispers in my ear, “The flowers are a nice touch.”
I then hug my dad, turning to find Lilly in the kitchen pulling out the sandwiches we picked up from Moni’s after we visited Aiden’s grave.
“What does everyone want to drink?” Lilly asks.
“Champagne,” I mutter under my breath. I’ve got a bottle hidden in the back of the fridge that she thankfully didn’t see.
I could use words, but I like touching Lilly so I move into the kitchen, take her by the hand and pull her into the living room.
“Mom, Dad,” I say, sparing them a glance. “You can take the sofa.”
“What are you doing?” Lilly asks as I lead her to the love seat for no other reason than I like it has the word love in it.
“You take a seat there.” I guide Lilly onto the cushion.
She looks around wildly at my parents, then at me with an expression that says she thinks I might have gone crazy, but I also see her lips twitching in amusement.
“These are for you,” I say as I sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of her, our knees touching. I hand over the flowers and watch her eyes widen with delight.
She takes a delicate sniff and smiles at me over the blooms. “These are beautiful. What’s the occasion?”
“There never needs to be an occasion to give flowers to a beautiful woman,” I chide, and Lilly blushes. Fucking one of the reasons I love her so much. “But there just happens to be an occasion.”
Lilly laughs. “I guess moving to a new house is an occasion.”
“That’s not the occasion,” I say and then hold the ring box in the palm of my hand for her to see.
Her eyes drop to it and her entire body tenses. She stares at it in what might be horror and I wonder how big of a mistake I’ve just made. This is far too soon after Aiden’s funeral to be asking her to commit her life to mine. She just lost the most important person in her life and I’m a total clod for even thinking this was the right time.
I’m on the verge of chucking the ring over my shoulder when Lilly’s eyes snap up to mine and she yells, “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“The answer’s yes!” she confirms, eyes dropping back to the box with a nod.
“You don’t even know what’s in here,” I point out.
“Pretty sure it’s a ring.”
“You were looking at it like it was a venomous snake.”
“Merely caught off guard,” she assures me. “But the answer is yes.”
“I have an entire speech planned,” I say, dramatizing the nonexistent irritation I have that she ruined my proposal.
Lilly grins and motions with her hand. “I’m so sorry. Please proceed.”
My dad snickers but I don’t dare look his way or I’ll bust out laughing. Giving a chastising look at Lilly, I take the flowers from her hands so I can see her fully and set them on the table behind me.
I don’t bother going down on one knee. It seems uncomfortable and besides, we’re eye to eye right where we’re at, and I don’t ever want her to doubt my words.
“Lilly,” I begin, my voice strong and true because I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. “I watched you through your absolute toughest moments. Your strength, resilience and boundless love amazed me every single day. Even in the darkest times, your determination shone bright. A beacon I found myself helplessly drawn to.”
I expected no less, but tears form in her eyes. They are a thing of beauty today and I love that she never hides her emotion from me. It’s that unwavering spirit that makes me fall more in love with her every day.
“When I first met Aiden,” I continue, my voice thick with emotion, “I never imagined how deeply I would grow to love him. But watching him, and more so watching you with him, changed me. Experiencing his loss beside you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Yet, through it all, you became my role model. You showed me what true love, bravery and sacrifice mean. In the midst of our pain, I found solace in you. I found a love so profound, it’s impossible to put into words. And I realized that I want to spend the rest of my life honoring what we have, cherishing every moment, and facing every challenge hand in hand with you. I promised Aiden I would take care of you forever and I mean to honor that. Will you let me? Will you be my wife and let me love you for the rest of our lives?”
The beautiful moment is only slightly marred by my mother choking back a sob, but it’s Lilly I focus on. As my words pour out—admittedly practiced over the last few days because I didn’t want to forget a single important thing—I watch Lilly’s face grow softer. The silver tears spill freely down her cheeks and by the time I pop the ultimate question, she’s nodding her acceptance.
I mean, she already said yes, but this is icing on the cake.
Opening the box, I remove the ring and slide it on Lilly’s left ring finger. I then pull her into my arms, giving her a kiss that my parents really shouldn’t witness and if they weren’t here would’ve led us to the bedroom.
My girl is breathless when I let her up for air. Her eyes shine with a happiness I’ve yet to witness on her gorgeous face. “Aiden is smiling right now,” she says.
“Yeah… I bet he is,” I murmur, hugging her tight to me. “You and me, Lilly. Through every high and low, he’ll only ever have reason to smile for us.”
Lilly pulls back, her eyes lasered onto mine. “We’ve faced so much together, haven’t we?”
I nod, my words strangled with emotion. “And we’ve come out stronger.” Taking her hand, I feel the reassuring weight of the ring. “Here’s to us, and all the challenges we’ll conquer together. I love you.”
“I love you,” she says, and then kisses me again.
Callum Derringer was hired by the Pittsburgh Titans to help rebuild the organization after a devastating plane crash left its future unknown. Now that he’s got the team back on track, it’s time to put some effort into his own life. CLICK HERE to more info on Camden!
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New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
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