Chapter 28      

“Riley, you seriously can’t expect me to keep this blindfold on for the whole car trip.”

“You agreed to trust me,” she heard him say.

Of course she did, but she couldn’t see anything under the official black blindfold he’d insisted she wear. They were going away for the weekend at his suggestion. Two whole days with him was going to be the best tonic for her still-healing heart. She was still dreaming about meeting her dad, and sometimes she woke up crying. Sometimes Riley was with her, and he’d hold her. Sometimes she had to face the hurt alone.

“I didn’t expect it to take this long!” she protested. “We’ve been in the car for at least an hour.”

“Maybe,” Riley answered. “It’s hard to tell when you’re blindfolded. This is the only way I could think of to make sure our trip was a surprise. Settle back, Sadiekins, and get excited. You’re going to love this!”

He’d taken to calling her Sadiekins in moments of teasing, alongside his other endearments of ‘sweetheart’ and ‘my girl’. She rather liked it.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll just settle back and look at nothing.”

He had the gall to laugh. “I’ll turn some of that infernal country music on as a compromise.”

“That would be big of you,” she responded. “Please do so.”

His groan filled the car, and she gave a dark chuckle. Served him right. She sang at the top of her lungs, pulling out her most honeyed Southern drawl and twang. After learning the real reason he disliked country music, she’d battled with feeling guilty about listening to it around him, but she wasn’t going to let Mandy ruin it for her. Maybe someday the association would change for him too, and he’d think of her and Rye and Jake when he thought of country music, not the woman who’d hurt him and his daughter.

Riley was silent until the car stopped, breaking the music off in mid-refrain. “Remind me to never agree to that form of compromise,” he said. “I’m not sure my ears will ever be the same.”

“Are we here then? Show me already.”

“Bossy, aren’t you? The more time we spend together, the more sides of yourself you show me. And I love them all. Sadie, welcome to your magical weekend.”

He undid the blindfold, and she screamed like a little kid when she spotted her creative nirvana through the windshield.

“The National Quilt Museum!” She bounced in her seat and then turned to face him. “You took me to Paducah, Kentucky! Oh, Riley, how did you know?”

“I did some research,” he said, caressing her cheek. “I wanted to give you something special. It’s an artist’s paradise, you know.”

She undid her seatbelt and slid across the console to hug him. “I know! I’d been thinking about bringing my quilting class here for a tour. You’re the best.”

He was grinning. “Excellent. Shall we go inside? Or do you want to head over to the cabin I rented first and come back later?”

“I want to go now!” She took another look at the museum. The brick building looked like it stretched the length of a few street blocks. “Oh, I can’t believe it. And a cabin? You rented a cabin?”

“I thought it might be nice to be on the Ohio River,” he said, waggling his brows, “lots of creative inspiration. I might come up with a water monster or something. You never know.”

And he would too. She loved that big, beautiful imagination of his. “Riley, you are the best. Quite simply the best.”

“Shall we?” he asked, and together they went inside. 

She felt like a little kid, squirming with excitement and impatience, as they checked in and paid their admission. The sparkle in Riley’s eyes told her he didn’t mind any. They held hands as they approached the first display. “Oh, the colors. My God. They’re so beautiful.”

There was an assortment of quilts staged on the wall in perfect harmony with each other. They made their way to each of them. Sometimes the designs contrasted in ways that grabbed her by the throat. Other showpieces blended together, so much so that a deep sense of peace and wonder settled over her, the same kind she experienced while looking at a sunset or watching an eagle taking flight.

At one point, she had to release Riley’s hand. The quilt depicting what looked like a planet in outer space surrounded by a swirling ball of fire demanded her complete attention. She wanted to touch it, and the urge was so strong, she had to fist her hands together.

“My God,” she breathed. “The colors. The shape. The depth. The motion. It’s…there aren’t words.”

“This is my favorite so far,” he said. “It’s like something out of Thor.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said. “It never dawned on me to model a quilt after something outside of our earth.”

“Do I feel a birthday present coming on?” he joked. “Mine is April 23 if you recall.”

“What?” She had to shake herself out of the reverie. “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea.”

“Sadie, I was kidding,” he said. “You don’t need to make me a quilt.”

Little did he know she was already fussing with Jess’ princess quilt and the plans for his superhero one. “I’ll do what I like. Oh, Riley. This is truly…magnificent. Thank you!”

“We’re not finished yet,” he said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips. “Come. Let’s see the rest of the collection. They have six hundred quilts, and I think we’ve only seen a quarter of them so far. I have a feeling you’ll want to see them all.”

And so they did. They passed by one masterpiece after the other. Sadie wondered if this was how a person felt in a cathedral like St. Paul’s in London or Notre Dame in Paris.

She walked through the rest of the museum in bliss. Riley walked quietly next to her, a happy smile on his face. Sometimes she would become animated and start explaining technical things he didn’t understand, much like he might do at a superhero museum, but he didn’t seem to mind. He’d simply gaze at her while she spoke with her hands. 

And when she whispered a curse about not being able to take pictures of the quilts—of course she understood artistic propriety and all—he muffled his laughter. But she’d have an easy time recalling the images and styles of quilting that had sparked her interest the most. Plus, there was a gift shop.

And what a gift shop… 

She bought a stack of books about the collection and quilting books she’d never come across anywhere else. Of course, Riley insisted on buying her a Keep Calm and Quilt T-shirt in hot pink. She jumped up and down when he presented it to her, and she didn’t care who noticed. While some of their fabric pieces were tempting—like an array of silk in peacock tones—she decided to pass. She could buy any fabric at Oodles for a discount, and if they couldn’t get it, she could always go online. Plus, Riley kept finding her vintage clothing for her treasure chest. She could never have enough fabric—it was like some people with shoes—but she didn’t want to linger over the pieces for too long. Riley had arranged this for her, and she wanted to spend time with him.

When they reached their charming log cabin in the woods with the river view, she fell onto the couch and kicked off her shoes. “This has been one of the best days of my life.” And after everything that had happened with her daddy, it felt like the biggest blessing in the world.

He stopped by the couch with the bags and leaned down to kiss her. “I’m so glad you think so. I’m going to put these in our room.”

“I would get up and see it, but I’m too happy to move.” Our room. She shivered. Oh, how she loved hearing him say that. 

“You really need to see this room, Sadie,” he called to her. “We have a huge fireplace, and the most amazing view of the Ohio. There are birds on it.”

“Birds, huh? Imagine birds on a river. Okay, I’m coming.” 

She rolled off the couch and padded in the direction he’d taken. When she reached the doorway, her heart flew to her throat. 

“Where did you get that?” she asked, stunned speechless by the wedding quilt arranged on the bed. No way had it simply been there—it was far too beautiful and intricate.

“I…ah…commissioned it from Mae,” he said, undoing the button on his sport coat. “Come take a look.”

She walked closer, the geometric interlocking rings of the wedding quilt capturing her complete attention. The quilt itself was a delicate ivory, and the rings were rendered in ocean blue, red, yellow, and sea green fabric. Then she saw the jewelry box lying open inside the center of the quilt and turned to him.

He was kneeling by her side, his face radiant with love.

“Sadie McGuiness, will you marry me?” he asked in a deep and strong voice.

She launched herself at him, and he toppled back onto the rug. “Yes. Oh, Riley. Yes! A million times yes.”

He rolled her onto her back and peppered her with kisses. “Thank God, because the rest of this weekend would have been pretty awkward otherwise!” He grinned as he said it, but quickly became serious again. “We’re going to be so happy. I…I never thought I’d ever feel this way about anyone. I love you, Sadie.” 

She locked her hands behind his neck. “Oh, I love you too, and yes, we are going to be so happy. Know why I know that? Because I’m already happy with you. Riley, you gave me a wedding quilt. And today… You see me and celebrate me like I never imagined someone would.”

“Come see your ring,” he said. “I… Well, I designed it, and I…okay, I’m just going to be quiet and let you look. If you don’t like it—”

She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I can’t imagine not loving it. Show it to me.”

He rose and helped her up and then extended the ring to her. “I wanted to give you something special.”

She caught the wedding quilt pattern on the ring immediately, and her heart burst in her chest. “Oh, Riley. It’s…exquisite. You did this for me?”

Tears were filling her eyes, but darn it all if it wasn’t normal to shed a few tears when you were agreeing to marry the man you loved.

“There’s an inscription too,” he said. “God, I hope you don’t think it’s corny.”

She turned the inside of the ring toward the light. “You’re the fabric of my life.” Sinking onto the bed when her knees went weak, she gazed up at him. “It’s perfect, and Riley… You’re the fabric of my life too.”

His throat moved, and he nodded. “Shall we put it on then?”

She held out her left hand, and he took the ring and slid it down until it was nestled in the right place. The diamond sparkled, and the unique style of the ring seemed to awaken something powerful in her heart.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, letting the tears fall. “Thank you, Riley.”

“Thank you,” he said, sitting next to her. “I want to tell you that I talked to Jess and she’s fully on board.”

She put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, I should have asked. How terrible of me.”

“You were overcome,” he said softly. “So was I. In fact, I forgot to mention that I asked for your hand in marriage from both J.P. and your mom. I knew I didn’t need their permission, but I wanted to honor you. In some ways, you’re a traditionalist, and I respect that.”

Once again, she felt choked up. It felt so wonderful to be seen, to be honored. “Oh, that makes me so happy. What did my mama and J.P. say? Anything?”

He pressed the bridge of his nose. “I’m so overcome, my brain is dead. I can’t remember.” Laughing, he shook his head. “But Jess chose my outfit for today, for the whole weekend really, and she approved of my plans. I asked if she wanted to be with me when I proposed, but she informed me that wasn’t how it was done. Then she said a few things about chick flicks, I think. It might be her new language. She’s growing up so fast.”

She took his hand and pressed it to her heart. “I promise to be good with her. To love and cherish her. Like I plan to love and cherish you.”

“Cherish, huh? That kinda chokes me up, but don’t tell anyone, okay? Mark will give me such flak for that.”

Sadie doubted it, but she understood he felt vulnerable about being an emotional man. “It will be between us.”

“How about I cherish you a little now and then we go out later and hit the town? There’s Robert Dafford’s famous Wall to Wall murals along the river and the Bricolage Art Collective. I’m really excited about them. This place is perfect for us. It has quilts and art. It’s a match made in heaven.”

She linked her arms around his neck again. “We’re a match made in heaven.”

“Yes, we are,” he said in a steady voice.

Then he tipped her back and made love to her sweetly and thoroughly on the wedding quilt, sealing their promise for a lifetime.