The celebrations to welcome Brendan home hadn’t even started and Beau was already itching to get home, pack up, and get on the road. He tapped his hands on the steering wheel of his F-150, wishing his brother would get a move on. Their mom would already be at the diner by now. It would be a miracle if everyone in on the surprise managed to keep from spilling the beans.
The door to the office opened, and his little brother stepped out and pulled on his camouflage hat. “Ready?”
A rush of pride went through Beau at the site of Brendan decked out in his fatigues. His kid brother turned into one hell of a good man. Letting go of his impatience to get on the road to Florida—five o’clock wasn’t going to come any faster no matter how much he looked at the clock—Beau nodded. “Come on. Let’s go give our mother heart failure.”
It really was a red-letter day. He was immensely grateful that Brendan had come home in one piece, and not just because it meant Beau could turn the business back over to him. He had genuinely missed the guy.
As they headed toward town, his nerves started to hum. His grandparents would be there, and Beau planned to have a talk with his grandfather after the celebration calmed down. He’d spent the last two weeks thinking about his future, his choices, and his options.
Life was short.
His father’s death had taught him that in no uncertain terms. It was time to live his life for him, no matter what expectations others had of him. He never wanted to turn his back on his promises, but he didn’t want to forfeit his future thanks to choices he’d made as a teenager.
As they pulled up to the back door of the diner, Beau exchanged a smile with his brother. It was cheesy, but he was looking forward to seeing his mother’s reaction to Brendan’s early return. He even had tissues stuffed in his pocket for her. With his phone set to video mode, he pulled open the diner’s back door and ushered his brother inside.
His mother sat at the front table, her head bowed as she perused the menu.
“Hey, Mama,” Beau said casually, grinning as every person in the place watched with bated breath.
She glanced up, scrunching her nose in mock consternation even as she smiled. “There you are! Beau Rodney, you’d best have a good excuse for keeping your mama waiting half an hour. And what are you doing with that phone out? Delia will have your head if she sees that thing in here.”
Muffled laughter rippled through the crowd, but Beau kept a straight face. “Sorry, Mama. I had something I had to pick up.” He moved to the side to reveal Brendan.
Her eyes went huge a second before she screamed and sprang to her feet, knocking over the table in the process. “Brendan! You’re home!” Tears instantly welled in her eyes as she rushed into her baby boy’s open arms.
Everyone in the diner erupted in cheers as Brendan swung her around. The moment her feet hit the floor, she grabbed Beau by the arm and pulled him in for a group hug. Tossing his phone to Delia herself, he wrapped his arms around both of them, not even caring that his eyes were as wet as a leaky faucet.
The front door bells chimed as his grandparents joined the celebration, huge smiles lighting their faces. They’d been waiting at the ice cream parlor next door so not to spoil the surprise.
The party quickly moved to the town square, where Beau stood back and watched as the people he’d known his whole life gave Brendan the hero’s welcome he deserved. So what if this was the third such party they’d thrown for him? It never got old for any of them. Besides, this one was much more fun since it was such a surprise for their mother.
Shortly after lunch, his grandfather spotted him leaning against tree and came over to clap him on the back. “You were a good sport, organizing this for your mother.”
Beau shrugged. “It was well worth it, seeing her so happy.”
Crossing his arms, Granddaddy nodded. “She deserves a little happiness. We’re all relieved he made it back safe and sound again. God willing, that will be that last time.” His gaze went to where Brendan stood chatting with Owen Brantley and his sister, Preston. “That boy needs a woman to give him roots.”
Beau wasn’t about to touch that with a ten-foot pole. Any comment was likely to turn the heat on his own perceived failings in that department, and he wasn’t ready to discuss his love life with his grandfather. Especially since everything with Delaney was so up in the air.
Hell, his life seemed up in the air.
Clearing his throat, he decided to dive into the conversation he’d been contemplating for days now. “Actually, I’m glad you came over. I was hoping to have a chance to talk to you.”
His grandfather turned shrewd eyes his way. His bushy white eyebrows had always seemed to punctuate anything he was thinking, and right now, it was clear he was suspicious. “Looking forward to finally joining the firm, I hope. Your grandmother is anxious for me to retire, and I frankly feel the same way. A man dedicates his life to work with the dim hope of enjoying the fruits of that labor someday.”
And there was the problem: Beau didn’t want to wait fifty years to start enjoying life on his terms. That thought fortified him as he mounted his defense. Tilting his head, he said, “How’s that old Model T coming along?”
The eyebrows crashed together. “The Model T? About the same as ever, I suppose. Maybe I’ll finally finish the damn thing now once my retirement is official next year.”
“Do you ever wish you had finished it sooner, so that you could actually enjoy it?”
Granddaddy gave a rusty huff of laughter. “There’s a lot you wish you would have had time to enjoy when you reach my age. The car’s only one of them.”
Crossing his arms, Beau forged on. “I thought you’d be interested to know that I finished restoring a ’53 Chevy truck two weeks ago.” He made no attempt to mask the pride in his voice.
“You don’t say,” the old man exclaimed, genuinely pleased. “Can’t wait to see it. Nothing in the world like those old cars. They don’t build them like they used to. Damn shame.”
Turning to face him fully, Beau got to the point. “Granddaddy—”
“You should really get used to calling me Buford. Don’t want you slipping when we’re in the office.”
He wasn’t going to make this easy.
Taking a deep breath, Beau looked him in the eye. “Granddaddy, I found my calling these past few months. I want to restore old cars for a living. I want to work by my brother’s side, bringing life back to the classics while he does what he loves, fixing cars like Dad used to.”
His grandfather’s face reddened as his brows lowered thunderously. “Damn it, Beau, we had a deal. Do you think I paid for your school for the hell of it? You made a promise to hold up my legacy, and you’re not just going to walk away now, leaving me holding the bag.”
“Is that what you think your legacy is?”
That gave the man pause. He blinked, then narrowed his eyes. “Where you going with this?”
Beau knew that he only had one chance to say this right. He’d been schooled in persuasion, hadn’t he? If nothing else, his law degree would come in handy for that.
“Your legacy isn’t some law firm or a name on some letterhead. Your legacy is your love for your wife. It’s having raised children who knew they were loved even when they didn’t follow the plans you laid out for them. It’s making sure that your grandchildren know what it means to be a good man, and leaving them with memories that they’ll cherish because they loved you, not because of what you did for a living.”
His grandfather’s jaw clenched as he crossed his arms and sized him up. “You’re going to have to do better than that. It’ll take a hell of a lot of restorations to pay me back for your schooling.”
Beau suppressed a sigh. “I know that, and I am prepared to do exactly that.” It was only fair, after all. “But the past six months have taught me a lot. I don’t want to leave Honeysuckle Hill. I don’t want to do a job out of misplaced obligation. I don’t want to set my own dreams aside for someone else’s. I wanted to make you proud and carry on in the family tradition, but my heart isn’t in the law.
“What I do want is to spend more time with my family. I want to choose a career that makes me want to go to work each day. And I want you to know that I admire the work you’ve done. Tremendously.” He lifted his hands. “I just don’t want it to be my work, too.”
Resignation dulled the spark in his grandfather’s eyes. Shaking his head, he said, “I feel like I’ve had this exact conversation before, only thirty years earlier.”
The hint of a smile curved Beau’s lips. “And how did that one work out?”
The smallest bit of humor quirked one white eyebrow. “Depends on who you ask.” Something else caught his attention then. Tilting his head, he looked past Beau’s shoulder, his green eyes squinting at something in the distance. “Didn’t you say it was a ’53 Chevy that you restored?”
Beau froze, a bright flare of hope burning to life in his chest. “I did.”
His grandfather tipped his chin toward the parking area. “Well, I can’t help but wonder if the girl was part of the package.”
Spinning on his heel, Beau spotted the truck as it pulled to a stop. The door opened, and Delaney stepped out, her slender figure dressed in a red and white fifties style dress. His breath caught in his chest as he drank in the sight of her. A thousand different emotions seemed to assail him at once, but all he could do was stare.
His grandfather’s chuckle reminded him that he wasn’t alone. “You should have led with the part about the girl, son.” Slapping him firmly on the shoulder, he added, “It’s all making sense now. Go on and see your lady. Your grandma and I will be waiting to hear all about it. In the meantime, I’ll give some thought to tuition repayment in the form of a fully restored Model T.”
Relief and gratitude washed through Beau as he turned back to face his grandfather. He really was a good man. “Thank you, Granddaddy,” he said simply, giving the man a heartfelt hug. His grandfather winked before turning and heading back to the party.
With his heart in throat, Beau trotted toward the truck. Delaney stood leaning against the fender, her bright red lips turned up in a welcoming smile. “I heard there was a homecoming party going on.”
Damn, but it was good to see her. She was everything he ever wanted, really. He slowed as he approached, savoring the sight of her leaning against his truck in her vintage-style outfit like something out of an old magazine. “Who told you that?”
“Believe it or not, I got a call from Lenelle Winslow.” Her grin widened as she extended her hand and started counting off fingers. “And a text from Grant. And Owen. And from Delia at the diner and Herman from the flower shop.”
Laughing, Beau shook his head. “This town is full of meddlers. I don’t know why I want to stay here.”
That got her attention. She straightened abruptly, her eyes widening. “You’re staying?”
Stepping forward, he slid his arms around her waist, feeling as though he were truly home for the first time in his life. “I was just telling my grandfather that they’ll need to find another partner. Turns out there are two things that I want in life, and neither one of them can be found in Birmingham.”
She leaned into him, her arms sliding around his back. “And what are those two things?”
“Well,” he said, slowly closing the distance between their lips. “First, I want to expand Rodney’s Garage to include classic car restoration. I’m thinking we can call it the Hot Rodney division.”
Her delighted laughter made his heart soar. “I’m holding you to that. Now what was the second thing?”
He tightened his grip, gazing into her shining blue eyes. “There’s this girl that I managed to fall in love with this summer. I was actually heading out after the party to drive down to where she works to convince her to take a leap of faith with me.”
He could feel the rapid rise and fall of her breathing. “And what would that leap of faith entail?”
He kissed her then, unable to wait another moment. “Be with me, Delaney. Move here with me and share my dream. Open your own store, or work at the shop, or—”
She cut him off with a kiss. Elation poured through him as he squeezed her tight, kissing her back with everything he had. A few whistles and catcalls behind them let them know they had an audience, but he couldn’t have cared less. Besides, he knew they were on his side.
When they finally came up for air, she smiled against his lips. “You had me at ‘fall in love.’ Yes, I want to be with you. I can’t imagine my life any other way. I told Nicole as much last week, and she’s so excited she doesn’t even care that I’ll be leaving a job she worked to get me. She told me I never talked about ‘that other guy’ like I talk about you.”
“Oh, really,” he murmured, brushing another kiss across her delectable lips.
“Mmhmm. I let her know that’s because I never knew what love really felt like until I fell for you right here in backwater Alabama.”
The sweetest words he’d ever heard. “Does that mean that you are here to stay?”
She laughed. “Not quite. I promised Nicole I’d work until Christmas so they have time to find a replacement, but after that, I’m all yours. Will that work? I know it’s a long time to wait.”
Beau kissed her all over again, happier than he’d ever been in his life. “Baby, I’d wait a lifetime for you, so six months is sounding pretty good right about now. But trust me, either way, you’re more than worth the wait.”