Broken (41 page)

As we came around the bend, Whitley dropped my hand and stopped as she let out a gasp. “Oh my God, where’s the house?”

I stared straight ahead and smiled. “I had it torn down. It was time for me to leave the past in the past. All that house did was remind me of a time in my life when I was angry and hurt. I’ve moved on, thanks to you. I’ve forgiven my father, and I’m ready to start a whole new life.”

I turned to see Whitley crying as she looked up at me.

“Layton…” was all she said.

I smiled as I leaned down and gently rubbed my nose against hers. “I want to show you something else.”

She smiled as she took my hand, and we moved closer to where the house that my father had built for my mother once stood—the same house that had held too many memories of my mother for him to be able to stay with us, the house that had caused him so much pain he had to run and never look back.

As we got closer, the gazebo came into sight. The spot my father and mother had picked to build their house on was probably one of the best views on the whole ranch. It looked out over the hill country and just about had a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view. I had the gazebo built to face the west and east.

“Oh, Layton, it’s absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen such an amazing gazebo.”

I had overheard Whitley and Courtney talking about a book where the characters got married in a white gazebo overlooking the west. They got married right before sunset, and Whitley had mentioned how romantic it was.

I smiled at the gazebo I had built. It was a classic octagonal gazebo made from cedar.

“Good Lord, that thing is huge. Oh my, Layton! The flowers…they’re all my favorite flowers. The roses…they smell heavenly.”

I smiled as I looked at all the landscaping that had just been finished yesterday. Whitley turned and looked at me as we walked up toward the gazebo.

As she moved up the steps, she threw her hands up to her mouth. Both sides of the gazebo had seating areas. The front and back were open to the east and the west, and we could see perfectly out west.

“I had them clear out a few trees, so you can see the sunset even more now.”

I had placed a blanket, a basket, and a cooler right in the middle of the gazebo. I had packed wine, fruit, and cheese.

“Layton, when did you do all of this?” Whitley asked as she looked back at me.

“This morning. Do you know how hard it was to pack up that basket? I practically killed myself, trying to pack it and put it into the truck before you got out of the shower.”

Whitley laughed as she shook her head. She sat down and moved her hand along the blanket. “This blanket looks so old. Where in the world did you get it?”

I walked up and slowly sat down on the blanket.

“Are you hurting, babe?” she asked as she reached over for my hand.

Even though I was, I smiled. “Nah, I’m all right. Just still moving a bit slow is all.”

She raised her eyebrow at me, like she knew I was lying.

“This was my grandmother’s blanket. It’s a very special blanket that my mother used to wrap Mike and me up in as we watched movies with her and my father on the sofa. She always used it when we went on picnics, which was all the time. She loved picnics.” I smiled, thinking about how many times I’d watched her take the blanket out and lay it on the ground for all of us to sit on.

Whitley’s face lit up, and she grinned bigger. “I wish I could have met her.”

I put my hand on her cheek and moved my thumb up and down on her soft skin. “So do I, baby. So do I.”

I cleared my throat and tried to stop the shaking in my hands. “Anyway, when my grandfather asked my grandmother to marry him, it was on this very blanket. My father took my mother on a picnic, and he also used this blanket when he asked her to marry him. It was on this ranch…in about this very same spot. That was why they built the house where they did.” I looked out west and smiled. “I can almost understand why my father left. He loved my mother so much, and I can’t imagine the pain he felt when she’d left him.”

Whitley’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh my God, that is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the blue velvet box. Whitley started shaking her head as tears fell from her eyes.

“Whitley, you changed my whole life that day I saw you on the side of the road. You helped me put the past where it needed to be, and you showed me how to push my fears to the side, so I could learn to love again. I was so broken, but your love healed me and made me a better man. I don’t want to live a single minute without you. When you’re not with me, I ache to feel your touch and hear your sweet voice whisper in my ear how much you love me. I want to go to sleep every night and wake up every morning to you telling me you love me. I promise to always love you and take care of you. Forever. You are and will always be my forever. My everything.”

I opened up the box, and Whitley let out a gasp as she started crying harder.

She barely whispered, “The ring,” as she looked into my eyes.

“Whitley, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Layton Morris?”

She started nodding. “Yes! Yes, a million times over!”

I took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger as I silently thanked God that those were happy tears she was crying.

“Will you dance with me, baby?” I got up and reached for her hand.

She stood and tried to wipe away the steady stream of tears.

I walked over and opened up my laptop sitting on the seat. As I started up my laptop, I looked back at her.

“This song says everything that’s in my heart.”

I hit play, and “Changed by You” by Between the Trees started playing.

Whitley walked over and slammed herself into my body as she repeated over and over again, “I love you, Layton. I love you so much!”

As we danced to the song, I had an overwhelming feeling that we weren’t alone. I looked up and saw light beams coming through the trees, shining directly onto the blanket. I smiled, knowing that Mike and my parents were with me, with us. They would always be with Whit and me.

As the song finished, Whitley pulled back and looked into my eyes. I reached down and wiped away the wetness on her face.

“I’ve never in my life been so happy as I am in this very moment, Layton. I…I…” She closed her eyes and then opened them again. “I never thought I deserved this kind of love.”

“Whitley—”

She held her finger up to my lips. “I never thought I deserved this kind of love because the love that I thought I knew…it wasn’t love at all. You’ve taught me what love is, Layton—true, honest-to-God love. I’ll love you forever.”

I reached down and captured her lips with mine. I wanted nothing more than to pick her up and make love to her against this gazebo.

“God…I want to make love to you so damn bad, baby.”

She smiled as she looked down toward the blanket and then back up at me. “As romantic as that would be, you would be in so much pain,” she said with a giggle. “Let’s go home, and I’m sure we can come up with another plan.”

I looked down at the basket. “What about the wine? And the cheese?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Did you bring a flashlight ’cause the sun is going to set soon?”

I just looked at her. “Really, Whit? You don’t know me at all.” I walked over and opened up the basket. I took out two flashlights, and then I sat down and motioned for her to sit in front of me.

She sat down, and I handed her the wine bottle and glasses. She poured us each a glass. After she handed me a glass, she gently laid back against me. I fed her a grape every now and then as we sat and talked while the sun slowly began setting.

“Layton, this is beautiful. Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything, baby.”

She turned her head and looked up at me. “Can we get married here?”

I smiled and nodded. “I was hoping that’s what you would want.”

“How did you know?” She pushed herself forward and turned around to look at me.

I smiled as I looked back out toward the sunset. “You and Courtney were talking about a book one day. You mentioned a gazebo and how the characters got married while looking out toward the sunset. In that moment, I knew that I was going to ask you to marry me in the exact spot where we would get married. This spot might have once held anger and hurt, but it started off with the love of my parents and their dreams of raising a family here.” I smiled. “Now, it’s our dream.”

She smiled as a tear slowly moved down her cheek. “Is this where you were going to bring me on my birthday?”

I nodded. “Yes, but the gazebo wasn’t here yet. I had made plans for it to be built, and it was going to be a Christmas present to you. Things changed, and I thought it would be better to ask you to marry me in the gazebo.”

She shook her head and gave me a drop-me-to-my-knees smile. “Okay, next question.”

“Go for it.”

“The ring. Layton, how did you know about this ring? Did Anna tell you?”

I threw my head back and laughed. “I was there.”

She looked at me with a confused expression on her face. “What? You were where?”

“The day you came into the jewelry store to get the picture of us put into Kate’s locket, I saw you walking up when I was looking at rings. I hid behind the counter. I was there the whole time.”

Her face dropped as she looked down at the ring. “You were there?”

“Yep. It was fate that you walked in when I was there. It was perfect really. You picked out your own ring and didn’t even know it.”

She threw herself into me, causing me to let out a curse.

“Shit! I’m so sorry, baby,” she said as her eyes caught mine.

The look she was giving me started making my dick jump.

“Layton. Will you please take me home now?”

I jumped up and grabbed her hand. I started to make my way down the steps of the gazebo.

“Wait! Layton, what about all of this stuff? You can’t leave it out here. The animals will get it.”

I stopped and let out a sigh. I turned back, grabbed the grapes and cheese, and tossed it all back into the basket. I dumped out the wine as Whitley let out a gasp.

“That was perfectly good wine,” she said.

I just looked at her. “There is no way in hell I’m letting an open bottle of red wine go anywhere near the inside of my truck. No fucking way.”

She rolled her eyes as she bent down and grabbed the blanket, and she began to fold it up. We both turned to leave, and then we stopped dead in our tracks.

“Oh, wow!” Whitley said as we just stared at the beautiful red sky. “Oh yeah, totally getting married at sunset.”

I smiled as I took her hand and led the way back to my truck. I didn’t care how bad it hurt. I was making love to my fiancée tonight.

It’s time to cowboy up for the sake of love.

I sat on the back porch of Mr. and Mrs. Pierceson’s house, watching the sunrise. I couldn’t believe today was finally here.

My wedding day.

So much had happened in the last six months. Roger had gone to trial and had been found guilty of attempted aggravated assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for shooting Layton.

Layton had settled everything with his father’s estate. He had taken part of the money his father had left him, and he’d set up a college fund at Texas A&M. He’d also made a very large donation to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Kate and Jen would never have to worry about anything with the way Layton had invested Kate’s money. I would never forget the look on Jen’s face when Layton had told her she’d never have to worry about Kate’s future.

I glanced over to my left when I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. Courtney came running up.

Jesus, what time did she get up to go for a run?

I thought back to the night before last when Court had been drunk and talked a little too much to Stacey and me. Stacey was our best friend from high school. She had flown in for the wedding a few days ago, and she had gone out with all of us. It was a good thing Anna had already left and gone home with Jen. Courtney had confessed to still being in love with Reed. My heart broke for her, and I had tried to talk to her a number of times yesterday about it. She’d said she was in love with Mitch, but Layton and I had both agreed that we thought Court loved Mitch, but she wasn’t in love with Mitch.

Anna had been really pushing Reed to move in together, but he’d kept putting her off. Layton had said that at his bachelor party, Reed had gotten drunk, and Layton had to keep him away from Mitch because Reed had wanted to tell Mitch he had stolen the woman he loved.

Court and Reed needed to be locked up in a room for a few days to work their shit out.

Courtney came jogging up the steps with a damn smile on her face. She had on a light strapped to her damn head. I couldn’t help but laugh at her when she stopped in front of me.

“What the hell, Court? Jogging at five a.m. Aren’t you afraid of running up on some animal or something?” I shook my head.

“Ah hell, don’t start with me. I already ran into Reed this morning.”

I snapped my head up at her. “What? Where?”