His father clenched his jaw and flexed his biceps, a habit he and Rex shared. “Son, I’ll never stop talking to your mother,” he said in a serious tone.
“Good, Dad. Good. Where’s Rex?” Josh asked.
“He and Jade are meeting us at the restaurant. Savannah and Max are already there.” Hal looked at his watch. “Seems to me you have about ten minutes before we need to walk out the door. You about ready?”
“Quick shower and shave.” Josh headed down the hall toward his childhood bedroom.
THERE WAS A war going on in Josh’s gut as he stepped from Treat’s Lexus SUV and stood before the restaurant.
Treat came to his side and swung an arm across his shoulder. “Second thoughts?”
“No, just nervous as shit,” Josh admitted. He was done hemming and hawing. Riley was the women he wanted to spend his life with, and he was ready to tell her. He knew she might not want to return to New York after the mess she’d already gone through, but his heart drove him to her, and he wasn’t going to turn away—no matter what was going on in his gut.
“That’s good. If you weren’t nervous, there would be something wrong with you,” Treat said.
“What if she says no?” Josh asked.
Treat shrugged. “Then you try again and again until she says yes.”
Josh handed Treat the package they’d bought earlier that morning. “You’ll make sure Rex knows what to do? And Savannah?”
“Sure will,” Treat said.
“She won’t say no, Josh,” Hugh said. “You’re every girl’s dream. You’re wealthy, handsome, and quite a catch with your social status.”
“None of that matters to her,” Josh shot back.
“But the thing that does matter is too obvious to mention. You’re a good man.” Hugh patted him on the back and took a few steps forward, allowing Dane to come to Josh’s side.
Josh wouldn’t have believed those words came from Hugh’s mouth if he hadn’t heard them himself. My baby brother is growing up. “That means the world to me, Hugh. Thank you.”
“You’re crazy, you know that? You sure you really want to tie yourself down? Take yourself out of circulation? Get that old ball and chain?” Dane grinned.
“Get outta here,” Treat said.
“Oh God, you just spent time with Mr. Lovesick? No wonder you’re doing this,” Dane teased. “No, really, Josh, I’m happy for you. I’ve got your back. You need anything, I’m here.”
“Thanks, Dane.” Josh looked over at each of his brothers, feeling the absence of Rex and Savannah like missing limbs. He’d see them inside, but he wished he had a private moment with each and he wondered if they felt the same. Treat, Dane, and Hugh stood before him. Josh felt support coming off of them in waves.
“Boys?” their father said. “May I have a word with Josh?”
“Of course,” Treat said.
Dane’s phone vibrated, reminding Josh to get rid of his. Josh took his phone from his pocket and handed it to Treat.
“Can you hold on to this? I don’t want it vibrating, and I’m too nervous to mess with the buttons right now.”
“Yeah.” Treat looked at it. “There’s a missed call from Reggie. You might have your answers.”
“I’ve already made up my mind, and I’m doing this no matter what the answers are,” Josh said. He watched Treat and the others head toward the restaurant.
Hal wore a pair of dark slacks, a cream-colored dress shirt, and a dark tie. Set against his ever-present tan, massive height, and dark, emotional eyes, he looked like an aging movie star.
“Son, I wish your mother were still alive to see this night. She’s proud of you.”
Josh didn’t miss the present tense his father used when speaking of his mother. “Thanks, Dad. I wish she were here, too, and I can only hope she’d have been proud.” Josh felt the lump return to his throat.
“She’s here with you.” He touched his jaw, as if he were thinking, and then he put his hands on Josh’s shoulders in the same manner Treat had in the car on the way to the airport. “Son, I assume you know what you’re doing with Riley Banks. She’s a nice girl and she comes from a respectable family. And I assume you know what you’re doing with regard to all that nonsense that’s going on back in that big city you live in. You’re an intelligent man, and you make good decisions, always have.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Josh said. His father’s eyes searched his, and his grip on Josh’s shoulders hadn’t eased. “Was there something else you wanted to say?”
“Yes, there is. Come with me.”
Josh followed his father to the edge of the woods at the far end of the parking lot.
“Dad, we don’t have much time. I want to get in there before Riley notices the family.”
“Rex is holding them in the lobby. Relax. Make time for your dear old dad. Listen, son. Look in there and tell me what you see.” He pointed to the woods.
Josh could barely think straight. Anxiety prickled his nerves, and his pulse hadn’t calmed since they’d stepped off the plane.
“I don’t know. Trees, dirt, rocks.”
“Okay, that’s pretty good. What else?” his father urged.
He stared into the woods, trying to think like his father. Like a rancher. He came up empty. He shifted his focus, much like he did when he was designing. If inspiration didn’t come from one presentation, he took it apart and started again, looking from many different angles. He began at the treetops, following the bare branches down to where they met the ground. Dead leaves layered the earth, interrupted by large rocks and fallen branches. Nothing came to mind, so he shifted his focus and began anew. He set his eyes on the ground. The earth. The foundation. Like a streak of lightning, inspiration set in.
“I see a solid foundation upon which life has grown,” Josh said.
“Better. I’m not going to torture you over semantics. Son, that foundation is all those trees have. It’s what gives them nourishment. It accepts their roots, thorns and all, and it accepts the leaves as they fall, covering its beauty. The rocks that are embedded into that foundation probably caused hurt at first, burrowing into the depth of it, or sinking in fast and hard—either way, that foundation had to move and shift to accept them. It had to give. And as you can see by that enormous boulder to your right, sometimes it had to give a lot.”
He looked directly into Josh’s eyes and laid his hand over his own heart. “The heart of the foundation has to be open enough, and secure enough, to allow that change to happen and to accept it even when it hurts or when it makes the appearance of the foundation not quite as attractive.”
Josh’s throat tightened.
“Son, I’m proud of you. It takes the strongest of men to endure what you have and to deal with what’s ahead of you. It would have been a hell of a lot easier to back away. There are a million women in the world. You’ve always been empathetic, loving, and strong. Seeing you put your love for Riley ahead of everything else proves you’re with the woman you were fated to be with.” He took Josh in his arms and whispered in his ear, “Your damn mother made me say the whole woods thing. I would have just given it to you straight, but she thinks that a designer is all about presentation and layering.”
“Dad,” Josh managed. God, he loved him.
“And Treat told me about you feeling like you could rip someone apart. That’s a good thing, son. Family knows no boundaries.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
THE DIMLY LIT restaurant smelled of warmed olive oil and spices. A roaring fire burned in the fireplace across from where Riley and her family sat. Classical music filtered through the air. Riley felt at peace for the first time in days. She sipped a glass of wine and listened intently as her parents filled her in on the lives of neighbors and friends.
The waiter appeared by her side and placed a single red rose wrapped in pink paper across Riley’s plate.
“Thank you.” She looked at him. “Is this something you do for all the women?”
“No, ma’am.” He walked away without an explanation.
Riley leaned forward with a laugh. “What was that all about?” she whispered.
Her parents shrugged.
She smelled the rose and unwrapped the paper. Inside was a handwritten note, and she recognized Josh’s handwriting.
Hi, beautiful. Turn around. J.
Riley’s breath caught in her throat as she spun around in her chair. Josh, dressed in a dark suit and holding a bouquet of white and red roses, stood before her.
“Josh?” she managed.
She pushed to her feet as Josh approached. She caught sight of each of Josh’s siblings, and his father, standing behind him, their hands clasped in front of them.
He kissed her lightly on the lips.
“What are you doing here? What’s going on?” She eyed his family, then shot a glance at her mother, whose eyes were suspiciously damp.
“Sorry it took me so long,” Josh said, and handed her the bouquet of roses. “Red and white. For unity.”
“Oh, Josh, they’re beautiful, but you didn’t have to.” You’re here. You’re actually here. Riley could barely think past the sound of her heart beating way too fast.