“Twelve.”
“Nine.”
“Twelve. And once that time is up, we’ll put a limit on the size of future gifts.”
“Christ, you are stubborn.”
“Then it’s agreed.” She gave me a smug grin. “A year. And a limit.”
“A year,” I conceded. “And a limit. But items for the baby don’t count.”
“Agreed.” She nodded and snuggled deeper, then drifted off to sleep.
I waited for an hour or so, watching before slipping out of the room. When I went to my office, it was no surprise to find Clara there. She’d canceled my last meeting of the day and rescheduled those I’d missed.
“I’m just about done here,” she said. “I need to get August from preschool. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No. I’m not doing much.” My concentration was shit and I wanted to be close when Aria woke up. “I’m not working tomorrow. Or Sunday. You should take them off too.”
“That’s the plan. I’ve got a date with my main man for a bike ride and picnic.”
August was a lucky kid to have her as a mom. And my child would be lucky to have her as an aunt.
“I’m not good with sentiment.”
“Really?” she deadpanned.
“Your sarcasm has really blossomed since Aria moved here.”
She laughed. “What can I say? She brings out the best in people.”
“She really does. I just . . . I wanted you to know that you don’t owe me anything. For the house here or anything. I didn’t buy them out of charity. I don’t want you to feel obligated or indebted or—”
“Brody.” She cut me off and smiled. “I know. This isn’t necessary.”
“You work hard.”
“I’m grateful for all you’ve done for August and me. But that’s not why I work hard.”
“You’re sure?”
“I promise.”
I sighed. “I’m glad I’ll have you as my sister.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Sister?”
“If she’ll have me.”
Clara rushed me for a hug. It was short but strong, and when she stepped back, she pressed a hand to her heart as her eyes lit up. “Thank you for loving Aria.”
“I will until the day I die.”
“I know.” Tears flooded her eyes as she waved goodbye, leaving me alone in the office.
After an hour of returning emails, I went to see if Aria was still asleep, but when I walked into the room, the bed was empty and the patio doors open.
“There you are.” I found her wrapped in a blanket, standing beside the pool. Her eyes were cast to the horizon. “What are you doing out here?”
The sun was slowly setting and the temperature dropping. Even though it was spring, the nights were cool.
“I like the sunsets here.” She leaned into my side. “In a way, they remind me of the sunsets we used to watch at the junkyard. When you don’t have TV or video games or smart phones, you look to the world for something to watch. I’ve missed that since leaving. I haven’t appreciated the world enough.”
I guess that was true for all of us. So we stood together, watching as the colors shifted. When a layer of orange coated the sky, I dug the ring that I’d pulled from the safe earlier out of my pocket.
“Aria Saint-James?”
“Yes, Brody Carmichael?”
I grinned and turned her to face me. Then I dropped to a knee, the ring in hand. “Marry me.”
“W-what?” She did a double take at the five-carat Harry Winston.
“Will you marry me?”
“Seriously? You just promised two hours ago not to buy me anything for a year.”
“I said anything new. This isn’t new. I’ve had it for a week.”
She blinked. “You have?”
“Can we focus, please? I asked you a question.”
“I kind of like seeing you on your knees.”
I shook my head and the ring. “You’re impossible.”
“Someone has to keep your ego in check.”
I chuckled. “You’re doing a damn fine job at the moment. You’re shredding it to pieces here, baby.”
“We can’t have that.” She touched a fingertip to the ring and smiled. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
I surged to my feet and sealed it, crushing her to my chest as I swept my tongue into her mouth. Mine. She was mine. From now until forever, the one thing in this world not for sale was the best gift of my life.
She laughed, breaking the kiss. “That ring is too big.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
Aria leaned into me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I kept her in my arms as we faced the sunset again. “What do you think? Want to stay in Arizona? Or go back to Oregon?”
“Arizona is growing on me. And besides, it’s where the Cadillac brought me.”
“So?”
She tipped her chin up and smiled. “You can’t argue with that Cadillac.”
Epilogue
Aria
Three months later . . .
“Drive safely.”
Clara nodded and slammed the trunk of the Cadillac. “I will.”
August was buckled into his car seat, his legs bouncing wildly as he waited for them to get on the road.
“Call when you get to Phoenix.” I pulled her in for a hug.
“Okay. We’re going to swim and relax tonight. Then Elyria tomorrow.” Her voice shook as she clutched me tight.
“Are you sure about this?”
She let me go and squared her shoulders. “I need to do this. And it’s my turn in the Cadillac.”
The car gleamed cherry red under the bright and beautiful Arizona sun. I’d miss it. That car had brought me to the home I hadn’t realized I’d needed.
“Be careful,” Brody told her.
“We will.” Clara stepped closer, giving him a sideways hug as she touched the baby’s foot. “You two try and rest. I know it’s hard when they are so little. Take naps whenever you can.”
Here she was worried about Brody, me and our five-day-old newborn son. We’d be fine. Tired, but fine. It was her I was worried about.
Clara had finally planned her trip to California. She’d waited until the baby was born and probably would have waited longer, but with August on summer break, it made sense for her to go while things at work were quiet. Brody’s paternity leave meant Clara wasn’t needed in the office all day.
And when she’d asked Brody for a week off, he’d encouraged her to go. We both had. My sister needed this trip, not only for a vacation with her son, but also because the longer she waited, the longer the car sat in her garage, the more anxious she became.
After twelve years away, Clara was facing old demons. At least she’d have August, her little pillar of strength, with her on the way. And the car. There was courage in that car.
The Cadillac was finally returning to California.
To Karson.
“We’ll be back soon.” She forced a smile and went to the driver’s side door. She patted her pocket where she’d tucked a note with Karson’s address.