“I appreciate that.” The tone was stiff and formal. Gerald, not Trey.
Sandy gripped her mug like a shield. “I thought you’d be in London by now.”
He tossed the towel over a ladder back chair in the corner and met her gaze. “I’m not going to London.”
She frowned. “But what about your project?”
“It’s being handled by someone else. I delegated. Tess has been jonesing for more responsibility, and she’s over the moon to take on a greater role in the company. I spent the entire day delegating because I’ve spent years surrounding myself with exceptional employees, and it’s long past time
they had the chance to prove it. My CFO and I have been working to restructure some positions and shift responsibilities so that I can stay here.”
They were concessions she hadn’t expected from him. More than concessions, they were major changes to his life. And he’d made them for her. He was putting her first. But was he really offering what she thought he was offering? Her heart began to thunder in her chest. “For how long?” She hated that her voice sounded small and afraid.
Trey scooped a hand through his hair in a rare show of restless irritation. “Look, I went about this all wrong.”
“About what?”
“This. Us. I didn’t do any of this the way I intended. So, let me start over.” He carefully took the mug and set it aside, curling his hands around hers.
She felt a tremble and wasn’t sure if it was hers or his.
“I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I know nothing about the situation we find ourselves in is ideal, and I know it’s crazy—but I want this. I want you. I didn’t fight for you thirty years ago, and it’s been the biggest regret of my life. I’m fighting for you now, Sandy. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work. So, I want to know—” He took a step back and sank down to one knee. “—will you stay my wife?”
He’d told her once, back in college, that he’d remake the world for her. Young and scared, she’d thrown that gift away. Now here he was, all these years later, remaking his world, baring everything. The gravity of that left her speechless.
“Trey.”
He stared up at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I know you’re worried about the practicalities, and I—”
Gratitude and relief had her sinking to her knees. “I don’t want to be practical. God, I’ve wasted most of my life being practical.”
He was giving her the opportunity for something that could be so much more and he deserved her all.
“Does this mean you’ll take a chance? On me? On us?”
All her adult life, Sandy had put others first. Her son. Her family. Her town. For once, she wanted to take something for herself. She wanted to take this chance. Take him. And she wanted to believe it would last. Had to believe it would last.
Giving into the urge to touch him, she framed his face. “Whatever we have to do, I just want to love you.”
His hands came up to cup her shoulders. “To be clear…is that a yes?”
She tightened her arms around him, wanting no room for misinterpretation. “Yes. Yes, I’ll stay your wife.”
“Then I should give you this.” Still serious, he pulled a black velvet box from the pocket of his pants and opened it. The princess cut solitaire was remarkably simple in the elegant, old-fashioned setting. And it suited her far more than some ostentatious display of his wealth.
“Oh Trey, it’s perfect. Where did you find time to get a ring?”
“It was my grandmother’s. I’ve been carrying it around since I first came back to Wishful. I told myself I was being foolish, but I couldn’t come back to Mississippi without it. Just in case.”
Her gaze snapped to his. He’d been carrying this ring for a year and a half? “So long?”
Trey jerked a shoulder and offered a sheepish smile. “Maybe I buy into the town slogan that this really is the place where hope springs eternal.”
She laughed, though a knot of tears clogged her throat.
“It’s not the ring I gave my first wife. It wasn’t meant for her. I always wanted to give it to you.” They both watched as he slipped the ring on her finger. It looked right there, as she felt right in his arms.
Trey lifted her hand to his lips. “I know you probably won’t want to wear it in public for a while, at least until we decide to announce it, so I got you a chain. I thought maybe you could wear it as a necklace in the meantime.”