Choosing You Read online

  Brynn choked on a laugh, then called out, “How ‘bout burgers and fries at the Bun Boy?”

  By the time Ethan got Choo Choo unsaddled and groomed, everyone was starved. They piled into Ethan’s old truck and drove to town.

  “Guess we’ll have to get a minivan,” he said as he slipped into a parking space, a big grin lighting his face.

  “Maybe when I finish the Toyota campaign, I can get us a deal.”

  She’d agreed to make Rich and Layla equal partners in the Barnes Group. In exchange, she could focus on the creative end and work from California. Once a month, she planned to make the trek to New York for meetings. So far, it was working out well and Henry would still inherit a third of the company.

  Brynn thought it was a good trade off, given that Henry got to grow up in idyllic Nugget with a little sister who adored him and a community that would always look out for him.

  And then there was Ethan. They’d both hit the jackpot with Ethan.

  Ethan turned to the back seat. “We’ll meet you kids inside. Get started on ordering.”

  The kids hopped out and Roni climbed into the bed of the truck to hand Henry his walker. Brynn watched them make their way to the entrance, happiness spreading through her chest like warm liquid.

  “He’s doing really great, isn’t he?”

  “Yep. He’s one hell of kid.” Ethan pulled Brynn over the console into his lap.

  “He is that,” she said. “He’s also got one hell of a surgeon.”

  “That’s what I hear.” He kissed her neck, then worked his way up to the whorl of her ear and whispered, “Thank you for making me the happiest man on the planet.”

  “The pleasure was all mine.”

  “Seriously, Brynn, I’ll never take for granted the sacrifice you made to be here with Roni and me.”

  “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She snuggled closer. “It wasn’t much of a sacrifice. I love you, I love Roni, I love Alma and I love this town.” She held her arms wide. “It’s where I want to be. And I’m doing exactly what makes me happy.”

  “You think it’s too soon to get hitched? I don’t want to make Henry uncomfortable but I’d sure like to make you and me official.”

  In deference to Mason’s death, they’d steered away from announcing an engagement. And Brynn thought Roni still needed time to get used to the idea of having a stepmother. Joey had been kind enough to make things as normal as possible between all of them. Ethan had relaxed the custody order and Joey was spending more and more time with her daughter. She’d even begun to look for a job in Nugget, which Brynn fervently hoped didn’t make things messy. Only time would tell.

  Still, Brynn couldn’t wait to be Ethan’s wife.

  “Next summer will give us just enough time to plan something big,” she told him. “I’ve never been one for a lot of pomp but I want to invite everyone. Griffin and Lina, the Shepards, the McCreedys, Darla and her husband, the Nugget Mafia, and Donna of course. Heck, the whole town. And by then, Henry will be ready. He already loves you and Roni as much as I do.”

  Ethan gazed into her eyes. “Next summer it is then. And we’ll invite all of Manhattan, too, if that’s what you want.”

  “Ethan,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “all I want is you.”