Page 56 of Don’t Look Down

His eyes are pained as he drinks me in, and it only sets my nerves into overdrive. “I’m sorry.”

I take a small step forward, but he’s still so far away. “For what?”

“I’m sorry,” he repeats. His throat bobs with a heavy swallow, like he’s rallying his strength. “I thought…” He shakes his head. “I thought we had more time.”

“Beau.” I walk closer, knees threatening to buckle. “What’s going on?”

A figure appears behind him. Lock.

Beau immediately straightens and tears his gaze from mine.

“Ah, you found her.” Lock claps his brother on the back. “Thank you.” He looks at me then, face drawn tight, and he looks slightly panicked as well, but not as much as Beau. “Briar, would you join me in the gardens for a moment?”

I don’t allow myself to look at Beau. If I do, I’m worried of what Lock will see. I muster up as much enthusiasm as I can find amidst all the confusion currently clouding my head. “Sure. Just uh, one moment.” I spin, kill the heat on the stove, and move the pot off the warm burner. I’ll have to come back to apologize to Chef for surely ruining the caramel. I remove the apron and hang it back on the hook by the fridge.

Walking toward the brothers, there’s a dull roar in my ears. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but something isn’t right.

Lock nods at me, then starts back out into the hallway. I don’t dare try to ask Beau again what’s wrong. He stands, head hung, refusing to look at me. Something about seeing that, his posture so deflated, it physically makes my chest hurt.

I pass by wordless, but at the last moment he reaches out enough that the back of our hands brush. My heart catches in my throat at the small contact, but I keep my composure. Even as the skin there tingles for far longer than it should.

Lock walks at a brisk pace, but he stays side by side with me for the most part. Staff bow and smile as we pass, but Lock pays them no heed. Each step ratchets up my heartrate until I’m worried it’ll burst.

When we reach the door to the south gardens, Lock hardly waits for the doorman to swing it open before he’s barreling through.

The breeze is chilly, fall creeping its way into the air as the nights grow shorter. The sun is already almost set, casting the garden in a pale glow.

Lock guides me to the right side down the gravel path, until we reach the rose gardens. He turns to face me, stopping abruptly. I open my mouth to ask him what’s going on, but I don’t get the chance.

Lock doesn’t hesitate. He drops to one knee, and with a sickening twist of fate, less than a yard to the left sit mine and Beau’s stepping stones from a couple months ago. The sight almost has me hauling him to his feet.

He must mistake the tears that pierce the corners of my eyes for ones of joy, because he smiles brighter than any other one he’s given me before.

He keeps it short, simple, to the point. Just as he always has. He pulls a ring from his pocket and presents it to me. I barely register the diamond.

“It’s fitting to start a new chapter for us, where the first one sort of began. Briar Anne Penner, will you marry me?”

The End

for now…