Page 126 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

But it was wonderful seeing my parents and brother. They were overjoyed to spend time in my new home and get to know Kaine. While Mom and I spent days baking and relaxing in front of my fireplace, Dad and Owen thought Kaine’s shop and its plethora of power tools was heaven on earth.

For Christmas, Kaine surprised me with weekly massages until the boys were born. He’d bought enough so I could have one after each doctor’s appointment. And I’d given him a new pair of boots since his were about shot.

My parents showered us with gifts for the boys, as expected. I’d told them not to get Kaine and me anything, and to my surprise, they’d listened. Instead, they’d bought plane tickets to come and see us again after the babies were born.

It was the best Christmas I’d had in ages. Mom and Dad told Kaine countless stories from my childhood. My brother told us all about the woman he’d been dating for the past six months. We laughed. We ate. They drank.

My family embraced Kaine like he’d been a part of our family forever, and I didn’t miss how they were seemingly more comfortable with him than they’d ever been with Adam.

When we took them to the airport, Mom kissed Kaine’s cheek and told him he’d make a wonderful father. Dad hugged him, thanking him for taking such good care of me. And my brother had already requested a week off work next summer so he and Kaine could take a backpacking trip into the mountains.

I was sad to see them go but ready for us to just be alone.

After weeks of chaos, we finally had the house to ourselves. Kaine had decided to skip work in the shop today to do some organizing in the garage. And I’d just finished working in my office, trying to catch up from only putting in short days while my family had been in town.

“You summoned me?” I teased with a smile from the doorway of the garage.

But my smile dropped when I saw what Kaine was holding in his hands. He’d found the painting Thea had given me months ago.

The painting I’d hidden in my garage, then forgotten about. Damn pregnancy brain.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s, uh . . . a painting. Thea made it for me.” I crossed the concrete floor and stood by his side. “It’s of the day we saw you on the ridge. The first day we met.”

“Huh.”

I waited for what felt like hours for another word, but he just stared at the painting.

“I can give it back to Thea if it bothers you,” I offered. Though the idea of losing it made my stomach churn.

“No,” he said quietly. “You should hang it in your office.”

I loved this painting and how Thea had captured his raw emotions, but I didn’t want to see it every day. “Oh, no. That’s okay. We can just tuck it away out here or in a closet.”

“Why don’t you want to hang it up?”

“Because.” I gave him a sad smile. “I don’t want to be reminded of you in pain.”

“And I want you to always remember that you saved me.” He set the painting down, resting it against his leg. Then he brushed a lock of hair behind the ear I’d always thought was too big. “Please?”

I might have saved him, but he completed me. And if he wanted this painting up, it would look incredible in my office. “Okay.”

Kaine kissed my forehead, then picked up the painting. He took a hammer out of the tool bench he’d brought over earlier along with a nail. Then he walked inside.

I stayed in the garage, listening to a few thuds from the hammer as he hung up the painting in my office.

“I love you,” I told him when he came back into the garage.

He set the hammer down and came to me for a hug. “Love you too.”

“Do you, um . . .” I hesitated.

“Do I, what?”

Still want to get married?

The question had been on my tongue for weeks. And just like I had time and time again, I chickened out before letting it slip free. “Do you want tacos or pasta for dinner?”