Page 71 of Scorched Secrets

“Another stop?” She slid into the passenger seat, watching him warily. “It’s Saturday, not Sunday, so we can’t be going to the homestead.”

“Not today.” He grinned and started the engine. “You’ll see.”

She decided not to argue but sat back to enjoy the ride. Mitch had discovered Jayson Sanders had visited his buddy in Florida and was planning to take a firefighter position down there. All along they’d been focused on the wrong man, and she’d felt a bit guilty over thinking the worst about him.

But that was in the past. She needed to concentrate on the present. The fall weather was turning cooler, which she liked. This was their second weekend off in a row as they’d attended Quinn and Sami’s wedding the weekend before. It had been a small, sweet, and intimate affair. No big ceremony with loads of people attending, the way her first wedding had been. She’d liked how the Finnegans didn’t do things to be showy or draw undue attention. They seemed to know that marriage was more than pomp and circumstance.

It was a solemn commitment to spending the rest of your life together.

The last four weeks had been hectic. More so for her family. Annie had undergone several surgeries to the large third-degree burn to her back. And she was still in the hospital being cared for by a skilled burn team and psychiatry too. She’d visited Annie once, and her sister had gotten so upset she hadn’t stayed long.

At this point, the ADA assigned to her case, Maddy Sinclair, who happened to be Mitch Callahan’s sister, had held off pressing charges. Annie’s lawyer claimed Annie wasn’t competent to stand trial and in her sister’s current position, that was true. The plan was to wait until Annie had recovered at least physically from her burn care.

Emotionally and psychologically, Faye wasn’t sure if her sister would ever fully recover.

Her dad and Claire had attended several counseling sessions too. They were doing better, although Faye still felt animosity from Claire. As if it was Faye’s fault Annie had gone off the deep end. Somehow Annie had gotten fixated on all of Faye’s successes and used that as a reason to think less of herself.

In contrast, the Finnegan family had embraced her with open arms. Every last one of them had treated her like she belonged. Especially Elly, the youngest of the group. Elly greeted her with a big hug every time she and Colin attended family dinner.

“We’re heading downtown?” She guessed after they’d been on the road for several minutes.

“Yes. To the beach.” Colin searched her gaze for a moment. “I thought it was time to make some new memories. In new places.”

They’d gone to Brookland Park shortly after Colin’s burns had healed, but the place wasn’t the same since the fire. The women’s room door had been repaired, but the new door alongside the scorched brick served as a reminder of how she’d suffered smoke inhalation.

Yeah, she didn’t find the solace she used to in Brookland Park. But she always experienced a sense of peace when she was with Colin. The sun was still bright in the sky when they reached the lakefront. She took Colin’s hand as they strolled along the shoreline. When they reached an area away from the other beachgoers, Colin turned and went down on one knee.

“Faye, will you please marry me?” He pulled a velvet box from his pocket, opened it, and removed a diamond engagement ring. “I asked your father for permission to marry you, and he gave us his blessing.”

“You did? Really?” That was something Rory hadn’t done. Her eyes misted with tears. Happy, joyful tears as she held out her hand for him to slip the ring on her finger. “Yes, Colin. I’d be honored to marry you. I love you and your family very much.”

“And we love you too. Well, me more so than the rest of them.” He chuckled, surged to his feet, and enveloped her in a big hug. “I’d like to put my condo up for sale so that we can find a new place to live, together.”

“I’d love that,” she admitted.

“Good.” His grin widened. “Thanks for making me the happiest man in the world.”

“I want a small wedding just like Quinn and Sami’s,” she warned.

“Fine with me. I don’t need anything fancy.” He leaned back and shouted, “She loves me!”

“He loves me too!” she shouted back.

Colin’s exuberance was contagious, and soon they were laughing and swirling in dance moves along the sandy beach. Her heart had been heavy with sadness for Annie, her father, and Claire, but today?

Today she could feel the Lord’s blessing shining from above, enveloping them with hope and love.

Especially love.