“I want us to end our marriage.”
My entire body went cold.
My first thought was that I’d done something wrong.
“Is this because of Reid?”
Everett frowned.
“That is exactly what worries me about you. Someone mentions leaving, and you immediately assume you’ve failed.”
He opened the folder.
Inside were legal papers.
The townhouse promised after three years had already been transferred into my name.
There was also an education fund for Brielle and a separate savings account.
“Everett, we haven’t even completed the three years.”
“You fulfilled your side of our agreement the moment this house became a home again.”
I shook my head.
“I can’t repay everything you’ve done by falling in love with your nephew.”
Everett reached across the table.
“You don’t repay kindness with your life, Laurel.”
I could barely speak.
Then he said what I needed most.
“I never bought a wife. I never bought a granddaughter. I certainly never bought the right to choose your future. We helped each other, and somewhere in the middle of that arrangement, we became a family.”
My eyes filled.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
He smiled.
“You won’t. I’m just changing jobs—from pretend husband to full-time grandfather.”
I laughed through my tears.
Then, for the first time, I hugged him not as the man who had rescued us financially, but as the father figure I’d spent most of my life missing.
## Reid Never Rushed Me
Our divorce was peaceful.
Everett had arranged everything carefully.
Reid didn’t immediately arrive with flowers or use the situation to pressure me.
He waited.
That mattered.
Months later, we walked through a botanical garden in Raleigh after lunch.
Near a quiet fountain, Reid stopped.
“There’s something I’ve been trying not to say too soon.”
He reached into his coat.
When I saw the small box, my hands began shaking.
“Laurel, I can’t promise that life with me will always be easy. We’ll disagree. I’ll probably work too much sometimes. You’ll probably assume the worst sometimes.”
I laughed nervously.
Then his expression became serious.
“But when things get difficult, I won’t disappear.”
Those words reached the oldest wound inside me.
“I want to build a life with you and Brielle. Not rescue you. Not own your future. Build it with you.”
He opened the box.
“Will you marry me?”
I said yes.
## The Wedding That Finally Felt Like Home
We married in Everett’s backyard several months later.
He insisted on hosting it.
“This is where the first ridiculous marriage started,” he said. “Seems appropriate that the sensible one starts here too.”
Brielle walked ahead of me carrying flowers.
Everett escorted me down the garden path.
