Always Mine (Love in Eden 1)

I was glad that he didn't release me when he asked me the question. It felt better just to hang on to him, because of all of it, this part was the hardest to admit and I was more bitter about the whole thing than I wished I was. "We've never talked about it. I don't know if she even understands any of it. She's… she's afraid of me, Brooks."

He pulled back a little so he could look at me. I had my eyes downcast, but he wouldn’t leave them that way. He cupped my cheek and forced me to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"It's almost like she believes I did it. But maybe it's just because I'm so different than the kid I was who went into prison." A bout of insecurity went through me and I couldn't help but ask Brooks, "Do you see something in me? Something that… something that would explain why she would be afraid of me? I would never hurt her."

"I know you wouldn't, baby," Brooks said softly. "And no, I don't see anything like that. Yes, you look different than you did when you were sixteen, and the things that place did to you did change you in some ways. But when I look at you, I still see that kind, patient boy who would’ve given his own life to save another's. You did that, Xavier. You risked your own life to save my father's. You gave up your freedom so that your mother could keep hers. You lost your family so your sister would get to stay with her mother. I see a man who protects those he loves. We’re going to figure all this out, my love. We're going to show your mother that we can all be a family. You, me, her, Sara, Uncle Curtis.

"And we’re going to show this town the truth, even if we can't tell them what that truth is. They'll come to see that there's no way you could have done the things that you were accused of. We’ll make it work, Xavier, and if we can't make our home here, together, then we’ll find a place where we can. Do you hear me? You’re mine, and I'm yours, and from this moment on it's the two of us together against anyone or anything that tries to tear us apart."

He said the words so definitively and with so much certainty that I couldn't have doubted him even if I’d wanted to. And I didn't. It wouldn't be easy, but like Brooks had said, even if it was just him and me against the world, that would be enough. We could do a lot with just that.

"I love you," I whispered and then I kissed him, not caring that we had an audience down by the cemetery.

Brooks was the one who drew back from the kiss first. "Let's go home,” he said.

I nodded and took his hand and let him lead me down the hill to the cemetery. I saw the new ranch hand, Flynn, and Jules standing near the tree line doing their best to avoid eye contact with one another. But I spared them only a moment's glance because it was hard not to notice the man and the horse standing by one of the headstones in the cemetery.

Curtis had his hat against his chest and was staring down at Del's grave. My heart broke for the older man. Brooks and I went to stand on the other side of the grave. I looked at the inscription. It was simple and listed only Del's name and the dates he’d been born and had passed.

"Uncle Curtis?" Brooks said softly.

Curtis’s eyes were red and his cheeks were damp. He kept his eyes on the grave for a moment, then lifted them to look at the headstone. "Second hardest thing after putting him in the ground was watching them put that thing up," he finally said. "It should have said Sterling on it, but I was a coward even after it didn't matter anymore." I watched as Curtis pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it across the grave to his nephew.

Brooks carefully opened it and let out a rush of air, then handed it to me. It was a marriage license for Curtis Sterling and Del Tipton.

"We knew we wouldn't be able to get that here in Eden," Curtis said as he motioned to the marriage license. "So we went to Vegas. Got married in this ugly little chapel with plastic flowers." He let out a wet laugh and said, "Elvis married us and our witnesses cost an extra ten bucks." Curtis paused and wiped his eyes. "Best day of my life was when I got to call that man my husband. But we knew we couldn't tell anyone when we got back." He nodded his head and then looked at the two of us and our joined hands.