Saving Us (Mitchell Family #6)(38)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Do I need to go get it now?”

“Why, do you already have one?”

“Maybe.”

I cried even more. “I’m sorry. I must look like a fool. I swear these are happy tears.”

“So is that your answer? You goin’ to marry me or not?”

“Yes…yes, I will marry you. I will marry you a million times, Conner Healy.”

He kissed my hands again. “I ain’t wearin’ no tux.”

We both started to laugh. “I don’t even care.”

“Camilla and Joshua.”

“Huh?”

“You wanted to know the two names that I liked. I like the name Cammie for a girl. When I was a kid my dad brought me home this baby raccoon. My mom about flipped her lid, but it was all alone and goin’ to die. Randa and I named her Cammie. We would get up at night to bottle feed her. She was litter trained and we could let her run around in our rooms. One day I forgot to shut my bedroom door and our Springer Spaniel went in there and busted through the cage. She killed our little baby raccoon. I guess I had a soft spot for that name ever since.”

It was such a sweet story.

“And Joshua?”

“Yeah, that was my father’s middle name. I think it’s a strong name, plus it’s in the bible and my mother would really appreciate that.”

Of all of the hundreds of names I had been looking at in every book possible, none of them made me fall in love with them, until I heard these two names come out of Conner’s mouth. It literally took my breath away. “I love them.”

“Really? You don’t have to like them. I just wanted you hear what I liked.”

“They’re perfect, Conner. I would love to have a Cammie or a Joshua.”

His smile was so big. I studied his perfect face as he sat there looking back at me.

He cocked his eyebrow. “Maybe we could have both? I was kind of hopin’ you would want more, with me?”

“I will give you whatever you want. This has been one of the best days of my entire life, Conner.”

“You just wait till you have my last name, darlin’. It’s goin’ to get even better.”

Chapter 24

Conner

Everything was looking up for Amy and I. Though we weren’t making wedding plans yet, I knew that eventually it was going to happen. If it were up to me I would have been fine with the way things were, but I knew it meant more to Amy and my mother. I’d done so many things the wrong way for so long, that it was important for me to grow up and be the responsible man that my family wanted me to be.

After arriving back to Kentucky and telling the family the good news, Amy and I were finally able to be optimistic. It was then that she starting making calls to find out how to prove that her marriage was not legal. Since it didn’t happen very often, she was tossed around from person to person. Rick’s ex-wife was going to have to contact her lawyer and see what he could do from his end. In the meantime, we contacted our family lawyer and met with him.

While we waited for that to be taken care of, we focused on getting ready for the arrival of our baby. We decided on just waiting on decorating until we knew what we were having. However, we did decided to paint the room a light brown. I made sure to buy the paint that didn’t contain fumes, because she insisted on pitching in.

I think Amy got bored easily. I know she didn’t hate the fact that she wasn’t having to stand all day long, but she still missed the interactions with all of her clients.

About two months after the salon was vandalized, the police contacted her to let her know that they still hadn’t caught the perpetrator and with no new leads they weren’t very optimistic. It pissed me off knowing that Rick was still out there just waiting to make a move to hurt the people that I loved.

Amy finally heard from Rick’s daughter and after a three hour phone call, she agreed to meet the mother she thought abandoned her when she was a little child. I think it was hard for Amy having to do something for a family that was never really hers. Still, she did it anyway. While she waited to see how the meeting went, we focused on what she was going to do with the salon.

We were settled in Kentucky and Amy felt safer than she had the whole time we were in North Carolina. Here, she was just my woman. Back there, she was a married woman who’d had an affair and got knocked up.

She still missed her friends, my sister especially, and the father that she finally had reconciled with. I’d secretly arranged for the man and his family to come visit. Amy had no idea that I had planned it. The ranch was big enough that you could get lost if you didn’t know where you were going. On the day that they arrived, I met them at my aunt’s house and got them situated. My aunt was away on some trip with a couple ladies from our church congregation, so it was just Lucy there anyway. I think they were taken back at first at the size of my aunt’s house. It made me laugh considering that Amy and I were perfectly comfortable in our four bedroom double wide. Of course my mother had fixed it up over the years. We had a whole new kitchen and both of our bathrooms had been remodeled.

Once I had them all situated, I took the golf cart back to my place to get Amy. When I came inside, I could already hear her crying. I rushed into the living room and found her curled up. Once I got to her side and pulled her into me, she looked up. “He called Conner. All this time had gone by and he picks today to just call and threaten me. Why can’t he just leave me alone. I don’t owe him anything.”

“What do you mean? You don’t owe him shit!”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t have even answered after it said the number was blocked. He said that he’s been patient, but he isn’t going to wait any longer. He said he is coming for me.”

“Bullshit! He ain’t gettin’ near you.” I’d kill him with my bare hands if I had to. There was no way in hell he was getting anywhere near her.

“How do you know that? He could be right down the road. We don’t know.”

I walked back through the hallway and entered my old bedroom. Here lately it had just been for storage. I could hear Amy talking to me, but I had no idea what she was saying. I reached the cabinet in the back of my closet and grabbed out a few of my favorite pieces. When I came around the corner carrying two rifles and a handgun, I heard Amy gasp. “Ever used one of these?”

She shook her head and I almost wanted to laugh at the shocked look on her face. “They were in our house this whole time?”