With a smile, I took in the rolling hills. It was beautiful and the more I stood there, the more I knew I was doing the right thing for my family.
“It looks like a picture,” I said as I turned to Brad. “I need your advice.”
His eyes met mine as he let a small smile play across his lips. “Okay.”
“I know everything that happened to Meagan has been a shock to her and she feels safe here. I also know, I’ve never seen her so happy like she has been these last two weeks. With the baby coming, I’m starting to think Meagan is having second thoughts about living so far away.”
Brad’s eyes lit up and I had to give him credit, he tried really hard to hold back his excitement. Trying to look serious, he nodded and said, “I’m not going to lie to you, Gray, knowing y’all are having a baby and living so far away is going to be really hard for us. I also know, if the tables were turned, it would be hard for your mother if you both lived here.”
I had already talked to my mother last night for two hours about the possibility of moving to Texas. She agreed, it would be much easier for her and James to travel to see us than it would be for us to travel to Texas.
“That’s true,” I said in a thoughtful voice. “But, the person I care the most about is who I want to make happy.”
“Meagan,” Brad said as tears built in his eyes. Looking away, he blinked rapidly.
“Would she be happy here, Brad? Ever since I’ve met her, she’s only talked about leaving Texas, not buying a hundred acres of land. I’m not a cowboy and I’m not looking into getting into cattle and all that shit.”
Brad laughed and shook his head. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me, Gray.”
“I was thinking though, with all the land, we might be able to start a camp for kids who have been bullied or who are from underprivileged homes. I know you don’t care for my previous job, but I made a lot of money and invested it well. I have enough money to purchase this land and build a house on it out right. Once we get settled, we could start looking into the camp.”
Brad stood there and stared at me as I moved from foot to foot. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and I started to wonder if I shouldn’t have brought up my old job.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. I mean I know I have to talk to Meagan about all of this and I know how much she loves her job, but I also see how full of life her eyes have been since we’ve been here. Grace checked into a few jobs around the area for Meagan. She’s made it clear she wants to keep working after the baby and hell, she can even start her own company if she wants. I’ll support her in whatever she wants to do.”
Brad took a step toward me as I took a step back. He took another step as I took another back. We did this about five times before he finally snarled his lip and asked, “Why do you keep backing away from me?”
“I don’t know. I’m kind of picturing you doing something to hurt me for some reason.”
With a raised brow, he asked, “Like what?”
“I don’t know. To be honest, you scare me.”
Brad smiled a triumphant smile. “I simply wanted to give you a slap on the shoulder, Gray. Your mother should be very proud of the man she raised. I know I’m proud of you son. My heart is overwhelmed to know that my daughter has a man who loves her so much that he has made her happiness his number one concern.”
Tears built in my eyes as I stared at him. “That . . . that means more to me than you will ever know, sir.”
Brad walked up and pulled me into a quick hug as he slapped the living shit out of my back before he pushed me away.
“All right, enough of that shit. Now how are you planning on running this idea by Meagan?”
I grinned and said, “Well, after being around everyone as much as I have been, I figured out that my go-to guy on all things romance was either Gunner or Josh. So I hit them both up for an idea.”
Brad shook his head as he mumbled, “Stupid romantic bastards. What did they say?”
“Picnic, right here in this spot.”
Brad rolled his eyes. “That would be a solid plan. Keep her eyes closed so she doesn’t know where you’re taking her.”
“Yes, sir. Josh said the same thing.”
Brad frowned. “Of course he did. Make sure you have it all set up ahead of time, so you’ll need to talk to the realtor.”
“Oh, Gunner already arranged all that for me. He was the one who told me about this piece of property. He already talked to the agent and got it all squared away.”
Brad shook his head. “Good ole, Gunner.” Shaking his head again, he let out a chuckle as if thinking of a memory. “Well if you buy it, this would make a great place to get married.”
My eyes lit up as an idea hit me. Placing my hands on Brad’s shoulders, I gave him a quick shake. “That’s a great idea! I need to get it planned right away!”
I took off jogging back toward my truck as Brad called out, “What idea did I give you? Is it better than Gunner and Josh’s?”