Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (15 page)

Family
and
window
forgotten,
Aggie
turned
to
meet
Luke’s
eyes.
Her
voice
cracked
with
emotion
when
she
answered,
“I’d
say
that
it’s
about
time
that
I
told
you
I
love
you
,
too.”

Feigning
a
swoon,
Luke
collapsed
onto
the
dormant
grass,
Aggie
following
right
behind
him
.
“Oops.
Didn’t
mean
to
take
you
down
with
me.”
He
helped
her
to
her
feet,
dropped
back
to
one
knee
in
his
previous
pose
and
continued
his
“scene.”
“Then,
in
that
case,
Aggie,
may
I
ask,
in
front
of
God
and
all
of
these
very
nosy
people,
will
you
marry
me?”

As
difficult
as
it
was
to
hug
a
man
determined
to
live
out
the
rest
of
his
days
on
one
knee,
Aggie
squeezed
his
neck.
Behind
her
back,
Luke
held
up
a
pre-printed
“cue
card”
that
read,
“Applause
now.”

“What—are
they—”
She
glanced
at
the
window
where
the
family
cheered
and
clapped.

“Well,”
he
explained,
holding
the
cue
card
where
she
could
read
it,
“I
believe
they
think
you
have
accepted
my
proposal
of
marriage,
so
please
don’t
disappoint
them
or
me
and
say
yes.”

The
twinkle
in
Luke’s
eyes
as
he
spoke
was
something
Aggie
knew
she’d
never
forget.
She started to agree and then said, “If a yes means I’ll disappoint—”

“Mibs…” Luke groaned.
“You know—”

“Yes,
you
silly
man!
Yes!”
She
stared
at
him
pointedly.
“
I
said
yes!
Now
will
you
get
off
that
knee
before
it
grows
into
the
ground?”

In
the
house,
the
children
jumped
up
and
down,
squealing.
Her
parents
hugged
each
other,
and
Aggie
had
no
doubt
that
they
fought
back
tears.
However,
the
scene
that
tugged
at
her
heartstrings
the
most
was
the
picture
of
her
twin
maiden
aunts
who
looked
on
w
ith
that
bittersweet
expression
only
seen
in
elderly
women
who
watch
a
new
love
story
begin.

Luke’s
breath
tickled
her
ear
as
he
murmured,
“Should
we
go
inside
and
be
mobbed
with
congratulations,
or,”
he
continued,
tugging
her
away
from
the
window,
“do
we
go
sit
on
that
swing
under
the
tree
and
whisper
sweet
nothings
to
each
other?”

“And
here
I
thought
you’d
gotten
full
disclosure
on
our
family.
If
we
do
not
get
in
that
house
in
the
next
minute
or
two
,
we’re
going
to
be
ambushed.”
Aggie
winked
and
added,
“Besides,
you
should
call
your
mother.
I
think
she’s
convinced
that
I’m
going
to
break
your
heart.”

“That,
my
dear
Mibs,
is
why
I
brought
the
video
recorder.”
He
sighed,
taking
her
hand
and
starting
toward
the
house.
“You’re
right,
I
suppose.
I’ll
call.”

Aggie
savored
those
first
few
quiet
moments
of
engagement
as
they
crossed
the
lawn.
Just
as
they
reached
the
patio,
however,
Luke
stopped
still.
“Oy!”
A
wicked
grin
split
his
face,
“And
that
is
for
our
estimable
eldest
son.”