Chapter 7 - Healing Old Wounds
A week later, Tessa and I took a helicopter flight up to my late father’s private estate in Sedona—a stunning, secluded red-rock retreat that had sat vacant since his passing. We brought the boys with us; they were thrilled by the helicopter ride, pressing their faces against the glass, pointing at the towering crimson rock formations below.
The Sedona house was peaceful, surrounded by quiet pine trees and towering red cliffs. It felt entirely different from the cold, manicured opulence of my mother’s Scottsdale mansion. This was where my father had come to escape.
Inside the study, hidden behind an old oil painting of the Grand Canyon, I found the wall safe my father had mentioned in his journal. I entered the combination recorded in his notes. The heavy iron door clicked open.
Inside, along with the legal trust documents for Leo and Noah worth several million dollars, was a small wooden box. Inside the box were two items: a gold pocket watch that had belonged to my grandfather, and a sealed envelope labeled: For Tessa.
I handed the envelope to her. She opened it delicate fingers trembling slightly. Inside was a handwritten letter from my father and a small, delicate diamond ring—the ring my father had given my mother when they were young, before wealth and status had corrupted her heart.
The note read: “Tessa, if you are reading this, Grant has brought you home. This ring was given to my wife when we had nothing but a small apartment and big dreams. It represents the love we had before money ruined us. Give it to Grant when he asks you to marry him. You are the heart of this family now.”
Tessa gasped softly, tears brimming in her eyes as she held the delicate ring in the palm of her hand. She looked up at me, her eyes shining with love and quiet joy.
I took the ring from her hand, dropped to one knee right there in the sunlit study of the Sedona home, with the red rocks looming majestically outside the window.
"Tessa," I said, my voice rich with deep emotion. "Six years ago, I lost you because I was too blind to see the snakes in my own home. But encountering you at that airport was no accident—it was the second chance I never deserved. You raised two incredible boys through sheer strength and love. You preserved my memory when you had every reason to hate my name. Will you marry me, Tessa? Will you let me spend the rest of my life giving you and our sons the love, safety, and joy you've always deserved?"
Leo and Noah poked their heads into the study, watching us with wide, curious eyes.
"Is Daddy playing a game?" Leo whispered to his brother.
"No, silly," Noah whispered back, smiling smartly. "He's asking Mommy to stay forever."
Tessa let out a tearful laugh, dropping to her knees beside me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.
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"Yes," she whispered against my ear. "Yes, Grant! A thousand times yes!"
I slipped the delicate ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. I pulled her into a passionate kiss, holding her tight as the boys ran into the room, giggling and jumping on us, turning the quiet study into a chaotic, joyous pile of family warmth.
