Havenwood didn't have the dazzling, fake glamour of the city.

Everything here felt real.

My grandma's health got a lot better after I came back, so she had the energy to start setting me up on dates.

I understood what she was trying to do.

"I'm just so scared that when I'm gone, you'll be all alone."

"If our relatives were any good, they wouldn't have shipped you off to your dad's friend's house after your mom passed."

"Grandma just wants you to have a family, to find a good person—someone who loves you and will take care of you."

So when she introduced me to Mrs. Peterson’s grandson, I didn't say no.

Mrs. Peterson’s grandson was named Finn. He was tall, at least six-foot-two.

He had handsome eyes, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. The kind of guy who never had trouble getting a girlfriend.

On our first meeting, he gave me a bouquet of lilies of the valley.

It was surprising. I'd expected roses on a blind date.

"You don't seem like the type who needs to be set up."

I'm pretty direct.

Finn smiled and nodded. "Neither do you."

He had a small mole right under his eye, which made him look incredibly sincere whenever he looked at you.

When I got home, I told my grandma, "Finn seems really nice, but I get the feeling he's had a lot of girlfriends."

"Nonsense."

Grandma’s eyes disappeared when she smiled.

She said, "I've practically watched that boy grow up. Plenty of girls like him, that's true, but Finn is a good kid."

"Besides..."

Grandma trailed off.

"Besides what?"

I asked her, but she wouldn't say another word.

The little old lady was a rascal, always knowing how to keep me guessing.

My grandma and Mrs. Peterson were trying their hardest to push us together.

Finn played along with their little game, which just made me feel like the one who was being difficult.

"Chloe, do you want to give us a try?"

He asked me this while we were out in the field, helping shuck corn.

It wasn't exactly the most romantic setting.

But when I heard Finn ask me that, I forgot how to say no.

The summers in Havenwood weren't that hot, but the sun was bright.

I just stood there, frozen, thinking for a moment before I told him everything about me and Leo.

I thought he would be put off, that he would back away.

But Finn just looked at me seriously and said, "Life moves so fast now. It's rare to find someone who loves another person that deeply."

"Chloe, you're even better than I imagined."

He was really good at giving compliments.

Just like a moment ago when he'd praised me, "Chloe, you're a natural at shucking corn."

His warm voice, with its slight country drawl, was incredibly comforting to listen to.

As I got to know him, I realized that his good looks were the least interesting thing about Finn.

He was funny, romantic, humble, devoted to his family, and respectful of women.

The good things about him were as numerous as the stars.

...

Grandma's health was always up and down, good days and bad.

Whenever she was sick, she was so good about it, always cooperating with the doctors.

Until one day, I accidentally overheard her quietly asking her doctor, "How much longer do I have?"

"Doctor, please, you have to save me. I can't die yet. My Chloe hasn't settled down."

"If I go, she'll be so lonely."

I quietly closed the door and sat back down on the bench in the hallway.

I was about to call Finn, but when I looked up, I saw he was already walking toward me.

"My grandma said yours was sick. Is it serious?"

He was out of breath, like he had run all the way here.

"It's not serious."

I forced a smile and shook my head.

Finn was so tall, I had to crane my neck to see his eyes.

"Finn."

"Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

Before I even asked the question, I already knew the answer.

He wouldn't say no.

Finn loved me. It was as clear as day.

But he was still stunned.

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm."

I hummed a soft "yes." "You don't want to?"

"I do."

A smile slowly spread across his face.

Maybe he noticed how I was straining my neck, because he knelt down in front of me.

Suddenly, the roles were reversed.

"Do you know why I gave you lilies of the valley when we first met? Their meaning is 'the return of happiness.' I was waiting for you, Chloe. Until you came home."

"Chloe, I've been into you since the second I saw you."

Finn planned the wedding.

I thought, with so little time, it would be a simple affair.

It wasn't until his assistant walked me through the schedule for the wedding day that I realized just how much thought Finn had put into it.

The wedding was going to be romantic and grand.

I hadn't planned on making a big deal out of it, but then I suddenly posted about getting married on my Instagram.

It was a shame I didn't have many friends, so no one would be coming to my wedding.

That night, after dinner, Finn and I went to see a movie.

I picked it. It was one of those art-house films with beautiful cinematography but a boring plot.

Movies like that aren't very popular in a small town like Havenwood.

There were only a few people in the theater to begin with, and by the halfway point, it was just me and Finn.

On the screen, the main characters were locked in a passionate kiss.

I turned to look at Finn.

"Finn, have we even kissed yet?"

I didn't say it loud, but I knew Finn heard me.

His ears turned bright red.

I'd been back in Havenwood for three months, and everyone told me how steady and composed Finn was.

But right now, as I kissed him, the steady and composed Mr. Finn Peterson’s eyelashes were fluttering, and he was as nervous as could be.