Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13377 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 67(@200wpm)___ 54(@250wpm)___ 45(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13377 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 67(@200wpm)___ 54(@250wpm)___ 45(@300wpm)
EPILOGUE
DALLAS
Over the next few months, we celebrate Frankie's tenth birthday, which only draws us closer together. The way our families blend together effortlessly pushes me to make up my mind. I know what I want. I know who I want, and I want to talk to Frankie before I decide to change our lives.
It's a beautiful spring afternoon when I pick up Frankie from school. She's got a huge smile as she jogs to the car. I barely get a word out as she explodes the details of her day onto me. I don't mind, but as we take the forty-minute drive to Mercy, she senses my nerves.
"What's wrong, Dad?" Frankie asks.
"Nothing. I, um, I don't know how to talk about this, but—"
She cuts me off. "Okay, Dad. We'll do it like you do to me. No judgment, no repercussions. Just spit it out, and we'll decide what to do next together."
I nod in amazement. I never thought I'd have my parenting thrown back at me, but this is for the best. The slight bulge of the ring in my pocket urges me to get this out.
"I like Mariah."
She giggles. "Duh, Dad. She's the only woman you let in the house, and she's great. You'd be silly not to."
"I mean, I really like her, like I think I'm in love with her and want to ask her to marry me. I don't want to do that if that's something you're not comfortable with."
Frankie shifts her tiny frame in the back seat to make sure our eyes meet in the mirror. "Dad, be so serious right now. I love Rye. She's so smart, and cool, and funny. She even laughs at your bad jokes. She cooks for us and loves camping way more than I do. You should definitely marry her and have a forever camping buddy."
"You're absolutely certain you're okay with her joining our family?"
"Of course I am, Dad. You're way easy to talk to when she's around, and you haven't been back to work for weeks. I like having her around if it's going to keep you home more often."
"I'm thinking about selling my security firm. Then I'll have plenty of time to—"
Her dark brown eyes widen with joy as she cuts me off again. "Then you'll have plenty of time to look for a place for us to live near the ice cream shop and her house, right? Or do we get a place altogether?"
"One thing at a time, Frankie," I tell her with a laugh. "She has to say yes first."
"She's going to say yes," Frankie states with finality. "It has to be romantic, too. Like in the movies, there are a thousand candles and daisies or her favorite flower. Do you know what her favorite flower is, Dad?"
"Lavender," I spit out, not remembering when I picked up that detail, but I know it like I know my favorite football team stats.
"That's a pretty purple color. Maybe we can make her a special ice cream and use the lavender somehow. But we have to be careful, or it'll taste like soap."
I raise an eyebrow at her as we head out of town.
She giggles. "We did a lot of experiments with flowers and ice cream for her Mother’s Day special. Um, Dad?"
The lightness in her eyes fades as she bites the corner of her lip and stares at me.
"What's up?"
"So that means I can look at the ring, right?" she asks.
"What? How did you…? Who told you?" I squint my eyes, holding back my laughter. I'm terrible at keeping things secret from Frankie.
"No one. You left the bag on the counter the night you brought it home. I peeked, thinking it was a gift for me," she says, her eyes shifting to her feet.
"I do have something for you, but yes, you can see it. Just don't drop it." I fish it out of my pocket and hand the box to her. She gushes for a minute but then hurriedly closes it to avoid dropping it in the car.
By the time we arrive at the ice cream parlor, people are moving in and out, happiness written all over their faces. The smell of fresh waffle cones fills the air, and I can't wait until I have the chance to get Rye alone.
Yet, the moment we enter, my mind changes as I see her father in the corner with Chase and her older sister, Maddie. We head in their direction as Dr. Monroe makes Chase pull another table over to join them. The laughs and conversation flow, and as the afternoon turns into evening, the timing couldn't be more perfect.
The oldest Monroe sister, Kennie, comes in with her husband, Dean. With all of Rye's family there, I tip my head for her to come out from behind the counter.
When I stand up in the center of the dining area, all eyes are on me, and Frankie is fidgeting with joyous anticipation.