Page 35 of Prairie Nights

“I was. I couldn’t let her deal with it alone. She needed me and I dropped everything to be with her.” Hayden shared and let out a long-pained sigh. “It was a lot.”

Dan looked off into the distance for a moment and cleared his throat. “Hayden, I believe you’re a good man. I believe you’re good for my daughter. She needs someone who puts her first and appreciates her for who she is. She needs someone she can depend on, who accepts her past and what that past has done to her. I can see you are that person for her.” Dan shared, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Thank you.” Hayden smiled back at him, then continued. “I plan on being there for her the rest of our lives if she will have me.”

“So, I can assume then, that you want to marry my daughter?” Dan asked, his eyes boring into Hayden’s.

“Yes, I do want to marry her. Your daughter is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and I love her very much. I want to give her a beautiful life. A life she deserves to have.”

Dan nodded his head, his eyes glinting with approval fueling Hayden to ask his next question. “I want to ask Whitney to marry me, and it would mean the world to me if I could have your blessing?” Hayden asked, nervous butterflies taking flight in his stomach.

Dan looked off into the distance again, leaving an excruciating pregnant pause between them. Dan’s gaze drifted back to Hayden and his mouth curved up into a broad smile, his hazel eyes twinkling with delight. “Yes, Hayden, you have my blessing.”

* * *

“Mom, what do you think they’re talking about?” Whitney asked, biting her nails as she watched Hayden and her father converse through the living room window.

“Oh, who knows!” her mother replied, waving off her question. “Hockey, golf, I don’t know.”

“It makes me nervous.” Whitney winced.

“Don’t worry Whitney, your dad’s not interrogating him. He already likes Hayden; he’s just doing his protective dad intimidation thing again.”

Whitney rolled her eyes and glanced at her mother, meeting her gaze. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about. He’s going to scare Hayden off!”

Betty put down the cake server and offered her daughter an endearing smile. “Hayden loves you, I could see it immediately, so nothing is going to scare him off, including a little questioning from your dear old dad.” Whitney glanced again at her mom, hoping she was right. “Now let me ask you something,” her mother continued, pinning her with a stare. “What is holding you back?”

“What do you mean?” Whitney countered in question.

“Whitney, my girl, I can see the apprehension in your eyes. You love him, don’t you?”

“Very much. It’s just we’ve only been together five months and I already know I want to marry him and have his gorgeous blue-eyed babies.” Whitney admitted. “Isn’t that a bit too quick?”

“Oh geez, Whitney, your dad and I got engaged after six weeks! I knew within a week I was going to marry him, and we’ve been together for 39 years!”

“You never told me that!” Whitney exclaimed, stunned by this new piece of information.

“You never asked.” Her mother shrugged. “If you love him, time doesn’t have to play a factor unless you let it.” She put her arm around Whitney. “I can see plain as day that the handsome man out there loves you fiercely.”

Whitney smiled and gave her mom a side hug. Picking up the cake and carrying it towards the patio, her mother glanced back at her. “Now stop worrying, overthinking everything, Whitney, snag that looker and get to work making me those gorgeous grand babies!”

* * *

Hayden and Whitney had an amazing week with her parents in Arizona. Her parents fell in love with Hayden and by the end of the week they were referring to him as “son”. Whitney rested her head on Hayden’s shoulder on the flight back to Winnipeg, feeling happy and content. She sighed and intertwined her fingers with his.

“What is that big sigh about?” he asked, resting his head on hers.

“I am just so happy.” She replied, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Well, that makes me happy,” he replied. “I really enjoyed your parents.”

“They loved you!” she exclaimed. “You even won over my dad, which is not an easy feat.”

“It probably helped that I got us hockey tickets.”

“Brilliant, by the way.” She complimented, letting out a little laugh. “And my mom may be more in love with you than I am.”

“She’s hilarious.” Hayden commented, an amused smirk on his face. “When we went to the community pool the other day, I was not sure if I should be flattered or disturbed.”

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