Page 82 of Yuletide Acres

“It’s beautiful. So sparkly. Like a diamond.”

“It is a diamond, Cupcake. When a man loves a woman, he gives her a diamond ring and asks her to spend her life by his side. I want to ask Poppy to spend her life with us. But I need to know if that’s okay with you.”

My daughter’s brown eyes widen as a smile breaks across her face. “She’ll be my Mom?”

I blink back tears, equally terrified and excited at Poppy’s answer. “You’ll always have your mom in heaven, but I want her to be your mom here. The thing is, I have to ask Poppy first and I don’t know if she’ll say yes. So, we need to let her know how much we love her. Okay? You can’t say anything about the ring. It’s a surprise.”

“Hi,” Poppy says from the doorway and three sets of eyes swing in her direction. “I just wanted some water. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” I reassure her, making a quiet gesture to Marissa. “Just a family meeting.”

Poppy has so many smiles, but this one breaks my heart. It screams of desolation. “Of course. Goodnight, everyone.”

“Poppy?” Marissa calls out, stretching out her arms. “Can I have a hug first?”

“Always.” My Sunshine Girl closes the gap between them, pulling Marissa into an embrace. “Goodnight, sweet girl.”

“Goodnight. I love you.”

Tears sparkle in Poppy’s eyes as she brushes a few stray hairs from my daughter’s face. “And I love you. Say goodnight to Paddington and Mr. Whiskers for me.”

I practically have to pry Marissa from Poppy’s side, and I can’t fathom the heartache my daughter is going to endure when Poppy leaves. If Poppy leaves.

Now I just have to convince her to stay.

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