Page 80 of Sweet Home

“Thank you,” she said, already lost in his dark eyes.

He bent to kiss her, and she felt like she could float away with happiness.

“So,” he said, pulling back before Dulcie’s heart could pound out of her chest. “Don’t think you can just distract me with food and kisses. What were you two talking about?”

In spite of all her faith in him, Dulcie felt a sudden pang of worry. Would he think she only wanted to go to school so she didn’t have to get a real job right away? Would he think it was ridiculous for a person like her to go to school to work with children?

But she took a deep breath and the feelings passed. She knew they were really just her father’s voice, somehow still in her head. It might take a long time to fully silence that voice, but she was already getting better at not letting herself get lost in it.

“Last night, you mentioned something about me going back to school,” she said.

He nodded, his eyes sparking with interest.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and there’s aprogram that looks really good,” she told him. “It’s in Early Childhood Education, so I could teach in a preschool one day.”

“You would be so good at that,” West said, nodding.

“Do you really think so?” she asked, her heart soaring at his encouragement.

“Definitely,” he said. “You’ve already got experience in the field. You’ve been amazing helping Elizabeth come out of her shell, and you practically raised your sister, and look how she turned out.”

Dulcie smiled up at him. As far as she was concerned, there were no better compliments in the world.

“I just hope this program is local,” he said, looking a little worried. “If it isn’t, I’ll miss you, but we’ll make it work.”

“It’s local,” she told him.

His smile of relief made her feel like she was filled with warm light, all the way down to her toes.

“Yum,” Elizabeth yelled, running into the room with a princess doll clutched in each little fist. “Is it time for breakfast?”

It turned out that Dulcie wasn’t the only one who had surprised Elizabeth with a princess doll. Her grandpa had bought one too. Now she had two princesses to go with her Daddy Knight and Elizabeth Dragon. She had even named them Princess Dulcie and Princess Delphine.

“It’s just about time,” Dulcie told her. “Does it smell good to you?”

“Yes, Mommy,” Elizabeth said, glancing tentatively up at Dulcie as if to check if it was really okay tocall her that.

Dulcie smiled down at Elizabeth, unable to stop a few tears from escaping.

Elizabeth had asked her this morning if her dad marrying Dulcie would make Dulcie her mommy. Dulcie told her honestly that Elizabeth could call her whatever she wanted, and that she loved her the same no matter what she decided.

It made her feel as warm and melty-sweet as the French toast in the oven to hear the little one trying outmommy—the best Christmas present imaginable.

“Sometimes grownups cry when they’re happy,” Elizabeth said matter-of-factly.

“That’s exactly right, my love,” Dulcie told her, pulling her close.

Elizabeth hugged her back hard, still clutching the dolls.

“I’ll tell everybody it’s ready,” Elizabeth decided, pulling back at last and darting off to the hallway.

“Wow,” Dulcie said, turning back to West and wiping her eyes dry.

He was gazing down at her with the most incredible expression, possessive and vulnerable all at once. But she was realizing more and more that it was just the nature of her husband-to-be—fierce but loving, serious yet ready to play on the floor with plastic toys to make his little girl happy.

She wished she could find a way to tell him how much he meant to her. But the others were already piling into the kitchen, laughing and talking, and filling the cozy space with their special brand of love and happiness.

As soon as everyone was seated, West poured coffee and juice from the pitchers, and they all passed around the plates of fragrant French toast and crispy bacon. Once everyone had all they wanted, they all enjoyed a silent moment of thanks.

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