Page 21 of Voyage with Dad's Best Friend
I don’t come to my senses until a moment later. I glance at John again and see that his expression has changed. There’s no rage, but a resigned, almost happy look on his face.
Grace is smiling when she comes over and hugs her daughter. “Oh sweetheart. I’m happy for you.”
She then says to me, “Congratulations, Dan.”
“Thank you!”
I walk over to John and open my arms, begging him to accept me. He hesitates for a moment and offers me a hug.
“Thank you,” I say as I pull away from him.
“If you treat her less than a princess,” he says. “I’ll make your life hell.”
“It’ll never happen,” I assure him.
And then I fish out the velvet box in my pant pocket. I hear gasps from all directions.
“Elle, I’ve been a vagabond all my life. I would remain so if I hadn’t met you. But after meeting you, I can’t imagine being on any voyage alone anymore. I would like to have you and our babies on my side for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
She covers her tear-streaked face with her hands for a moment and then answers me in a choking voice. “Yes, Dan! I will marry you!”
After I put the ring on her finger with shaking hands, she hugs me and stamps kisses all over my face.
I glance at John and see him smiling. Not a big smile, perhaps, but it’s enough to put my mind at ease.
Epilogue
Elle
Two years later
I sit on the chaise inside the cockpit, holding my one-year-old baby girl, Sea, in one arm while reading.
It’s another gorgeous day and we are sailing in Caribbean Sea. The water is a clear turquoise.
Dan and I got married over the Christmas after he proposed to me. We live in his house in SF since then. Despite being a mom for the first time, I manage not to skip any school work. We haven’t been sailing much though, except on some short trips during school breaks. In fact, this is our first major sail for the first time since we were together.
“Ah,” Sea is fussing and fretting, making it hard for me to concentrate on reading my crime mystery.
I stopped reading romance after I married Dan because he would get jealous of the male characters. Besides, I’m more than sexually fulfilled. Just the sight of him turns me on, and I don’t need any book boyfriend anymore.
Sea whimpers again and kicks my tummy with her tiny legs. “What’s the matter, sweetie?” I chide gently. “Let mommy find out who’s the murderer.”
But she doesn’t listen. She stirs again, this time even knocking my book off my hand.
I stand up and pace to the deck. Dan’s down in the sea spearfishing on scuba, and should be back soon.
I lean against the railing, feeling anxious for a moment. Sometimes I still worry about Dan, even though he’s an experienced diver.
A splash sets my mind at ease. Dan emerges to the surface, holding an enormous fish in his hands. “Elle, look what I’ve got!”
It’s a red snapper as long as Sea. My mouth falls.
He pushes the fish onto the deck first, and then climbs up.
“Yay!” I wave my daughter’s little arm. “We’ve got dinner!”
Dan sits down on the deck and opens his arms. “Come to daddy, baby girl!”
