Page 40 of Daniel
“Do you like it?” Daniel asked when everyone backed off and realized we needed a moment to ourselves.
“The grassy green of the emeralds makes the diamond look even brighter,” I said. “It’s unbelievable.”
“See?” he said proudly. “I’ve been paying attention when you’ve been talking color theory with Mom.”
I was already unbelievably touched by his proposal, then he dropped that on me. How could a man be so sweet and so hot at the same time?
“As soon as we’re safely in your bedroom,” I murmured into his ear, “I’m going to show you how I’m planning to treat my new husband.”
Daniel’s deep chuckle rumbled as he kissed along the edge of my ear. “What I’m hearing is, buying you jewelry will earn me sexual favors?”
“It’s not the jewelry, silly. It’s the being sweet and picking up on details.”
His warm breath tickled my skin. “I’m going to play it safe and use both tactics, just in case.”
“Works for me.”
We sat up straighter as the plane began its descent, but continued holding hands tightly.
As the area of Holly Valley came into view, my heart was full to bursting. The next chapter of my life was going to be unbelievably exciting. And quite challenging.
But with Daniel at my side, I knew everything was guaranteed to be wonderful.
EPILOGUE THREE
DANIEL
* Seven Years Later *
“We’re almost there!” I called out to the back seat of our new SUV.
All I heard in return were tiny munching sounds. We had gone to the Happy Home Bakery, and five-year-old Parker and two-year-old Megan were clearly enjoying their sugar cookies.
Prairie turned to smile at me, a large red box of mini cupcakes on her lap. “Are you sure your mom won’t mind that I didn’t have time to bake?”
I chuckled, turning onto the side road of my parents’ property. “Considering you’ve been working like crazy all week in the toy factory, I’m pretty sure she’ll understand.”
Prairie and Mom had been designing all sorts of new toys, and the winter line had expanded over the years to include many different holidays. Several of them required delicate hand painting, especially the solstice ornaments.
“How is your wrist?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said in that flat voice that told me I was worrying too much. “But I promise I’ll rest this afternoon, okay?”
“Deal.”
We passed the side house, and I slowed as I passed several cars and trucks in the driveway. Dad had been training furniture and toy making apprentices, and now that my brothers and I each had our own homes, he put them up in the extra house for a few months at a time.
Jacob, Andrew and I all bounced back and forth between the toy factory and the furniture factory to train people as needed.
Everyone was excited that King’s Fine Handmade Toys was still a huge hit. Thanks to Uncle Ricky’s investment, the old warehouse had been purchased, fixed up, and there were now proper workstations for every section.
Jacob had worked closely with Sierra and Lucy at Williams Hardware to choose materials and tools that were easiest for new workers to use when sanding, painting, and varnishing the toys. Some of the paint companies had even started using our toys as sample swatches to show off their shades, which was yet another strange but welcome direction that we had stumbled in.
I was the most excited about the expansion of the King’s Fine Furniture line. I’d done a few pieces and capsule collections, but I was waiting to hear how my first complete line of minimalist farm-inspired furniture had done this year.
I was also beyond curious to know how Andrew’s line of coffee accessories was doing. He had been designing trays, mug holders, and gift boxes for what he continually referred to as “true coffee aficionados”.
“Are we ready to use our best manners?” Prairie asked our kids.
