Page 70 of The Sweet Part
She grabs his head and stares into his eyes. “Yes!”
He grins. “Okay, then.” He sets her on her feet. “I got you a present too.” He pulls a small box from his back pocket.
Sophie’s eyes shine with excitement as she holds out her hand. He hands it to her. She opens it. “Ooh!” It’s a gold necklace with a garnet heart pendant. Her birthstone.
“Every time you put this necklace on, remember that I’ll be there for you no matter what.”
My eyes well. Mason wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple. This man. This wonderful man.
“Wow,” Sophie breathes. She hands me the necklace. “Mommy, put it on me!”
I brush her hair over one shoulder and do the clasp.
“Best Valentine’s Day ever!” She hugs his legs and steps back, smiling as she admires her necklace.
I hug him and give him a kiss. “Are you sure you’re ready for all this?”
“When I see our future, all I see is happiness.”
I go up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, “Little girls aren’t all sunshine. Fair warning.”
“Hey, no one is. I’ll take my cue from you where Sophie’s concerned.”
We glance over to where Sophie’s standing in front of the window, letting the light catch her garnet gemstone.
I wrap my arms around his neck. “In time, we’ll learn how to parent her together. She’ll grow and change a lot over the years. I’m so happy to share the journey with you.”
He lets out a breath. “I’m so glad you said yes. We can take as much time as you need before we take the next step.”
“That sounds good to me.”
“Jacket time!” Sophie announces.
I pull away from Mason and watch as Sophie takes her jacket off the hook, puts it on the ground, sticks her arms in the holes and flips it over her head to put it on. They taught her that in kindergarten. She struggles with the zipper.
“Sophie, where do you think you’re going?” I ask.
“To the dance.”
Mason kisses me on the cheek. “I hoped you’d say yes, so we’re meeting our families at the Clover Park Valentine’s Day dance.”
“Did you know I’ve been going to that dance since I was a kid?”
He nods. “Your dad told me. We talked a few times, planning everything. I originally thought we’d go to Happy Endings after I proposed, but the dance is a tradition for your family, so it just seemed right.”
“Wow, that was a big risk. What if it didn’t go the way you thought?”
“Your dad assured me that with a gift and words from the heart, I couldn’t go wrong. That’s what he did.”
My mouth gapes. “How did you know to ask him about grand gestures?”
“Alice told me he did a legendary grand gesture to win your mom over. She met me for coffee so I could ask her how to win you back.”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe all this was happening, and no one said a peep. Not even you, Sophie. How did you keep it to yourself?”
She smiles widely. “I get to be flower girl, but only if I was very quiet so you could listen to your heart and say yes. Right, Mason?”
Mason’s chest puffs out. “That’s right. Your mom needed to hear it from me first.” He takes us both in. “Ready for the dance?”
