Page 79 of One Golden Ring
On the other side is an older photo of her with her mom that I got from Derek. I was nervous about overstepping with that one, but he told me J.B. would love it. I hope he was right.
J.B. gazes down at it for a moment without saying a word.
“I thought those would be nice,” I tell her quickly. “But you can put any pictures you want in there.”
The next thing I know she’s hugging me super hard, her whole body shaking.
“It’s p-perfect,” she sobs in my ear. “My whole family. I’m n-never taking it off.”
“I love you, J.B.,” I whisper fiercely to her as my own tears finally escape my eyes and slide down my cheeks. “You’re my favorite kid in the whole world.”
When she pulls back, Derek helps her put it on and her hand automatically goes up to finger the delicate chain.
“Where are you going?” she asks suddenly as Derek is disappearing into his room.
“I left something here when we went back to the city,” he says, his voice sounding gruff. “And then I wished I hadn’t.”
“Well, we’re here now,” J.B. says lightly looking over to me with an expression that says she thinks her dad is being a weirdo.
When he comes out again, his hands are shoved in his pockets and his brow is furrowed. He looks worried.
“Darcy,” he says a little too loudly. “It hasn’t been long, and you’re younger than I am. Maybe this will feel like too much, too soon. But I don’t think I can wait another minute.”
Suddenly I know what he has in his pocket, and I couldn’t be happier when he drops to one knee in front of the tree.
“Oh,” J.B. breathes.
“You make every part of our lives better,” Derek tells me, his dark eyes searching mine. “You make me want to live my life with meaning, with joy, just like you do.”
I fight to swallow back my tears.
“I’ll survive it if you tell menot yet,” he says carefully, holding out the simple, beautiful ring that Michael gave him—the one I returned when I couldn’t bear the weight of it any longer but have missed every minute since—the one I thought I’d never see again. “But one day I’m going to need you to say yes. Darcy, will you marry me?”
But I’m crying too hard to say anything at all.
“Darcy,” J.B. hisses, elbowing me in the ribs. “Answer him.”
“Y-yes,” I manage. “Yes, Derek.”
He slides the ring onto my finger and this time it feels just right. It feels like the truth. It feels like home.
Then he’s kissing me and pulling back to hug us both.
“We’re going to be a real family,” J.B. says softly.
“We already are a real family,” Derek says. “This will just make it official.”
When we’ve pulledourselves together, we walk over to the lodge in the brilliant late morning sunlight.
The snow and icicles are gleaming and the birds are singing, and I feel the spirit of Christmas all around us like I used to when I was a little child.
When we get to the lodge, Margo greets us like long lost family and when we head back to Michael’s room, he’s with Doc and Mrs. Waterson, as well as Bronson, who is regaling him with a story about something funny that happened in the kitchen.
“Ah, your family,” Bronson says, hopping up. “I’d better get back to the kitchen. Margo said you’ve got unlimited room service on the house, owner’s orders.”
“Merry Christmas, Great-grandpa,” J.B. says, climbing gently onto the bed beside him.
“Merry Christmas to you, young lady,” he says with a big smile. “And to your dad and Darcy, of course.”
