Page 23 of Dean Daddy

“Buy-in for what?” I ask, exasperated by this sudden revelation.

“The reason I stayed back when we were going to the bar last night was because I needed to get something from my father’s study.”

“What?”

“This,” he reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a diamond ring. “This belonged to my grandmother. It’s been in my family for over a hundred years. I thought it was the perfect ring to use to ask you to marry me. So, Marcie Brown, will you marry me?”

My hands are shaking when he slides the ring on my finger. I can’t believe that this is happening.

“Yes,” I stammer. “Yes, Mason, I’ll marry you.”

“I love you, baby girl,” he helps me to my feet and kisses me deeply.

“I love you, too,” I reply as tears of joy escape from my eyes.

EPILOGUE

MASON

Five Years Later

The snow falls gently outside and a crackling fire adds heat to the inside of my now-fully restored farmhouse. I check the time on my watch and call out, “Marcie, we need to leave soon or we’ll be driving all night.”

“We’re coming, daddy,” she shouts back from the kitchen.

“Great,” I get up from my armchair and walk to the back of the house. “Do you need help in here?”

“Yes,” she smiles. “Help Michael with his shoes, please. This is the third time he’s taken them off.”

I lift Michael off the floor and set him on the breakfast table. “We have to be at Grandpa’s house when Santa comes or he won’t know to leave your presents there, little man,” I tell him as I slip the tiny boots onto his feet.

“Now keep them on so we can go,” I add.

“Yes, daddy,” he answers. But, at three years old, he’s not to be taken at his word, so I pick him up and hold him as Marcie finishes bundling Mattie up in her car seat.

Jessica, Marcie’s student teacher, is spending the break taking care of the farm while we’re away. She had no family to go home to and was happy to have a place to stay and a small paycheck in exchange for feeding the chickens and goats. We take a minute to review the feeding schedule with her then load up the car for the trip to my father and Sharon’s house.

“I’m glad we’re all going to be together for Christmas this year. We promised Emily and this is the first time we’re actually going through with it,” Marcie says as we pull out of the driveway.

“It’s not all our fault. Sure you were in labor that first year, but the folks went to the Bahamas the next. Then Emily got sick…”

“I know, but still, I’m glad it’s finally happening,” Marcie smiles.

She knows that I wasn’t exactly overjoyed at the idea of not having Christmas at home so I tell her, “Anything for you, princess.”

“Even after all these years?” she teases.

“Always,” I reply.

We’re about an hour into the drive and Marcie drifts off to sleep. She stays very busy between teaching and the kids so the rest will be good for her. As she sleeps, I think about our lives together and how wonderful everything has been.

She’s an amazing wife and mother and still the sexiest woman that I’ve ever met. We could have bought an overpriced, refurbished brownstone in the city but she bought into my dream and helped me renovate my century-old farm, all while performing impressively in her assistant teaching role and becoming a Professor of Science, and giving me two beautiful children.

She wakes up when Mattie begins to fuss in the backseat and says, “Why did you let me sleep? I should be keeping you company while you drive.”

“The snow stopped, and the road is clear. In fact, it’s practically empty and you needed the rest.”

“How far away are we?” she rubs her eyes.

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