“Don’t mind him,” I told her, sending a smirk in my dad’s direction. “He’s getting senile in his old age.”
Dad guffawed and went back to digging around in the tackle box.
Still feeling jittery, I went over to Ellie and whispered by her ear, “I’m really nervous.”
She scraped her fingernails over the scruff on my jaw in a comforting gesture, and I was momentarily distracted by how good she looked in her sundress. The yellow cotton stretched over her breasts and the hem fell to about mid-thigh. It was pretty innocent-looking, but I knew what was under that dress.
“You weren’t this nervous when you asked me,” she pointed out.
“That’s because I knew you wouldn’t turn me down,” I said, causing her to smile and roll her eyes. I wasn’t wrong, though. And if she’d said no, I was fully prepared to pester her until I turned it into a yes.
“Do you want me to talk to her about it first?” she asked, concern etched on her face.
I shook my head. “I want to do it. Hey, Bug,” I called over to Ava. “Want to go exploring?”
Nodding, she wiped her dirty hands on her own sundress—white with pink flowers—and ran over to me.
After placing her on my shoulders, I started walking around the lake. I held onto her ankles while she lovingly rubbed my earlobes. As the warm breeze caused ripples over the water, I remembered a tall tale my dad used to tell me.
“Have I ever told you the story of Elmer the fish?” I asked Ava, knowing that I hadn’t.
“No,” she responded, her interest piqued.
“He was the biggest bass ever caught from this lake. He was so magnificent that no one could bear the thought of eating him, so they threw him back. More people started catching him, and each time they would tag him with a mark, then let him go back home.” Ava’s silence let me know that she was listening intently, so I continued. “He just kept getting bigger and bigger until no one could catch him anymore. Every time someone’s fishing line breaks, they say it’s Elmer. He’s a legend in these parts. Some people think he’s named after the lake and others say the lake was named after him.”
Finishing the story and reaching our destination, I set Ava down on a big rock slab.
“Where is he now?” she asked, her voice full of wonder.
I shrugged. “No one knows. He’s probably swimming around out there, eating everyone’s fishing hooks.”
I took a seat on the rock and Ava plopped down onto my lap.
“If we catch Elmer, can we let him live with Goober?”
The fish currently living in my room was Goober the 3rd, but Ava didn’t know that. Ellie hadn’t been wrong about the fish dying. Or the fact that they were gateway pets. I was seriously tempted to give up and just get a ferret or something.
“I don’t think Elmer would fit in that tank.”
“Oh. Well, maybe we could just put him in the bathtub at my house,” Ava said, looking out at the water.
Snickering, I ruffled her hair and I took a few seconds to gather my courage. Taking a deep breath, I decided to just bite the bullet before I chickened out.
“Ava… What would you think about me marrying your mom?” I started, going for direct.
Her eyes got wide as she glanced my way. “Would she get to wear a princess dress?”
I laughed. “Yeah, she could wear any dress she wanted to.”
“What about me? Can I wear a princess dress?”
There it was. My opening.
I took the tiny ring from my pocket and held it up for her to see. “You’d get to wear a dress, too. And if you want…” I swallowed hard. “I could be your dad.”
“Like a real dad? A really really dad?” she asked, her voice full of hope and her eyes shining with happiness.
I felt my own eyes start to get misty. “Yeah, Bug. A really really dad. Do you want that?”
“Yeah!” She nodded and hugged me around the neck.
Just then, a yellow butterfly fluttered around us and landed on a nearby dandelion. I watched it as I held my daughter—my daughter—and the bright wings flapped a few times before it flew away.
“Can I have my ring now?” Ava asked, her voice muffled because her face was still pressed against my shirt.
I barked out a laugh. “Sure.”
After she pulled back, I put the ring her on right pointer finger. Just like her mom’s, it was white-gold, but hers had a pink heart-shaped diamond framed by smaller white gems. Okay, they were actually cubic zirconia, but she was four and the possibility that she would lose it at some point was highly likely.
“Let’s go show Mom!” she said before climbing my body like a jungle gym and taking a seat upon my shoulders once again.
As we got closer to our gathering, Ava’s excitement couldn’t be contained. Scrambling down, she practically jumped to the ground, then broke out in a sprint toward an anxious-looking Ellie, who was worrying the skin on her left thumb.
“Mom!” Ava squealed. “We’re getting married!”
All eyes swung to us as I reached my girls, expressions ranging from shocked to ecstatic. The cat was out of the bag. Now that everyone knew, I took Ellie’s ring out of my pocket and slipped it onto her finger.
With a laugh, she held her hand out for everyone to see and Ava did the same.
A chorus of “Oohs” and “Congratulations” came from our family and friends. The men clapped me on the back and the women flocked around Ellie.
Angel started chattering about wedding details at 100 miles a minute and Travis sent me a knowing smirk. I didn’t know anything about wedding shit, but I had a feeling Ellie would have tons of help in that department.
Dave sent me a wink because he’d already known about my plan. I might’ve been a demanding guy, but I was still a gentleman. I wouldn’t have dared to ask Ellie to marry me without her dad’s permission.
Ellie glanced over at me and we locked eyes. I’d seen her happy before but through all the memories, I had never seen her look like this.
Elated. Glowing. Stunning.
I’d had to jump through so many hoops for this moment, which only made it better. As I looked back on our relationship, I realized there was no limit to the things I would do for Ellie.
I would’ve paid more to learn her name.
I would’ve chased her down at Caged night after night.
And I would spend the rest of my life proving to her that she could count on me over and over again.
The End
DANCER PLAYLIST
“Vacation” by The Go-Go’s
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
“Thunderstruck” by AC/DC
“S&M” by Rihanna
“Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers
“She’s Like the Wind” by Patrick Swayze
“Head Over Boots” by Jon Pardi
“Why Don’t We Just Dance” by Josh Turner
“Middle of a Memory” by Cole Swindell
“Pretty Tied Up” by Guns N’ Roses
“Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers
“Whip It” by Devo
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks & Dunn
“Good For You” by Selena Gomez
“H.O.L.Y.” by Florida Georgia Line
“Shameless” by Garth Brooks
“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, I want to give a huge thank-you to my entire support system. I couldn’t do this without my family and friends who have been my cheerleaders every step of the way. Drew- Thanks for being Super Dad to our crazy kids. Kim- He’s not a yeti! Brittaney- Tits giggled. Melissa- Thanks for being my day drinking partner and listening to me talk about my characters for hours.
To the wonderful blogge
rs who have reviewed and/or promoted my books- I appreciate you so much! Book world wouldn’t be the same without romance-lovers like you.
To my betas Kate, Brittaney, Liz, Allison E., Allison M., and Carole. You ladies rock!
Thank you to my editor Kim, my cover artist Brenda, and my formatter Rebecca. You ladies played a big part in making my book super awesome.
My Newbs- Thank you for never judging me when I have a really stupid question, and for offering your knowledge and support when I need it most.
And to my readers, the lovers of the good guys of romance- YOU have made my dream come true. Your reviews mean the world to me and your kind messages motivate me to keep writing. Thank you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamie Schlosser grew up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by cornfields. Although she no longer lives in the country, her dream is to return to rural living someday. As a stay-at-home mom, she spends most of her days running back and forth between her two wonderful kids and her laptop. She loves her family, iced coffee, and happily-ever-afters. You can find out more about Jamie and upcoming books by visiting these links:
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ALSO BY JAMIE SCHLOSSER
Trucker (The Good Guys Book 1)
A Trucker Christmas
COMING SOON
Dropout (The Good Guys Book 3)
Dancer (The Good Guys Book 2) Page 25
