by Snow, Nicole
Can’t believe how fast things have moved.
Well, shit, maybe I can, considering everybody involved. There were plenty of people who wanted the case against Mederva to go down rapidly, rather than a slow drip feeding the national media frenzy.
They’ve survived as a shell with fierce government oversight, back to distributing legitimate equipment. I know a few in the new leadership. They’re good, clean people who’ll make sure no stone’s left unturned, and in time, they’ll rebrand and restore their reputation.
The new crew in charge even gave both Keith and I large severance packages, which I almost refused. But with FBI auditors involved and entire armies of lawyers, they assured me the blood money was confiscated to pay out damages, and anything I was entitled to came from doing legitimate security work. I didn’t believe it till I saw it myself in Seattle on a brief trip a few weeks ago.
“It’ll be done by the time Gwen gets here, right?” Lauren asks.
“That’s the plan,” I say, loading the last of the wood in my truck.
The big black vehicle was the first thing I got after selling off the Equinox.
New wheels, new life.
Not just on our end, either.
Even perma-idiot Manny Stork appreciates breathing again. Seeing what came down with Mederva, he realizes just how valuable Gingersnap is to his firm, and she’s enjoying working a few real cases on a very part-time basis whenever she’s not writing.
To everyone’s delight, Gwen finished her first novel a month ago. It’s in the hands of an agent right now.
It’s good, too. I’ve read the entire thing more than once.
Parts of it are so close to real life, hardly anyone will ever guess it isn’t fiction through and through. Only a few of us know the truth.
It’s hard not to feel a lick of pride when based on a true story means ours.
I close up the tailgate, smacking dust off my hands. “Let’s get moving. Should be finished by the time Gwen gets here this evening.”
“Will the paint be dry by then?” Lauren asks.
“Yeah.” I nod to the back seat. “Climb in.”
As usual, we’re off to May’s for Friday night supper. Gwen has no idea we’ve been building the gazebo in her mother’s backyard all week. Mainly because I asked the kids to keep it under wraps. We’re lucky this place is so huge nobody really notices unless they have reason to.
“So why the big secret, Dad? Why do we gotta be all hush-hush?” Shane asks as we drive away from the lumberyard.
I inhale sharply, holding the breath in my lungs.
Here’s my chance. Now or never.
I’ve needed to talk to them about my plan for weeks, ever since Seattle. It affects the whole family, their lives just as much as mine.
“Well, tonight, after supper, I need to ask Gwen something. But I want to know what you think about it first.” I flex my fingers on the steering wheel, surprised at how my palms break out in a sweat.
Shit.
It’s the right thing to do, I tell myself. I know it is.
Now that the biggest rush of evidence and interviews is over for the team prosecuting Jackie Wren and her henchmen, I’ve got my life back.
I’ll start working for Landmark Defense in a few weeks. It’s a massive defense company based out of St. Paul that J.T. referred me to. I’ll still help him with P.I. work on the side. Landmark’s been more than generous with time off for other obligations.
Guess the owner, Hunter Forsythe, once a single dad himself, is fully committed to family coming first. He took a personal interest in my case and the rest was history.
All in all, everything’s fallen into place faster than I imagined. The rest is up to me, to reinvent myself, my family, my life in a better image.
“Think about what, Dad?” Shane asks.
“What do you want to ask Gwen, Daddy?” Lauren echoes right behind him.
“Well, I’d like to ask Gwen...” I take a deep breath and swallow. “To marry me.”
“Awesome!” Shane fist-pumps the air with a grin, his blue eyes flashing my shade.
“Daddy, that’s wonderful!” Lauren shouts, one octave below screaming. “The best thing ever! Oh my gosh.”
“It’s a big step for me, for all of us,” I say, trying to calm their enthusiasm so they understand the consequences. “You’ve never had a mother before. It’s always been the three of us. If Gwen says yes, it won’t just be three anymore. We’ll be a family of four.”
“And maybe five if Gwen has a baby,” Lauren says.
Shit. My daughter’s two steps ahead of me.
My jaw goes tight because I know how right she is. Knocking up Gingersnap isn’t even a question if we tie the knot.
It will happen. Many times.
“That’s another thing, guys. Another kid’s a real possibility someday. How would you feel about that?”
“Having a bro would rock!” Shane says without even a second to think it over.
“Or a baby sister! That would be ideal to help look after Shane,” Lauren says, flashing her brother a dirty look. “Please ask Gwen, Daddy. I know she’ll say yes. Just know it.”
“So you’re okay with this?” I ask one more time. “Both of you?”
“Yeah!” They both belt it out together.
I try not to grin. “And you’ll keep it a secret? Won’t tell anyone about me asking Gwen tonight, including May?” Especially May.
“Scout’s honor,” Shane says, crossing his chest.
“It’s a promise.” Lauren nods firmly.
My veins are humming. “Great. Let’s get this gazebo done. After we eat, I can take Gwen out there and ask her to marry me.” I glance over my shoulder at their smiling faces.
“Oh, Daddy, I can’t wait,” Lauren whispers.
Neither can I.
* * *
I fumble more things finishing off the structure than I ever have in my entire life. Nothing major, but little odds and ends I have to double check and smooth over several times.
By evening, the gazebo’s done and freshly painted. It almost glows wedding white under the late afternoon sun. Fitting.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Miller. This turned out even better than I expected,” May gushes, hugging my arm. “Simply gorgeous, sir. It adds a lovely finish to the entire yard.”
When she says yard, she means acres of rolling green landscape and trees. She’s not wrong, though.
Pride wells in me. It does look pretty great. With its gabled top and waist-high railed sides, it’s almost picturesque. Sitting where it belongs in her manicured lawn makes it stand out.
“As soon as the paint dries, I have some strings of twinkle lights I’d like hung around the bottom of the top,” May says. “Oh, and speakers for the corners. We need a little music to please the ears as well as the eyes.”
“In this heat, the paint should be dry in an hour or so.”
“Lovely.” May spins around, looking back at me over her shoulder. “That gives us just enough time before dinner.”
“And a swim?” Shane asks hopefully.
“Of course,” May says. “After all the work you and Lauren did, you can splash around all afternoon.”
May and I have an understanding when it comes to the kids. While they’re at her house, she can spoil them to her heart’s content, but whenever push comes to shove, I’m still their father with final say.
Just like she’s Gwen’s mother. And it’s only right I ask for a final blessing before popping the question.
I wait till we’re done with the afternoon snacks her people serve, and after I’ve got the twinkling lights and speakers up, before accepting another beer and sitting down on a chair next to the pool where Lauren and Shane are swimming. It’s a safe distance where we can talk privately.
“My, just look at her now. It’s hard to believe little Lauren wouldn’t leave the shallow end a few months ago,” May says.
Anyone watching can see the love she has for my kids. When she look
s at them, her eyes shine as bright as Gwen’s do. I’m thankful for that, finding someone who loves them as much as me and their future mother.
And someone who, I think, approves of me, too.
“A lot’s sure changed in no time, May.” I take a swig off my beer. “A whole heaping lot.”
Fuck, I’m babbling. I’ve never had to do this before. Ask permission to marry someone’s daughter.
It’s more unnerving than I’d anticipated for a grown-ass man.
“Something on your mind, Miller?” May smiles, her instincts sharp as claws. “Go ahead. We’re practically family.”
“Ironically, May, that’s what this is about. Family.” I smile back at her. “No easy way to say this, so...I’d like to ask Gwen to marry me tonight.”
She lifts a knowing brow all the while biting back a smile, her face turning mock serious. “Like to ask, or will ask?”
“Will ask, if it’s okay with you.”
Honestly, even if it isn’t, it’s coming anyway. But it’d sure be nice having her ma’s endorsement.
“Oh, Miller, of course it’s all right with me.” She leans over and squeezes my hand. “And I hope she says yes.”
I huff out a sigh. “I do, too.”
She pats my hand. “Let me tell you something I told Gwen a few weeks ago.” Her gaze deepens, turning fully serious. “Love is more than great sex. Don’t get me wrong. Wild bedroom acrobatics are certainly important, too, but love goes deeper. Far deeper. It’s there all the time. Making you grin for no reason. Making you thankful. Making you whole.”
I nod. She’s just described everything I feel for Gingersnap.
“Good advice,” I say.
“It should be. Lord knows I’ve written enough books to know and lived one broken heart that told me what to avoid...” May leans back in her chair. “Okay. You’ve got my blessing to ask Gwendolyn to be your wife, but on two conditions.”
“Conditions?”
She holds up two stiff fingers for effect. “One: if you ever hurt her, I’ll have you killed. And two, if you ever think about moving away from Minnesota, about taking those sweet children and my daughter away, know that I’ll be hot on your heels. I have the money for ten more homes just like this one.”
Shit.
I’m not sure which one of those is scarier. Probably the second because the first one’s out of the question.
“Understood,” I say. “One hundred percent.”
“Good.” She leans forward again, her elegant smile reappearing like she’d never just threatened murder. “Now, how will you ask my lucky little lady?”
“I thought I’d wait till after supper, while showing her the gazebo. At some point, you’ll go off with the kids, leaving us together.”
“Perfect! I have some planters we can move out there for a little color, and I’ll...” She stops and looks at me. “You don’t mind if I set the mood a bit, do you?”
“No, May, I don’t mind.” I lean closer. “Long as you don’t mind watching Shane and Lauren overnight.”
She holds up a fist. This might be the strangest thing of the day, fist-bumping a middle aged lady with more money than some city treasuries, but it works.
“Deal,” I tell her.
Real sincerity fills me. I lean over and give her a hug. “Thank you, May. Thanks for everything you’ve done.”
She hugs me in return. “Thank you, Miller, for loving my daughter in a way I always knew she’d be loved. It was simply a matter of her finding the right man and bringing him home.”
* * *
A few hours later, I’m the most nervous I’ve ever been without armed men involved.
I’m sure Gwen has fallen in love with me, but is she ready for forever?
She’s a smart girl. Cautious. Leery of many things.
She claims it’s because she’s a chicken, scared of her own shadow, but that’s not true.
She has more guts and gumption than many guys I know. I’ll never forget how she handled things during that night of hell at the cabin. Her quick thinking saved my kids.
But she is careful. Even when it comes to her writing, she avoids launching deep into subjects she hasn’t experienced. Something she got from May, I think, who has to try everything before she can put it into words.
Her ma pressed Gwen into the same mold and that’s what keeps her on her toes.
Marriage isn’t something May ever forced her to try, though.
I don’t want her to think that’s what I’m forcing, either.
“You’ve barely touched your steak,” Gingersnap says quietly. “Is something wrong with it?”
“Nope. Immaculate as ever.” I shake my head. “I’m just not as hungry tonight. The kids and I had snacks here today, and you know how big your mother’s snack breaks get.”
She grins. “Lauren said she swam all afternoon. How’d they talk you into that? Or should I say, how’d Mother talk you into it?”
I wink at her, taking a bite of steak, chewing like it’s the only thing keeping my jaw intact.
It’s gonna be goddamn rough if I haven’t wifed this woman by the end of the night.
“Gwen, darling, did you read that email I forwarded about the next writer’s conference? It’s the end of September, in Minneapolis, so you won’t have to book a motel room if you don’t want to. I’ve already booked mine. I hate city driving, but I could cancel it to ride with you, or could add you to my room...” May takes a drink off her wine and continues on about the conference.
Gwen nods along, and when May finally stops talking long enough to take another sip of wine, she says, “It’s too soon for me to go to a conference, Mother. I haven’t even gotten feedback on the manuscript I sent to the agency yet.”
“Oh, that hardly matters,” May says. “I’ve told you before, lots of unpublished writers attend. It’s how they learn what to do, and not to do, in order to make their work shine.”
“How old do you have to be to go, May?” Lauren asks.
Of course she’s totally serious.
So’s May when she says, “I’m not sure, sweetheart, but I’ll find out. I’d love to have you attend with me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” May sets down her napkin. “As a matter of fact, let’s go call right now and find out. Shane, you can come, too.”
He freezes and horror fills his eyes. “A writer’s conference? Uh...”
“I meant you can come with us to make the call.” May stands. “In my office. We’ll have our dessert there. It’s chocolate cake.”
“With white frosting?” Shane asks, suddenly a hundred times happier.
“Yes, sir.” May holds out a hand to Lauren.
Both kids look at me.
I nod, and they leave the room with May.
Now, it’s zero hour.
Gwen looks at me and shakes her head. “What am I missing?”
“Missing, babe?”
Like the fact that I'm about to shove a ring on your finger? I think to myself, stomach churning.
Her green eyes flash as she looks at me slowly. “I mean...didn’t the kids seem unusually quiet, and Mother more chatty? I swear she’s talked my ear off ever since I got here, without really saying anything important.”
“That’s unusual?” I ask with a snort.
She bursts out laughing, and I join in with a chuckle.
“No. Okay, maybe.” She sets down her napkin. “Or maybe it’s just me. Seems like I’ve waited forever for this week to end.”
“What? Don’t tell me Manny’s jerking you around again?”
She grins. “Nah, he’s been a good boy. I just really want to sleep in tomorrow.”
“You, sleep in? Instead of bounding up at six a.m. to tear up some words?”
She shrugs.
I set down my napkin and take her hand. “Babe, I’m game. You want your beauty rest, just say the word, and we’ll keep the kids here tonight. I’m sure they won’t mind.”
She lea
ns over and kisses me softly. “Whatever works, Miller.”
It’s now or never.
Standing up and pushing my chair back, I hold out a hand to her. “Join me for a walk? There’s something I want to show you.”
“Sure.” Taking my hand, she follows me down the hall.
Before we get to the door that leads to the pool and beyond, I pull a scarf out of my back pocket and hold it up.
Her frown is adorable. “Um, what? Is that one of Mother’s scarves?”
“Yeah. The better to blindfold you with, my dear.”
Her face scrunches. “You’re joking, right?”
“Do I joke with surprises?”
“Okay, okay.” Laughing, she turns around. “Blindfold me then. Maybe we can do it again later.”
My dick stirs at what she’s implying. But for once, I really want the image of Gwen naked, blindfolded, and prone out of my head so I can do what I came here for.
Claim her like that for the rest of my life.
Knowing she trusts me enough to cover up her eyes here or in the bedroom gives me the extra shot of courage I need. So I slip the scarf over her eyes and tie it on the back of her head.
“See anything?” I whisper in her ear, loving how she shudders against me.
“No.”
“Hold my hand, babe. It’s right this way.”
“Just don’t let me trip over anything.”
I chuckle. “Like there’s anything out of place. You do know we’re at your ma’s house?”
“True.” She tightens her hold on my fingers and then folds her other hand around my arm. “I’m ready.”
I lead her to the door and open it. A rush of chirping crickets and other night sounds instantly serenade us.
“We’re going outside? It’s probably dark enough now that I wouldn’t need to be blindfolded.”
“You do with the lights. We’re gonna walk around the edge of the pool, then into the grass,” I tell her.
“Okay. What’s next?”
“I’ll take off your blindfold and present your unicorn, duchess.”
“Oh my God. Don’t tell me...Mother bought Shane and Lauren a pony, didn’t she? Now I get why they all ran off together. I know Lauren wants one, but seriously, leasing it would be so much easier than driving over here at five in the morning to feed a horse.”
