by SJ McCoy
They exchanged a glance before they both nodded.
“Whatever it is,” said Manny. “Don’t feel too bad about it. I’m guessing we’ve both already been there.”
“Thanks. I do feel kind of …” He shrugged again. “Dumb? I don’t know. Embarrassed? It’s not dumb. It’s just so far outside my comfort zone that I don’t even have words.”
Ryan chuckled. “It’s okay. Like he said. We’ve both been there. Women will do that to you.”
“Thanks. So … the thing is … you know how I plan to ask her on Sunday, with everyone there?”
They nodded.
“Well, I keep wondering if that’s right. I thought it had to be a public declaration, you know, tell the world and all that? But now, I’m not so sure. I keep wondering if I should … if it’d mean more to her if I ask her when it’s just the two of us. I’d probably be able to say more if I did it that way. If it’s not too personal a question. What did you guys do?”
Ryan chuckled. “I won’t go into the … err, intimate … details. But I can tell you that we were alone.”
Manny laughed before he spoke. “We were alone, too. It didn’t occur to me to ask her with people around. It was about the two of us. And I had something I wanted to share with her while I asked.” He smirked at Ryan. “Not the same kind of thing you’re talking about.”
Ryan laughed and punched his arm. “I didn’t think so. You wouldn’t have the stamina for that at your age.”
Cal laughed as Manny clipped the back of Ryan’s head. He was relieved to have a minute to think while they joked around.
“To tell you the truth, I was surprised that you wanted people there when you asked her,” said Manny. “It doesn’t seem like your style.”
“It isn’t. But I thought … I thought it might be hers.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say not,” said Ryan.
“You don’t think so?”
“Nah. I mean, she’s outgoing and the life and soul of the party, but she’s kind of private, too. She doesn’t talk about herself much, she gets other people talking. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. I don’t know her that well, but I’d guess that it’d mean more to her if it were just the two of you.”
Cal nodded. “Thanks, guys. I think that’s what I’m going to do.”
Manny grinned at him. “When?”
He laughed. “I don’t know, sometime between now and Sunday afternoon. That way we can share our good news with everyone who’s expecting to see me ask.” He nodded. “Yeah. I like that better.”
~ ~ ~
Teresa went to open the front door when the doorbell rang. She knew it was Cal, she’d just seen him pull up outside. It struck her as odd that despite all the time they’d spent together over the last few months, he had to ring the doorbell. He didn’t have a key, he couldn’t just come on in. She frowned. She was the same at his place. Even though he talked as though they both lived there—and they kind of had while they were working on it—and she even called it home sometimes, she didn’t have a key. She blew out a sigh. He hadn’t moved in himself yet. She didn’t need to start getting caught up on details that didn’t matter. He loved her, that was all she needed to know. She loved him, too. However they decided to live their lives was fine by her; as long as he was in hers, she’d be happy with whatever form it took—even if she did hope for more.
She opened the door and sucked in a deep breath at the sight of his gorgeous smile.
“Hey.”
“Grandpa!” Little Skye flew past her and wrapped herself around his legs. “I missed you, Grandpa!”
He swung her up in the air and then kissed her cheek as he brought her down to sit on his hip. “I’ve missed you, too, Skye. Are you all ready to move to your new house?”
She nodded eagerly. “Yes! I have a new bedroom. And my new house is only five minutes from your house!” She grinned. “And only two minutes from Dondervan.”
Teresa brought her hand up to cover her smile at Cal’s reaction. He didn’t understand at first.
“Donder …?” Then he scowled. “Donovan?”
“Yes! Dondervan! He’s nice, Grandpa. He’s your friend.”
Cal narrowed his eyes at Teresa. But she shrugged innocently. “Come on in. We’re nearly finished. Elle got most of it done during the week.”
Cal followed her through to the living room where there was a stack of boxes and suitcases.
Elle looked up at him with a smile. “Hey, Cal! Thanks so much for helping with all of this.”
“Of course. I’m picking the van up at nine in the morning.” He looked at the boxes. “Is this everything?”
“Yep. I don’t have much. It’s mostly Skye’s things. And the house is furnished anyway.”
“And we can refurnish it as soon as you’re ready.” Teresa kept offering. She wished that Elle would just accept that the house could be hers now. But she wasn’t having any of it.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ve told you, though. It’s fine.”
Cal chuckled. “Good luck holding out, Elle. Your mom’s finished with our place now. I’d guess that you’re her next project.”
Elle gave her an inquiring look. She’d picked up on the way he’d said our place, too, then. Teresa smiled. It seemed to be a habit he’d gotten into. She just wished it were true.
“I thought we could order from Giuseppe’s tonight.” That seemed the safest route to go—change the subject to food before things got awkward.
Elle made a face. “I didn’t realize you guys were sticking around. I thought you’d be heading back over to Four Mile.”
“Well, I thought you’d still have more packing to do. I didn’t realize that you were almost done.”
“Yep. We’ve been busy every night this week.”
“With Dondervan.”
Teresa did her best not to laugh at the way Cal scowled.
Skye smiled up at him. “He helped! He’s your friend.”
Teresa stepped through to the kitchen before she burst out laughing. She’d have to have a word with Cal. Donovan was lovely. Cal shouldn’t have a problem with it, even though she kind of loved that he did. Elle might keep insisting that he was just a friend, but even if that were still true, she doubted it would be for long.
When she went back through to the living room, they were making arrangements for the morning. Apparently, Elle was kicking them out. Teresa guessed Donovan was coming over, and that was fine by her.
Cal reached for her hand as they drove back up the East Shore. “Are you okay about the way tonight worked out?”
“Yeah. It’s all good. Part of me wishes that Elle and I could have one last evening in the house together, just the two of us with Skye. But life’s already moved on from there.” She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it. “And it’s taking us to better places.”
He pursed his lips but kept his gaze on the road ahead.
She knew what was bothering him. “It is. You’re part of our lives now. And Elle’s moving over to Four Mile.”
He glanced over at her and squeezed her hand.
“What?”
He smiled. “Can I tell you when we get home? I don’t want to say it while I’m driving.”
“Okay, but I hope you’re not mad about Donovan? He strikes me as a good guy.”
He let out a short laugh. “I’m not mad. I’m … concerned. But that’s a caveman thing. He strikes me as a good guy, too. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping a close eye on him.”
“Keeping an eye on him is fine, but only from a distance and not interfering.”
He chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
“You’d better. I’m serious. It’s the hardest part of being a parent. You have to let them make their own mistakes. And I’m not saying I think Donovan would be a mistake. But it’s up to Elle. All we get to offer is guidance and support.”
“You know I want to support Elle and little Skye. I—”
She had to laugh. “Of course, I do. What I meant was Donovan. Guidance and support are all you get to give him, too. No bullying.”
He smiled through pursed lips. “I’m not a bully.”
“I know. I couldn’t even joke about it if I thought you were. But you know damned well what I mean.”
“Okay. I do. I’ll be good.”
She had to laugh. She loved that he cared enough for it to bother him, that he was smart enough to understand that he didn’t get to control anything, and that she trusted him enough that they could laugh about it.
~ ~ ~
When they got back to the house, Cal pulled into the garage next to Teresa’s car. He’d driven her into work this morning so that they could drive home together. He was hoping that as time went by, they’d be able to match up their hours more. He liked coming and going with her.
“What do you want to do about dinner?” she asked once they were in the kitchen.
He pushed his hands into his pockets and smiled when he touched the little box. He knew he wanted to ask her one thing tonight, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to ask her the big question.
She came to him and put her hands on his chest as she reached up to kiss him. “Keep smiling at me like that and I could be persuaded to forget dinner.”
He laughed. “We’ll get to that. But do you want to go over to the lodge to eat?” Perhaps he should take her out for a nice dinner and ask her there?
She shook her head. “I don’t really feel like going over there.” She went to the fridge and looked inside. “How many people have you asked to come over on Sunday? I thought it was just going to be Elle and a few of your guys from work. You’ve got enough supplies to feed a whole houseful.”
He didn’t want to tell her yet that the numbers for their housewarming were growing rapidly. She knew about Manny and Nina and Ryan and Leanne, but she didn’t know that he’d also invited Ted and Diego and their ladies—he’d had to. They’d been a part of his life for a long time, and even though he hadn’t seen them in years until recently, he wanted them to be a part of his future. He smiled at her; she was his future.
He went to stand beside her at the fridge. “I may have overdone it.” He reached inside. “We could have one of the quiches and a salad without leaving people starving.”
She laughed. “That sounds perfect.”
They sat at the dining table to eat and got to enjoy an amazing sunset. Teresa smiled at him as she set her fork down. “This place is perfect, and that view … It’s something else.”
“It is. It’s beautiful, but not as beautiful as you are.”
“Aww. There you go sweet talking again.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Are you trying to get me into bed?”
He laughed. “I am, and I will—later. First, there’s something I want to do.” He got up and cleared the plates. She started to help but he wanted her to wait here. “Sit back down. You’ve been on your feet all day. I’ll take care of these, and I’ll be back.”
He looked at the champagne in the fridge. He could bring it back with him. But he changed his mind. It felt too presumptuous. He didn’t think that she’d say no, but … He closed his hand around the little box again. How about that? He was nervous! He could just ask her about moving in here with him. That was all he’d originally planned to do. He’d thought he’d ask her about moving in as soon as she was free to—as soon as Elle was taken care of, and then he’d ask her to marry him on Sunday. He didn’t have to ask the big question right now. He could … He smiled to himself. He couldn’t wait. It was time.
He went back to the dining room and sat down beside her. He took hold of her hand and she smiled at him, but it faded as she looked into his eyes. “What’s wrong, Cal?”
He remembered to smile, and her eyes danced in reply.
“Phew! You looked really scary there for a minute. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s great, Terry. Everything. This place, my life, me, everything. And it’s all because of you. I love this house because of the way you’ve made it—because of what you’ve done with it but mostly because of the way you make it feel by being here. I love my life because I have you in it. I’m happy because of you—because of the way you make me feel. Because I love you and I know you love me.”
“Aww.” She leaned in to kiss him. “I love you right back. I don’t think you know how much.”
“I think I do. I hope I do. And I’m hoping you’re about to prove that I’m right.”
She waggled her eyebrows. “What did you have in mind—I’ll prove it to you any way you like.”
He had to laugh. “We’ll get to that, but I’m hoping that you’ll prove I’m right by saying that you’ll stay here with me.”
“I thought I was. I’m not …” She gave him a puzzled look. “You don’t just mean tonight, do you? Do you mean even though we’re done with the house now? You still want me to stay sometimes?
He shook his head. “More than sometimes.” He kept hold of her hand as he slid down from his chair and got on one knee.
Her eyes were wider than he’d ever seen them, and the gold flecks shimmered with tears.
“I’m hoping that you love me enough to marry me. I’ve told you before that I see you as my family—I want to make it official. I’ve asked you to be my lady, what I really want you to be is my wife. I didn’t know I was capable of loving someone the way I love you.” He smiled. “I don’t think I would be capable of loving someone who wasn’t you. You’ve taught me what love is. Will you marry me and let me spend the rest of my life loving you?” He looked up into her eyes. She was nodding, and the tears were spilling down her cheeks.
“Yes! Oh my God, Cal! Yes! I didn’t expect that!”
He chuckled. “But you like the idea?”
She took his face between her hands and leaned down to kiss him. “Do I like the idea of you being my husband? Of getting to see your beautiful smile every day for the rest of my life? Err, hell yeah, I do!”
He held up the ring box which so far, she didn’t seem to have noticed. “Do you want this then?”
She looked down at it and then up at him as her hand came up to cover her mouth. “Cal! It’s gorgeous!”
“You like it? We can change it if you don’t.”
She shook her head rapidly. “I love it! It’s perfect. It’s beautiful.” She held her hand out. “Are you going to put it on me?”
He laughed and took it out of the box. “Seriously, I’ve never picked out jewelry before. So, if my taste isn’t great—”
She put a finger to his lips and smiled. “I’d say you have exquisite taste. You chose me, didn’t you?”
He nodded as he slipped it onto her finger.
“I’m not just saying it, Cal. It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”
He got to his feet and took her hand, pulling her up to join him and closing his arms around her. Soon they were lost in one of those kisses that made the rest of the world disappear.
~ ~ ~
When they finally came up for air, Teresa looked up at him and then down at the ring. She couldn’t quite believe it. “I love you, Cal.”
“I love you, Terry. More than you know.” His arms tightened around her and he leaned back so he could look into her eyes. “How would you feel about a short engagement?”
She raised an eyebrow; her heart was still pounding happily in her chest. “Are you in a hurry?”
He chuckled. “I am. It’s taken me more than half my life to find you. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“When are you thinking?”
“As soon as you want to. Talking to all the guys they have plans in the works but they’re all taking their time.” He frowned. “If that’s a woman thing, I’ll accept it. I’ll go along with whatever you want but …”
She laughed. “I don’t need a big wedding. I never thought I’d get married again.” She stopped when a shadow crossed
his face. Why had she said that? The last thing she wanted to do was make him think about Steve right now. “Let’s come up with something we can do soon—very soon.”
His smile was back at that. “You decide what you want, and I’ll make it happen as soon as possible.”
She had to laugh. She knew that if it were up to him, her whole life would be that way from now on. “We’ll decide. Did I see champagne in the fridge?”
“You did, but I didn’t want to bring it out until you said yes.”
“Did you doubt for a minute that I would?”
He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Not a whole minute.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
As soon as they arrived back at Teresa’s place on Saturday morning, Elle spotted the ring on her mom’s hand. Her head jerked to look at Cal, and he smiled. He’d asked her before he bought the ring how she felt about it—she’d been thrilled. But he hadn’t had the chance to tell her that he wasn’t going to wait until Sunday anymore. He shrugged. He knew Terry wanted to be the one to tell her.
“Come in!” Elle grinned. “Do you want coffee first?” She took hold of Terry’s hand and held it up. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Terry’s smile was so big, it made his heart happy—and it hadn’t left her face ever since he’d asked her last night. Even when he woke up before she did this morning, she still had that smile on her face while she slept. He had a feeling that his matched it.
She wrapped her daughter in a hug, while Skye held her arms up to Cal, and he scooped her up.
“Well …” Terry began. “Cal—”
“Cal’s my grandpa!” Skye declared.
“That’s right.” Terry laughed. “And now he’s going to be your official grandpa, too.”
Skye’s little eyebrows knit together as she looked up at him. “What’s a fishal?”
He laughed. “It means that your grandma and I are going to be getting married soon.”
“How soon?” Elle looked thrilled. “Tell me you mean like, real soon?”
“We do.” Terry smiled at him. “Just as soon as we can.”
Elle came and hugged him. “Well, congratulations to you both. I’m so happy for you. I’m happy for us, too. We get a Cal out of this deal as well.”