“How do you feel about my heart being big enough for you and Paris?”
“Good. Grandma said your heart will get even bigger if you have a baby. Can we have a kitten instead? Pastor John said there are lots at the animal shelter.”
Richard hugged Jack. He’d have to thank his mom later. “I’ll think about the kitten. Thank you for wanting Paris to be part of our lives.”
“That’s okay. If she’s my mom, can I still go to her flower arranging classes?”
“You can go to as many as you like.”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
“Would you be able to keep what we’ve talked about a secret? I want Paris to be surprised when I ask her to marry me.”
“Okay. Let’s look for more gemstones. I promised Nora I’d give her some.”
Richard looked along the shore and chose a spot a few feet from where they were standing. Over the last two weeks, he’d had a chance to think about how he would propose to Paris. He had a location, hundreds of fairy lights, and the words he wanted to say. All he needed was a ring, and for Paris to say yes.
Chapter 23
A WEEK LATER…
* * *
John leaned sideways on the ladder. “Throw the lights this way.”
Richard hoisted the rope of fairy lights into the air, hoping they landed close to where John was pointing. Decorating the apple tree in his backyard was more of a mission than he realized. The fairy lights snagged on the branches, making them almost impossible to move.
Richard’s mom opened the back door and walked toward them. “It’s looking good. How will you know if you’ve covered the entire tree? It will be too late to add more lights once it’s dark.”
“We’re crossing our fingers and sending a special message to the man upstairs,” John said as he stepped onto the next rung of the ladder. “It will be a miracle if I go home in one piece. I’ve almost fallen twice.”
Richard looked around the yard. “Hey, Ethan. Can you stand at the bottom of the ladder and make sure John’s okay?”
“No problem. I’ll be there soon.”
Over the last few weeks, Richard had replaced the rickety old fence with a straight, white picket fence. Ethan was adding a trailer-load of flower-shaped lights to the fence. Hopefully, they turned out as impressive as the picture Richard had seen on the Internet.
Louie hopped across the backyard with a stick in his mouth.
Jack chased after him. “It’s called fetch, Louie. You’re supposed to give me the stick.”
There wasn’t much hope of that. After a month of dog training, Louie was still getting used to some commands.
“Be careful around the ladder,” Richard told his son.
“Okay.” Jack wrestled the stick from Louie and stared at the tree. “Why are you putting lights in the tree?”
“To make it look pretty.”
“Will Paris like it more?”
“I hope so.”
Richard’s mom stood beside them. “There’s fresh lemonade and cookies in the kitchen if you want a snack.”
A rustle from high in the tree made them all look up. “That was perfect timing, Carol. I’ve finished putting the lights on the tree. All we have to do is tidy the yard and make sure Louie doesn’t destroy the new garden.”
“The temporary barrier should work,” Ethan said as he walked toward them. “The lights around the white picket fence are ready, too.”
