Ella’s parents relaxed in their armchairs, Dove sat on the floor by the fire, and Ella and Dalton were on the loveseat together, his foot just touching hers.
The food was put away and the dishes were washed. Dove had even helped to gather the wrapping paper from the floor. It had been a wonderful day and Ella soaked in the satisfaction of knowing there was nothing left to do but enjoy the peace of the evening.
“Christmas is all gone,” Dove said suddenly.
“Of course it isn’t,” her grandfather reminded her. “It isn’t midnight yet. And besides, we still have our tree and our decorations. Andsomany cookies. Christmas won’t be over until we eat them all up.”
“Good,” Dove said seriously, scrambling onto her feet and heading over to the loveseat.
Ella expected that maybe Dove wanted to sit on her lap. But she turned to Dalton instead.
“I have to ask you something,” she said softly, looking down at her feet. She looked like the shy girl she had been when Dalton first arrived and the sight nearly broke Ella’s heart.
Please don’t let him be scared by what she’s about to ask,she prayed.
“What is it?” Dalton asked, leaning forward and taking Dove’s hands in his. There was a crease of worry on his forehead, like maybe he thought she was unhappy with him.
Dove lifted her chin and looked him square in the eyes. Ella could see her squared-off little shoulders relax as she gripped Dalton’s hands right back.
“Will you stay with us forever, Dalton?” she asked him, her voice bell clear. “Please?”
Dalton sucked in a quick breath, almost like a sob, and then pressed his lips together for a moment.
“That’s an awfully good offer,” he replied. “There’s something I might have to ask your mom about before I answer, okay?”
Dove nodded, a solemn expression on her face, as Dalton’s words echoed in Ella’s head.
Something I have to ask your mom about…
“Why don’t I take you up to bed, Dove?” Ella’s mom offered. “So your mom and Dalton can have a nice chat?”
“I’ll come too,” Ella’s dad chimed in. “We can talk about what we want to do for New Year’s.”
“Okay,” Dove said. “Good night, Mama. Good night, Dalton.”
“Good night, my love,” Ella said.
“Good night, sweetheart,” Dalton added.
Ella watched as her parents accompanied Dove down the hall toward the staircase.
She had been so certain about Dalton, but suddenly worry clouded her heart. She had married so young, but from all that her friends had said, most men didn’t like being hemmed in and asked to commit, certainly not toforever.
Well, I’m not going to apologize for my daughter’s wants,Ella said to herself.She deserves forever and she shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it.
If Dalton was the kind of man who got squirmy with that kind of talk, it was better to know that now.
“She wants you to stay,” she said softly. “Does that make you want to run?”
“Ella,” Dalton breathed.
She turned to him, steeling herself until she saw the emotion burning in his ocean-blue eyes.
“I want to stay,” he told her firmly. “Forever. And I want more than that.”
“More than forever?” she heard herself murmur.
“We can take this as slowly as you want, Ella,” he said, his voice deep and serious. “But this only ends in one way, and that’s with my ring around your finger.”
