Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
“Why was Daddy sad?” she asks, sounding so sad herself at the notion.
“Because he wanted to be here with you and he couldn’t be,” Abbie says gently, pacifying her.
My gaze shoots to Jake, finding his eyes fixed on the little girl, emotion pooling in them. I don’t know if I can hold myself together for much longer.
Charlotte seems quite satisfied with the answer, turning away from her aunty and back to me. “Thank you for making my Daddy happy!” she sings, beaming up at me. “Now I can help you make him happy, too! Because he’s fought all the baddies! And now he can be my daddy!”
Oh my God. I swallow repeatedly, forcing a smile before I have a quick peek at Jake to gauge what’s going through his mind. I can’t tell. He looks lost between wonder and confusion. “You’re welcome,” I whisper.
“Daddy asked me to help him with something,” she declares, her little chest puffing out proudly.
My recoil is mild. “He has?”
She nods, taking Jake’s hand in both of hers, hanging from him. “You have to come into the garden.”
I throw Jake a questioning look that goes right over his head. “I guess we should go in the garden,” he says, coughing his throat clear, gesturing for us to lead on.
I look to Abbie and she shrugs, a hint of a smile on her face. “The garden,” she affirms, placing a hand on my back to encourage me onward.
With nothing left to do except as I’m bid by all three of them, I follow Charlotte until I’m in the lush green space that boasts a vegetable patch as well as a shed that has had each panel of wood painted a different color. The mix of colors between each plank tells me Charlotte may have helped out.
“Would you like to sit?” Jake asks, circling me and pointing to an empty chair.
“I don’t know. Do I need to?”
“Yes!” Charlotte squeals, excitement building, pushing me on with a strength that defies her little frame. I plop down into the chair and she assesses my position, then looks up at Jake. “You’re tall, Daddy. You need to kneel or you won’t be able to kiss her.”
I sit up straight and Jake laughs, bringing a finger to his lips. “Shhhh.”
Charlotte’s eyes go all round and she slaps a hand over her mouth. “Oops!”
“What’s going on?” I ask, not liking being in the dark or the center of attention.
Jake’s happy smile turns shy as Charlotte pushes into his hip, forcing him closer to me. I look up at him, and it takes me a few blank moments to realize that his face is coming closer.
Because he’s dropping to his knee.
I sit back in my chair, anxious. Oh my goodness, what is he doing?
He lands on his knee and takes my hand, pulling me forward. I make it as hard as possible for him. Cocking his head curiously, he tugs so I jerk forward. “When I told Charlotte that we were going to get married,” Jakes begins quietly, “she asked me how I’d asked you.” He looks at his grinning daughter and laughs a little, raking a hand through his hair nervously. “She wasn’t very impressed.”
She wasn’t? But it was perfect. I don’t say that, though, because Charlotte is nodding her agreement, her little head bobbing fast. Abbie laughs from behind.
“She said it wasn’t like the fairy tales,” Jake goes on, his voice breaking a little, but he fights his way through it and pulls in air.
“Why?” I look to Charlotte and her little eyes roll impatiently.
“Because he didn’t give you a ring!” she cries. “All the princes have a ring for their princess!”
“Ohhh,” I breathe, thinking it best not to tell her that I did, in fact, have a ring. Until it washed off in the shower.
“Now he has a ring!” She’s virtually shaking with excitement. “Give it to her, Daddy!”
He does?
I bite my lip, feeling Jake flexing his fingers around mine.
“Do you mind if we do this again?” he asks, a little embarrassed.
I could cry. I’m about to tell him that he doesn’t need to, but I’m interrupted by Charlotte crawling up the side of my chair, pushing something onto my head. “Now you’re a proper princess,” she declares, climbing down.
I reach up and feel the plastic of a tiara resting in my hair.
“It was Cinderella’s,” she tells me, all matter-of-fact.
I laugh nervously. “Thank you.” She looks so proud of herself.
Jake looks to his daughter for permission to go on, and she nods her agreement, grinning. Then he turns to me and pulls out a ring—a beautifully simple diamond ring. “Camille Logan,” he breathes, and I choke up, straightening my lips to prevent showing myself up and blubbering like a fool. I’m certain Charlotte wouldn’t be impressed. Cinderella didn’t cry. Jake smiles, so dazzling and happy. I swear he’d give Prince Charming a run for his money. He squeezes my hand. “Will you have me forever?”