“You’ve got good taste. So, did Daddy tell you why you’re here?” she asked, and Lou nodded her head, not dismissing the daddy title.
“He has a beautiful ring for your mom. It belonged to his grandma, and we made sure it would fit your mom perfectly. Your dad, though… He’s been really nervous. He wanted you to have the final say. Make sure it’s good enough for your mom. Do you wanna see it?” Lou looked between the two of us, her face flushing with excitement.
“Really? I can help?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Of course. No one knows your mom better than you. I absolutely need your help. Think you’re up for it?” I tugged on her ponytail, somehow already slipping to the side despite the fact that I helped her style it that morning. We had pulled it into a high ponytail, making sure it was top and center before braiding it so she looked like Rumi from K-Pop demon hunters.
Carmella had disappeared during my conversation with Lou, reappearing with a wooden box and a velvet tray. With flair and a slowness that had me sweating, she opened the box, but kept the contents hidden. Then, gently, she laid out my grandmother’s ring—the one I had resized. Next to it was the custom wedding band I had picked out to match both the engagement ring and Sophie’s style.
“Wow. That looks like a fairy princess ring!” Lu breathed, leaning up on her elbows to stare at the ring closer while bouncing around in my arms excitedly.
“Do you want to hold it?” Carmella asked, rolling her lips in to stop herself from laughing at Lou’s over-the-top response.
“Can I? “ she asked, her head looking between the two of us. As soon as we nodded, she held her small hand out. Pulling the velvet tray below Lou’s trembling palm, she slipped the ring onto her pointer finger. Far too big, Carmella held it in place so Lou could examine it.
“It’s so pretty. Mommy is gonna love it. It looks like the earrings from Great-grandma Eloise. Mama wears them for every holiday. They’re her favorite.” I smiled at Lou’s rambling, her attention to detail never ceasing to surprise and amaze me.
“So you approve? I asked. She nodded so fast I was afraid she was going to give herself whiplash.
“Well, you heard the boss. Sounds like we’ve got the greenlight,” I told Carmella on a laugh as I saw how excited Lou was.
“Congratulations! A beautiful ring for a beautiful family,” she replied. Her wide smile was infectious.
“And about that other… thing we talked about?” I asked as my heart rate increased. This part was even more nerve-wracking.
“Of course. I have it right here. Can I take it out?” she asked, looking between Lou and me.
“Yes. I think now’s a good time.” I winked at Carmella, who busied herself for a minute as I turned to Lou.
“I know you said you were okay with your mom and me getting married.” I paused, Lou’s little face looking up at me with so much hope and wariness. Determined not to fuck this up, I cleared my throat, focusing all my attention on her.
“I have a question I want to ask you. Will you be my family? Will you take me as your stepdad? That means coaching sports, chaperoning dances, and embarrassing you on dates. So maybe you should take a minute to think about it,” I joked, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest and the nervous energy rushing through my body.
Before I could freak out any further, Lou launched herself against my chest, wrapping her arms around me.
“We’re already family, silly,” she said, kissing me on the cheek just as a light went off. Carmella was standing behind the counter, her phone aimed at us as a tear streaked down her face.
“I’m sorry. It was so sweet. I just thought your wife might want to see it,” she said, looking at me nervously.
“Send it to me. You have my number. Thank you, Carmella. For everything,” I told her. She nodded at me, her fingers moving swiftly across her phone before she tucked it away. Back to business, she went back to the forgotten box that sat on the counter.
Lifting the lid, she pulled out a necklace. It was a similar design to Sophie’s ring, but smaller.
“So you can match. So you both know how important you are to me,” I told Lou. She looked at me with big eyes. Her small hand reached out to touch the necklace, hovering just above it.
“This is gonna be the best proposal ever,” she yelled, and the entire store erupted into laughter and cheers.
“Now, there’s just one thing left to talk about,” I told her, using a mock stern voice.
“Ice cream?” she asked, looking at me hopefully.
“We can add that to the list as well,” I told her, unable to say no to anything she asked me at that moment.
After ice cream, as we sat on a picnic bench eating our treats, I watched in awe as Lou got just as much on her shirt as she did in her belly. But she was happy, so I didn’t care. Clearing my throat, I turned to face my pint-sized sidekick.
“So, about that ride in the truck…” Lou froze, her face awestruck.
“How would you like to finally do that…”
