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I only hope he can trust me for long enough to show him, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure his daughter is always happy.
Chapter Thirty
Candace
I sink onto the familiar couch, happy to be home at last – even if I don’t intend on staying here for a very long time. Melbourne was amazing, and whatever comes next will be amazing too. It’s just nice to get a chance to say goodbye to my old home before it all changes.
Mom sets out a mug of coffee in front of me, with another in front of Sean, before retreating to the other couch to sit with Dad. It feels strange, this gathering of the four of us. Like the power balance has completely shifted and changed since the last time I sat here, which was only just over a week ago.
Everything really is different now. My parents are almost like the enemy in this, though I hope they’ll come around. And I’m part of a new team. The team of me and Sean. The team I know I’m going to be on for the rest of my life, no matter what happens here today.
“Alright,” Mom says, folding her hands across her lap. She has a reasonable and steady tone like she’s here to mediate things and make sure that we don’t all start yelling again. “It seems like you two might have some plans you’d like to share with us.”
I glance nervously at Sean. He nods, encouraging me to take the lead. He’s right. I have to show them that we’ve thought this through. That it’s not just a flash in the pan. That we’re serious, both of us, about our future together.
“We’re going to come and live here in upstate New York,” I say, trying to keep my tone level and calm in response. I keep telling myself to slow down, to pace myself. To remember that I’m an adult here, too, and not just the child anymore. “Sean has already picked out a number of houses that could work, in neighboring towns and a little further afield based on what was available on the market. We’ve decided to spend the week here, and view as many of them as we can so that we can make a decision on a property.”
“Here?” Dad says, his brows thundering down.
“I’ll stay in a local hotel, of course,” Sean speaks up. Our hands are interlaced between us, and I feel strength coming from that bond. “I’ve already made the reservation. All I need to do is head over there later when we’ve finished talking for the day, to check in.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Mom says, nodding. I can’t help but notice that her hand is resting on top of Dad’s arm as if to caution him with patience and restraint. “So, you’ll stay local.”
“As local as possible, given our requirements,” I nod. There aren’t a lot of properties around here big enough for our budget, and with proximity to an area where Sean would be able to set up an office. The other option is to build something, but that would take so long. I know that we both feel like we want to get this done and move in together as soon as possible.
“Well, that’s a positive thing,” Mom says. She glances at Dad. “I don’t want to wish you badly, but we must be practical. If it doesn’t work out between the two of you, you’ll be able to come home easily. And Candace, if you stay local, you’ll be able to come and visit us regularly. We’ll always be here if you need to talk something over.”
I nod. I don’t believe I’ll need it – not in the sense of the relationship breaking up. But I do love my family, and I don’t want to lose that connection and support. It’s good that she’s already seeing that we can make this work, just by making small compromises such as staying close.
“After we’ve moved in, we’d like to start planning the wedding,” I say, lifting my hand and making my ring catch the glittering light. We already did the whole cooing-over-the-ring thing as soon as I arrived, and Mom clearly approves of the diamond Sean picked out. “We don’t want to have a long engagement. I know you have your reservations, Dad, but we’re both sure about this. We want to get married as soon as we can make all of the necessary arrangements.”
My Mom hesitates slightly. “It’s not that I’m trying to put you off, but it can take a long time to plan a wedding. Especially a big one. You’ll need to make sure everything is perfect, and when there are a lot of moving parts to think about, that can take months – or even longer.”
