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“I have the same question for you. What’s wrong, Little Treat. Just tell me. We can solve this right now.”
“You said you didn’t want me anymore.”
“What?” I question, my head jerking back. “I’d never say that in a million years.”
“Ok, not your words exactly but you said I was free to live my life.”
I try and think back, my facial expression twisted as I rack my brain for what in the hell she’s talking about.
“Wait. You mean after I told you about your ex-boss?”
“Yes!” she practically shouts. “It was about as clear as could be without you coming out and being mean and just telling me to go.”
“Baby girl, you listen to me and you listen to me good,” I say, cupping her face and getting so close to her our noses are almost touching. “What I was saying is you were free to live your life without fear. You weren’t free to go. You’re mine, and when you’re mine that means always. Understand?”
“But everything is taken care of now. The clothes you ordered for me arrived. Thank you for those. You took care of the guy bothering me and you paid off dad’s house. You basically said ‘everything is setup back where you were, now you can safely go back home.’”
“Not what I was saying at all, Little One. You’re not free from me. Once I laid eyes on you you were mine forever. Sure, I took care of that jerk for you, but I also did it for me. I couldn’t sleep well at night knowing there was someone out there after you and Daddy hadn’t taken care of it yet. That’s my job as your Daddy…to make sure you never worry about anything, ever. And I can’t look myself in the eye and know I’m a good Daddy when there are threats to you on this earth. That’s not only bad for me as a man, and your Daddy, but makes my business look bad. If that’s not three strikes your out I don’t know what is. But let me clarify, sending you away never crossed my mind until just now as I’m trying to explain everything. This was always about us, and me not wanting to be a failure as your Daddy.”
“Failure? You’re everything I could have ever hoped for. Are you sure you really want this…what we have. Me?”
“Am I sure?” I ask like it’s the most outlandish question I’ve ever heard, because it is.
“Remember how I ran off earlier?”
“How could I forget?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not very emotionally intelligent and that call hit me so hard that I didn’t read your reaction. I should have known. Daddy needs to work on that, but I’ll get it…I’ll figure it out as I learn more and more about my little girl.”
“Where did you rush off to that was so urgent then?”
“A business I’ve been trying to convert to a client for years had a break-in today.”
“You went to try and get a client? That was that important to the man who has it all?”
“I don’t have it all, but he had something of mine that would allow me to truly have it all.”
“What? What kind of cryptic reply is that? It’s almost like you answered a question with a question, although the question is the one in my head, as in what in the heck are you talking about?”
“Oh I’ve got a question all right,” I say, dropping to a knee and pulling a small, black velvet box from my trouser pocket. “This is what that man was holding for me. His name? Jacob the Jeweler. And this was absolutely a special order for the most special girl in the world.”
“Oh my…” she begins as I pop open the top.
“Halloween is known for two things more than any other…tricks and treats. When you showed up at my door this Halloween my security guard, Dracula for the night, thought it was a trick. To be honest I did too at first. But once I heard you speak, saw who you were as a person, I knew you were the treat I wanted each and every year for the rest of my life. And I want to treat you to everything you could ever dream of, forever. Little Treat, you’re as sweet as they come, and you’re the only sweetheart for me.” I pause. “Baby, next year we’re going out on Halloween as Bonnie and Clyde, because you stole my heart, you little robber you. And now that it’s yours, don’t ever give it back…because I’m not giving back yours either. Make me the happiest man on the face of the earth. Be my wife…forever.”
“Yes!” she says, without hesitation and I slide the ring on her finger. Suddenly the bus station is bombarded with the sound of horns and I look up to see all the bus drivers flashing their lights and honking. “Kiss her!” one guy yells from the driver’s seat, but quickly it turns into a chant.
“I would love nothing more, because I love you,” I say, standing part way so her face is just inches from mine.
“And I love you.”
We kiss and without taking my lips from hers I scoop her up off her feet and carry her to my Range Rover.
“Time for Daddy to punish you for running away,” I whisper into her ear before I carefully place her in the passenger seat.
“I knew being naughty on Halloween had its perks,” she winks.
“It may not be Halloween on the calendar but every day is Halloween to me from now on.”
