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“Mine,” he says, looking at me with narrowed, possessive eyes. “I like the sound of that more than words could ever say. All I can say is I love you, princess.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“My girl.”
Epilogue
Josi
One month later
I wave at my laptop screen before ending my Zoom, online video conferencing call with my calligraphy students. Last week, when we got back from our honeymoon, I started an online class centering around calligraphy and letters and I already have seven students. It’s not a lot of money, but I couldn’t be happier. I’ve managed to avoid college, avoid getting a ‘real job’, and am doing something I love. Plus, my online reviews have been fantastic so far and if I continue to grow this could very well become a real job in just a few months, not that we need the money.
I thought James was crazy when he turned down twenty thousand dollars to do an exclusive interview, Barbara Walters style. But, as always, Daddy knew best.
He held out and eventually accepted a quarter million dollar advance for a tell all book about his life, our life, and a generous cut of the royalties. His publisher called yesterday and said sales have been incredible and if we keep this up we’ll clear a million dollars in the first year alone…easily.
He keeps trying to tell me the money all belongs to me, but I keep reminding him it’s his story and not mine. We agreed that we’d use the money to buy a house and save the rest for our children. James swears he got me pregnant our first time, and I’ve always thought he was a bit crazy for being so sure of it.
Well, five minutes ago in the bathroom a simple test confirmed that Daddy was right yet again.
“How was the class,” I hear, as a pair of big arms wrap me up from behind.
“Amazing. Thank you. How was the talk with the real estate agent?”
“Ready?” he asks, and I pivot and stand so I can face him. “It might have been better if you stayed sitting down,” he jokes.
“We got it?” My mouth hangs open.
“Offer accepted,” he confirms, and I jump into his arms. His lips find mine and he quickly shares the details. “Even though our offer was a tad below some of the other ones, the owner really liked us and what we stood for. They said the big thing for them was they’d lived in that community their whole lives and that there’s rarely a sale there, the last one coming eight years ago. They didn’t see it as just selling us a house, but instead allowing us to be a steward of their home, keeping the spirit of the community intact.”
“All the while we sip lemonades and watch the sunset over the Rockies in Colorado.”
“You got it, love.”
“And I’ve got something to tell you, love."
His eyes and ears perk up and a smile covers my face. It’s the same one that’s been there since he surprised me by taking me to the South of France for our wedding right on the beach in the Côte d'Azur, and then followed it up by marrying me all over again
in Florida when we got back, telling me he wanted us to get married in as many countries as possible because he really does want the entire world to know I’m his.
“I’m ready.”
“You might want to sit down for this…Daddy,” I tease.
He playfully carries me back to the seat I was sitting in where I conduct my classes in our garden. “You said Daddy slightly different than normal.”
“Whoever said men don’t pick up on the small details.”
“I do because I love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” I emphasize his title once again, and then take his hand and place it over my stomach.
“You mean…?”
I nod. “The take home test confirmed it, so we still need to see a doctor, but I can definitely feel that something’s…different.”
“Exactly what I’ve been saying since the moment I got your letter. Everything changed. Everything became different, in the best way imaginable. Then again I couldn’t have imagined all of this,” he says, but instead of looking around our rental house, he looks at my stomach, and then at me, knowing what the most important thing in life truly is.
