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“Why not?”
She was yanked from her thoughts with such force she had to recall what Mathew had asked of her. It took a little longer than she expected, and he frowned at her while he waited.
Right. He wanted to know why she didn’t know if they would get married.
“I’m not sure if your dad is ready to move to the next step of our relationship.”
“He is.” Mathew’s statement was so quick and ready, that she had to wonder what they’d talked about when she wasn’t around. “Doyouwant to get married?”
She bit back a smile. “Boy, you’re chock full of questions today, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “I just thought it’d be nice if I got what I wanted for Christmas.”
Dianna knew she would regret it the second the words escaped her throat. “And what’s that? What did you want for Christmas that you haven’t received yet? From what I remember, you got plenty of presents.”
“Yeah…” he drawled, “but I didn’t get what I wanted most.”
“Which is…” she prompted with exaggeration.
“A new mom.”
Just like that, her whole body flashed with hot and cold sparks. Her extremities went numb and her heart pounded erratically. “And you wantmeto be that for you?”
Mathew looked her dead in the eyes. “Don’t you want to be my mom?”
A bark of laughter was the only sound she could muster. “What?”
He shrugged and turned his attention back to his picture. “I like you. You like me. And my dad likes you. Why wouldn’t you want to be my mom?”
She leaned closer to him. “Buddy, it’s not as easy as all that. Both people need towantto get married first.”
“My dad does. I think he wants to ask you, but he’s scared.”
Dianna nearly choked on her beverage. Before she could say another word, the door opened and Tristan wandered in, dusting himself off from the firewood he’d gathered. He flashed them a smile from the doorway, and she returned it.
Tristan wanted to ask her to marry him. When he’d brought it up on Christmas Eve, she hadn’t believed him. In fact, she’d thought he was just saying that to make her feel good. But the thrill that coursed through her veins at Mathew’s confession was enough to set everything inside her on fire. If he were to come over to the table and ask her at this moment, she already knew the answer.
That was how her brain worked. When she knew she wanted something, she was all in.
And looking around the cabin at Mathew and Tristan only solidified those feelings. This could be her life, and it was one that she wanted.
But if Tristan was too nervous to do anything about it, she might just have to do something about it all by herself.
* * *
Dianna and Tristaneach held one of Mathew’s hands in theirs as they wandered toward the country club. They promised Mathew that he could stay up until the ball dropped if he took a nap.
When that kid wanted something, he made sure to make it happen.
She grinned down at him, loving that they shared so much in common. It was as if God himself had sent Tristan and Mathew into her life because he knew how much they all needed one another. They fit like the pieces of a puzzle.
Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Dianna glanced up to find Tristan smiling. She laughed. “What?”
“I love you,” Tristan said.
Mathew craned his head around, his focus bouncing from his father to Dianna. “Aren’t you gonna tell him?”
Dianna’s insides froze and she met Tristan’s curious gaze with a fresh wave of nerves. She hadn’t told Mathew she had made special plans for the night. How did he know?
