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“All in good time.” He winked. It had been so long since he’d felt playful and relaxed like this. Carrying around his guilt over his daughter’s death had changed him, but he was learning how to be the man he’d been before.
She arched a brow but didn't ask any more questions and gently tugged her hand from his grip to hurry up the stairs. She returned a few minutes later in jeans, fur-lined boots, a greenturtleneck sweater, with the required coat, scarf, mittens, and beanie in her arms.
“Let’s go.” Michael grinned, he knew he would have to work to earn Samara’s trust back, but he thought he had a pretty good first step planned out.
Although he wanted to hold her hand, he didn't want to push too hard too soon, so they walked side by side down the driveway to his car. He opened the door for her and closed it once she’d buckled her seatbelt. The drive was mostly silent, he was nervous about whether he could ever make up for hurting Samara, and she was no doubt wondering if she should or shouldn’t give him a second chance.
“We’re here,” he announced as he parked the car.
“The park?” Samara sounded confused. “You want to have a picnic? There’s a foot of snow on the ground and more coming down.”
“I remember the first time Heidi saw snow. She was eleven months old and just learning to walk. It was my week to have her, and we were coming back from the grocery store. I took her out of her car seat and put her down in the front yard while I grabbed the bags and snowflakes started to fall. She was so excited, she didn't know what to make of it. She kept toddling about everywhere, as fast as her little legs would carry her, trying to catch the snowflakes on her hands.” He smiled at the memory. It was getting easier to think about the good times with his daughter without feeling like the world was going to open up and swallow him whole.
“I bet she looked so cute.” Samara reached out and laid a hand on top of his.
“She did. You look kind of cute yourself.” He smiled.
Samara made a face at him, and put on her coat, scarf, mittens, and beanie, and climbed out of the car. “Is the picnic basket in the trunk? Do you need help carrying everything?”
“Nope.”
“Are we going to walk to a restaurant to get dinner then?”
“Nope.”
“So, what are we eating?”
“You’ll see.” This time he took her hand and began to lead her through the park, past the playground, around the lake to a small gazebo on the other side.
“Oh, Mike.” Samara gasped when she saw it. “It’s beautiful.”
He’d had fairy lights strung up around the whole thing, and it glowed and sparkled in the quickly approaching dark. “Not as beautiful as you.”
She looked up at him and her cheeks pinked. “You were pretty confident I’d say yes to the date.”
Michael shook his head. “Not confident, just hopeful. Come on, there’s more.” He pulled her on and was rewarded with another gasp as they walked up the three steps and into the gazebo. There was a small fire in a wood-burning camp stove at the far end of the gazebo, in the center was a round table set for a candlelight dinner for two, and dozens of rose petals scattered across the floor. With all the fairy lights the place had a magical feel that he hoped Samara could feel as well.
“It’s gorgeous,” Samara gushed. “I’ve never been on a date like this before.”
He knew that she had dated a little over the last year, he’d been keeping tabs on her through Brady, and while he hated the thought of her with another man, he was glad that she finally saw that she deserved to have a happy future. “We have music too,” he told her, pressing an app on his cell phone that was linked to the speakers he’d set up earlier. An original recording of Winter Wonderland sung by Richard Himber filled the gazebo.
“That song is perfect.” He still held Samara’s hand, and she squeezed his tightly. “Thank you for doing all of this for me.”
“Thank you for agreeing to come.” Samara stared up at him, and he stared down at her, their eyes locked together like magnets. Her lips parted just the tiniest bit, and Michael was just dipping his head when the sound of bells jingled in the air.
“What’s that?” Samara asked, her eyes excited as she looked about.
“Sleigh bells,” he replied. “Just like in the song. I thought we might take a little ride before dinner.” Hand in hand, he led her out of the gazebo and around to the back of it where a sleigh pulled by a single horse wearing bells stood waiting for them.
“You really thought of everything.” Samara clapped her hands delightedly.
It had taken a fair bit of effort to pull all of this off. Arranging the horse and sleigh, getting permission to have them here in the park, setting up the gazebo, having someone here to serve the meal, but it was all worth it to see the smile on Samara’s face. “I just wanted tonight to be special for you. From now on, when you think of Christmas, I want you to think of this. Of how magical everything was, the snow, and the sleigh, the music, the lights, even if we don’t end up together.” Michael was very aware that his decision to leave might make that a reality. “I don’t want you to think of Christmas time as a time when you’re alone and sad. I want you to think of this and remember that there is always one person in the world who loves you more than anything else.”
“Thank you,” she said. The words were simple, but the emotion in them told him that she would. From now on shewouldthink of this when she thought about Christmas time. Even if they didn't end up together, he could take solace in the fact that he had brightened the dark days in her life.
“Ready to go for a ride?”
“Dying to.”
