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The head table had been extended to include Gunnar, so there was room for Hannah whether she showed up or not. “Her relationship with her daughter is…”
“Complicated?” I raised my eyebrows. I knew what that felt like.
Dad laughed and brushed his face with his napkin. “A different kind of complicated.”
I didn’t know what had happened between Marisa and her daughter, and I wasn’t going to ask. I knew all about complicated father-daughter relationships, and was thankful that I finally had some time to really get to know William King.
My father took a sip of his coffee and then cleared his throat. “I was thinking…”
This caught my attention. He seemed nervous.
“About what?” The butter squished in my mouth as I bit into a bite of pancakes.
“The Sam Strand charity. I know that you’re taking a step back from the family business, but I’d really like to expand the charity. I can’t think of a better way to spend our money and honor Gloria.”
I washed the pancakes down with orange juice and thought about his proposition. “I’ll do it.”
My dad smiled.
“On one condition.”
“Shoot, kiddo.”
“I’d like to rename it after Mom.”
My father paused with his knife and fork in his hands. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The air in the room lifted and I could tell that it had taken a lot for my father to work up the courage to ask me to run the charity. “How is the new coach working out?”
“Great, though I think the stats speak for themselves.”
When my father found out Coach had lied about having his approval to bench Gunnar, he was furious. And after firing Coach, I’d hung up my pinstripe suit and walked out of King Coliseum, leaving my career and the Ice Queen behind with it.
As we finished breakfast, I heard the chopper touch down on the helipad. “Are we expecting someone?” I asked.
“I think that they’re doing some maintenance.”
My father was acting a little weird. After breakfast, instead of taking the direct route to the cabin, he gave me a tour of the farthest reaches of King Estate under the guise of checking the fencing. As we finally approached the cabin now, I got a whiff of smoke, even though I hadn’t lit the fire that morning.
“Dad! Something’s wrong.” He had barely stopped the ATV when I hopped out, Norman running ahead. But my father didn’t follow to investigate. Instead, he waved and drove off.
The cabin wasn’t on fire. The smoke was coming from the bank of the river. Someone had lit a small fire and placed two chairs around it. “Hello?” I shouted.
The boughs of the willow tree parted, causing snow to thump to the ground. “In here.”
Gunnar had a wry grin on his face.
“Gunnar! I thought the cabin was on fire! What are you doing here?”
“Come into the willow fort.” He laughed.
I stepped into a fairy tale. Underneath the canopy of the tree, tea lights twinkled, and rose petals were strewn on the snow that had managed to find its way through the branches. “It’s beautiful.” I turned in a circle, taking in the fairy forest vibes.
Then I saw him, on one knee.
“Everleigh King.” He held out a black velvet box and then cracked it open, revealing a huge emerald ring. “Will you marry me?”
I clapped my hand over my mouth and stood stunned for a second. “Yes.” I rushed to Gunnar and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Yes, I will marry you, Gunnar Lockwood.” He slipped the ring onto my finger and squeezed me tightly.
