AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I want you to be part of the decision, Maddie. If you’re not okay with this—with us together, then I’ll back off.”
My heart contracted in my chest.
Maddie tipped her head to the side, considering him. “You want to be my daddy?”
Easton shook his head solemnly. “You have a father. I just want to be one more person you can depend on. The one who takes care of your mother and you. I want you to feel free to come to me with questions and advice. I want to play soccer with you and shoot baskets in the driveway. I want to be part of your family.”
“You want to marry my mom?”
“If that’s okay with you.” Easton’s expression was solemn.
There was a tense few seconds when I wasn’t sure how Maddie would react. I almost wished he’d discussed it with me first.
Maddie looked at me. “I think that sounds great.”
I smiled as the tears spilled over.
Eaton leaned closer to her. “I’ll spend the rest of my life protecting you, caring for you, and loving you.”
There was no ring. It wasn’t an official proposal. It was him asking Maddie if she’d be okay with us being together as a family. And I loved that Easton approached it that way.
Maddie tipped her head to the side. “You’ll come to my soccer games?”
“Of course. I’ve been coming, and I want to continue. I want to see you play.”
Her father never came. His excuse was that he lived far away, but he could come on a weekend and see one game. The fact was you made time for what was important to you.
I dreaded the day Maddie figured that out. But her father was the only one who could make those changes.
“Can we make s’mores?”
“Outside or in the microwave?” Easton asked as he stood and moved toward the kitchen.
Maddie rolled her eyes. “Outside, of course.”
I smiled at them. I wished for Maddie to have someone in her life, but there were many times when I didn’t believe it would happen. It was asking a lot for a man to love not only me but her. And I knew Easton was already well on his way to loving her if he didn’t already.
We roasted marshmallows over the fire pit in the backyard. We’d already decided to stay overnight. We’d done it several times in the past, and Maddie loved staying there.
Since our bedroom was on the opposite side of the house, we felt like we had a little privacy, but we still locked the door.
Once Maddie was tucked in her bed in her room, I approached Easton in our bedroom. “Thank you for asking Maddie what she wanted.” Then I asked what I really wanted to know. “Would you really have walked away if she’d been upset?”
Easton sighed. “I would have had to be okay with it. I would have done whatever it took to make her comfortable with us. Whether that was more quality time together or something else. I would have listened to her concerns and tried to alleviate them. But I’m not sure I could have walked away completely.”
“She really likes you.”
Easton huffed out a laugh. “That’s good because I think I love that girl.”
The night had been so emotional, and my heart soared with the knowledge that Easton was our future. The man that would be by our side forever. “I thought so.”
He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “Are you happy?”
“I’m so happy. I don’t think I could feel any better than I do right now.”
“Move in with me.” It felt spontaneous, but I knew he’d thought about it. Each move he’d made had been perfectly planned.
“I want to make sure Maddie’s okay with it.” I thought she would be. She loved Easton’s house.
