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Flor
"Igot this," Frank says, his deep voice sounds like honey flowing over gravel, soothing yet strong. His message masculine with a touch of sweetness.
He kisses me on the forehead, hands on my hips, and then kisses me once more before his grasp leaves me and he moves toward the front steps, knowing my dad is just inside with no clue about the surprise Frank has in store for him.
"Wait!" I call out, quickly moving to catch up to the already two large steps his strides have eaten up. "I'm going with you."
"You don't have to. I've got this."
"No. I'm an adult. I'm by your side always, right?"
He nods and holds out his hand. Interlacing my fingers in his he nods and together we move forward.
I put my key in the door and Frank holds it open while I walk through, Frank coming after me.
"I saw the news," Dad says, jumping up from the couch. "The story is still breaking. Look, it's live right-" His sentence ends in an abrupt halt as his finger, which is pointing at the TV, slowly drops, his arm now by his side as he takes in the sight of Frank and our serious expressions. "What's going on?"
"Larry, we need to talk," Frank says matter of factly.
"Definitely," Dad says, quickly cleaning off a space on the couch for Frank as I sit down in a chair. "About the case, right?"
"Yes, but that's not why I came here."
Dad stills and Franks points to the couch where dad's standing. "Might be a good idea if we both sit."
Dad doesn't move for a second and then finally lowers himself into the cushion very slowly.
Frank does the same, opposite dad on another chair.
"Regarding the case. To sum it up, your daughter cracked it. Seems a judge was working with my boss, the chief of police, and together they were trying to save the city from lawsuits, like the one that cost your wife her life. It was all about not paying out, the same way a lot of health care providers have bull shit policies where they'll literally deny your claim the first seven times you call, as a part of protocol, having actuaries that know the math works out because for some odd reason enough people will call seven times but not eight. Well, seems the city took that to a whole other level because they're the government, their decision is final, especially when you've got the judge making them in your back pocket. With that said, I'd expect Fiona's case to be won in the near term, a slam dunk. And since it's the city, and your daughter exposed the light on their wrongdoings, I'm guessing they'll want to pay out however many of these claims there are as soon as possible to get this out of the news and off the top of everyone's mind."
"That's...great, right?"
"Couldn't be better considering the circumstances. But...there's something else that I'm not so sure how you're going to feel about." There's a long pause where my dad says nothing in reply. My legs start shaking and I even hear my teeth chattering in anxiety, which is a first. "I'm in love with Flor."
Dad sits there, still as stone, and then finally exhales a long breath. "That's it? That's the big surprise?"
Frank nods. "Yeah, you're not angry?"
Dad stands, takes in a deep breath and blows it out again. "Well, I can't say any father wouldn't be taken aback by hearing his daughter is dating someone his own age, but-"
"In love. Not dating. Big difference," Frank says. "This is real. This is forever."
"I understand, Frank, but what I was going to say was I can't be surprised in more ways than one. You're a man I've always trusted and to be honest, looked up to. I've done some sketchy things in my time, which is why I'm the informant with underground contacts and you're the shining example of mankind with your badge and impenetrable ethics. What's not to like? How could Flor not...love you...after all the things I've told her about you. Not to mention how you've helped us bring as much closure as possible to our time here in Miami."
"I don't want you to go," Frank says, jumping up. "You should stay."
"That's Flor's decision, not mine."
"But it's better to have you here, Larry. Not to throw this all on you at once but I'm not wasting any time. I want kids, a lot of them, and I want you in their lives."
Dad nods. "Yeah?" he says, his voice cracking.
"I swear."
"Well, you have to get married first before you have kids right?"
"My thoughts exactly," Frank says, taking a step toward me, taking my hands, and guiding my backside out of the La-Z-Boy as I stand. Dropping to a knee he pulls a small robin egg colored box out of his pocket, the color of Tiffany's. I know because my dad got information from there once, a story he told me about long ago when he and Frank caught a burglar. Life comes full circle because he's seconds away from capturing my heart. Popping the top he reveals a huge, sparkling diamond. I wouldn't care if it was one of those candy rings you get at the convenience store for a quarter. All I care about is that I'm about to belong to him, officially. Together.
"Beautiful, this ring belongs on your hand just like you belong in my life. You always have and always will. That will never change. As you've seen in just a very short time we make an incredible team, wherever we go." He gives me a wink that my dad can't see, letting me know he means in and out of the bedroom. "Just imagine how much fun we'll team up for now, for the rest of our lives with a bunch of kids running around as we change from solving the crimes of today to discovering which child in our house ate the cookies before dinner?" I giggle in between the tears that are coming down. "I'm the luckiest man to ever walk the face of the earth because I walk it hand in hand with you. Now let's put a diamond on that hand to show the whole world who you belong to, forever, just like I belong to you. You're my everything. Will you be my wife? Will you marry me?"
I nod and then say, "Yes," as strongly as I can but it barely comes out, my body shutting down on me as I'm unable to speak, so excited I barely know where I am right now.
But I'm reminded of where I belong, forever, with him, as he slides the ring on my finger, a perfect fit.
Standing he grabs me and kisses me and I pass out right in his arms.
Saved by my dad's cop friend, who stole my heart. Forever.
