Chapter Twenty-two

Skeet

 

Things had gone better than I had anticipated. After our fishing adventure, I saw a great deal of Veeta...and Celeste, of course, but she did allow us some time alone to bond. For once I was happy to have a salesman-style sedan to get around town since I needed a car seat to drive my daughter anywhere. She was pretty pleased with it too when she saw video screens on the back of the front seats’ headrests.

Veeta made me laugh and kept me on my toes when I quickly learned that it was best not to tell her “yes” to anything without conferring with Celeste. She wasn’t calling me Dad or Daddy. I heard the word “hey” a lot. She had gotten away from calling me Mister and she was introducing me to everyone we came in contact with as her daddy. The big introduction to her classroom was probably the most interesting with lots of raised hands to ask me questions.

“How old are you?”

“Where have you been?”

“Are you married to Veeta’s mommy?

That last question struck me the hardest. I wanted to say yes or at least not yet. Some kid answered for me, “Get with it, you don’t have to be married to get a baby.”

He was right. So many people didn’t get married. Had kids and lived happily ever after. I need the whole white wedding, ring on the finger scenario and I didn’t care if that was an old fashion way of thinking. Mainly, I wanted us to be a family that lived in the same place together, every day of the week.

I still wanted that new start and I wanted it even more since learning about Veeta. Maybe I was totally selfish wanting to take them both away from their life on the farm. But it was the perfect time. School was going to be out in a week. It was a pre-school and there was no chance of her going to school with the same kids. If I could get them to come away with me, Veeta would start school after the summer and make lifelong friends.

“What are you waiting for? Doesn’t your new position start soon?” My pop walked into the bar when I was sitting on a barstool talking to Dean who was a bit down in the dumps because Nora still hadn’t gotten pregnant since they had started doing fertility procedures.

I didn’t really want to talk about my new little family in front of my friend, but it was hard not to with my pop giving me advice. He had been wild about Veeta even before he knew she was his granddaughter, the new information made him giddy when she was around him. Strangely enough, Veeta had no problem calling him Grandpop which made him feel proud.

“It’s never easy raising kids. There will be ups and downs with them, but I think you’re right to start your new family life in a new place. And you better have room for me to come visit.”

“What’s Pete talking about? Are you taking them out to California?” Dean asked.

“No. Not that far and I haven’t even talked to Celeste about it yet.”

“She’s going to love what he’s done for her...for them.” I was shaking my head and telling him to quiet down.

Dale, with his eagle ears, was surely paying attention to every word he said and hoping to stir up trouble. He had already told Celeste what a mistake she was making letting me take Veeta places alone after he saw us at the diner when I picked her up from school one day. I don’t think he liked being ignored by her, but in all fairness she had her face in a couple of scoops of her favorite peach ice cream with vanilla pretzel bits.

He was really going to flip when he found out about my overall plan. I just wanted to make sure he heard about it after Celeste. Hopefully, it was going to be revealed to everyone soon.

“Everything’s set up for you in the wine cellar,” James, the manager of Saphyre informed me as I walked in. “Let me know if you need anything else. Andy is waiting for your signal since Owen and Sienna are in California attending a wedding. They send their best and provided you with a special bottle of champagne.”

Shaking his hand, I thanked him and headed for the memorable cellar. Dimly lit, it was a spectacular room made even better with the beauty standing in it alone with a beautifully set table bathed in candlelight.

“What are you doing here?” I slid my arms around her and planted a light kiss on her red painted lips. “I’m expecting a couple for dinner,” she breathlessly said against my lips. “I think it’s a marriage proposal...” I smiled at the excitement in her soft voice as she tried to back out of my arms. “You better go.”

“I think I’d rather stay and find out if she says ‘yes’ to loving him forever. To running off with him to Tybee Island where he bought her a cottage...where he has a new job...a new life with him and their daughter... What do you think she will say? Maybe she finally tells him that she loves him...has always loved him and will love him forever?”

“Did you...” She tilted her beautiful head and looked up at me. “You’re my private party of two... I make two?” I was nodding to every question she posed. “I’m not really scheduled to work—”

“I can pay you for your time if you needed the hours.”

She smiled. “That’s not necessary. You planned a lovely menu to pair with wines, but I’m not sure I could drink that much...”

“What about the champagne?”

“That is a very nice bottle. You have good taste.”

“It’s compliments of your boss and his wife...but I think you have to say yes before we uncork it...” I stood back from her, reached into the pocket of my suit jacket, pulled out a tiny box, and went down on one knee. “I love you, Celeste and everything I said before is what I want with you... I want forever with you and Veeta. What do you say, will you marry me?”

“I say yes. I love you, Skeet. I always have and I always will. Forever.