Millie
IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL thing I’d ever seen.
Stone with dark shutters, white pillars, bright-green trees, and lush, red bushes. Graceland Mansion was everything I’d imaged, and more. And that was just the outside.
It had taken us longer to get here than we’d initially thought. Trying to plan around Jackson’s school schedule, and dealing with the rapid growth of Three Sisters Catering when we added elegant children’s parties and landed one of our biggest clients to date, had made it difficult.
But now, six months later, we were finally in Memphis, and I was currently trying to teach Kayla about the wonder that is Elvis.
“He’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll for a reason,” I was explaining as we walked to the Meditation Garden. “He still holds the record for the most Top 40 hits, he was in thirty-one movies, made over one-hundred and fifty albums and singles, and has been inducted into five halls of fame.”
“You should totally work here,” Kayla said in between licks of her hand-dipped ice cream cone from Minnie Mae’s Sweets at Elvis Presley’s Memphis.
Jackson started laughing, and while normally I would have shot him a death glare, I was too happy to even conjure one up.
Jackson had totally outdone himself with this trip. When we’d decided to bring Kayla, he’d booked us a room at The Guest House at Graceland, where we were enjoying a weekend of total submersion into all things Elvis.
It was the best weekend of my life, and although I knew Kayla would rather be at Disneyland, and Jackson would probably be just about anywhere else, they were both enjoying watching me live out one of my childhood dreams.
Seriously, there was so much amazingness in this place, I could barely stand it.
It’s not just a mansion . . . There’s the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum, Discovery Exhibits, Elvis Presley’s Memphis, The Meditation Garden, plus the tours of Graceland. It was so much more than I’d ever imagined.
After we were done perusing The Meditation Garden, we walked the grounds, nodding at other Elvis enthusiasts as we enjoyed the perfect weather. Kayla was between us, holding each of our hands as we swung her out. Her legs were a little too long, but she didn’t care, she just held them up, laughed happily, and said, “Again,” over and over.
Since she was nine and probably at least fifty pounds, my arm was starting to get tired, when I saw a sign for The Chapel in the Woods.
“Oh, can we go there?” I asked gleefully. We’d seen almost everything there was to see on the grounds, but we hadn’t been to the chapel yet.
We started in that direction, and when we happened upon the darling little chapel nestled in, I rushed toward in oohing and aahing. I had one hand on the railing, and was turning to say how beautiful the setting was, when I saw that both Jackson and Kayla were down on one knee, watching me expectantly.
I turned slowly, one hand on my stomach, the other at my throat, and moved until I was standing before them. My breath caught when I looked down and saw Jackson holding a gorgeous, three-stone rose-gold engagement ring in his hands.
The hand at my neck came up to cover my mouth.
“Millie.” I was surprised when the first words came from Kayla, but I shifted to give her my undivided attention. She looked up at her dad, who nodded his encouragement, then back at me. “I know I was a brat at first, and I did what I could to push you away, but that’s only because I was afraid to like you, then have you leave. And, even though you freak out over Elvis, and spend way too much time kissing my dad, you’re pretty cool. You make all that good food, and bake me cookies when I want, and I like helping you in the kitchen. Plus, you have pretty cool sisters, and I’ve never had aunts. So, my dad and I would love it if you’d join our family, and let us join yours.”
My eyes had filled with tears that were threatening to spill over, but before I could get down on the ground and pull Kayla in my arms, Jackson started to speak.
“To keep in our tradition of stealing from the greats, I want to start by paraphrasing Bronte . . . Whatever our souls are made of, ours are the same . . . Millie, Camilla, when I first met you, I was drawn in by your sweetness, your kind eyes, and yes, your beauty, and the more I got to know you, I realized that those weren’t just attributes that you showed customers, or strange men begging you to host a tea party for them, but that they’re innate. That’s who you are, and so much more. I’ve never met anyone so attune to the needs of others, so willing and able to put other’s before themselves. You’re generous, loyal, and so perfect for me it’s scary. I never imagined my first, first kiss in fifteen years would lead me here, but I’m so glad I waited. You’re the pinch of salt we needed to spice up our lives, and I’m grateful that someone as amazing as you would fall for a romantic literature nerd like me. I’m hoping that sometime in the near future, we can come back here to this chapel, or meet at any chapel in the world, and you’ll do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
“And, becoming my mom,” Kayla added.
So, I stood there, near to bursting with happiness in the most magical place on earth, and cried, “Yes, I’d love to be your wife, and it would make me happier than anything, to be your mom.”
Then, finally, I dropped to my knees and kissed Jackson with all the love I felt for him, as Kayla hugged us both tightly, and we agreed to become the family that we all needed.
The End.
Stay tuned for Tasha and Jericho’s story, A Touch of Cinnamon, coming in early 2018!
Turn the page for an excerpt of Bethany Lopez’s, Always Room for Cupcakes