Chapter 41
FORTY-ONE
GABE
Abbie runs ahead through the automatic doors, escaping the snow that is slowly starting to blanket the ground. With a week to go until Christmas, I figured we’d be having a green one, but we woke up today to a sea of white.
As I follow after my daughter, I envy how carefree she is. She’s not nervous about this at all. Me, on the other hand? I’m trying not to sweat buckets.
“I found him, Daddy,” Abbie says, pointing across the lobby.
Hallie’s grandfather is sitting in a chair, playing checkers with another resident. He spots Abbie first, and then his gaze finds mine.
Pops grins. “I figured I’d be seeing you before long.”
He excuses himself from his game, then leads us over to an empty seating area. Abbie plops down on the couch, and I sit beside her.
“Hello again, Miss Abigail,” Pops says.
She beams. “Hi, Pops.”
I smooth my hands over my thighs, suddenly nervous. “We came to see if you wanted to ditch this place for the evening.”
“What’s the occasion?” he asks.
“I—”
“Daddy got Grammy to call from Mexico and help him make all of Hallie’s favourite foods,” Abbie interjects, bouncing in her seat. “And he got her a ring that’s really pretty. I helped him pick it.”
Pops’s brows lift, a knowing glint in his eyes. “A ring, eh?”
I swallow. “Yes, sir.”
“Gabe, you’ve been in love with my granddaughter for the better part of your life, haven’t you?”
I nod. There’s no point in denying it. “I have.”
He smiles. “Then it’s about damn time,” he declares, clapping his hands together. “I’m ready to get out of here when you are.”
Back at the house, Abbie entertains Pops in the living room while I put the finishing touches on dinner. Hallie is still at the gallery, thanks to Carole’s intervention. My mom’s good friend already can’t wait to brag about how instrumental she was in our real engagement.
That is, if Hallie says yes.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and when I pull it out, I see Clara has texted in our newest group chat. This one includes our parents, Luke and Delilah.
Operation Make Hallie a Bowman
Clara
How much are you sweating right now?
I bet it’s a lot.
Luke
I’ll take that bet.
Mom
Stop being mean to your brother! This is important. It’s normal to be a little nervous.
Thanks, Mom.
Clara
Kiss-ass.
I laugh. Although they can be pains, I have to admit, the familiarity of their ribbing is making me feel better.
Dad
Why does my phone keep pinging?
Luke
Because we’re giving Gabe shit.
I wouldn’t be so cocky, brother. I have a long memory. And one of these days, you’ll be in my position.
Clara
Ooooh. He’s got you there.
Delilah
Everything is going to go great, Gabe. She’s going to say yes!
Thank you, Delilah.
See how easy it is to be nice? You two should try it sometime.
Clara
Meh.
Luke
No comment.
Mom
We love you, sweetie. Keep us updated!
When Hallie gets home a little while later, I greet her at the door. “Hey,” I say. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
As soon as she sets her sights on her grandfather, her eyes brighten. “Pops!”
“My Junebug,” he says.
“What are you doing here?” Hallie asks, leaning down to give him a hug.
“Gabe and Abbie invited me to dinner.” He sends me a quick wink. “They figured I could use a change of scenery.”
She smiles. “I’m glad you’re here. I can show you the guesthouse after we eat!”
I breathe an almost silent sigh of relief. This is already going easier than I anticipated. I worried that having Pops here would be too suspicious, but luckily, she’s just glad to see him. I make a mental note to have him over more often.
Once the food is finished, we all gather around the kitchen table. Hallie looks at me gratefully when she sees all the different vegetarian dishes on the table. I won’t be giving up meat anytime soon, but I’ll admit her food tastes good.
“Sorry I was late,” Hallie says as we dig in. “I was talking to Carole about this idea I’ve had for a while. I wanted to run it past her before I got too excited about it.”
“It’s fine, baby,” I assure her. More than fine, actually. “What’s this idea?”
She takes a sip of her water. “Abbie was actually the one to give it to me.”
My daughter perks up at that. “I was?”
Hallie smiles. “You were. That day you came home from school upset and we started painting, I thought about what it would be like to help other kids connect with art the way I did.” She looks at Pops. “It gave me an outlet when I needed it. I want to do the same for kids like me.”
“A wonderful idea,” Pops says.
Pride shines on Hallie’s face. “I was hoping Carole would be alright with me using the gallery as a meeting place. I want to set up art camps for kids, like during the winter break and March Break, when they’re off school. We could do them in the summer, too.”
Her passion radiates through her words, and I know, without a doubt, that she’ll make this happen.
“I wanna come!” Abbie says. “Daddy, can I go to Hallie’s camp?”
I laugh. “Let’s give her some time to get set up first, Princess. But when she’s ready, you can be her first attendee.”
She nods. “And Sophia. She’s gotta come, too.”
Abbie launches into her plans to attend this camp, and Pops nods along.
Hallie turns to me. “You think it’s a good idea?”
I take her hand. “I think it’s a great idea, Foster. You love working with kids, and you love art. Seems like a no-brainer to me.”
“I love you forever,” she says, squeezing my hand.
“I love you, too.”
When dinner is over, Abbie runs from the kitchen to collect the ring box we hid in her bedroom. As I wait for her to come back, my nerves return in full force. Pops catches my eye and nods reassuringly.
It isn’t a secret that marriage is on the table for us. Hallie and I have both been honest about what we want our future to look like. Doesn’t make me any less jittery, though.
When Abbie comes back into the room, she drops the square box into my hand.
“What’s that?” Hallie asks curiously.
I open the lid, showing off the ring inside. As much as I loved her fake ring, this one is nothing like it. On a thin gold band lies an oval-shaped amethyst, with small clusters of diamonds on either side. The nontraditional stone is right up her alley.
But most importantly, I get to be the one to slide it onto her finger. If she’ll let me.
Hallie claps a hand over her mouth in disbelief. She looks over to Abbie and Pops for confirmation. The latter gives her an encouraging smile, while the former dances on the balls of her feet, barely holding back her excitement. My daughter might almost be more pumped about this than me.
I push my chair back from the table, then lower to one knee in front of Hallie. As I look at her, all my nerves wash away. It’s her, it’s us. We’re inevitable.
“Gabe,” she whispers.
“Hallie, I’ve known for a long time that you’re the one for me, and pretending to be engaged to you only solidified the fact that I want it to be real. That I would love nothing more than the honour of calling you my fiancée, and eventually, my wife. So what do you say, Foster? Will you marry me?”
She swipes a tear from her cheek with her sleeve. “Are you for real? God, Gabe. Yes. Of course, yes.”
Rising to my feet, I crush her to my chest. I feel weightless. My dream girl—the woman I’ve been pining after for over a decade—just agreed to spend the rest of her life with me.
Our lips meet in a chaste kiss, suitable for our current audience. When I pull back, I have to concentrate to get my hand to work right, pulling the ring from the box and sliding it over Hallie’s knuckle.
“It’s beautiful, Gabe,” she says, eyes shining. “I love it. I love you .”
God, she could tell me that a million times and it still won’t feel real.
Abbie wraps her arms around Hallie. “You make my dad smile really big. And me. You make me smile big, too.”
Hallie hugs her close. “You and your dad are so special to me, Abbs. Thank you for letting me be part of your family.”
“Does this mean you’ll live with us forever?” Abbie asks.
Hallie nods. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”