New Year’s Eve...
Lilah and Abbie had insisted on a party, and those wimps, Rafe and Jake, had backed them up.
Not even Daisy had stood by him. Instead, she’d clapped her pretty little hands and said, “We’ll make it a New Year’s Eve party! Invite everybody! Have it in town hall!”
Okay, a party to announce their engagement was one thing, but in town hall?
The answer to that was yes, and here Clint stood, like a fish out of water. He was surrounded by everybody in Falling Star except the ones who were sick or taking care of the sick, or in the last stages of labor or standing over the mother-to-be, ready to deliver the baby.
And he’d never felt happier.
He’d be having a show in Dallas in April, and if Bunny even thought about making him come to the opening, he’d—
Well, he’d probably go to the opening. In a tuxedo.
Since he was about to become an artiste, a social butterfly, man about town, and possibly Daisy’s First Gentleman one day, he’d give himself the pleasure, one last time, of standing back and observing instead of joining in.
Daisy was the center of a group, all chattering happily. She was vibrant in a bright-green dress, and Clint paused to let his eyes wander over her small body, her slender curves. On Valentine’s Day she’d be his to have and to hold forever.
Nick stood with her, and she held his hand while he gazed up at her as if she were an angel. Ha, Clint thought fondly. She’s no angel, rather a wonderful loving woman who cared deeply for the people in her life.
Rafe was sticking so close to Lilah they moved as one person. Lilah glowed with happiness and good health.
Rafe’s foster boys were all there. They were chortling together in a corner, obviously enjoying each other’s company.
Abbie was flitting around the room, her dark hair swinging over the shoulders of her stylish black dress, probably still talking about her and Jake’s Christmas Eve wedding, which, he had to admit, had been pretty spectacular. The reception had lasted so late that he remembered Christmas Day only hazily.
Abbie would start taking courses in mid-January, working on her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Smart lady, especially smart to have fallen in love with Jake.
Jake, holding on his left hip the half-brother his father had left him in his will, of all things, followed behind her. They’d go on their honeymoon in a few days, leaving baby Lucas with Abbie’s mother. “We wanted to wait until business at the diner is slow and Abbie’s classes haven’t started yet,” Jake had explained. But from the look on his face, Clint suspected the honeymoon had already begun and would last a long, long time.
Clint’s gaze drifted farther. His friends and workers, Martha, Joe, and Tim, were all there and all dressed up. The Banks huddled with Abbie’s mother, probably consulting Abbie on important matters like wedding dresses, flower arrangements, and how they could talk Daisy down from an orange-and-cream color scheme to, at least, soft coral and cream.
The older guests were gathered around tables, eating the array of hors d’oeuvres Jake had catered and looking as if they could make it to midnight as easily as any of “those young folks” could. A group of middle-aged women stood together, nodding their heads and looking serious, either talking about the state of the world or whether Hilda or Peggy made the best peppermint brownies and why they were both so selfish with the recipe.
One day, he hoped, his mother would join that group, that she’d be clean and sober and stay that way for the rest of her life. And that the town would accept her, just as they’d accepted the truth he, Rafe, and Jake had kept hidden for so many years. Good people. Good place to live.
They’d come so far from misery and anger to happiness beyond anything they could imagine. Clint felt such strong emotions rising inside him that he knew he had to be with Daisy.
Yes, he was actually tired of standing back, being an observer. He was ready to be in the middle of the fray. That, too, was something he couldn’t have imagined.
Daisy was gazing at him, and he swiftly crossed the floor. “Time for the announcement?” he asked.
Her eyes twinkled, and her mouth twitched. “You’ve been dreading it so much, and now you’re suggesting it’s time?”
“Yep,” Clint said. “I’ve changed.”
Her smile faded, replaced by an expression so full of love that he had to struggle with his emotions again. “Don’t change too much,” she said softly. “I adore you just as you are.” The smile came back. “The way you are now, anyway. In love with me.”
He led her to the back of the room where the boys had set up a tiny stage and ushered her up the single step. Jake clanged a fork against a champagne glass, and the hubbub faded.
“Thank you for being here tonight,” Clint said, “to celebrate the New Year.” He waited for the clapping to subside, then put his arm around Daisy, who snuggled into him.
“But we have something else to celebrate,” he went on. “My engagement to Mayor Daisy Banks—”
“And mine to Clint Bolton,” Daisy chimed in, flashing her ring and hugging him even tighter.
There was a ripple of laughter, and though the announcement didn’t come as a surprise to any of the guests, the clapping was accompanied by cheers and raised champagne glasses.
Clint could tell he was about to do something he’d never done before. He didn’t know if he should, but darn it, he was going to anyway. “And now, milady,” he said loudly enough for the whole room to hear, “shall we dance?”
Daisy’s startled expression as he swept her off the stage and onto the floor was worth the embarrassment. Music, stopped for the announcement, started up again, an uncertain rendition of “Shall We Dance?” as Daisy whispered into his throat, “Oh, yes, I want to dance with you forever.”
And locked in each other’s arms, they sailed through the room, through the people who loved them, toward their future together.
Dear Reader,
Readers are an author’s life blood and the stories couldn’t happen without you. Thank you so much for reading!
If you enjoyed Dad by Design, Leigh and I would so appreciate a review. You have no idea how much it means to us! You’re the best and we treasure you!
If you’d like to keep up with our latest releases, you can sign up for Lori’s newsletter @ https://loriwilde.com/sign-up/.
Please turn the page to read about the next book in the Lone Star Dads series, Dad on Demand.
To check out our other books, you can visit us on the web @ www.loriwilde.com.
Love and light,
Lori and Leigh