Five weeks after we’d turned in our official report on the take-down of the Little Piggy killer and the exposure of illegal arms deals coming out of Fort Leonard Wood, Dom and I were awarded commendations for excellence. We were given a week off from work to recover from the ordeal. Dom agreed we should spend it in Peculiar with my folks. Eldin kept me informed on the excavations around the TSS compound and Judge Holts home. They’d found more bodies. Over a dozen. The thought of how long he’d been operating in and around of Peculiar made me sick, but I was contented, knowing we’d stopped him from ever hurting another person.
It was good to be home again with all of us safe and healthy for a normal vacation with no killer track down.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” my mom said. “I love your new hairstyle.”
“Thanks, mom.” I didn’t tell her that I’d had it cut because Judge Holt had snatched chunks of it from my head and made it seriously uneven. I still had nightmares about his eyes sometimes, but waking up in Dom’s arms gave the bad dreams less power.
“What are those two doing back there?” I asked. Dom and my dad had gone back to Dad’s office, shortly after we’d arrived home, and they hadn’t come out for over thirty minutes.
Mom shrugged. “Who knows with men? Come into the kitchen. I’ve made cheesecake.”
“Yes, definitely, yes.” I followed Mom. “Do you have Earl Grey tea?”
“Of course,” she said as if I’d insulted her. “It pairs perfectly with cheesecake. I taught you that.”
I grinned and flexed my shoulder. It was still stiff, but it and my ankle had healed. The bullet scar had given me a ton of street cred with the other agents.
“It’s so good to have you home, Puddin’.”
“It sure is,” my dad said, as he in Dom finally joined us. My man looked so handsome. I really did love looking at his face.
“What in the heck were you two up to back there?”
“I had a few things I had to straighten out with your dad,” Dom said.
I thought they’d straightened out all their differences weeks ago. “What are you talking about?”
My dad nodded. “Go ahead, son. You have my permission.”
“Permission for what?” I asked.
Dom went to the refrigerator and pulled out a parfait cup with chocolate pudding in it. He dropped down on one knee in front of me, and I stopped breathing as my heart caught in my throat. Too dumbstruck to speak, I looked at my parents. My mom clutched imaginary pearls at her chest, and Dad was grinning like an insane person.
Dom, however, had the most serious expression on his face and his hands shook as he held the pudding cup. On top of the soft-set dessert was a square cut diamond ring with a channel of smaller diamonds around it in a platinum setting. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered, my voice hoarse with emotion.
“Nicole Rae Taylor, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. When I think of the future, I can’t imagine it without you by my side. I will support you and love you always. I will be the partner you deserve. These are the promises I make to you if you agree to be my wife.”
My hand trembled as I held it out for him, and he put the ring in his mouth to lick off the excess pudding then placed it on my right ring finger.
“Is that a yes, Puddin’?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s a yes!”
Dom stood up and lifted me from the floor and swung me around.
A cork popped behind me and champagne sprayed the kitchen. My mom held the overflowing bottle and had four flutes ready to go. She smiled. “Champagne goes well with cheesecake too.”
The End