Christmas Day, 10:13 a.m.; Leland, Michigan
Hardy had used some of the goodwill he had accumulated with the President to arrange for a Gulfstream V to fly him and Special Agent Cruz to Dalhart, Texas. After picking up her mother, the jet transported the trio to Northern Michigan. Arriving at Evelyn Hardy’s home a little after Midnight, Aaron Hardy, Cruz and her mother gave Mrs. Hardy the surprise of her life.
After introductions were made, the foursome spent the next two hours talking and laughing, until Hardy and Cruz could not keep their eyes open any longer. They went to bed, Hardy to his room, Cruz to one of two spare bedrooms, while the two mothers continued getting to know each other well into the early morning hours.
Before going to bed, Cruz had found a Catholic Church in nearby Lake Leelanau, St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She made a request that everyone join her in attending eleven o’clock Mass. Cruz’s mother agreed and after a little coaxing from Hardy, his mother was on board as well.
When Christmas morning arrived, everyone was up and dressed in their best clothes. The mothers were upstairs doing some last minute primping, while Hardy and Cruz were in the living room.
Dressed in a gray suit with a white shirt and red tie, Hardy stared at her. She was wearing a short-sleeved red dress that came to her knees with red pumps. A white sweater covered her bare arms and shoulders. Instead of a ponytail, Cruz wore her hair down. A short gold chain with a crucifix attached to it hung around her neck. Hardy put his hand on her upper arm. “You look beautiful.”
“Stop it. You know I blush easily.” Right on cue, her cheeks flushed.
He picked up her long overcoat and draped it over her shoulders. “Come with me.” He led her through the patio door to the deck beyond.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and hunched forward slightly. The temperature was cold and a slight breeze made it feel colder.
Knowing she would not last long in the cold temperatures, he got right to the point. “I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure how this is going to come out. To be honest, I’ve never really had a girlfriend. I didn’t date in high school and twelve years in the military doesn’t leave much room for dating, so…” he reached into his pocket, “I’m not sure how this goes, but…” He opened his hand to reveal a small black velvet jewelry box.
Cruz’s heart raced. What’s he doing?
He pulled back the cover. Inside was a gold heart-shaped ring with several tiny diamonds around the heart. “Raychel, would you—”
“Yes,” she said, taking the box from him. She slipped the ring over her finger and held out her hand to view it.
“You don’t even know what that’s for and you said yes?”
“Well…what’s it for?” she said, admiring the ring.
“I was going to ask if you would go steady with me.”
Cruz’s eyes shifted to meet his eyes.
“I know it seems childish, but I told you…I’m not very good at this sort of thing. I just want us to see each other exclusively…and I thought what better way to do that than with—”
Cruz grabbed the lapels of his suit coat and kissed him. Five seconds later, she pulled her lips away from his lips and he finished his sentence.
“A ring,” he said.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she said, grasping his lapels in her hands, her eyes going back and forth from his eyes to his lips. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m all yours.” She kissed him again.
Hardy hugged her and held her tightly. His eyes moved toward the sliding glass door. “I think we have a couple of peeping Moms.” Both Mrs. Hardy and Mrs. Cruz were staring at them. Their noses were pressed against the glass and they were smiling from ear to ear.
Cruz laughed into his chest and they hugged, until she said, “I’m cold.”
He pushed her shoulders away from him. “I’m curious...what if I had been asking you to marry me? Would you have still said yes…or no?”
Cruz glanced at the ring on her finger before shifting her gaze to his eyes. A thin grin formed on her lips and she said in a low and gentle voice, “Uh-huh,” before walking toward the house, her heels clicking on the wooden deck.
Hardy thought about her response for a few seconds. She was entering the house, when he called out to her. “That’s not an answer, Cruz.” Had he been able to see her face, he would have seen she was smiling broadly, while she closed the patio door.
Shaking his head, Hardy covered the distance to the house, muttering to himself. “It’s easier getting intel from a terrorist during an interrogation.”
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