“And how would I do that?” Dane asked, his voice heavy with threat and repressed anger. “Haven't I done enough?”
“Oh, you’ve done enough to prove you're a good man, and that you care for my daughter. Of course you have,” Daddy said, smiling. “But I've always been a father who has thought the world of my daughter, and to be honest, while I’m perfectly willing to accept that she won't be marrying a society boy, I do expect her husband to have a job. So, before I give you my blessing, there are a few things you need to do. First, you're going to have to enroll in college.”
“I . . . I don't think I'd qualify any longer,” Dane said, stupefied. I heard in his voice the surprise at some of his own thoughts that he'd shared with me reflected in Daddy's statement, but he was still taken aback. “I mean, I'm nearly thirty.”
“Oh, I can pull a few strings. You won't be in Georgia Tech like Abby, but I can get you into SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design. I did a lot of the recent renovation work on their student housing, and I’ve maintained a good relationship with the Dean. She owes me a favor or two. I’m sure you can find something there that interests you. Brittany told me that you were reading a book on famous architects a while back, and well . . . I was thinking perhaps Rawlings Construction might want to become Rawlings Construction and Design in a few years,” Daddy said.
“Of course, I understand your financial situation, so you'll be going under a work-study program. You maintain a certain average, and I’ll take care of the rest. You’ll work as a management intern at Rawlings Construction. It's not much, but it beats sweeping floors at Lake Auto.”
“That's very generous of you, sir,” Dane said. “I don't really know what to say.”
“Oh, it's not going to be all fun and games,” Daddy said with a chuckle. “I plan on working you very hard. But I think you’ll handle it fine.”
I couldn't help it. I laughed, seeing the genius and the generosity in Daddy's plan. I hugged Dane's arm, looking up at him. “What do you say? Think you can go back to school?”
Dane only had to think for a second. “Damn right I can. One thing, though—does that mean we can't get married until I graduate? I mean, I planned on waiting a while, but not years.”
“Oh, no,” Daddy said, leaning back. “Whenever y’all think the time is right. Just that my blessing won't be conferred until after your first day of classes. So should I have Brittany give a call to SCAD, or do you need to think it over?”
Dane shook his head and looked at Brittany, his eyes eager and glimmering with excitement. “Can you call them now?”
* * *
After a celebratory dinner in which Daddy granted his approval, if not yet his blessing, to our engagement, Dane and I were alone in the living room.
We sat on the couch, me leaning against him. I still felt thunderstruck, and I was sure I'd had a goofy smile on my face the whole time. “Pinch me.”
“Hmm?” Dane asked, rubbing my shoulder. “I wasn't sure I heard that correctly.”
“I asked you to pinch me,” I said with a small laugh. “Because I'm still not sure I'm awake.”
“Well, you're talking, and I know I'm awake, so I’m pretty sure you're awake,” Dane answered. He kissed my temple, pausing to inhale the scent of my hair and to whisper in my ear. “But I’m happy to pinch you. Any place you prefer to be pinched?”
I chuckled and rubbed his chest, leaning against him. “For sure, that comes later. I feel a bit strange about it, though.”
“Because of what happened at the lake?” Dane asked, immediately stiffening and giving me space. “Sorry, I got caught up in the moment.”
“No, silly,” I answered, getting onto my knees on the couch and kissing him. “I feel strange because of being here and how mortified I’d be if Brittany or Daddy walked in on us.”
“They don’t seem like the type that’d cheer us on or give suggestions,” Dane joked in reply, kissing me back. “Your dad has warmed up to me a bit, but he’d still probably contemplate on grabbing his shotgun.”
His humor was exactly what I needed to relax enough to do what we both wanted to do for too long. Dane pulled me into his lap, humming in appreciation at the slick texture of my nylon sleep shorts. “You wear those every night?”
“Most of the time,” I said, my hips rubbing back and forth across the hardness growing beneath me in his pants. “Except in the winter. Then I might wear flannel pants.”
“Well then, I guess we're going to have to make sure our home is warm year-round,” Dane replied, reaching down and cupping my ass. “Because this is far too good of a feeling to give up because of some damn weather.”