He reached for her hand and they walked together to the little ice cream shack, getting a frozen treat before walking onto the beach to sit down and watch the waves. Angie’s hair was down and she looked adorable as the strands flew all over the place.
“Ah! It’s getting in my ice cream,” she complained and he laughed, handing her his ice cream after getting the hair tie off her wrist. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he threw it all on top of her head before wrapping a rubber band around the bunch like he had watched Lucy do a lot. Moving some stray strands behind her ear, she grinned up at him as he took his ice cream back.
“There.”
“You’re the best,” she said, plopping down and taking a lick of her ice cream. “It’s so pretty here. We should move to Florida.”
Benji smiled. “But then what about Grandma and the Assassins? We can’t leave them.”
She thought that over and then nodded. “Then we should buy a house here for the summer.”
“Whoa, living large, aren’t you?” he teased and she grinned.
“Hey, I got money in the bank,” she reminded him and he shook his head.
“For college.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, sounding just like her mother as she grinned over at him. “I wonder when Mommy will be done.”
“Probably around three.”
“Cool. Do you think we can hit the beach before we have to pack to leave?”
He nodded. “I’m sure we can, but I think we’re gonna take some pictures.”
She made a face. “Why?”
“’Cause I think Mom would like them.” She exhaled loudly and he smiled before brushing another stray piece of hair back. “Hey, let me ask you something.”
She looked over at him, her green eyes sparkling in the sun. “What?”
“You know I love you, right?”
She grinned. “Yes!”
He grinned back as he nodded. “Well, you know I love your mom a lot.”
“You guys kiss all the time.” She scrunched up her face.
“We do, but that doesn’t bother you, does it?”
She shrugged. “It’s gross.”
“Is that all?” he laughed.
She thought for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t care, ’cause Mom is always smiling too.”
Looking out at the ocean, he nodded. She did always smile, and he loved that smile with everything inside of him. Turning back to Angie, he grinned. “Yeah, but how would you feel about me asking your mom to marry me? Me becoming your stepdad?”
She held his gaze, and he wasn’t sure what she was thinking. But then she was shooting questions at him left and right.
“Do we get to live with you forever?”
“Yes.”
“Do I get to wear a dress to the wedding and throw flowers?”
“Yes.”
“Can we get a puppy?”
“Ah, I don’t know. We’d have to ask Mom.”
She nodded and pressed her finger to her lips as she looked up at him. “Can I call you Dad, instead of Stepdad?”
His heart stopped. Right there. He was sure he was about to fall over dead on that beach. But what a way to go. As the emotion choked him and tears filled his eyes, he nodded. “I’m completely okay with that.”
She got up then, sitting in his lap before she leaned against him, nodding her head. “Then, yeah, marry her.”
“Thanks, sunshine,” he said, his voice rough.
“Do you have the ring? You got her a ring, right? You can’t ask her without a ring, Benji!”
“I got one!” he laughed, pulling it out of his pocket and opening it to show her. As she oohed over it, Benji grinned at how perfect it was. It was a simple princess-cut diamond in a platinum band, but he was convinced it was Lucy. It just screamed her, and he couldn’t wait to see it on her hand.
Hear her say yes.
With lots of sass, he was sure.
“She’s going to pee her pants, that’s so pretty.”
Grinning, he kissed Angie’s temple before putting the ring away. But he pulled out another small box out that held a little hockey stick bracelet he had gotten Angie because he wanted her to have something too. When he opened it and put it on her wrist, she eyed it, her eyes twinkling. “This is something to remind you how much I love you.”
“You got me something?” she gushed, holding it up and gasping at it. “Oh wow, it’s sparkly and hockey!” She giggled as she looked it over, her eyes bright, and he nodded.
“And a number twenty for me and a number fourteen for you,” he said, pointing to the little numbers that hung by the hockey stick. She grinned over at him and then kissed his cheek.
“It’s awesome, thank you.”
“Good, I’m glad you love it.”
“I do,” she decided with a nod. “I love you too.”
“That’s always a good thing. Because, not only do I love you, but I need your help,” he said with more dramatics than needed, but he was trying to keep from breaking down and crying from the overwhelming love he was feeling. He never thought this could happen, to not only have a good, strong woman who loved him, but a beautiful, spunky little girl.
He really did have it all.
Her eyes widened as she sat up straight, ready. “Oh, I love helping!”