She looked down. After a long moment, she looked back at him and nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Patrick exhaled in relief, speared his fingers through her hair, and pulled her face down to his. He kissed her with all the emotion he felt. He drew her away, pushed her head to his chest, and wrapped an arm around her. “I’m so happy.”
“I am, too. I’m just worried it’s happening too fast and you’ll end up regretting it.”
“We’re going to be fine, baby.”
“I know, daddy.”
“Two more things before we go to sleep. One, the nightgown has to go. You will never wear one again with me. I want to feel your skin against mine.”
“And two?”
“I think your hair is beautiful. I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier because I was being a pansy-ass.”
She giggled. “Thank you. I’ll keep going back every six weeks to even it out until it’s grown out. Thankfully, my hair grows fast.”
“I can’t wait to see it long. Larkin and Brylee were talking about how beautiful it was in high school.”
“I thought it was the only thing attractive about me.”
He cupped her cheek. “No, everything about you is gorgeous. I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
She smiled, sat up, and ripped the nightgown over her head. Then she lay back down in his arms.
He kissed her tenderly. “Good night, love.”
“Good night, daddy.”
Chapter Sixteen
Eve walked out of her closet, where her new clothes filled the bars and shelves, wearing the closest thing she had to a wedding gown. It was very pretty. It was a lacy white sundress that fit her perfectly. It had cap sleeves, and it stopped a few inches above her knees. She wore a pair of new white sandals with it.
Her thoughts went to her mother. She wondered if she should have asked Patrick to invite her mother to the wedding, but she didn’t even know if she wanted her to be there. She was so incredibly uncomfortable, and she knew with time, it would settle. So many things had happened so quickly. It was taking her a bit to catch up.
She just didn’t want anything to ruin the day for her, and she was afraid she’d feel so self-conscious with her mother there.
Then she wondered if she was being a terrible daughter. She needed to take this one day at a time for now and just hoped her mother understood.
She combed her hair and curled it the way the woman the day before taught her, and then she added a light-pink lip gloss.
“Holy shit.”
She spun around to see Patrick in a nice black suit and white shirt, staring at her from the bathroom doorway.
“You look so beautiful, baby.”
She smiled and moved into his open arms. “You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Patrick grinned. He pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
He walked her down the steps and into the kitchen.
Agnes came forward and hugged Eve. “I’m so happy.”
“Are you coming with us?” Eve asked.