Page 114 of Falling for Keeps

“I’ll join you soon.” Emma keeps slicing her dwindling pile of sweet potatoes.

Everyone files out of the kitchen except me, Emma, Daryl, and Mom, who’s putting a second pot to boil for the mashed potatoes.

“Smells amazing in here,” Daryl says, inhaling. “A baking turkey always makes me think of your mom, kiddo.”

Emma reaches over with her knife-free hand and hugs her dad. “Me too.”

“Sounds like we’re using Sally’s Thanksgiving dining set,” Mom says. “That might feel like having a piece of her with us.”

Daryl nods, his eyes misting.

Mom gives him a hug, then pats his shoulder. “I’ll watch the turkey if you want to work on the puzzle.”

I lift my beans. “Tell me what to do with these?”

“Sure thing, honey.” Mom takes the beans to the sink to rinse, taking over the green bean casserole while Daryl heads to the living room.

“We haven’t had such a busy Thanksgiving in a while,” Mom says, smiling widely. “This is a truly beautiful day.”

I look at Emma, the woman who has my entire heart, and can’t help the warmth that bleeds through my chest and fills my body with need and want and love. We agreed we’d wait six months before even discussing marriage, to slowly ease Penny into it after uprooting her entire life and moving her to Vermont. But we spend every dinner together and Penny has asked me twice now if she gets to be the flower girl when I marry Emma, so I think she’s adequately warmed up.

I also already bought a ring that is sparkly and tasteful and elegant, one that will look really good on Emma’s finger.

“What?” Emma asks now, tilting her head and looking at me over the kitchen island, pausing in arranging pats of butter over the sweet potatoes with one in each hand.

I love her so much I could just squeeze her. “Nothing.”

She gives me a yeah, sure look and goes back to her casserole.

Maybe I’ll hide with the ring in her shower, holding tiles and a bucket of grout. We already finished tiling it, but it would make her laugh.

No, that’s not enough for Emma. She deserves the most romantic thing I can come up with. Or rather…the most romantic thing me and Mom and Penny and Maven can come up with together. I’m up against a lot of romance novels. But I know I’m her favorite, even over Gilbert Blythe and the guy from Little Women.

I know this, because she told me so.

Oh, I’ve got it. I can hang some mistletoe on the shower head…have the ring ready…

Yeah, I’m still brainstorming the proposal.

At least I know that the answer will be yes.