Page 114 of Fake it For Good
“I love that you can put her in her place without being mean,” he said. “You are a good woman. A good person.”
“Thank you, but it’s true.”
I patted Benji’s head. I wasn’t making it up. Benji was a fortunate kid. He would have a lot of advantages because of Cane, but I’d be damned if I let him turn into someone like Kelly.
There were a lot of people that came by our table to congratulate us on the adoption.
Denton sat down with a fresh drink in his hand. “Did you guys see Santa?” he asked.
“I got my picture with him,” Benji declared. “Mom, can you show Uncle Denton?”
Denton had decided he was the uncle. Considering neither Cane nor myself had any family to speak of, an honorary uncle was warranted. Marie had declared herself an honorary aunt as well. I pulled up the many pictures I had taken with Benji and Santa.
“You’re a stud,” Denton told him. “Do you want to go check out the chocolate fountain?”
Benji looked to me. “I finished all my dinner. Can I?”
“Yes, you can but listen to Uncle Denton,” I told him.
Cane and I both watched him walk away. “Can you believe we were here a year ago?” Cane asked. “One year ago, we were working through the end of a contract.”
“One year ago, you were yelling at me,” I corrected.
“Ouch, you’re not going to let me forget that,” he said.
“Not anytime soon,” I said, laughing.
We did our usual chatting with fellow toy dealers and retailers. It wasn’t hard and I didn’t feel the least bit guilty about talking about the nonprofit. Cane and I had developed a bit of a reputation. We were known for talking about the charities we supported. People came to us when they had questions about a particular nonprofit. They wanted to know if they could trust this place or that.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Cane said and got up from the table. He kissed me before walking away. I sat alone, watching the people mill about. The kids were loving it. I didn’t want to shake up the way things were done too much, but the industry could use some refreshing.
“Noelle, can I get you to come up here for a minute?” Cane asked over the speaker system.
My first thought was Benji had jumped in the fountain. I hopped up and was about to run for the fountain when I saw Benji and Denton standing near the platform where Cane was standing. I suspected this was going to be one of those moments I was presented with a big check for the nonprofit. I joined him on stage.
“This is a surprise,” I said.
“That’s the whole idea,” he said, grinning. “Ladies and gentlemen, I know you have all met my beautiful Mrs. Claus. Some of you may be a little confused by our situation. Last year we were engaged, then we weren’t. That’s for another day. Tonight, I want to shout it from the rooftops. I love this woman. She is the most generous, loving, kind person I have ever met in my life. She’s beautiful on the inside and even hotter on the out. This past year has been a blessing for me. I got to know Noelle better. We share our home and we just recently got to bring home our son. One would think I had it all. I do, but I’m the kind of guy that likes to make things official. I like to dot my i’s and cross my t’s.”
His speech was sweet, but it seemed like a little overkill. I wasn’t used to being showered with such praise. “Thank you, sweetie,” I whispered.
“I’m not quite done.” He flashed a grin. “I love you. We love you. Benji gets to officially call you Mom. I’d like to officially call you my wife.” He pulled a box from his pocket and presented me with a ring.
I stared down at the beautiful diamond. It was surrounded with perfect green stones.
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
I stared at him with tears blurring my vision. “Cane,” I breathed.
“That’s not a yes,” he said with a nervous laugh.
“Yes,” I said. “Absolutely. I would love to marry you.”
“Benji, did you hear that?” Cane asked.
Denton helped him onto the stage. Benji rushed toward us and gave me a big hug. Cane’s arms wrapped around the both of us. The crowd clapped and cheered us on. In Cane’s arms with Benji’s around my waist, I felt like the most loved person in the world.
I caught a glimpse of green. Kelly in her elf costume had just stormed out. She was probably feeling pretty shitty after throwing away such an amazing man.
