They stared at one another for a long time before his eyes came back to me.
“What are your intentions with my daughter?” he asked.
Luna paused. “What?”
I smiled. “They’re simple, Mr. Faircloth: I want to love and take care of your daughter the way you always have.”
Luna squealed, “What?”
Her father nodded. “How many women have you fallen in love with in your life?”
Luna scoffed. “Can we please not act like I’m not here?”
I peeked over at her. “Give us a second, beautiful, okay?”
She balked, but she did as I asked. And it made her father chuckle.
“Never seen anyone do that to her,” he murmured.
I settled my hand on his shin. “I’ve been in love with three women: my high school girlfriend, which lasted a whopping four months; an assistant in my geologist office back in Houston, which I never acted on because she apparently didn’t like men.”
Her father barked with laughter as I turned my eyes to Luna. “And the third?” he asked.
I winked. “Your daughter, sir. Timetable, to be determined.”
Her eyes watered. “You–you love me?”
I nodded. “I do, Luna. I realized it when I was in Houston. I missed you, and I missed having coffee with you, and I missed working side by side, and I missed the fire that rushes through your veins. The zest you have for life.”
Her father cleared his throat, and my attention turned back his way.
“I’m serious, Mr. Faircloth. I’m in love with your daughter. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her happy, protected, and never wanting.”
He nodded slowly. “How’s the petroleum business going?”
I shrugged. “Hitting a couple of financial snags with this refinery, but we’re picking up the slack.”
“What kind of snags?”
“Daddy, I don’t think this—”
He cut Luna off. “What kind of snags, Bart?”
I snickered. “The kind that come with having to take out a personal loan to do business instead of a business loan to do business.”
He furrowed his brow. “Not enough physical collateral to offset the loan?”
I blinked. “Yes, actually. How did you know?”
He shrugged. “That’s usually the issue that happens with businesses. I encountered it myself when I was younger.”
Luna clicked her tongue. “What in the world are you talking about?”
He looked over at his daughter. “You aren’t the only one with secrets. I just know how to keep mine better.”
“What? Daddy, you’re not making any sense.”
His stoic eyes turned back to me. “Your honesty is refreshing, Bart. I’ll give you that. Do you have plans to marry my daughter one day?”
Luna groaned. “You know that’s up to me, Dad.”
I chuckled. “I do have plans to at least ask one day, yes.”
She whipped her head over to me. “You do?”
Mr. Faircloth nodded. “You know what you have to do then, right?”
I smiled. “Yes, I do. You okay if I do it now?”
“I really hate this,” Luna murmured.
I snorted. “No, you really don’t.”
She rolled her eyes, but again, she didn’t protest. And it made her father smirk. But, it didn’t deter me from my path.
“Mr. Faircloth—”
“Michael, please.”
I nodded. “Michael, I’d like to officially ask for your permission to, one day, ask your daughter to marry me.”
“I think I’m the one having a stroke now,” Luna said breathlessly.
Her father barked with laughter. “You know, I could tell at that cookout that the two of you had something going on. The way you looked at each other and whatnot. It’s how I used to look at her mother.”
“Daddy,” she whispered.
He took her hand, but his gaze didn’t waver from my face. “What I want for my daughter is to have the kind of life her mother and I had. A life where she’s always got a partner who will fight for her heart every day he gets up. A partner who will raise her up when she’s down, but a partner who will also respect her independence and never force her to get rid of that just because that’s what he thinks a woman should do.”
I patted his shin. “You have my word—that’s my absolute intention with Luna one day.”
“Then, when you’re ready, you have my permission.”
I looked over at Luna and saw her eyes bursting with more tears. Only this time, they were tears of joy instead of sadness. I stood from the bed and held out my hand for her, watching her slip her delicate fingers into my palm. I raised her up to her feet before I reached into my back pocket, feeling that damned piece of jewelry burning a hole in my ass.
“What are you doing?” Luna asked.
Her father snickered. “I know what he’s doing.”
Then, I got down onto one knee as I held the sparkling diamond ring up for her to see.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Luna asked.
I smiled so hard my eyes closed. “I love you with everything I am, Luna. And I think in some ways, I’ve loved you from afar for a long time. Ever since we were children, I thought you were wonderful—strong and intelligent. You had this love and respect for your family that rivaled my own, and it only made you more beautiful in my eyes. And when I was in Houston, I passed by this jewelry shop that had the most incredible engagement ring, and I thought to myself, ‘one day I’m going to give Luna a ring just like that.’”
A tear slid down her neck. “You did?”
I nodded. “The thought came so clearly to me, and it felt so right to me that I couldn't pass up the opportunity. There are people in this world who date for years before they’re ready to make that commitment, and then there are people who just know. I know with you, Luna. Even if you don’t know it yet—even if you can’t say ‘yes’ yet—I want you to know that I know. And when you’re ready, like I am, this ring will be here for you.”
She wiped her tears away from her face. “Ask me.”
I paused. “Really?”
She nodded. “Ask me, Bart.”
I stood to my feet and cradled her left hand in my palm. “Luna Faircloth, will you make me the happiest man on this planet and be my wife?”
She giggled with tears in her eyes as she looked up at me. “I love you, Bart.”
My heart warmed with ecstasy. “I love you, too.”
“And yes, it would be an honor to be your wife.”
24
Luna
After almost a week of being in the hospital, we were discharged with new prescription medications, standing dialysis appointments, and information on how to schedule regular in-home nursing care for my father. The idea of someone else taking care of him still didn’t sit right with me. But, Bart helped to convince me that just because I thought my father deserved family around didn’t mean I had to be the one taking on all of his care, especially with a wedding to plan.
“I still can’t believe it fits,” I whispered.