AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I love you to Dexter.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Christmas crept up on us fast. We finished decorating the house weeks ago, but I went and picked up some final things for when my mother arrives later this afternoon for dinner. It will be nice to show her our place and to be with her on Christmas morning tomorrow. We finish wrapping the tinsel around the railing on the staircase and I check on the ham in the oven. I hear the doorbell ring but its only two and I told my mother that we weren’t eating until five.
“Dexter, can you get that please.”
He opens the door and doesn’t say anything. I make my way around the archway to the kitchen to the foyer and see my mother hugging Dexter. Then I see a hand reach out to shake his hand. As I step closer, I see both of my parents standing in our doorway and I run up to them and hug them both. I wasn’t expecting my father to come even though we had made up at thanksgiving.
“I thought you had to work dad?” He smiles at Dexter and then to me.
“I couldn’t miss Christmas tomorrow. Dexter, will you help me bring our things inside.” I tilt my head towards Dexter and give him a look that says I know something is up.
“I didn’t think you guys would be over until later. The food is still cooking and won’t be ready for a few hours.” She smiles at me.
“That’s okay, show me around. This is gorgeous, how many bedrooms is it.”
I know she is itching for grandbabies but me and Dexter have only been together for four months. That’s a big thing we never really got into a deep conversation about.
“Five bedrooms, wait until I show you the study!” She beams at me as she follows me throughout the house.
Jason’s editor loved my book, and they are finalizing everything to get it published next month. I spend most of my time in the study working on my next book, I plan on working full time on writing after my first book is out. I feel bad for not contributing to expenses, but Dexter is the one who suggested it. Sometimes I sit in this big house and wait for myself to wake up and realize this whole thing is a dream, but it never happens. It’s crazy to look back on my life and how much can change in such a short amount of time when you surround yourself with people who support your dreams.
???
Dinner was a success last night, but my father and Dexter were acting kind of weird, like they had their own personal secret between the two of them. I tried to pry Dexter after dinner, but it didn’t work. I make my way downstairs to get a cup of coffee and my parents are already awake in the kitchen with their coffee.
“How did you guys’ sleep?”
“Good surprisingly. I think I need to get out of the house more often.” I laugh at my mother. Dexter makes his way down the stairs as we are making our way to the living room to sit in front of the fireplace to warm up.
“Ready for gifts?” We all take a sip of our coffee and place them on the coffee table before nodding to him.
He takes a seat next to me on the couch and my dad starts to hand out the gifts like he always has. I only got one gift for Dex this year, but it took a lot of phone calls and convincing to set it up so hopefully he likes it. My parents open their gifts, and we open the gifts they got for us. My heart is so full of happiness seeing all of us together for Christmas. Dexter opens his gift and sees the plane tickets to Arizona to go visit his parents. He looks up at me suspiciously and I laugh.
“I already spoke with them, and they assured me that they were free that weekend.” He kisses me and then grabs a mockingbird ornament that was hanging on the tree. My dad has the biggest smile, and my mother looks oblivious as to what is happening.
“I have one more gift for you Ally.”
He walks back to me with the ornament in his hand and then kneels down onto one knee and looks into my eyes. My mother gasps and I can’t help but smile when the ornament opens and reveals a diamond ring inside.
“Allison Marie Pierce, will you marry me?” I jump up to my feet and wrap my arms around his neck.
“Yes! Yes, I will marry you!” I kiss him and he removes the ring and places it on my finger. My parent come in for a hug and I look at my father.
“You knew this whole time, didn’t you?” He laughs and my mother gawks at him.
“You knew and didn’t tell me?”
“Honey, you can’t keep a secret to save your life. I still love you though and I have another surprise for you to, but I don’t want to take away from this moment.”
“You can’t say that and not tell us what it is dad.” He laughs and looks at my mother before handing her two plane tickets.
“What are these for?”
“Look at them Marie.” We all laugh together and my mother gasps when she realizes where they are going.
“We never got to have that honeymoon and you deserve that. I took the next month off and we are going to go to all the places you wanted to go when we were younger.”
