A Family of Their Own - By Gail Gaymer Martin Page 0,76
every day?”
“By you?”
He ruffled her hair. “Who else?”
She chuckled. “I’d love it.”
“Good.”
She paused, trying to dig into his thoughts, but failed. “Call the girls.” He stepped toward the bedrooms. “They’re in the back, languishing on the glider.”
He grinned and did what she asked.
The clomping footsteps told her the girls had come inside.
“Mom, this is the best book.” Lucy waved her novel in the air. “It’s about this girl who wins a contest and gets to have her dream-come-true vacation.”
“I’ll go for that.” Peyton waved her hand in the air. “When do we leave?”
“Not for a while yet,” Ross said.
All eyes turned to him. Kelsey’s heart felt ready to burst. “What does that mean?”
“Sit.” He waved to the island where she’d set out the food. “I want to show you something.” He walked into the living room.
The girls each jumped up on a stool, and Kelsey passed around the plates. As the girls began to build their sandwiches, Ross came in carrying a white box and set it on the breakfast table.
Kelsey craned her neck. “What’s that?”
“That’s second. This is first.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a smaller box.
Her heart skipped, and she pressed her hand to her chest. “Don’t tell me…”
“I won’t have to if you open it.” He handed it to her.
The girls lost interest in their sandwiches. They both slid off the stools and drew closer, their eyes shifting from Ross to the box.
“Open it, Mom.”
Kelsey’s fingers shook as she lifted the lid, knowing what she would see. She held her breath and gazed inside at the small, velvet, blue ring box.
“What is it?” Peyton shifted to look over her shoulder. “I think it’s jewelry.”
Lucy clapped her hands. “It’s a ring, isn’t it?”
Kelsey grinned at Ross, his face beaming.
He arched his brows. “She’d know if she’d open the lid.”
She did and gazed at the magnificent diamond, the gold band adorned with diamond baguettes. “Ross, it’s beautiful.”
The girls’ eyes were as large as the saucers beneath their sandwiches. “It’s an engagement ring.” Their voices blended as one.
Ross applauded. “You’re right.” He moved closer to Kelsey and removed the ring from the velvet. “You’re pretty high up on that stool, but here goes.” He knelt on the kitchen tile, his gaze locked with hers. “Kelsey Rhodes, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Ross Salburg?”
She slipped from the stool and knelt beside him. “Absolutely.”
Their lips met as the girls squealed and jumped around them. Peyton’s voice cut through Lucy’s cheers. “Now we’re really sisters.”
Lucy’s squeal subsided. “We are.”
They threw their arms around each other and spun around the room until Kelsey had to call their antics to a halt. “You’ll break your necks.”
“Anyway, I have something else for all of us.” Ross walked to the breakfast table and returned with the box.
The girls dropped their embrace, their gazes flitting from Kelsey to Ross.
Kelsey eyed the logo on the cover from a florist shop. While Ross lifted the lid, she and the girls waited. Her heart swelled with happiness.
Ross reached in and pulled out a Hawaiian lei and draped it over her neck. Then he slipped one over Lucy’s head and another over Peyton’s. They eyed the lovely circle of baby orchids and stared at him. “Dreams Come True has offered to give our daughters a special trip to—”
“Hawaii.” Peyton’s and Lucy’s voices split the air.
“Dad, really?” Peyton tugged on his arm.
Lucy stood looking at him, her mouth gaping. “But what about Mom?”
Ross gazed at Kelsey and closed the distance between them. He slipped his arms around her. “She has to be there. It’s her honeymoon.”
Her mind spun. A honeymoon in Hawaii—and with the girls. “You couldn’t have planned anything better.”
He held up his hand. “But I refused the offer.”
The room silenced.
“I thought the money could go to a child whose parents can’t afford a trip.”
“Really?” Peyton’s sad eyes gazed at him.
Kelsey leaned toward him, her mind snapping. “You really did this?”
He nodded.
“Did you talk with the donor? Do you know who he is?”
“No, I spoke with Ethan. He understands. And why would I know the donor?”
“You’re friends with Ethan. Maybe he knows and just won’t say.”
Ross shook his head. “No one does as far as I know.”
Kelsey acknowledged that he was telling the truth. The elusive donor. Would anyone ever know?
“Dad, then we’re not going?” Peyton’s plaintive voice tugged at Kelsey’s heart.
He chuckled. “Sure we are.” He bent and kissed Kelsey’s hair. “All we need to do is set the date.”
“Now.”
“Soon.”
Kelsey gazed into his eyes.