and we’d need someone who’d be available to cover those evenings with Ashley.”
“I’d be fine with Friday evenings when you need me,” Margaret assured them.
“What about rainbows?” Ashley narrowed her gaze on the woman. “Do you like them?”
“I love them. One of my favorite things, actually.” Margaret grinned. “I have a rice crispy treat recipe my grandkids love that uses rainbow marshmallows, too.”
“I like her, Daddy!” the little girl pronounced, making them all laugh.
“What about longer stints?” Clint asked. “Like, say, a couple of weeks at a time. Would you be able to stay with Ashley then?”
This time, it was Tara snorting. “You planning a vacation I don’t know about?”
Margaret’s gaze darted from Clint to Tara. “I’d be fine with a few weeks, as long as I knew ahead of time so I could make some arrangements.”
“And infants? Are you good with those too?” he asked, adding quickly. “I mean, I know that you have grandchildren, but—”
“Why are you asking her that now?” Tara interrupted. “We’re not there yet at all. Let’s take it one step at a time, right?”
Silence fell and Clint set the folder aside before standing and turning to kneel in front of Tara. “Well, actually…”
He pulled out the ring box and cracked it open. The weight of the three female stares weighed heavily on him as the moment arrived. His throat clogged and his chest ached and if she said no, he didn’t know what he’d do. But life was nothing without risk, right? Tara had taught him that. Taught him that risk brought its own rewards. Taught him that love and emotions didn’t have to be suppressed, locked away and feared. He looked up at her now, looked at his daughter snuggled on her lap like it was meant to be, looked at the future he wanted more than he wanted his next breath, and said, “Tara Crumb, will you marry me?”
For a moment, she just looked at him, mouth open, her eyes going from Margaret to Ashley, then back to him, tears welling and spilling down her cheeks. She scooted Ashley aside and got down on her knees beside him, hands shaking as she reached out to trace a finger over the beautiful antique amethyst ring he’d picked out with Ashley’s help.
Tara bit her lip then gave him a tremulous smile. “I will.”
Ashley squealed with joy and hugged them both and Margaret clapped and Clint kissed Tara and slid his ring on her finger, exactly where it belonged.
“I love you,” he said, cupping her cheeks and wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
“I love you too,” she said, leaning in to kiss him, then reaching over to pull Ashley into their circle of love. “And you three.”
A short while later the doorbell rang again, and Ashley rushed over to let in the rest of the gang. Levon and Olive were there with Allie, who was into everything now, and Noah and Serena with their baby, Gracie. Good thing Tara had said yes, since Clint had invited them all over to celebrate the proposal that only his instincts had told him would be accepted. Looking back, though, his instincts hadn’t steered him wrong yet, at least when he really took the time to listen to them.
While the gals gathered in the kitchen to discuss the ring and the plans for the upcoming ceremony, Clint and Levon and Noah went out on to the back patio to have a beer.
“Man, it’s hard to believe this is where we’re at now, huh?” Levon said, staring up at the blue skies above. “Pretty soon, we’ll have to change the name of the business to Southern Dads with Daughters.”
“Right?” Noah chuckled. “If our SEAL teams could see us today, eh?”
“They’d be fucking jealous as hell,” Clint said, clinking bottles with his buddies. “To us. Finally getting our shit together, professionally and personally.”
“Amen, brother.” Levon grinned. “Well, I always had my shit together, but you guys were a sorry lot.”
“Dream on, dumbass. You were nothing but a frigging player when you started with us,” Noah joked.
“I believe the term you’re looking for is Himbo,” Clint added, then laughed as Levon flipped him off.
“You guys were just as bad as me. Sleeping around and never getting tied down.”
“I hope you’re talking past tense out here,” Olive said, opening the patio doors to step outside and join them. “About the sleeping around part anyway.”
“Baby, you know there’s no one but you for me ever again,” Levon said, wrapping his arm around his