Houston, We Have a Problem
"Are you sure you feel okay?" Dave asked, his hand on Jennifer's back as they walked toward the restaurant he had picked for the evening. "Cause we can ditch this idea and just head home now."
"David, I'm fine," Jennifer assured him as the attendant opened the door of the swanky eatery for them. "Thank you," she smiled, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
"She already told you that about a hundred times, Dave!" Keegan reminded the man holding her as he approached the hostess table to retrieve his reservation. "Dave?" she asked when he turned to rejoin Jennifer at one of the sofas in the lobby.
"What?" he asked, trying to push down all of the nerves in his stomach. It had been nearly three weeks since he had originally intended to propose, and now that Jennifer had beaten her flu and was back on her feet, the time was at hand. He couldn't wait any longer, and he didn't want to. It was time for them to be a family.
Keegan waited until he was seated and then turned in his lap, resting her little hand against his face. "What kind of food do they have here?" As he explained the menu of Italian delicacies, she scrunched her nose up. "Do they have pasghetti?"
With a laugh, Dave nodded. "Yes, they have pasghetti, Peanut," he assured her.
Jennifer watched the various patrons walking in and out of the restaurant while she listened to Dave and Keegan making up a song about pasta and Kool Aid. She was sure she should probably feel guilty about not telling Dave the truth about John, but the longer they hid his involvement in her life, the easier she found the secret to keep. It was just better that nobody find out.
As the host called their names, Dave checked over his shoulder toward the door. "You sure you're feeling okay?" Jennifer teased slightly, slipping her hand into his.
With a smile of relief, Dave nodded. "I am now," he assured her as three young women walked through the door of the restaurant. "I hope you don't mind. I invited a few more women to join us."
Jennifer glanced back and then did a double take. "Hey!" she smiled happily as his three daughters walked toward them. They had spent some time with the couple, in one combination or another, in the last six months, and Jennifer was starting to love having them around. And Keegan adored all three of them.
"Sorry we're late," The oldest, Heidi, apologized as her father hugged her. "Hey, sexy mama," she smiled, tickling Keegan's belly as she squealed with delight.
All five women walked to the table with Dave, allowing he and the host to pull out their chairs before they sat. "So, what's goin' on here?" Holly, Dave's youngest daughter, asked as she perused the menu. "What's with the dinner, Daddy?"
Shaking his head, Dave reached under the table to rub Jennifer's thigh and shot her a smile. "It's our six-month anniversary, and I wanted to share it with all of you guys."
The middle girl, Hillary, rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? You brought us all to Five-Starville for a six-month anniversary?" Looking to Jennifer, she smiled. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Jen. The fact that you put up with Dad's incredibly geeky ass for six months is a feat in and of itself," she started.
"I beg your pardon," Dave interrupted and then cleared his throat. "And watch your mouth around Keegan."
Hillary turned to Keegan, who was seated to her left, happily coloring her place mat with a pen her mother had given her. "Did I offend you, Midget?" she asked.
Keegan looked up, confusion on her little face. "Huh?" When everyone else started laughing, she turned her cherubic face to her mother. "What did I miss?"
Before Jennifer could answer, their waiter arrived and Dave told them all to order anything they wanted. The rest of dinner was uneventful as they ate in relative silence, catching each other up on their lives between courses. As Dave looked around the table, he could honestly say he had never been more proud of his girls.
After the dessert plates were taken, Dave cleared his throat and rested his elbows on the table. "Alright, so being as this is an anniversary, I thought I would bring some presents."
Keegan clapped and stood on her chair, leaning across the table. "I like presents."
"Keegan Grace," Jennifer scolded, motioning for her daughter to get off the chair. "Sit like a lady."
"But I'm not a lady," Keegan whined. "I'm just a kid!"
Dave laughed as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a few black boxes. "Well, if you're just a kid, I guess you won't want this, huh?" Distributing them to each of the girls, he motioned for them to open their gifts.
Heidi's eyes filled with tears immediately. She had seen this before and she knew what was coming. "Daddy," she sighed, pulling the sapphire ring from its case. "It's beautiful."
Hillary and Holly both pulled their identical rings from the boxes and slid them onto their fingers. They, too, had been through this routine before. "It's great, Dad," Hillary added, lifting it to the light to watch it sparkle.
Keegan looked at her box for a moment and then looked at her mom. "Look, Mommy!" She laughed and cooed as she slipped the tiny ring onto her finger. "Dave gave me a pretty ring."
Jennifer nodded and held her daughter's hand to examine it closely. It wasn't a cheap imitation ring by any stretch. It was the real thing - platinum and sapphire. And far too expensive for a five-year-old. "You have to be very careful with this, okay?"
Keegan nodded, daintily holding her finger out before she stood in her chair again and tapped on the shoulder of the lady at the table behind her.
"Keegan!" Jennifer exclaimed, mortified as the older woman turned and smiled at the child behind her.
"Look what Dave gave me," she said proudly, showing her ring to the woman.
"It's lovely," the woman smiled, looking at Dave with an appreciative grin of approval.
He returned the smile graciously and then cleared his throat again. "Keegan, come here, Peanut," he held his arms out as she jumped off of her chair and ran to him. Lifting her in his lap, he kissed the top of her head and then took Jennifer's hand.
"I had about a million brilliant words to say, but I can't remember any of them," he chuckled slightly. "Jen, you know that I am ass-backwards in love with you," he started.
"Watch your mouth around the kid," Hillary scolded, smacking her father's shoulder playfully.
He just smiled at her and rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to have a moment here. Do you mind?"
Hillary grinned happily and shook her head. "Not at all. Please, don't let me interrupt."
Jennifer couldn't help smiling at the young girl at her father's side as Dave dug another box out of his pocket. Her breath caught in her throat as Dave laid the velvet box on the table. "Dave," she breathed.
It wasn't a shock - she had been anticipating it for weeks. But now that the moment was upon her, Jennifer felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"I love you, Jen, but when I ask you to marry me, I'm not just asking you to be a part of my life. And I'm not just asking for you to accept me as a part of yours. There are more people involved here, and it's important to me that everyone is comfortable with this. So, Heidi," he turned to his eldest. "Do I have your permission to ask Jennifer to marry me?"
With a bright smile, Heidi nodded. "Of course, Daddy."
"Hillary, do I have your permission to ask Jennifer to marry me?" he turned to his middle daughter.
With a shrug, she tried to fight the smile on her lips. "I suppose." The grin broke across her face. "But I totally don't blame her if she says no."
Dave nudged her shoulder with his fist as he turned his eyes to his youngest daughter. "Holly, do I have your permission to ask Jennifer to marry me?"
Holly swallowed and nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. "Yeah, Daddy."
Jennifer's heart dropped at the crest-fallen look on the young girl's face. "Holly, if you don't want me as your step mom," Jennifer started.
But Holly shook her dark ponytail. "No, that's not it!" she exclaimed. "I like you a lot, Jen. And you make my dad so happy." Turning to her father, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's just weird - seeing this with someone other than mom, ya know?"
"If it's too soon for you, Holly," Dave started, but again she shook her head.
"No, Daddy. It's fine. Really." Looking at Jennifer once again, she nodded. "I would be so, so happy to have you as my new step mom, Jen."
Grabbing the little girl in his lap and turning her around, Dave smiled at Keegan. "And what about you, Peanut? Do I have your permission to ask your mommy to be my wife?"
Tilting her head to the side, Keegan examined Dave's face carefully. "Would that make you my daddy?"
"Only if you want me to be."
"I never had a daddy before," Keegan whispered, running her palm over Dave's cheek. "Can I call you daddy?"
He couldn't fight the tears that started to prick the back of his eyes. For a brief moment, he wondered what kind of monster could abandon a child like this. Sniffling, he nodded. "If you want to," he said.
The smile that broke Keegan's face was enough to draw laughter from the three girls at Dave's side. She was radiant when she giggled and clapped her hands. Turning around, she lept off of Dave's lap and into her mother's. "I have a daddy!" she exclaimed.
Hugging her, Jennifer smiled at Dave. "Not yet, you don't. He has to ask me first."
Turning around, Keegan stomped her foot against her mother's lap and narrowed her eyes at Dave. "Let's get moving, Mister!"
Taking the ring from the box on the table, Dave pushed his chair back and dropped to his knee. "Jennifer, will you marry me?"
Still holding Keegan, she nodded. "Of course I'll marry you, Dave," she answered as Keegan began to clap her hands wildly.
As Jennifer was caught up in the sparkle of the diamond on her hand, Keegan leaned over again, this time tapping a young businessman on his shoulder. "Guess what!" she said excitedly.
Jennifer wanted to stop her from interrupting the man's meal, but she didn't have the heart. "I'm sorry," she muttered to the man, who only shook his head.
"It's fine," he grinned. "What?" he asked Keegan, his eyes wide as his date began to giggle slightly.
"My mommy is getting married!" She laughed again, an infectious sound that caused half the restaurant to turn and look. "And I have a new daddy!"
A smattering of applause met them as Keegan moved back to Dave's lap and hugged him again. "This is the best day ever," she told him, as she rested her head on his chest.
Dave signed the receipt that the waiter had returned with his credit card and then motioned for the girls to stand. "You ready to get out of here, Peanut?" he asked the humming child in his arms as he took Jennifer's hand in his.
"Yep," Keegan agreed. "Let's go home, Daddy."