Chapter 43 – Can I Be Your Daddy?
Catherine and Lindsay dropped Charlotte off before lunch. Lindsay and Charlotte went off to play and Catherine didn't waste any time looking at the ring. She nearly ripped Sara's hand off with excitement and punched Nick in the arm for picking such a good ring and not showing it to her first. Catherine decided to take them out to lunch so they all went out just after noon.
She took them to one of Charlotte's favorite restaurants; a burger house that had a playroom in the back and paper on the tables that you could draw on. Lindsay and Charlotte got right to drawing whatever popped into their heads while the adults ordered.
Just before the food came Sara was playing tic-tac-toe with Charlotte. Halfway through the game Charlotte noticed something.
"Hey, Mommy, where did you get that ring? It's very pretty." She took Sara's hand and looked at the ring.
Sara's mouth dropped. She wasn't planning on telling Charlotte about Nick and her yet. "Nick gave it to me," she said after a moment. Not a lie…but she wasn't going to elaborate on it.
"Why did he give it to you?" she asked looking at Nick.
Nick and Sara looked at each other. "Well, Charlotte…That was sort of going to be your surprise. Yesterday Nick…Nick proposed to me." Sara pressed her lips together. She still wasn't entirely positive how Charlotte was going to take this.
She just looked from Nick to Sara and back again. "What's proposed?" she asked after a few seconds.
"Umm…" Sara searched her brain for a way to explain this. "Well it means that Nick asks me if I want to marry him."
Charlotte nodded. "But then why do you get a ring?"
"The ring is like…a present. When he asks me he gives me the ring."
Charlotte nodded again. Then her eyebrows crossed. "I wish someone would propose to me."
Sara smiled. She didn't notice but Nick excused himself and slid away. "Why do you want someone to propose to you?"
"If someone proposes to me then I get to get a pretty ring." Charlotte started to pout. "I wish someone would propose to me."
Sara smiled and looked at Catherine. She was smiling too. "Just wait until you are older. Someone will propose to you then."
"But I don't want to wait until I'm older." Charlotte crossed her arms.
"Hey, Charlotte?" Nick sat back down at the table beside Charlotte. Charlotte kept pouting and looked at him. "I have a question to ask you." Charlotte didn't say anything. "I don't think it's very fair for me to ask your mommy to be a part of my family without asking you too. So, Charlotte, it would make me so happy if I could be your new daddy." Nick held out a little plastic ring. It was pink and had three blue plastic jewels on it. "So, Charlotte, can I be your new daddy?"
Catherine and Sara were smiling from ear to ear. Charlotte couldn't believe it. He was proposing to her! She smiled and looked at Sara. She couldn't believe Nick was doing this either. Sara leaned over and whispered; "Say yes," into Charlotte's ear.
She looked back at Nick. "Yes!" she yelled and jumped into his arms. He hugged her tight and then slipped the little plastic ring onto Charlotte's finger. She held out her hand and admired it.
Nick went and took his seat beside Sara. She took his hand. "I can't believe you just did that," she said affectionately.
Nick just smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Anything for my new family," he said, looking back at Charlotte, who was showing her ring off to Lindsay.