Page 108 of Ethan

"Head on outside, find a seat, and I'll bring them out to you."

We stepped through an open sliding door onto a pergola covered patio. It looked to be wisteria growing up the provider of shade. I liked the look of the abundant greenery.

At the far end sat the woman who had practically accosted me at my coffee shop. Sarah's eyes flicked up as we approached. She gave us a forced smile.

"Dad … Ethan."

Daniel sat beside her. I sat on his far side. We held hands.

"Derek tells me you're in love with Ethan," she said, her arms crossed.

"We're in love, so no matter how much you argue with me, I won't be abandoning him. My future is with Ethan. You'll have to accept that."

Sarah tipped her head up, studying Daniel's face.

"You're serious."

"He makes me incredibly happy, Sarah."

Sarah sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Then I'm happy for you, Dad. I'm going to trust your judgement in bringing Ethan into your life … and ours. Not sure how Mom and Mark will react."

Daniel smiled. "Thank you, Sarah."

Sarah leaned forward so she could see me. "I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have come at you like that. I was worried about my dad. I can be a bit overprotective."

"Apology accepted." It felt good to know Sarah wouldn't be arguing with Daniel anymore. It would take me a while to warm to her, though. We had a road of trust to embark on.

An older woman approached, followed by a man who was remaining a few paces back from her. She had sandy hair, lightened by blonde streaks to hide possible grey strands.

She looked back and forth between us. Her brows were pinched.

"Delores, this is Ethan," Daniel said.

"My gosh, you look younger than I thought you would."

Daniel strangled my hand in his. "Delores … stop."

"I'm sorry. I'm just surprised."

Daniel grunted.

Not sure what I was supposed to say to Delores. I went with, "It's nice to meet you."

"You too, Ethan. Daniel tells me you own a coffee shop."

"I do. In Cook Street Village. We do well down there."

"I suppose you don't get much time off."

I squeezed Daniel's hand. I'd come to a decision recently. Daniel was going to be retiring in a matter of months. I needed to make some changes so I could spend more time with him.

I directed my answer at Daniel. "I'm going to hire a part-time pastry chef, so I don't have to be there every morning. And I'm going to hire a second manager to take some of the heat off."

Daniel lifted our hands and kissed mine. Tears rimmed his eyes.

"I want to spend more time painting and instructing equestrian riders." I stroked Daniel's face. "And I want to spend more time with you doing crossword puzzles and snuggling."

"What about your passion for baking?" Daniel asked.

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