Page 104 of Noble Neighbor
He chuckled. “One will suffice.” Oliver took hold of her left hand and slipped the ring on.
“It’s gorgeous,” Sunny whispered holding up her hand to view the princess-cut yellow diamond flanked by a pair of half-moon whites.
“It’s perfect,” he whispered back, turning her to him. He lowered his forehead to hers. “As perfect as you, baby.”
“I take it she said yes?”
Everything in Sunny stilled.
She knew that voice. She loved that voice. She never thought she’d hear that voice again.
“Yes, sir. She did.” Oliver moved aside, and Sunny stared at the man standing a few yards away.
“Daddy?” How? Why? Then the how and why didn’t matter, and she flew across the ground and into her father’s waiting arms, throwing years of caution away. Bands of comfort closed around her, and she submerged herself in the familiarity, the love, of them.
“Don’t hog the girl, Pete.”
“Granny!” Another set of familiar arms enveloped Sunny.
“Look at you, girl,” her grandmother said, pushing back to arm’s length. “It’ll take some getting used to,but” — her grandmother trailed a hand across her face and cocked her head — “I’d’ve recognized you, darlin’. Regardless.”
“Oh, Granny.”
Her father put his arm around her, tugging her lightly. “Maybe you wanna go greet your ma, Sunny-girl. She’s not holding up so well.”
Wiping tears from her face, she looked in the direction her father was staring. Her mother was in Aleck’s arms, sobbing. Sunny rushed forward and embraced her mother and brother. “Mama. It’s okay, Mama,” she crooned as the woman sobbed harder. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
She’d always thought it was her father she’d missed the most, but with her mama’s body pressed to hers as they rocked in a tight embrace, Sunny figured it was her mother she’d yearned for above all.
“I promised myself. No tears, but seeing you … Oh, Savannah. Sunny. My baby, my baby.”
“Enough now, Mama,” Sunny chided, her own face as wet as her mother’s. But as she pulled herself together, the reality, the risk, of the situation slapped her upside the head.
Her girls! “Oliver,” she cried.
“Whoa, sweetheart. Don’t start panicking,” Oliver soothed. “It’s just us here.”
Her gaze swung around widely. “But the other occupants—”
“Shh.”
“Oliver, don’t shush me.”
Before he could reply, Aleck spoke. “I booked out the resort, Sunny. And Oliver has a solid plan.”
Annoyed, Sunny flicked her gaze back to Oliver. “You and Aleck planned this?”
Unrepentant, Oliver grinned. “There’s more. But we’ll take one day at a time.”
*
Snuggled under a tree beside the man she loved, Sunny did not think life could get any better. The girls and Clem were fishing with her father, Frank, and Bert a short distance from them, while her mother, Granny, and Vera put together lunch in the communal kitchen. Aleck sat hunched over his laptop, catching up on some business, throwing out the odd comment to the trio of women near him.
Happy voices drifted in the air, mingling with the cheerful call of birds and the gentle rustle of leaves.
The rumble of an approaching vehicle cut across the serene setting. She stiffened and pushed away, twisting her torso. “Someone’s coming.”
Oliver straightened, stood, and grasped her arm, pulling her upright.
