21. Dante

21

Six months later…

I've barely pulled into the driveway of Amy's townhome before the front door swings open and Molly comes running out to meet me, leaving the door wide open in her wake.

"Dante!" she calls out to me, opening the door to my Tundra before I've even undone my seatbelt.

"Where is your coat, kiddo?" I chide her. She's only wearing a sweater over matching leggings and her snow boots. Her hair, almost the exact same ginger shade as her mothers, falls down her back in loose curls.

"It's hardly even cold," she huffs as she blinks up at me with her blue eyes.

"She's been waiting for you for the last hour," Amy speaks up, appearing at my side of the truck with her arms full of Molly's coat and two overnight bags.

I jump down, careful not to slip on the newly fallen snow, and hurry to help her. Taking the bags so Amy can help Molly into her coat. As soon as Molly's safely buckled into the backseat, I help Amy into the passenger seat.

"Did you lock up?" I ask as I reach across her to turn the vents towards her so the hot air can blow on her.

"Oh shoot!" Before she can even try to get out, I shut the door on her to keep her inside the warm cab.

"I got it," I tell her as I jog back to the house that is closed now, but not locked. My set of keys are still in the ignition, so I dig the spare out of the planter of painted rocks sitting on the porch before hurrying inside to do a quick check that all the lights are off. I savor the familiar lemon verbena and vanilla scent that is unique to my female. Then I lock up and replace the key before hurrying back to my girls.

The last six months have flown by. Despite my begging, Amy refused to move into my cabin with me. Stating that she and Molly needed their own space while they went through the custody battle with her ex. She also decided that we needed to date like normal people, so as not to give Chad fuel for his fight against her.

Both were valid reasons, but I still hated every moment we were apart. In the end, I'm glad that I have such a smart female because when her custody case against her ex finally made it to court, he pulled out every single underhanded tactic he could think of to try to discredit her.

In the end, Amy had more than enough evidence to prove her side of things. However, the tipping point was testimony from Chads own mother when she backed up Amy regarding every single missed visitation that Molly spent with her instead of him. So not only was she awarded full custody, but Chad now has to pay a substantial amount for child support, plus all the backpay that he never bothered with.

Amy, being the saint that she is, tried to reject his child support. Arguing that she has more than enough money to take care of Molly on her own. That's when I finally stepped in. The whole time, I stood back and offered no more than my support to her—to them both—during the whole fiasco.

"He needs to support his daughter, and if he won't do it with his time then he can do it with his wallet," I told her quietly during a short recess at the final court proceeding.

"But I don't need his money anymore. I don't want it. I can support Molly better than he can now."

"So, take his support and put it into an account for her. Save it for college, or for her to use it towards her future. A house. A honeymoon. A vacation, whatever she wants. Let him pay for that for her."

We were standing facing each other, our words were soft enough that they were only between us, and when her body sagged into mine, I wrapped my arms around her taking some of her weight. Over her shoulder Chad was glaring at us and I wanted to grin at him. Maybe give him a wink, but I refrained. Instead, I turned all my focus on my female.

"What would I ever do without you?" she asked me.

"Be miserable," I said, then tipped her chin up so she could look at me. "Just like I would be."

We had been careful about showing any kind of affection during the trial, but this time when I lean down and brush a soft kiss across her plump lips, she lets me.

"Do I have to go to Grandma's?" Molly sighs from the backseat. "I want to go up to the cabin too."

"Grandma has been looking forward to this for weeks," Amy reminds her. Lately Molly has been choosing to spend her weekends with us rather than her grandparents. Now that Chad is out of the picture, they no longer get her for scheduled weekends, but Amy has been sure to make sure Molly still sees them regularly.

"We'll all go up to the cabin next weekend," I promise her. "We'll go out into the woods and pick out a tree to decorate then.

Molly squeals from the backseat, and Amy reaches across the console to where my hand is resting on my leg. She threads her fingers through mine and grins at me, giving my hand a squeeze.

When we drop Molly off at her grandparents, she gives her mom a hug and then hugs me too. She accepted me into her family almost immediately, but the last couple months she's really grown attached. Amy told me she even calls me her stepdad to her friends.

"I'll see you in a couple days," I tell her, wrapping my arms around her smaller frame and rocking her back and forth. When she lets go, instead of stepping back, she lifts on her tip toes and whispers in my ear, "When are you gonna ask mom?"

I step back with a grin and pat my pocket.

She jumps up with a whoop and then turns and runs to where her grandma is waiting for her.

"You kids have fun," the older woman shouts before ushering Molly inside.

"We will, you, too!" Amy shouts back.

As soon as we're back in the truck, I head towards town.

"Where are we going? This isn't the way to the cabin." Amy notices right away.

"I thought we'd have lunch first," I say. The velvet box is burning a hole in my pocket, but I want to propose to her at the place we first met. In the booth I first set eyes on her, over greasy burgers. Becca is expecting us and I'm more nervous than I think I've ever been in my life.

"It's a little early for lunch," Amy says thoughtfully before we drift into comfortable conversation. Until we pull into the familiar parking lot. "Why are we here?"

I put my truck in park and turn to her with a grin, "Nostalgia."

The end.