Perfect Summer by Bethany Lopez
Mitch
The next few months went by at lightning speed.
Because Faith’s arm was in a cast and she couldn’t work with any clients, she spent her mornings working on the business end of her salon and the rest of her time she threw into working on the new house.
She met with contractors and designers and did so much shopping I began to worry we’d have nowhere to sleep because both of our houses were filled with bags and boxes.
Faith also started planning the wedding.
Sure, she’d been married before, but they’d simply gone to the Justice of the Peace and signed a paper. She hadn’t worn a wedding dress, had her father walk her down the aisle, or had any sort of celebration.
Now that she was home and we were getting married, there was no way me, her parents, or the citizens of Mason Creek would allow her to get away with anything other than her dream wedding.
We set the date for a year after my ill-fated proposal, so we would have time to plan and book everything and Faith could have a summer wedding.
“I can’t believe it’s moving day,” Faith said, coming out of her house carrying a box.
I rushed to take it from her. “Take it easy. You’ve only had the cast off a month, you don’t want to push it.”
Faith tried to hide her eye roll, but I saw it.
She said I acted like a mother hen, and she was fine, but the cast had been on for twelve weeks and she was still doing physical therapy, so I worried something could happen that would either slow the recovery or reinjure her arm.
She said I was nuts, and unfortunately Miles agreed. He’d assured us she was doing great and had recovered fully, but I couldn’t help but worry.
“We hired a moving company so you wouldn’t have to move anything,” I reminded her.
We’d already packed up my things from the cabin and unloaded them at the new house, now we were working on hers. It was definitely a two-day job of moving and who knew how many weeks of unpacking.
“It’s hard for me to be idle, you know that. Especially after so many months of not being able to use my arm. I just want to be useful,” she said, giving me the pout she’d perfected since her injury. The one she used whenever I didn’t want her to do something that might cause her harm.
“Here,” I said, handing her the clipboard. “You can write down all the box numbers as the guys load up the truck.”
Lord knew standing there had been driving me crazy and I’d be happy to unload the tedious task.
“You just don’t want to do it,” Faith said, seeing right through me as usual.
“Who, me?” I asked innocently. “I’m simply helping you stay busy, like you wanted.”
She gave me a look.
“Why don’t I go see about lunch for everyone?” I suggested.
That perked her up. “Are you going to the deli?”
“That sounds good. I can grab a few large party subs for the guys,” I replied.
“Will you get me a Rueben?”
“You got it,” I said, leaning over to drop a kiss on her lips before leaving.
I grabbed the crew lunch … and then dinner. And after two long days of moving, we were finally in our new home.
It was a log cabin. With a basement, standard ranch-style main level, and a loft. We figured the loft would eventually become Hope’s room, once she was older and Faith wasn’t worried about her using the ladder all the time. Until then, it was my office.
There were three bedrooms on the main level, along with a living room, den, formal dining room, and an eat-in kitchen. The basement was decked out with a game room and a bar and also had an additional bedroom in the back. There were four bathrooms all together, and a deck leading off the back of the kitchen. We were planning to put in a hot tub and maybe a firepit and camping area out back by the creek that ran through the property, but that would have to come later.
After the wedding.
We were planning to have the wedding on our property, so Faith was having an arch lined with fresh flowers built, which would go in the place that would eventually be our firepit and camping area.
I was thrilled with how everything had come together. A few weeks after the fall, Faith had told me everything about Jed and their relationship. It seemed incredible to me that with all the torture and abuse she’d endured; Faith had managed to pull herself and Hope out of their own literal hell to be where we were today. She was a superwoman as far as I was concerned, and as much as I hated Jed and what he’d put her through, I knew she was the strong, independent woman she was due to perseverance.
I vowed to myself she would feel safe and loved with me for the rest of our lives.
“Daddy, can you help me?” Hope called out tentatively. Faith was currently working on unpacking the kitchen, which was a daunting task and one I was happy to leave to her.
Since we were now living together, and I’d soon be married to her mother, Hope had asked if she I would be her daddy. It was the sweetest most precious moment of my life and I’d been honored to the point of tears. She was still a little shy about saying it, but every time she did my heart swelled.
“Of course,” I responded as I moved down the hall toward her bedroom.
I looked inside to see her trying to make her bed, which was the only thing in the room not covered in boxes.
For her seventh birthday we’d agreed to decorate her bedroom with Frozen 2 décor, and Faith had gone a little crazy with it. She had Frozen stickers on the walls, pictures, a hamper, toy and book organizer, lamp, and storage cubes. If they made it, Hope had it in her room. She even had an upholstered chair, which Prince Alice was currently curled up in sleeping.
She was now struggling with the Frozen bedding, so I moved to help her get the fitted sheet on the mattress, which was sitting on the Frozen twin-sized bed.
I sure hope she didn’t grow out of the Frozen 2 phase too soon.
“Are you excited to sleep in your new room tonight?” I asked as we picked up the flat sheet and put it on.
“Yeah, but I can’t find my Olaf, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to fall asleep.”
She’d been sleeping with the stuffed Olaf we’d gotten her every night since her birthday.
“I’ll look for it,” I assured her as we laid the comforter down, Anna side up.
I started going through the boxes, both of us putting stuff away in its new home as I took it out of the box. Wouldn’t you know it, Olaf was in the last box I opened, and by the time I found him, we’d unpacked everything in Hope’s room and put it in its place.
Of course, it was way past her bedtime and Faith was probably cursing me from the kitchen, but her room looked great, and I knew she would sleep better with it all done.
“Thanks, daddy,” she said softly as I tucked her in and handed her Olaf.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Sleep tight.”