Lib Novel Page 42
Jared turned to his father in surprise.
“I know you kids tend to compare yourselves to each other,” Dad went on. “But Kellan doesn’t corner the market on being steady, you know. You’ve seen to the same fields all your life, sowing, reaping, threshing, working the harvest with all your heart, through good years and lean.”
Jared nodded, his heart aching at the pride in his father’s voice.
“And Lucy’s as sweet as they come,” Dad went on. “But she’s certainly not the only one of my children to be thoughtful. You’re the one who took it upon yourself to shovel the steps and clean off the cars every time it snowed starting when you were, what, twelve years old?”
Jared smiled, remembering how excited he had been to see his parents going out to clean the walk and finding that it was already done. It still felt a little magical to him, even a hundred snowfalls later.
“No one ever asked you to do that, Jared,” Dad said quietly. “It was in your heart to want to help—just like you’ve taken on that young woman’s house, fixing things up for her, and what you’ve done for Jim Allen and his boy. It’s in your heart to be kind and thoughtful. She can see that.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Jared said. “I guess you know me better than I know myself.”
“I see you. That’s all,” Dad said, his voice serious. “It’s a father’s job to see his kids just as they are. And it’s why I think you should walk with me right now.”
“Okay,” Jared said.
He expected his father to lead him back up into the woods and show him the beauty of the sunset they had watched so many times, or a bird’s nest, or a fox’s den. Simon Webb loved nature and he found his solace there, just as Jared did.
But instead, Dad headed straight for the house, his pace so quick it almost felt urgent.
Jared followed, more and more curious by the moment.
When they got to the house, Dad led him up to the main bedroom, and Jared entered with him.
His parents still had the same deep green curtains and bedding in their room that they’d had when he was little, and a hint of the spice of Dad’s aftershave hung in the air. He remembered coming in here and crawling under the comforter with them, recounting a bad dream, or the thing that happened at school that was keeping him up at night, so they could help him make things right.
“So,” Dad said, pulling something out of his bedside table. “Your Grandpa Henry gave this to me before he passed. He told me you might need it one day, and if you did, I was to give it to you without delay.”
Jared stepped closer, already knowing what he was going to see.
Sure enough, his grandmother’s engagement ring twinkled in a small wooden box. The stone was the tiniest chip of a diamond, all his grandfather could afford at the time when he proposed. But the band was beautifully carved in intricate swirls, and Jared knew there was a tiny inscription on the inside that said Forever My Love.
“You might not be ready yet,” Dad said softly holding out the box. “But when you are, it’s yours.”
Every instinct told him to snatch the box from his father’s hand and run right over to Cora’s house to slide it on her finger. But he held back.
“Isn’t it a little soon for me to be thinking about a ring?” he asked. “I don’t even know if she wants to go on a date.”
“I don’t know,” his father said, his eyes twinkling. “What does your heart tell you?”
“It tells me that I’m hers and she’s mine,” Jared admitted.
His father nodded.
“But my head reminds me that I’m impulsive,” Jared said, sighing. “Maybe I should be more careful when it comes to something so… important.”
“Careful in your eyes or in hers?” his father asked.
“What do you mean?” Jared asked.
“I mean are you thinking you should hold back because of your own doubts, or because of what she’ll think?” Dad asked. “And I don’t just mean about a proposal, which would be a big step, but about asking her what your relationship means to her and whether she would be open to seeing you as more than a friend.”
“Hers,” Jared realized out loud. “I’m already sure.”
“That’s a good thing to know, isn’t it?” Dad asked, wrapping an arm around Jared’s shoulder as they both looked down at the pretty little ring.
“I’m going to talk to her,” Jared said, nodding. “I’m not going to wait any more.”