The one he never claimed. (Complete)

35.

"Dad stop it. You're making me cry."
I say wiping the next tear that falls on my cheek.

"I just want to say sweetheart, that it took a really long time. It took us years before we could finally land where we are. And it's the best place we've ever been in a very long time."

It's the best place we've been since mom's death. It's like we were just lost souls trying to find ourselves in a world we never imagined to live without mom in it and we were just winging it.

For years.

But now?

"Ok ok dad! Which one are you gonna go with?" I ask looking at the breathtaking pieces of silver and gold bands.

"I don't know Hunny, when I proposed to your mom I didn't have a lot of money so I didn't have to go through this. I just went for the cheapest ring I could find." He says earning laughs from the jeweler and myself.

It sounds unromantic but I know what was on dad's mind was the prospect of spending the rest of his life with the woman he was madly in love with. Nothing else mattered in that moment.

"Dad, you know Mary. Even more than I do. When you look at these rings, which one do you think will have her gasping for air?"

I needn't say anything more because dad's smile tells me that something clicked. He's figured it out, he's figured something out.

He then stands up to thank the lovely lady before telling me we have to go and I conform.

I don't know where he's now taking me but I don't question him, he seems to be on a mission.

We walk around the mall until we stop at a,

"Kids store? Dad! Stop playing."
This man is supposed to be proposing tonight.

He completely ignores me and goes to the teller to ask,

"Do you have rubber rings?" After greeting the lady.

"You're kidding me right?" I say to the crazy man now making my way closer to him.

"Dad, this is cute and all but don't you think she deserves something a little more - oh I don't know, special?"

"She's an environmentalist hunnie."

Oh.

He needn't say more.

Mary is a big advocate for protecting our planet and saving it from our own selves. So of course she won't want to wear something that took digging of mines to produce.

She probably would've worn it just to be nice but I know she wouldn't have appreciated it. At least not how a future bride should.

I can't help but,

"Wow dad."
I mean I knew he liked her but damn.

Dad is not a very observant person, he's the literal opposite of that, so my shock is justified.

But,

"This is great and all but why don't you rather get her a silicone ring?"

A rubber band seriously? I don't care how much I love the person, I would say no if they'd proposed to me with a rubber band.

"Oh, what are those?" He asks and I answer him by taking his hand and leading him out of the shop after thanking the teller for our rudeness.

At this point, we're just running around trying to make this special for Mary. After everything she's been through with her ex, she deserves all that and more.

We end up driving out of the mall and to a place not far from it that sells silicone rings.

But as we're driving, I can't help but smile at how great dad and I's relationship is right now. We'd eventually spoken about my leaving home and he'd told me he was never angry with me.

I'd asked him why he didn't try to get in contact with me and he'd responded saying he wanted me to realize what I was doing as opposed to him forcing me to come back, only to further damage our relationship.

He said that he'd been disappointed but he knew I was going to come back soon enough.

He said that home is where the heart is. That I'm his home.

That made me all teary because dad is someone who struggles with his words. So when he says stuff like that to me, I know he really means it.

"Yes!"

I say staring at the silver band he's holding up with a smile.

We're now at the shop and it didn't take us long at all to find the perfect one.

It's stunning, in a simple kind of way.

It's caught in the middle of white and grey, and it's got tiny roses embedded on it. It'll look perfect against her brown skin.

We then have a special message engraved on it before they package it for us then we're soon on our way back.

It's thanksgiving today.

Mary is at home cooking with Liz and Josh and we'd gone out to 'grab a few things'. Which we are, but of course that was a disguise.

The reason we're doing this so last minute is because dad decided yesterday that he was going to officially pop the question. That had been shocking to me because dad always said he'd never marry again. I guess he needed a Mary to come and change his mind.

They do say sometimes it takes a special person. I'm glad dad finally found his.

We're soon back at the house with plastic bags of random things we'd thrown on the trolley to properly accommodate our disguise and they seem to not suspect anything because they come to help us as soon as they see us struggling to get all the groceries out of the car.

"Took you guys long enough," Liz says and I playfully roll my eyes at her.

She's got a thing about lateness.

"The grocery store was crazy full." I lie then take the two bags I'm carrying inside to put them on the counter in the kitchen.

I then smile when I'm welcomed by the mouth-watering smell of Mary's cooking.

Dad invited Cody's family like he does every year but I'm not sure if he's going to be joining us at this particular one.

I haven't seen him and I don't know if we're still cool with each other.

I mean I am, I'm finally over my little obsession with him and I hope that we can reunite as friends. I miss what we used to have before everything.

Soon the table is set and we're all seated to stuff ourselves with the beautiful looking food Mary prepared for us.

We take turns saying the things we're all grateful for before finally digging into the food.

Just when we'd just started eating, the door opens to reveal a very irritated-looking Cody, but that's explained when a taller figure walks in from behind him.

"Ezra?"