She nodded, squeezing tighter before she stepped back and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Then she turned to the beautiful sight that glowed beneath the rising moon. “Hey, Daisy. Why don’t you come with Auntie Lily and color a picture for Nana with me? I think she needs another one for her wall, don’t you?”
“Yes!” Daisy shouted. “That’s a great idea. I got new colors. You wanna see?”
“I sure do.”
Sensing she was getting ready to hop out of the swing like the daredevil she was, Richard slowed her, saying, “Whoa, there, flower girl. Slow your roll, wild child.”
Curling her nose, she tipped her head back to look at him where she still swayed on the swing. “Are you my boss?”
I thought it was some kind of tease.
He brushed his fingers through her hair. “What do you think?”
“Well, you gave my mommy a ring. I think that means you must be my dad.”
Richard looked over at Lily and me.
Lily smiled and she stepped away like she was departing from the scene.
Richard wavered before he dipped down and kissed Daisy’s head, and my heart nearly tripped out of my chest. “I’ll protect you with my whole life, Daisy. Love you. Warn you if you’re doin’ something that’s not safe and be there to encourage you through all the adventures you have in this amazing life.”
“That’s what daddies do, right?” She tipped back farther, squinting up at him.
He nodded. “Yeah, my sweet flower girl, that’s what daddies do.”
They stared for the longest time, me caught up in their moment.
Lost to it.
Swept away.
Forever falling.
Richard looked up at me like he felt me staring.
Daisy giggled. “Hey, Mommy, you better get over here, I think my daddy wants to give you one of those sloppy kind of kisses. The private kind,” she mock whispered to my sister.
She hopped off the swing and came barreling our way.
“Can we have popcorn, too, Auntie?”
Lily caught my eyes, gave me another soft smile, before she took Daisy’s hand. “I would love that. How about a movie so your mommy and daddy can talk for a little bit?”
“You mean kiss? You know they got all the amor, amor, amor.”
She waved an indulgent hand.
Spinning it.
Stirring it.
The love going round and round.
Shimmering in the air and filling our lungs.
Lily sent me a wink and they started up the porch steps, Daisy prattling on as they went inside.
Richard took a step forward.
“Come with me.”
I eased down the slope until he was taking my hand and leading me down the trail as darkness crept across the heavens.
He weaved us through the rows of flowers.
Roses and lilacs and lilies.
A field of violets.
A thicket of roses.
The crickets came to life and the soft sounds of the night began to sing.
Peace.
Hope.
Love.
Richard turned around, stopping to bring us face-to-face where flowering bushes grew up all around us.
“What are we doing?” I whispered.
Richard smirked and wrapped me in the strength of his strong arms. “I want to dance with the prettiest girl in the place.”
The smallest grin teased at the corner of my mouth. “I’d better not.”
“And why’s that?” he said with the slightest laugh.
He’d already started us into a slow sway.
“Because then you’re gonna think you can take me home, and I’d have to go and disappoint you because that’s not going to happen.”
I gave him the same line I’d given him that first night.
The night he’d made a liar out of me.
The night he’d stolen my breath and my body.
When he’d kissed me and pillaged my heart.
Thank God, it’d listened.
His smile softened, and he brushed his fingers through my hair, angling my head back as he gazed down at me. He cupped my face. “Moonflower,” he whispered, his nose tracking my cheek, his mouth moving for my ear. “We’re already home. Exactly where you know we’ve always belonged.”Epilogue OneVioletSunlight teased through the brand-new leaves adorning the branches of the soaring trees that danced in the late spring breeze. The sun casting its rays down to the earth, touching our skin in a kiss of warmth.
Comfort and sorrow.
Comfort and sorrow.
They spun and billowed and blew.
Bittersweet.
We surrounded my daddy, Lily and me, each of us clinging to one of his hands, and Richard and Daisy stood off to the side of us.
Mama had left us four months ago, on the second day of January. Like she’d stayed for one last holiday. To fill our souls and hearts and our minds with the last of her wisdom. With the true, untarnished joy of who she was. With so much love that it would last us for the rest of our days.
My daddy trembled with the grief, with the massive amount of devotion that would hold him forever.
Daisy came skipping up to her grave with the bouquet of flowers she and I had picked this morning.
“Do you like these ones, Nana?” she said. “Mommy and I picked ’em special because they remind us of you. The most beautiful in all the world.”