Merry Mishap

SAM

After all the drama John had created on Christmas Eve, it was incredibly relaxing just sitting around the dinner table with Evie’s family, recounting stories and giggling together.

With my beautiful, pregnant girlfriend beside me, I could easily say this was the best Christmas I’d experienced in a long time.

Empty plates littered the surface, but the smell of the smoked ham was still apparent. Our glasses were as good as empty. Two tall, white candles burned in the center of the table, illuminating dishes that we were still too full to even take back to the kitchen.

Saanvi relaxed back in her chair with her usual megawatt grin, messing with a long strand of her dark-brown hair.

Tim’s arm wrapped around the back of her seat as he leaned back like the rest of us to nurse his full stomach. His hair was so bright red that I would’ve suspected a dye job, but it matched his eyebrows and his pale complexion.

I felt like I knew both of them pretty well by now. Saanvi was loud and always spoke her mind. Tim was quiet and spoke little. She was a librarian, and he was a chiropractor. The two were so opposite, yet they completed one another. I loved that.

I didn’t know Fredrick and Eleanor as well yet; they’d spent most of their time today in “host mode.” But I was sure of one thing…my girlfriend got her snappy comebacks and humor from her mother.

I scanned Evie and couldn’t help but smile as her fierce red lips broke into a grin at one of Saanvi’s jokes.

I wondered what our baby would inherit from each of us. I kind of hoped they would be like Evie in every single way.

~Now, if only I could get a moment alone with her father to ask for his blessing…~

“Have you heard from the owner of that storefront you want to buy?” Tim asked.

“I talked with him a couple of days ago,” Evie said. “He says that no one’s shown much interest in the place, so as long as I get approved by the bank for the loan, it won’t be a problem.”

“Oh dear, that’s so exciting!” Eleanor said.

Evie smiled. “I have a ton of plans on my phone to show Charlie when I meet with her to discuss the renovations.”

“I wanna see,” Saanvi said.

Evie furrowed her brows. “Now?”

“Sure, why not?” Eleanor said. “I’d like a look myself.”

Fredrick rose from the table, grabbing his plate along with Eleanor’s. “I’ll clean up while you ladies go over those so we can have dessert soon.”

~This is it. Now’s my chance.~

“I’ll help Fredrick,” I said, groaning a little as I ascended from the comfort of my cushioned chair.

“Baby, why don’t you wait until I’m finished so I can help too?” Evie said.

“No, it’s no big deal.” I shot her a smile and snatched her plate. “We’ve got it, angel.”

My pet name unintentionally becoming public made Evie smile and brought mushy expressions to Eleanor and Saanvi’s faces. “Aww,” Saanvi squealed. “You guys make me want to vomit.”

I stuck out my tongue at her and followed Fredrick into the kitchen with my armful of dirty dishes. It took us a couple more trips to get everything loaded into the stainless-steel sink.

“I haven’t seen Evie smile this much in a long time,” Fredrick said, using the handheld hose to rinse his first plate before placing it on the counter beside us. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter.”

“Actually, um…” I sighed. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

I’d slipped the ring into my pocket before Evie and I left my house this morning, anticipating this moment. I wanted a physical thing to show Fredrick so he could see how serious I was. I pulled it out and held it up, the diamond catching the light.

“This engagement ring has been in my family for generations. My mother wore it, my grandmother wore it, my great-grandmother, and so many more…so it’s important to me. And I can’t think of anyone more deserving to wear it than your daughter.

“Now, I know it sounds crazy, because I haven’t known Evie for long, but ever since I first saw her sitting on the couch in Finnigan’s, it felt like we were meant to be.”

Fredrick’s lips twitched like he was trying to suppress a smile, and his chocolate-brown eyes twinkled. It gives me a good feeling—a hopeful one.

“So, if it’s all right with you…” I sighed. “I’d ~really~ like to ask your daughter to—”

Evie barged into the kitchen. “Hey, do you guys need—”

Fredrick and I both startled, and the ring slipped from my fingertips. A tinkling sound echoed off the metal sink, and before Fredrick or I could save it, my mother’s engagement band plummeted down the drain.

I stared down at it, wide-eyed, then up at Fredrick, who looked just as gobsmacked as I felt. We both slumped over the counter, gawking at the black hole that might as well have just swallowed my life.

“Shit,” I said.

“What’s wrong?” Evie asked.

Fredrick and I spun, glancing at the concern painting her face.

“Uh…,” I stuttered. “The, uh—”

“The drain’s clogged,” Fredrick said.

“Oh,” Evie muttered, furrowing her brows like she couldn’t figure out why that was such a big problem. She headed for a switch on the wall that must activate the garbage disposal.

“No, no, no!” I darted for her, grasping her arms to restrain her from flipping it. “See, Evie, the thing is—”

“I’m gonna take apart the P-trap,” Fredrick interrupted. “You know, fix the clog once and for all. It’ll only take me a minute. You and Sam should head back to the dining room.”

“Are you sure?” Evie asked. “You don’t need to mess with the plumbing today. It’s Christmas.”

“Yeah.” Fredrick nodded. “I should be able to find the cause of the clog, no problem.”

Evie shrugged. “Okay.”

I clasped Evie’s arms and led her out, darting a glance back at Fredrick, who granted me a nod. Hopefully, that meant he could find it. I didn’t know what I’d do if I lost that ring. My mother would never forgive me. Hell, I wouldn’t forgive myself.

For the next half hour as I sat at the table with Evie, Eleanor, Saanvi, and Tim, all I could do was force laughs and smiles, trying to blend in so no one knew anything was wrong. I was surprised Evie couldn’t feel my leg endlessly shaking with anxiety under the table.

“Sam?” I heard finally. Fredrick waved at me from the doorway. “Can you help me out for a moment?”

I nodded and rose from my seat, nervous to my core. Back in the kitchen, the cabinet doors below the sink were wide open, the pipes exposed, the P-trap dismantled.

~Oh, God. He couldn’t find it.~

Then Fredrick pulled Ma’s ring from his pocket and held it between us. My eyes rolled shut as I exhaled one of the deepest breaths I’ve ever breathed.

“I cleaned it up for you. Now, put it in your pocket, and don’t take it back out until you’re down on one knee, proposing to my daughter.”

I released a laugh, thankful that this not-so-merry mishap didn’t have a worse outcome, and did as he instructed.

“So, that’s a yes, then? I have your blessing?”

Fredrick’s lips straightened into a sentimental line. “It makes me happy to know that one day when I’m no longer around, both of my daughters will be taken care of.”

“I won’t let you down,” I said seriously.

He smiled. “I know.”

With that hurdle cleared, it was time for the hard part—trying to sum up all my affection for Evie in one little speech. It seemed impossible. But for Evie, I’d do my best.