Unbreak My Heart (Strawberry Inn Book #4)

Chapter 31

ELIZABETH

“Can we wear some lipstick, Mom?” 

“Yes! Just a little bit, Elizabeth!”

The girls were dressed to the nines in their brand-new dresses we went shopping for last weekend. It was a sour start to the Daddy-Daughter Valentine’s Day Dance, but Dalton swooped in like the knight in shining armor he is. After the dance was over, I was going to talk with the school about changing the name of the dance in the future. For many, this may not be a hill to die on, but for those of us who do not have traditional families, these labels can be very exclusive. Even though Dalton agreed to be her stand-in dad for the night, the reminder was still there that she didn’t have a dad.

Our family was different by choice. I knew going the route of fertility treatments would result in some difficult talks and situations, but I didn’t need the school making it any harder. Speaking up wasn’t just for me, though. It was also for families like Dalton and Katie. By no fault of their own, it is just the two of them with no mother in the picture. When I used Mother’s Day as an example, it was just for Eva to understand the big picture, but I also knew that in a couple of months, there would be Mother’s Day card and craft projects at school, things that Katie would have no mom to bring them home too. We needed to change and do better.

That was for another time, though. Tonight was about the girls getting spoiled rotten by Dalton. I picked Katie up this morning so we could have a girl’s day to get ready for the dance. I took them to breakfast and then we went to the local salon here in Strawberry to get manicures and pedicures. After that, it was time for lunch and then we came back here. I wasn’t able to find anybody to do their hair, but I was pretty good with a curling iron. The girls were in their matching teal dresses, ready for Dalton to pick them up any minute now.

“I don’t think you two need lipstick, you’re not that old.”

“Aww,” they reply in unison.

“How about we make a compromise? I have some lip gloss that is tinted just a little bit pink. It’ll make your lips shiny, would you two like that?”

Eva crashes into my side, “Yes, Mommy, thank you! Thank you!”

“You’re the coolest person ever, Elizabeth!” Katie said while she crashed into my other side. 

I pulled out my favorite lip gloss and applied a small amount to each of their lips. They were giggling and excited, making smacking noises at each other and checking themselves out in the mirror. While the girls were messing around in the bathroom, I went back into the kitchen to check on my mini-cheese cakes that were in the oven. While the girls were at the dance with Dalton, I was going to Emory’s house to meet up with the rest of the ladies for a little Ladies’ Night. Emory wasn’t feeling like going out just yet and we didn’t want to do anything without her. 

“Hi, honey, I’m home.” Dalton let himself into my place  I turned around to say hi and I almost dropped the pan of cheesecakes. He was certainly a sight to see in his navy blue suit, starch white dress shirt, and matching navy tie.

“Look at you!” I put the pan down and meet him at the halfway point. He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me. “If I didn’t know you were taking the girls out, I might be jealous of you going out tonight looking like that.”

“Jealous, huh?”

I bite my bottom lip, “I still might be slightly jealous. Just promise me you won’t meet another handsome dad at the dance and run off together.”

Dalton barks out a laugh, “You don’t have to worry about a thing, Liz. If I was going to leave you for another man, it would be Harrison.”

I slap him on the chest, “Great, now I have to worry about you being at work with him. It’s okay, Dalton, he is a good-looking firefighter.”

“Excuse me,” he pulls me in a little closer, “I better be the best-looking firefighter.”

I reach up on my toes and kiss Dalton’s nose, “You’re by far my favorite firefighter, don’t worry.”

“You didn’t say better-looking?”

I tilt my head to the side, “I didn’t?”

“Woman!” He started to follow me into the kitchen, but footsteps coming down the hallway got his attention instead. “Elizabeth, what are these teenager girls doing in your place and what happened to Katie and Eva?”

“Dad!” Katie said with an exasperated sigh, “Don’t be weird.”

He chuckled, holding out his arms for a hug. They both obliged. “I’ll try not to be weird, but the two of you look so beautiful and grown up.”

“Mom did our hair,” Eva says while making her curls bounce.

“She did a great job. Much better than I could do, right, Katie?”

“She could definitely give you a lesson or two,” Katie ribbed him.

“I’m more than happy to teach your dad how to do some different hairstyles. For tonight, though, you three want to get going so you aren’t late.”

“Before we go, I got something for you two.” Dalton grabbed the paper bag he left on the table by the front door and took out two flower corsages. They gawked over the flowers as he slid them on their wrists. He really went all out to make sure they had the best night possible and felt like true VIPs.

I took a few pictures of them and then it was time to go. I packed up my mini-cheesecakes and the toppings and followed them out, heading to Emory’s at the same time that they drove to the school. I said goodbye to both of the girls and while they got buckled in, I took the chance to square away Dalton’s tie and get my hands on him once again. “Thank you for making Eva feel like a princess tonight.”

“She’s my girl too, Elizabeth.” This man was still making me swoon. After all these years of thinking it would just be Eva and me, Dalton came into our lives and she was going to know what it meant to be respected and cherished by a man. It all started with Dalton’s example.

“I love you.”

He kissed my cheek, “I love you too, Elizabeth. Text me when you get to Emory’s and if you enjoy your night a bit too much, let me know and I’ll come to get you.”

“I think Cody is on duty to bring us all home, but if that changes, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Good,” he pressed one more kiss against my lips. “Love you so much.”

“I love you too, but you better get going before your dates turn on you.” We both glance into the car and the girls are looking at their pretend watches. 

“I guess that’s my sign.”

I waited until they pulled out of the parking lot and then got into my car and went the opposite way to Emory’s house. I could not wait to catch up with all these ladies!