Free Romance: New Beginnings (Young Adult and Adult Romance, Christian Christmas Fiction book as a Love Story) (Second Chances Trilogy 3) by Morris Fenris

trusting him to see to her safety and her happiness as she let him move her along the soft ground.
    Over the last week, Michael had been busy making plans for the new pediatric cancer clinic, and Grace had been consumed with the children’s choir and helping out her new neighbor. Tori and her daughter had become part of Grace’s family, eating several meals a week with them, and Emily and Dani were becoming very close.
    Grace smiled as she thought about the afternoon the day before. She’d gone looking for the girls after having helped Tori try on one of the wigs that had arrived earlier that day. She’d found both girls in the backyard, sitting on a blanket, surrounded by nine bundles of fur.
    Emily had been reading Daniella one of the many books she had brought home from the school library and Dani had been gazing up at her in pure admiration. There was a five-year age gap between the two children, but Daniella didn’t seem to mind. Emily had become her newest idol and she imitated her every action. It was cute and really drove home the fact that Daniella needed a little brother or sister of her own.
    Grace had been so lost in her thoughts, she almost opened her eyes when Michael stopped walking and turned her around to her left. He positioned her carefully, wanting her to see everything at first glance, and then quietly murmured in her ear, “Open your eyes.”
    Grace cracked her eyes open and then gasped. She looked at the scene before her and felt tears come to her eyes. Michael had brought her back to the spot by the lake where they’d had their first lunch date, but instead of a blanket and a picnic basket, an elegantly set table set for two awaited them. “Michael…how did you do all of this?”
    Deep red roses graced the center of the table, and soft music floated around them, coming from a hidden stereo. Grace approached the table in wonder, seeing the covered dishes and the bottle of what looked like champagne chilling in a bucket of ice upon the table.
    Turning back, she saw Michael watching her with a smile upon his face, “How did you do all of this?”
    “I had some help,” he offered, approaching her with a gleam in his eye. He pulled her into his arms, he kissed her for several moments before releasing her and suggesting, “We should eat before it gets cold.”
    Grace was still in shock, but allowed him to lead her to a chair where he helped her be seated. He popped the cork on the bottle, and she was pleased to see that instead of champagne, it was only chilled sparkling cider. Grace didn’t really care for the taste of champagne, having not even finished the glass at her first wedding.
    Michael poured them both a glass, using the crystal goblets on the table and then handed her one. “To the future.” He touched his glass to hers and then watched as she slowly brought the glass to her lips and took a sip.
    He was watching her so intently, she was starting to wonder why, when something caught her attention. Taking her glass away from her lips, she held it up at eye level and then gasped. Sitting in the bottom of the glass was a diamond solitaire ring.
    When she looked up to find Michael, he was on bent knee, watching her intently, “Grace, would you do me the honor of agreeing to be my wife?”
    Grace stared at him with an open mouth and then whispered, “Isn’t this too soon? I mean, we’ve only known each other a few weeks.”
    Michael looked at her with love shining in his eyes and then took the glass from her trembling fingers. He tipped the glass, retrieving the ring with the tines of a fork and then rinsed it off in the carefully concealed bowl of ice water sitting on the side of the table.
    Drying it off with a napkin, he held it up for her inspection, “Grace, I don’t need months, or even years, to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. I want to be a father to Daniella. I want to raise a family with you.”
    Grace couldn’t keep the tears from