Lending Library

"That's true," Aidan told him. "She hired me to do her landscaping, and being the lover of literature that I am, I had to take a peek inside."

"Yes. So I heard. I believe the book that got it all started was The Count of Monte Cristo."

"Edmond Dantes, at your service, sir," Aidan said with a bow that made Sadie laugh.

"Listen, the bell is about to ring. Once the campus has cleared out, all of the teachers will be gathering in the cafeteria for an end-of-year thank you and awards ceremony. If you and Miss Sadie here can just hang out in my office, I'll let you know when we're ready for you."

"Sounds perfect. And thank you so much for agreeing to this," Aidan told him as the principal lead them into his office.

"Good luck," he said to both of them just before the final bell of the year rang.

Aidan couldn't help but laugh when he heard all the loud hollering followed by cars burning rubber in the parking lot.

"These people are crazy!" Sadie said as she saw blue smoke here and there from the cars that were 'peeling out'.

He laughed but didn't tell his daughter why when the phrase, "Young, dumb, and full of cum," came to mind as all of the smoke was coming from testosterone-fueled boys.

"Do you have the ring, sweetie pie?" he asked as the minutes ticked by like hours.

"Uh-huh. It's right here," Sadie said, tapping the pocket on the shorts she was wearing. It may have been the 19th of December, but it was 73 degrees outside and the sky was wall-to-wall blue.

After what seemed like an eternity, the principal's secretary came in and said, "Okay. It's time."

She led them to a space in the cafeteria where they could hear but not be seen then went back to her seat.

"We have just one more announcement, and that'll be it for the year, folks," the principal said.

"I believe it's actually more of a question than an announcement, though."

He stood on his toes and raised his head as though he was looking for someone.

"Is there anyone here who has a question to ask one of our teachers? Anyone?"

It was absolutely silent until the staff heard the sound of footsteps behind them. Every head turned to look, and when they did, they saw a very handsome man holding hands with a very pretty girl. Both of them were smiling happily as they walked to the front.

There were some whispers followed by some louder comments and then there was a weepy cry of, "Of my God!" from Quinn Johnson.

The principal handed the mic to Aidan with a smile then stepped aside.

"Hello, everyone," he said. "I'm Aidan Gray, and this is my daughter, Sadie."

The staff was torn between looking at them and at Quinn, who was sitting there crying and shaking as the man she loved stood in front of her, because she knew why he was there.

"Some of you may have heard my name, but if not, I'm the lucky guy who's been dating one of your fellow teachers."

He smiled at Quinn who was already a blubbering mess.

"I uh, I lost my wife a few years ago, and Sadie, of course, lost her mother. I can't begin to tell you how hard that was—for both of us. And honestly? I often thought I would never meet anyone else I could love that much, and then one day someone contacted my on my website and asked me to take care of her yard. That someone is the woman who changed my life and turned it around."

Sadie tugged at her dad's shirt so he looked down to see what she wanted. He could tell she wanted to say something so he lowered the microphone.

Sadie looked at Quinn then said, "Our lives."

There were 'ahhs!" all over the room, and among the women, at least, not a dry eye to be found.

Aidan smiled and thanked his daughter then said, "Yes. Our lives. Sadie loves her as much as I do. Anyway, her email to my site and our mutual love of classic literature, led to a first meeting and then a first date, and as they say, the rest is history."

Aidan looked right at Quinn who was still crying and said, "Quinn? Honey? I have something I'd like to ask you."

Barely able to speak, Quinn again managed to get out the words, "Oh, my God," as she cried and sobbed.

He looked down at Sadie who knew why. She reached into her pocket and handed her dad the little box who then said to Quinn, "Stay right there, sweetheart."

Everyone laughed nervously, and everyone was smiling as he and Sadie walked up the front row. Anyone in their way gladly stood up and moved their folding chairs out of the way until Aidan was standing directly in front of the woman he loved.

Once he was there, one of the more vocal female teachers hollered out, "He's even hotter than you said, Quinn!" causing everyone to laugh loudly as several other women made similar cat calls before getting quiet again.

Without the mic, he said, "Quinn? Until you came into my life, Sadie was the only reason I got up each day."

His daughter smiled at her dad as he smiled down at her.

"But you've given me another reason to do so. You've made my life whole and complete and you've made my happier than I could have ever dreamed."

Every eye was glued on the little box as he opened it and knelt on one knee before her.

"I'm no Edmond Dantes. I cannot give you everything, but were I him know that I would. But since that is something I cannot do, I offer you all the love I have and pray that it, along with this ring, will be enough. Quinn Johnson? Will you marry me."

Tears were still streaming down her face as she sat there overwhelmed with emotion. Joy, happiness, wonder, and love filled her heart as she listened to his words.

Still trembling, she held out her hand and somehow said, "Yes!"

The room exploded in applause as Aidan stood and helped his fiancé do the same. Once they were face to face he said, "I love you, sweetheart."

Quinn nodded and as she tried to speak, the teacher who'd called out earlier said, "Kiss her already!"

As another round of laughter pealed through the room, Aidan put his arms around her and kissed her which generated another burst of applause, whistles, and best wishes.

When the kiss ended, Quinn leaned down and smiled at Sadie.

"I love you so much," she told the little girl.

"I love you, too," she said before her new 'mom' hugged her tight.

The newly-engaged couple waited for everyone to come up and congratulate them before leaving.

Once the room was empty except for a custodian who'd come in to put the chairs away and sweep the floor, Quinn, whose face was a disaster but who still looked beautiful to Aidan said, "Do you know how much I love you?"

Before he could answer, she said, "I've never had romance in my life. Ever. But since you walked into it, it's been filled with romance. I...I used to dream about a man like you, honey. But I'd given up ever finding him. And then you showed up at my house and now today...here...at the place where I've spent so many years, you did the most romantic thing I've ever seen."

"That's because I love you even more than you love me," he told her with a smile, reigniting the game they played.

"No, that's not possible," Quinn insisted, "because no one could love anyone as much as I love you."

Aidan took her in his arms, smiled, then said, "Today I'm the luckiest man alive, so I'm not going to argue with you."

She smiled back before he said, "Because we both know you're wrong!"

Quinn pretended to be mad while he pretended to be in trouble.

All the while Sadie stood there and watched. She watched the man she loved more than anyone finally be happy. And she also knew that the woman he loved loved her, too, and she loved her back just as much.

When they married one week after the end of the school year at a chapel just down the street from the high school on Kingsley Avenue, the first place the Gray family went was to the office of a family practice attorney just a block from the church. There, they filed the paperwork for Quinn Gray to adopt the little girl she thought of as her own.

She'd never met Kayla, and knew she would always be Sadie's mother, but Quinn was thrilled with the opportunity to be her mom; a mom who loved her as much as her father and to her great delight, the new mom who soon became her best friend.

Quinn didn't find it difficult to sell her home and move in with Aidan and Sadie, but she couldn't bear to leave the lending library behind. So her handsome, younger husband brought it to their new home and set it up right next to their mailbox with the hope that it might bring someone else as much happiness as it had brought to them.