Colton, I you don't need to say anything now, he interrupted gently. I just wanted you to know that when you're ready, if you're ever ready, I'd be honored to court you properly to build a life with you and Emma. Faith looked at this man who had stood beside her in her darkest hour and had never walked away, who had shown her kindness without expectation, who had become so essential to her daily life that she could hardly imagine a future without him. "I care for you, too, Colton," she said softly. "More than I thought I could care for anyone after Thomas, but I'm afraid.
Afraid of losing someone again. Afraid of what people might say, Colton reached out slowly and took her hand in his. It was the first time he had touched her so deliberately outside of dancing or helping her over a rough patch of ground. His hand was warm and calloused, strong but gentle. "I can't promise nothing bad will ever happen," he said, his voice low and serious.
No one can. But I can promise that as long as I have breath in my body, I will do everything in my power to keep you and Emma safe and cared for. As for what people might say, well, folks will talk no matter what we do. Best to live in a way that gives them as little ammunition as possible, but not to let it stop us from finding happiness. Faith looked down at their joined hands, feeling a sense of rightness that both comforted and frightened her.
"I think I would like for you to court me, Colton," she finally said. "But slowly, I'm still finding my way." The smile that broke across Colton's face was like the sun emerging from behind clouds. "Slowly it is," he agreed. "We have all the time in the world." That night, after Colton had gone home and Faith was preparing for bed, she found herself standing before the small photograph of Thomas that sat on her dresser. It was their wedding portrait.
Both of them looking young and hopeful. "I'll always love you," she whispered to the image of her first husband. "And I'll make sure Emma knows you knows the kind of man her father was." She touched the frame gently. But I think you would want us to be happy, to be safe. And Colton, Colton makes us both happy.
She thought she felt a sense of peace settle over her, as if Thomas had somehow heard and understood. With a lighter heart than she had known in months, Faith went to bed. Colton was true to his word about courting her slowly. Their daily routine didn't change much, but now there were small additions, flowers appearing on her porch in the morning, a handwritten note tucked into her lunch basket, his hand seeking hers as they walked through town. Each gesture was modest but meaningful, establishing their new relationship in a way that respected her status as a recent widow.
By August, Faith found herself looking forward to Colton's visits with an anticipation that went beyond friendship. Emma, too, had become deeply attached to him, often toddling to the door when she heard his footsteps on the porch and raising her arms to be picked up as soon as he entered. She's got you wrapped around her little finger," Faith observed one evening as Colton patiently allowed Emma to help him whittle, his large hands guiding her tiny one safely around the knife. "Guilty as charged," Colton admitted with a smile. "She's a special little girl." "You're good with her," Faith said softly.
"Better than I could have hoped for." Colton looked up, his expression serious. She makes it easy. And I He hesitated then continued. I never thought I'd have the chance to be a father. After the war, after everything that happened, I figured that kind of life wasn't meant for me.