Samuel felt the pain stabbing into his heart as he heard Sam trying to protect Brooke from the pain that his daughters had endured.

“Okay, I’ll see you a few.” Sam’s voice grew quieter. “I love you, too.”

He heard the words spoken, without hesitation, and knew that it was true. Samuel stood there, deep in thought, when the sound of his daughter’s voice directly behind him, startled him.

“Dad…” Sam said from the doorway with her coat in her hand. “I’m really sorry for the way this day turned out, but I’m not sorry for seeing you and Sarah again.” She wrapped her arms around her father and gave him a hug.

“It’s okay, Sweetheart.” Samuel buried his face into her short, blonde hair and whispered, “I will see you soon. I promise.” He hugged her even more tightly. “I have missed you so much, Baby.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Sam quickly committed the hug to her memory, not quite sure when she’d ever feel it again. After a moment of silence, she opened her eyes to see a truck slowing down as it came down the street. “Oh look, I think that’s Brooke’s truck.”

Looking up to the top of the stairs, Samuel caught a glimpse of Sarah as she hid in the shadows. Turning to see the large truck as it pulled into the driveway, he motioned for Sarah to come down. “Sarah, come say good-bye to your sister.” The man pulled Sam toward him and whispered in her ear. “I’ll go tell your friend that you’re coming while you say good-bye to Sarah.” He winked, then kissed Sam on the cheek as he let her go. Grabbing his coat and pulling it on, he went out the door.

After zipping his coat, Samuel looked up to see the tall figure getting out of the truck and heading toward him. When she was close enough, he began to speak. “I’m sorry that it didn’t last as long as we’d planned.”

“What happened?” Blue eyes showed her concern. “Is Sam okay?”

Samuel stared off into the distance for a moment before he could bring himself to tell the truth. “Nothing short of a near disaster. I’m afraid that Elaine is just not very forgiving… or open-minded.”

The tall woman bowed her head as she gazed down to her feet with thoughts of Sam’s misadventures running through her head. “Oh God…” she muttered out in defeat.

“Sam…” he started, “She’s fine. In fact, Sarah and I are very thankful to you for giving us this time together with her.” Samuel studied the woman closely for a moment before continuing. “We’ve all learned a lot about each other.”

Slowly, Brooke brought her eyes up to look into Samuel’s, trying to ascertain just how much he was aware of. “You know about us, don’t you, Sir?”

The man took stock of his feelings as he turned slightly from her and looked off down the road. Samuel’s voice was soft as he gave his answer, nodding his head once or twice in the process, “Yes…I know.” He didn’t wait for an answer. He turned to look at the tall woman and demanded more. “Do you love her, Brooke? I mean, do you…really love her.”

Brooke returned his direct question the only way she knew how. Without any hesitation, she declared her love. “More than anything in this world.” The corners of her mouth tugged upward into a smile as she thought about what Sam meant to her, then she confided, “I’m lost without her. I love her with everything that I am.”

“Hmphf,” Samuel smirked as he looked away. “I’m realizing that I’m a little lost without her, myself.” He turned his attention back to Brooke. “Thank you for letting me know where my true feelings lie.”

Unsure of what he meant, Brooke looked a little puzzled. “How did I do that?”

“You let me see what a wonderful woman she’s grown up into and the love that she has…” a smile came to his face, “…that is worth more to me than anything.”

“Mr. Moleson?”

“Yes, Brooke?”

“I…uh…I want you to know that I’m not trying to cause any trouble or drive a bigger wedge between your family and Sam but I…uh…” Brooke could feel the butterflies in her stomach coming to life and she took in a deep breath to calm them. “Well, you see…I was thinking and I uh…kind of…ah…already spoke to Sam’s Aunt Sandy about this…and well…I’m not quite sure how you feel about all this and I’m sure it must be hard on you but…” Brooke shook her head as she listened to her own words. God, I sound like some punk teenager asking someone out for the first time instead of the CEO of a company.

“What is it, Brooke?” Samuel asked, studying her intently. “I’m sure that anything that my sister agreed to would be fine with me. She only has Sam’s best interest at heart.”

The dark-haired woman swallowed the rising bile back down and cleared her throat, determined to present a more commanding appearance. “I want to propose to your daughter…if she’ll have me. I guess what I’m asking is…”

Samuel’s brow furrowed in thought. He brought his hand up to his chin and rubbed it. “Propose…eh?” He raised his gaze to meet hers.

“Yes, Sir. I want to spend the rest of my life and anytime after that making her happy, making her every wish come true.” Brooke stood completely serious to her cause. “I know you don’t really know me but… you are her father and she loves you very much.”

“Well, you don’t have to ask me, Brooke.” The man smiled, thinking of his very adult daughter. “She’s a grown woman, like yourself. I think it best if you ask her.” Samuel looked back to the house and the young woman coming out the door. “But if you’re still needing my approval… I’m for whatever is going to make my daughter happy. God knows, it’s not her mother.”

“I want to be the one to make her happy, Sir. She means everything to me.”

Sam’s father looked up to see Brooke’s more then serious face. “You don’t have to go on and on,” he chuckled. “Well, at least not with me.” He winked and motioned with his head to the woman standing at the door. “My answer is…” he paused, watching the suspense build in her blue eyes, “…yes, Brooke.”

“Really?” The uncharacteristic, high-pitched voice squeaked out, causing Samuel to smile all the more.

“Really,” he assured her. “You just treat my daughter with all the love that I’ve seen you give her already… and I’ll be more than happy.”

Brooke took her hand out of her jacket pocket and offered it to Sam’s father. “Thank you, thank you so much, Sir.” She shook his hand with a firm grip as they locked gazes. “I’ll treat her with nothing less. Thank you.”

“I’m counting on that.” Samuel relinquished his hold on her hand and started to walk back toward the house. After a few steps, he halted his motion and half turned, calling out over his shoulder. “You’re welcome. Now just make the rest of her dreams come true. I’d say that you’ve already got a good start on it.”

Taking another few steps, Samuel met his eldest daughter as she came down the walk. “Did you say good-bye to Sarah?” He looked into Sam’s eyes.

“Yeah, I did.” Sam nodded as she smiled, lunging herself into his arms. “Merry Christmas, Daddy. I love you.”

“Ready, Sweetheart?” Brooke stood a few feet away from the heart-warming embrace of father and daughter and waited for the answer.

Samuel watched as the loved-filled face of his daughter pulled back from his shoulder when she turned to look in Brooke’s direction.

“Yeah, I’m ready now.” She gave her father a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before whispering in his ear. “Thank you for understanding.” Sam stepped away from the man, then turned to look back at the house. “I love you too, Sarah,” she called out and waved, then turned back to her father. “Bye, Daddy.”

“I love you, Samantha. I’ll see you soon, Sweetheart.” He smiled at her, then motioned with his head toward the waiting woman. “Go on, she’s come to take you home.”

Sam’s eyes sparkled at the acknowledgement of Brooke by her father. It brought a warm feeling to her heart. She walked over to the older woman and reached out for her hand. Together, with hands clasped, they walked over to the truck. After giving one last wave to her father and sister, Sam climbed into the passenger seat of the truck.

Brooke pulled out of the driveway before saying anything. With a stolen glance or two, she tried to survey her lover’s state of mind. “You okay, Darlin’?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” There was silence for a moment as Sam stared out the window. “That… that was a very imaginative gift, Hon. Thank you.” Sam looked over to the driver and beamed a smile at her.

“Well, I knew how bad you wanted to see your father and Sarah. I’m just sorry that it didn’t go so great with your mother. I wanted to see you happy, Sam. I’m sorry.” Brooke reached over and laid her hand on Sam’s, squeezing it gently.

“I know that Mother will never change,” Sam’s voice was soft spoken, “but it sure felt good to be with Dad again.” She tried to keep the blossoming smile in check as she thought of her sister. “And Sarah, too,” she added. “I didn’t lose them, Brooke. It was just like it was with them before.”

Sam waited until the truck came to a halt at the stop sign before unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding over to give Brooke a hug. “Thanks so much, for giving me that gift of love.”

Brooke kissed her gently on the cheek. “You’re welcome, Darlin’.”

There was a moment of shared silence as both women became lost in the other’s eyes. Finally coming to their senses, each one started to speak at the same time.

“Now, how about we go home…”

“What do you say we go on home…”

They both laughed as Sam slid back to her seat and put her seatbelt back on.

Sam looked over to her lover. “I still have a present for you to open.”

“Hmm…” Brooke arched an eyebrow in her direction, holding it for a few seconds before giving her a wink, then saying, “And I believe that I have some presents with your name all over them, too.” Brooke tapped eight fingers on the steering wheel as she let go with a seductive purr.