Nuclear Options

"Not that the Navy isn't an honorable career, mind you. But if you're serious about this woman and her little girl, you don't want to be gone six months out of every year."

It wouldn't be 'every' year as there would be shore-duty tours, but Dalton knew full well what his dad was saying.

The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant was one of only two new nuclear power plants being built in the United States, and the fact that it was only about 40 miles from Athens made going there for an interview and getting home in the same day very easy.

Dalton hadn't told Rachel or his mother where they were going, let alone to interview for a job that would provide more than enough money to raise a family on; a job that came with full benefits, as well. And because of Dalton's background, there was every chance he'd be offered a job on the spot, as the plant manager told him they had more jobs for nuclear electricians than people to fill them.

"Good luck, Son," his father said as he waited in the plant's main office lobby after someone came to take Dalton in for his interview.

An hour later, Dalton Russell walked out with a smile.

"So?" his father asked.

"So...I have a job. If I want it."

"What do you mean 'if you want it'?" his dad asked with a look of disbelief.

"I have to talk it over with Rachel, of course. And as the plant manager said, 'It only pays $40,000 a year to start'."

"To start?"

"Yes. Forty 'k' the first year, then a thousand a year more for five years plus full benefits, and a monthly stipend toward housing of $300 for the first year."

"I don't know exactly how that stacks up against being an E-5 in the Navy, but that sounds pretty damned good for a 22-year old kid...sorry. A 22-year old man with no college degree."

"By the time you add everything up on both sides, it's pretty close, Dad. Maybe even a little better. And best of all, I'd be home every night and on weekends."

"So?"

"So I need to discuss it with Rachel."

"You really love her, don't you?" his dad asked as they got back in the car to head to Athens.

"I do. A lot. And I love Mia, too."

"They're both beautiful girls, Dalton. And while the age difference is pretty big, if it's not a big deal to either of you, then I can't say I blame you."

"Dad?" he said as they pulled onto the main road.

"Yeah?"

Without looking at his father, David Russell, Dalton said, "I uh, I just wanted to say, you know. I uh..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know," his father replied, not a big fan of the 'L' word for anyone other than his wife, and that was reserved for anniversaries and her birthday.

His dad stared straight ahead then said, "Same here, buddy. And your mom and I are real proud of you."

Neither of them said another word the entire way back, but no other words were necessary. But when they pulled up to Rachel's house, his father offered to take everyone to dinner so they could...talk.

"Right. Talk. I really need to do some of that," Dalton said, still not looking at his dad.

The girls had just gotten back, and the moment the guys walked in, all three of them started in about what a wonderful time they'd had and how good it was to have a spa day and some girl time.

"And I just love this precious little thing!" Dalton's mother, Carol Russell, said as she pulled Mia up on her lap. "And Rachel is just about the sweetest girl I've ever met!"

"Well, that means the three women I love the most in the whole world are getting along wonderfully and sitting right here in one place," Dalton told his mom while looking at Rachel who was smiling like he'd never seen before.

"Anyone hungry?" David asked, who was starving.

"Me!" Mia called out, causing everyone else to laugh.

"Dad? I gotta make a quick stop before we go? Can I just meet you guys there?"

"What? Where could you possibly need to go that can't wait?" his father asked.

Dalton laughed then told him it wouldn't take long.

"I'll be there in less than an hour, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Take your time," his bewildered dad said.

He went over and knelt down by Rachel and said, "It looks like the three of you had a nice time."

"It was more than nice, honey," she told him. "Your mom is...amazing."

Carol heard and said, "No. That would be you, dear."

Then she tickled Mia's sides and told her, "And you, too!"

When Mia started coughing and couldn't catch her breath, Carol felt so terrible she nearly cried.

"I am SO sorry!" she said as Mia wheezed and gasped.

"It's okay, Carol. She just needs her inhaler."

Two puffs later all was well, but Carol still felt responsible.

"Honey, I am so sorry!" she told Mia again.

"It's okay. It was an accident," Mia told her as she put her arms around her and gave her a hug.

Finally smiling again, Carol said, "Thank you, sweetheart! I could just eat you up!"

Dalton and Rachel took all of the interaction in, and once she sat back down, Dalton squeezed her hand then said he needed to go.

"Okay," Rachel said understandingly without asking why or where.

Dalton stood up then leaned down and kissed her and said, "I love you so much."

Even though his parents were listening, Rachel felt comfortable enough to say back and told him she loved him, too.

"And I love you, too, Dalton!" Mia called out.

He walked over, gave her a kiss on the cheek then told her he loved her just as much.

Last, but not least, he also kissed his mom on the cheek and told, "And I love you too, Mom."

She said it back then every head turned toward David.

"What?" he asked defensively as everyone smiled.

"Aren't you going to say anything, honey?" Carol asked.

"Like what?" came the gruff sound that wasn't very gruff.

"It wouldn't kill you to say it, you know," his wife said, knowing Rachel was enjoying this as much as she would.

"I...I said it two months ago on your birthday!" he told her. "You know, when you turned fif..."

"David Russell! Don't you say another word!" his wife, who'd just turned 50, warned him.

"I should go," Dalton said as he walked by his dad and said to him, "What they all said."

"Yeah, yeah!" his father replied with a pained look on his face.

No one laughed, but everyone (else) was smiling, and Dalton was on top of the world as he grabbed his phone and transferred some money from his savings account into checking. He had just enough time to get to the store before it closed, and pulled in about five minutes beforehand.

By the time he showed up at the restaurant, everyone was sitting down and having a drink. Dalton loved that there was laughter coming from the table, and when the woman he loved saw him, her smile only convinced him he was doing the right thing.

"Sorry I'm late," he told everyone before kissing Rachel then sitting down next to her.

"Where'd you go?" Rachel asked.

"Aren't we nosy?" he teased.

Rachel flipped her hair as though she'd been offended then said, "That's okay. I was enjoying talking to your mom, anyway. Right, Carol?"

"Wow. Nosy and snooty. What have I gotten myself into?"

Rachel continued smiling then leaned his way and said in his ear, "I don't know, but keep it up, and I know what you WON'T be getting into tonight."

She sat back up and continued her conversation as Dalton mumbled, "Feisty little wench!"

Without missing a beat, Rachel gently elbowed him. His mother had no idea what was going on, but other than the puzzled look on her face, didn't say anything.

For the next hour or so, Dalton was content to sit and listen to the conversation which was almost exclusively between Rachel and his mother. He chimed in occasionally, and every now and then his dad asked a question or made a short comment.

After a second drink, he actually opened up a little and even laughed a time or two. He wasn't actually gruff let alone mean. David Russell was just a guy; a typical man whose life consisted of working for a living to make ends meet. So while he wasn't warm and fuzzy, he was still a loving, caring father, and Dalton dearly loved his dad.

During dessert there was a momentary lull, and that's when Dalton said he'd like to say a few things. Everyone stopped eating and turned to look at him as he got up then moved in between Rachel and Mia.

"First, I want to say how great it is to my parents here. I don't see you guys often enough, and it's really incredible to have you come down and visit."

"Yes. I agree," Rachel said as she put her hand on the one Dalton had placed on her shoulder.

"I also want to say how incredible these two amazing ladies are."

"Me?" Mia asked as she looked up at him.

"Yes. You."

"Mommy, I'm amazing!" her daughter told her.

"Yes, you are, sweetie," her mother said as everyone politely chuckled.

"I've spent quite a bit of time wondering how it's possible to fall so deeply in love so fast with someone, and the only answer I can come up with is that the woman I've fallen for is so incredible it just makes sense."

Rachel smiled and quietly said, "I love you, too, honey."

"It's only been a little over three months since I delivered a bunch of pizzas to a dark, cold house where five little girls were laughing and playing and pointing flashlights in my face on someone's sixth birthday."

"Me! I'm six years old now!" Mia called out causing both Carol and David to laugh.

"Had I not been working that night or had the electricity not gone out in their house, my life would be much the same as it had been. It would still be...okay, but it wouldn't be nearly as wonderful as it is now. I wouldn't know exactly what was missing, I'd only know that something was."

He looked down at Rachel, smiled then continued.

"But now I know what was missing. Or rather...who...was missing."

He saw Rachel tearing up then smiled again as she reached for a napkin to dab her eyes.

"With you and Mia in my life, it feels complete now," he said.

Dalton paused then added, "Well, almost complete. There's still one thing keeping it from being perfect."

He looked at his mom then said, "No, not a job."

His mom laughed, but his dad only smiled, being the only other person who knew the full story.

"As of today, the job thing is taken care of."

Rachel's eyes opened wide and her jaw also dropped at that revelation.

"So as of next week, I'll be working full-time and earning more than enough to support a family. A family of say...a beautiful wife and an amazing, beautiful, six-year old girl."

Stunned, and without an explanation, Rachel was utterly speechless.

And when Dalton produced a small, white box, and got down on one knee, she turned around even further as she gasped.

Before he could even say the first word, Rachel's trembling hands were covering her mouth as tears freely fell.

"My mommy's sad," Mia told Dalton's parents.

"Don't cry, Mommy!" she said. "I love you!"

Rachel couldn't talk, so Dalton told her that her mommy loved her, too.

"And I also love you. And your mommy. Very much."

"You DO?" the little asked.

"Yes. I love her so much, I'm hoping she'll spend the rest of her life with me," Dalton said to Mia while looking at her mom.

"Rachel? Since the day I met you, my life started making sense. And from the day I fell in love with you, I knew I couldn't live it without you. And if I'm right, you feel the same way about me."

Carol was crying now, too, and to Dalton's surprise, his father put his arm around her and let her lay her head on his shoulder.

"So Rachel Vann, would you make me the happiest man on earth and be my wife? Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she said immediately as she held out her hand that was still shaking so hard Dalton had to steady it to slip the ring on her finger.

Once he did he stood up enough to kiss her then told her again that he loved her.

Carol nearly ran around the table to hug her future daughter-in-law, and even David came around and hugged her once his wife finally let her go. As he held her, he welcomed her to the family, and Rachel told him she'd never been so happy.

"I'm happy, too!" Mia announced as she stood there watching all the smiles and tears.

Dalton picked her up and told her he was happy, too.

"Can I call you 'Peanut' now?" he asked her.

"Uh-huh," she told him with a nod of her head.

Mia then looked at her mother and surprised everyone when she asked, "Mommy? Can I call Dalton 'Daddy' now?"

Through her tears of joy Rachel looked at her fiancé who smiled and nodded.

"That would be wonderful, sweetie."

"Okay!" she said before putting her arms around Dalton's neck and saying, "I love you, Daddy!"

"I love you, too, Peanut," he told her as he reached out with his other arm for her mother. "And I love you, too, honey."

Carol and David stood right behind them joining in the group hug as best they could before Carol said, "So tell us about this job."

"Oh, right. Yes. I suppose I should mention that, huh?"

He sat Mia down then began by saying, "I haven't accepted the job yet. I told them I needed to run it by someone I love very much first."

Rachel was beaming with happiness as she listened to the man she loved tell her how he'd seriously considered 'shipping over' when he got the tip about jobs at the nuclear power plant near Waynesboro.

"We won't get rich, but I'll be doing something I love, and more importantly, I'll be home with the girls I love every night, so...what do you think?"

Rachel took his hand then said, "I'd follow you anywhere, Dalton Russell. I'd be a Navy wife and endure the time away just to have what's left to spend with you. But if this is what you want, then I want that, too."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes. Of course! I think it's a wonderful opportunity, honey" she told him.

"Would you be willing to move to Waynesboro?"

"What part of 'anywhere' didn't you understand, my future husband?" she asked him with a smile.

"Okay, then. I'll call the plant manager back tomorrow then let the school know I'm done, and we'll start looking for a new house to call our home."

"I love the sound of that. All of that," Rachel told him as he leaned over and kissed her.

"Me, too!" Mia said as she puckered up.

Her mom gave her a peck and her new 'daddy' did, too, as he pulled her back up on her lap.

"Who wants another drink?" David asked, causing everyone to laugh.

"Why not?" Dalton said.

"Count me in!" Rachel told him.

"Oh...me, too!" Carol called out, so happy she was about to burst.

Dalton commuted for a month after temporarily moving in with Rachel as the happy new couple house hunted. After looking at a dozen or so houses, they found a very decent 3-bedroom, 2 bath home that was right at 2,000 square feet for $150,000. It had a new heat pump, a new roof, and all new appliances. Other than a few minor repairs, all they needed to do was paint the interior the color they wanted and they'd be all set.

Over the last month or so, and especially after the engagement, Rachel's parents had warmed up to the idea of having a son-in-law who was 14 years younger than their daughter. There'd been an initial video chat between them all and then another and then another. That, plus seeing the way their daughter looked at him and the way she spoke about him, their reservations faded. They told her they wanted to come and visit, but with an August wedding coming up, they decided to hold off and wait until then.

*****

Rachel was a truly beautiful bride all dressed in white, and unless someone knew her age, she looked perfectly matched with the tall, handsome man in the black tux she married that hot, summer day in a small chapel in Waynesboro, Georgia.

A couple of Dalton's Navy buddies drove in for the ceremony, and a couple of guys he'd made friends with at the plant were there, too. All four parents and Dalton's brother were in attendance, but what mattered most to him was the beautiful woman in white and the pretty little flower girl who called him Daddy.

Dalton Russell still wouldn't eat pizza unless there was no other choice, but every time he passed a Pizza Hut he smiled when he thought back on the delivery that changed his life that cold January evening.

The lights had been out in Rachel's home that night, but there was now a candle burning in her heart that symbolized the love she had for a man she would have never even considered dating let alone marrying had he not won her heart. But he'd done so by doing one kind thing after the other for her and her daughter, and now she was thrilled to be his wife and to call Mia their daughter.

She knew no man and no marriage was perfect, but whenever she watched her handsome, younger husband playing with their daughter or even making love to her, she thought this about as close to perfect as it could be.

A year later, her amazing life got even better when she learned she and her husband would be having another child. It would several more weeks before they learned that baby would be another little girl, but they didn't care one way or the other. The only thing they cared about was knowing their love was continuing to grow, and that they would soon have someone else to love.

Dalton never regretted leaving school or not shipping over. After all, he had very good job, a nice home, a beautiful, loving wife, and an amazing daughter with another one on the way, and, just like his beautiful wife, Mrs. Rachel Russel, he thought that was about all any man could ask for. Well, at least in this life anyway.