"Fine," Nick murmured, training his gaze on her hands as they worked to peel her tanktop off. Worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, he carefully removed the immobilizer, going slow so as to avoid causing her any pain. He released a slow breath as he placed it on the floor, grateful she wasn't wincing in agony. Lifting his eyes to look into hers, he smiled slightly. "Ready?"
"We've got to take the ace bandage off my leg, too," Alana murmured as she shifted carefully to unhook the fasteners of the ace bandage on her hip, holding the several ace bandages from the top of her hip to her foot to control the swelling. Holding her breath as she pressed the fasteners into her hip to remove them, then placed them in Nick's hand. Taking the edge of the material, she slowly began to unwind the ace bandages from her leg. The staples had fortunately already been removed from the outside of her leg, several inches from her mid thigh to above her knee.
Tearing his eyes from her leg, Nick drew in a heavy breath, wishing there were some way he could just whisper a few words and all her injuries would be gone. In truth, he felt as though it were his fault she fell in the first place. If he hadn't distracted her while she climbed, would the hook have broken? Probably not, he decided, feeling the fasteners dig into his palm as he clenched his fist in anger. He had been ragging on her the entire time they were climbing, no doubt pulling her attention away from the necessities of securing carabiners and lines. He had never truly learned to keep his mouth shut—
"Why are you staring at me like a scruffy dogs stares at a cat prowling on a fence?" Alana questioned in confusion as she finally managed to pull the sports bra away from her body and wiggle from her boxers till they sloped down her long legs. She had been so concentrated in her tasks that she barely noticed Nick's change in attitude until she glanced up to catch the end result of his souring thoughts. Observing her bare body, she immediately concluded that he was revolted by the scratches and coloring bruises. "This stuff is going to fade eventually, Handsome. You don't have to stay in here and look at me if that's what's--"
"It was all my fault. I shouldn't have gone with you. You knew what you were doing, and I distracted you with my whining and bitching--"
"My carabiner was faulty," Alana instantly corrected, frowning at the realization that Nick blamed himself. She reached out to brush her fingers tenderly down the side of his face, pulling his gaze from her significantly battered right leg. "That carabiner broke. It snapped in half. It didn't slip from the mountain or go slack. It crumbled. It's not your fault. Please, don't blame yourself. If you hadn't been there… Nick, I could have died…"
"But--" Nick began to argue, but she covered his lips with her fingers, shaking her head slightly. "I love you, Beautiful," he murmured against her palm.
"I love you more," she promised, moving her thumb over his bottom lip.
"Maa," Zachary cooed with a chortle, his furious kicks causing the rattles dangling over his bouncer seat to jangle merrily.
"He loves you too," Nick interpreted with a smile.
"Well, I love him, too," Alana laughed, wiggling her fingers toward Zachary as he squealed loudly. "I can't believe he says 'Ma' already. Do you know how significantly advanced he is? Rolling early… Speaking early…"
"He takes after his Mommy," Nick explained, grinning as he leaned over to playfully tug on his son's toes. "Daddy's going to help Mommy in the tub, okay? And maybe once she's settled in we'll let you take a dip too…"
"Ma!" Zachary agreed with a grunt, reaching his arms out to grab at the rattles on his bouncer.
"Use the diaper beforehand, Zachie," Alana suggested with a soft smile as she leaned to add hot water to bath, laughing when Zachary growled. "Sorry, Sweetness."
"He's a baby, Beautiful," Nick laughed, pulling himself to his feet , preparing himself mentally to lift her into the tub. "Tell her, Son, when you gotta go, you gotta go!"
"Yeah, just not on his mother!" Alana contradicted as she wrinkled her nose in distaste at the mere thought of bathing in urine or something far more heinous. But that thought was blotted when she felt Nick's arms slip about her. She could feel the small tremor in his hands, realizing he was nervous, so she held her breath. Not wanting to scare him, she said nothing about the pain that would have come whether he touched her or not. Trusting his judgment,, she smiled when she was lowered into the heated water, sighing as her muscles immediately relaxed. Nick made sure to keep her cast on the lip of the tub as her other leg rested easily beneath the water. No need to be bent as the doctor advised against. "Thanks, Handsome..."
"What do you want me to wash first?" he questioned softly, kneeling next to the tub.
"You don't have to get right to the task," Alana murmured as she sunk into the water with a refreshing sigh, allowing her eyes to drift closed. She drank in the sweet heat of the water that relaxed her aching muscles. It just felt so good. "You don't have to stay in here, either, Handsome--"
"What if your leg slips and you get pulled under the water and can't get up?" Nick interrupted, worry creeping into his voice with a whine. "Or you lean to get something and your leg pops out of joint and I'm on the other side of the house and can't hear you calling for help--"
"Okay, okay," Alana chided with interruption as she reached for his hand, drawing it over her heart to rest. "Stay with me then."
"This is where I belong," Nick explained softly, allowing his other hand to trail through the water slowly as he felt the beat of her heart. "Right by your side--"
"Ma!"
"Apparently he thinks I've disappeared?" Alana guessed with a rueful smile, idly running her fingertips over the back of his hand that rested over her heart. "Maybe he does need a tubby…"
"He just doesn't like it when you ignore him," Nick chuckled, shifting to one side so Zachary could still see Alana. Smiling when his furious grunts ceased, he lightly tapped Alana's chest. "See? She's still alright."
"I wasn't ignoring him; Daddy was hiding me," Alana corrected as she clicked her tongue toward Zachary, eliciting a small smile from the infant. "Ain't that right, Zachie? Mommy is never to blame. It's all Daddy…"
"That's the first time you called yourself Mommy," Nick breathed with sudden realization.
"What?" Alana questioned with confusion, shifting within the water to prop herself into a somewhat seated position. Without realization, all her muscles tensed to send a pulsation of pain, but she was far more focused on Zachary. "It can't be the first time… I mean, everyone else has been calling me his mother and… God, it was the first time… It's just that my name isn't on the adoption papers, so I didn't think I had the right to say without a doubt that I was his mother. But then…" Alana's spare hand drifted down to her lower abdomen.
"You are his mother, Beautiful. If you want, I can have your name put on the papers as his mother," Nick suggested hopefully, twining his fingers with hers for a gentle squeeze. "Then there can be no question at all about it. It'll be there in black and white – Mother, Alana Moore Carter--"
"Moore Carter?" Alana interrupted softly.
Nick bit his lip hard to keep from blurting the question that had been burning his mind since buying the ring. The ring, which was tucked securely in the safe in Brian's office. To keep him from jumping the gun and asking her at the wrong time. "It sounded good?"
"You don't have to put my name on the papers," Alana murmured softly, bringing their hands to her lips for soft kisses. "Just knowing you want me as his mother is enough. Knowing that you want to keep the brewing family together. The mother of the twins and Zachary--"
"I want you as more than the mother of my children," Nick interrupted.
"What's more?"
"Everything," he whispered.
"Because that's a clear definition," Alana sighed as she nipped at his knuckle, gesturing for him to lean over her so she could kiss him. "I love you and thank you for taking care of me through this... In advance…"
"I love you too," Nick promised, squeezing her hand gently as his tongue caressed her lips. "And I was thinking earlier…"
"Thinking…" Alana trailed softly as she parted her lips to allow him entrance, but he pulled back. She released a soft whine of disappointment, but glanced up curiously nonetheless. "Sex in this tub with Zachary watching is out of the question."
"…I could always holler for Nat or Brian to come get him?" Nick offered with a grin.
"And potentially cause serious disruption to my femur? I don't think so."
"I was kidding," Nick assured her, winking. "Seriously, though--"
"You were not," Alana laughed. "If you could get a piece of tail on your death bed with your last breath, you'd go for it."
"I would not!"
"Nick…"
"When you're all healed up and everything, would you consider moving to Cali with me?" Nick blurted, immediately wanting to bang his head against the tub for his impatience with the question."
"Move to California?" Alana questioned in surprise when she looked to his crystal ocean eyes, noting the sincerity radiating within them. He was quite serious about the proposal; the hopefulness darkening the depth of his beautiful cobalt eyes. In truth, Alana had just been waiting for him to ask. She had thought about it when she first found out about her pregnancy. The twins needed their father more than anything else in this world. And Zachary needed a stable home with his father, not simply living in one bedroom in his father's best friend's home. He needed his own nursery. In his own home. So, inevitably, Nick would be leaving the state. And if the twins had to have their father, then she would have to leave the ruins of her life there. Perhaps it could be a step forward in the grieving process. "Living with you, Handsome?"
"Not much of an offer, I know, living with me and all, but… Snot Sucker'll be there?"
"What do you mean - not much of an offer just living with you?"
"I'm not much of a housekeeper… I can't cook for shit… I think the last time I changed my sheets was when Leslie bought me some new ones--"
"You can hire a housekeeper, I'm a fantastic cook, and I'll make sure you buy new sheets every week."
"Then you'll do it? Live with me – I mean us?"
"If you wanted, we wouldn't even have to wait for me to heal up and everything," Alana quoted softly with a nod of confirmation, unable to hide the small grin creeping across her sweet lips.
"Give me a couple weeks to arrange for a housekeeper," Nick murmured with a pleased smile. "…And some new sheets… And fuck me, Snot Sucker needs a nursery--"
"We can design it ourselves?" Alana suggested hopefully as she handed him the washcloth with soap, leaning up in hopes he would know to wash her back. That had been her favorite project when she was pregnant with Colton - designing his nursery. All of her nesting phenomena had went into preparing for him, making sure the theme was coordinated and perfected for when he came home from the hospital. "…And the twins'?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Nick agreed, taking the washcloth. Making sure to create a large amount of lather, he thought of the layout of his home in California, wondering which bedrooms would be best. "…There's a small room off the master bedroom, I think Howie told me when I bought it that it was supposed to be like a sitting room--"
"You bought your house from Howie?"
"No, I got him to fly out and check everything to make sure I was getting a good place," Nick explained, smiling at the memory. Howie had come on the first flight out after receiving his call, and they had spent an entire afternoon going over every detail of the house with the real estate agent. He had even stayed out throughout the buying process, giving Nick much needed guidance on everything from securing the deed to hiring a moving company. "Anyway, I think that'd be good for the twins. It's big enough for two cribs, and it's connected to the master bedroom so they'll be right there. And then through the master bath is another bedroom, with a great view of the ocean. It has a lot of windows and gets great light… It'd be perfect for Snot Sucker, he loves the sunshine…"
"Sounds like you have everything planned," Alana murmured as she leaned forward, resting on the side of the jacuzzi for stability as Nick rubbed her back. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Aaron lives two houses away?"
"Fantastic," Alana breathed with excitement, though it switched to a soft moan when Nick massaged the small of her back. "…How far away does Alex live?"
"…I have no clue," Nick lied, managing to keep his voice impassive.
"Oh…" Alana murmured, deciding she'd just ask AJ herself. "…Who lives between you and Aaron?"
"Some models share the house next to me, then the next is an internet investor—"
"Female models?" she guessed.
"Fredrick, Lyle and Ramon?" Nick returned with a stricken look. "If they're females, they're really lacking in some areas…"
"Do they walk around their backyard in bikini briefs with little exotic drinks with tiny umbrellas?" Alana questioned hopefully as she turned to gaze at her lover. And when he scowled darkly at her, she had to laugh, reaching to clasp his face within her hands. Pulling him close, she kissed him tenderly, sneaking her tongue inside his mouth for the softest of caresses. "I love you and only you. And, you're the reason that I want to move in together. Not just Zachary. I wanted you before I knew you were adopting him."
"I love you, Beautiful," Nick murmured, letting the washcloth drape across the side of the tub as he lightly splashed her back. "Now, lean back so I can wash your hair, and then--"
"Ma!"
"Get me my baby boy?" Alana inquired hopefully against his lips, nipping his bottom lip.
"Absolutely," Nick promised, sucking her tongue into his mouth gently.
"That means picking him up and putting him in the tubby?" she mumbled, her words half muffled by his mouth as she stifled a soft moan of appreciation.
"Mm-hmm…"
"God, I've missed you," she whispered as she gently rolled her tongue against him in an undulating wave of soft passion, her arms wrapping around his neck. In the hospital, Nick had been so tentative of her. He was so afraid that she was made of the most delicate glass. That she would shatter at one hardened kiss.
"I've missed you more," Nick promised, allowing his hands to course down her sides gently, leaning further over the edge of the tub. "I--"
"Ma!"
"Need to get me my little boy," Alana laughed as she kissed him once more before withdrawing, hearing Zachary's frustrated cry. "Hold on, Zachie, Daddy's gonna get you to me."
"Next time I give Mommy a bath, Son, you're staying with Nat and Brian," Nick threatened with a playful growl, reaching to pull the bouncer seat closer. Reaching beneath the strap, he quickly unsnapped the infant's onesie, making a face as he removed the diaper. Unbuckling the strap, he lifted his son into his arms, cooing softly as he carefully peeled the onesie off his small body. Turning, he saw Alana had shifted in the tub and was waiting for Zachary, having pulled a bath pillow into her lap to rest him on. "Here you go, Mommy," he murmured, gently transferring Zachary into her waiting arms.
"Thanks, Daddy," Alana cooed as she curled Zachary into the crook of her arm before propping it against the pillow. Her arms still ached from the fall as well as the bruises and scrapes, so she hadn't been able to hold the infant for long periods. But with the pillow helping to hold his weight, she could ensure a longer time with him as her free hand gently tickled his small pot belly. Laughing when the little boy giggled in delight, she moved her fingers down to the soles of his tiny feet. "Is that better, Zachie? You just wanted some attention, huh? To play in the water?"
Nick folded his arms on the edge of the tub, resting his chin atop them as he watched Zachary splash his feet lightly in the water. The child was enthralled with water, enjoying his baths immensely each day. Sometimes it seemed to Nick that Zachary purposely made messes with his bottles and occasional throw-ups just so he could take a bath. He knew if his son had a choice, most of the day would be dedicated to splashing in the warm, bubbly water. "Man, wish I could get--"
"'Lana! I come an' tubby wit' you?!" Baylee screeched from just outside the door. Nick glanced over to see a small hand wiggling beneath the door, waving wildly.
"I think he would be profoundly corrupted if he took a tubby with me while I'm naked," Alana murmured with an impish smile as she turned Zachary onto his back and rested him against her chest. Cupping her hands underneath his legs, she helped him kick in the water, causing splashes of water to sprinkle against Nick's shirt. Chewing on his fingers, Zachary squealed as he squirmed against Alana, snuggling closer to her as he continued to kick.
"Zachie's taking a tubby with Beautiful, Bay. Maybe next time," Nick called, deciding it best to pretend he didn't see the rude gesture Baylee gave him before jerking his hand back beneath the door. Turning his attention back to Alana, he shrugged. "I think I was just told to fuck off by a three year old…"
"You were, Asshole!" Baylee fumed from the other side of the door, throwing a hard kick toward the door, though it muffled into a small thump. "How come she loves Zachie mo'?!"
Nick's jaw dropped in shock, simply staring at the door as he tried to come up with a viable way of reasoning with the toddler. He wanted to assure Baylee that Alana didn't love Zachary more than she loved him, but wanted him to understand that Zachary was her son. "Bay, I--"
"BAYLEE!" Brian's voice roared from down the hall.
"Oh, shit," Baylee whined, kicking the door once more before his rapid footsteps faded in the direction of his father's voice.
"I'll talk to him when his backside ain't stinging so bad," Alana told Nick softly, noting his troubled gaze toward the door. "…Baylee should know better than to curse."
"…I think he's been around AJ and me too much…"
"Handsome…"
"Hmm?"
"I'm naked in a warm tub of water and you're more concerned about Baylee cursing up a storm 'cause he learned it from you and AJ… What is wrong with this picture?"
"…I'm trying to keep myself cool 'cause if I focus on you being naked in the tub I'll get worked up and can't do anything about that but wait till you're taking a nap and then come in here to--"
"Well I don't want to focus on you pulling your taffy," Alana hurriedly interrupted, wrinkling her nose in distaste as Zachary giggled. "…And, if anything, you could have asked me to give you a hand instead."
"That's just so unfair on so many levels, Beautiful…"
"How is it unfair?" she questioned in confusion as she reached for the fresh washcloth on the side of the tub, dipping it into the warm water and lathering soap upon it before bringing it against Zachary's belly.
"Because…" Nick trailed, offering his son a goofy grin when he heard the excited coo. "It's not like I can return the favor, you know?"
"I'm not asking for you to return the favor," Alana answered as she washed underneath her son's arms. When the wild giggles burst from her son, she had to laugh as she blew a raspberry to the side of his face.
"I know, I just… I never…" Nick sighed, letting his head bang against the side of the tub. "I never had anyone do that--"
"Alright," Alana interrupted gently, not wanting Nick to be wholly uncomfortable with the situation. It had just been an offer since she knew many long weeks of celibacy were about to commence. Though, Nick wasn't approving of the idea. So, gently, she dipped her son into the water to rinse away the suds from his body. His hands wriggled out to her as she finished his bath, so she brought him close for several tender kisses. Hearing Zachary's sigh of contentment, Alana reached to brush her damp fingers through Nick's locks. "Then how about you go dry this baby off, lay him down, and I'll finish up my bath?"
"Can't we just sit here a little bit longer? Alone and together?" Nick requested softly, leaning close to offer them both a kiss.
"Alone and together with Zachie?" Alana questioned with a bemused smile while Zachary pulled on his father's locks for kissing his mother.
"Unless you want me to roll him out into the hall where Bay'll probably be the first to find him--"
"I'll keep him," Alana insisted as she brought Zachary close to nuzzle against her chest once more, draping a warm washcloth over his bare body.
"Forever?"
"Sometimes forever don't seem like long enough."
Howie tilted the small velvet box in his hand, nodding in approval at the way the sunshine caused the diamond ring to sparkle beautifully. Sitting on the back deck of Brian's home, he had been sharing quiet moments with his friend, sipping idly at the frosty lemonade on the table before them. Baylee and Tyke ran in circles in the backyard, Brian having told his son to expend all his energy. Howie had been planning on heading inside to sit with Alana for a while when Brian had shoved the jewelry box in his hand, begging him to look at it and give him an honest opinion. Plucking the golden ring from the box, Howie nodded again, tilting it this way and that to see it from all angles. Trying to imagine it on Natalie's finger. The open heart with two diamonds in the center spoke to him of Brian's true love for the woman, and he gave the younger man a grin as he handed it back over. "It's a beautiful ring for a beautiful lady, Brian…
"Really?" Brian questioned with a lopsided smile, cupping the velvet box within his hands to admire the piece of jewelry that he had selected specially for Natalie. It was by no means an engagement ring like the one Nick had locked up in his safe like a loon, but a promise ring. It was the promise that at some point, he would wed Natalie. The mere thought of wedding Natalie caused Brian to grin with appreciation. Gazing out to Baylee, he had already begun to plan for the moment when he would ask. Baylee would have his own ring and would propose with his father. It would be a romantic moment when Brian asked Natalie not only to be his wife, but Baylee's mother. "You know it's not an engagement ring, right? Just a promise ring… Till my divorce stuff goes through…
"A promise ring?" Howie repeated softly, glancing over to see Brian staring at Baylee. "…Just what are you promising?"
"That I'm actually going to walk down the aisle with the right woman," Brian murmured, closing the velvet box to reach out to touch the band of tattooed words to his left arm.
"And get that removed, maybe?" Howie suggested, remembering how Kevin had berated Brian for getting the tattoo in the first place. "I mean, you did get it for Leigh--"
"Whoever said that I got it for Leighanne?" Brian interrupted with a frown, running his fingers along the statement that curved around his bicep. It was the fifteenth of June when she walked in my life, it was the first time someone said hello with her eyes. Sure, fans had assumed that it was for his wife, because that was when he met her at the set of As Long as You Love Me. But he had also met Natalie that day as well. And though she had been too young to consider for a romance, Brian realized that was the day he had fallen in love with her anyways.
Howie's brow wrinkled in confusion as he reached for his lemonade. "…Then who--"
"It was Natalie all along, D…"
"But you… And she… Even when she was a scrawny kid with braces and glitter lip gloss?!"
"It was completely illegal so I went for Leighanne instead? She was a safe choice and the babysitter of her mother's best friend's daughter…" Brian groaned at Howie's disgusted look of contempt. "So I'm a cradle robber, get over it! Ain't least I didn't commit statutory rape like your very best friend and business partner!"
"What's AJ got to do with you and Natalie?" Howie questioned. "I mean, Hell, we all knew you should have been with her from the beginning. But we thought…"
"Thought what?"
"That you were just friends… That something had hit you and you realized it was wrong…" Howie sighed, pausing to glance towards the heavens, a silent plea for help. Hearing Brian's irritated grumble, he glanced over at the younger man. "Why do you think everyone else was trying to get her to go out? You were with Leighanne, and Nattie was--"
"All yours?" Brian guessed with a jealous scowl.
"No!" Howie cried, nearly choking on his lemonade. "More like she was free to--"
"Date you?" he accused once more.
"One date, Brian," Howie reminded him. "That was it, remember? And even that you kept disrupting with phone calls to ask where she had put Tyke's rawhide bones--"
"But if I hadn't called--"
"She would have been calling you."
"You're damn skippy!"
"To think… That you'd believe that I would have used my practiced and perfect seducing methods on your fragile little Natalie," Howie sighed, shaking his head. "I'm offended, Brian."
"I am hardly fragile!" Natalie snorted with disgust as she walked out onto the back porch with a fresh glass pitcher of lemonade for the men. Though, halfway through the scorn of adjectives, she tripped over a piece of the patio furniture, stubbing her toe and sending the contents of the glass pitcher splashing into Howie's face. "Damnit!"
"Natalie!" Howie sputtered in disgust, launching himself up from his seat as he pinched at his sticky shirt to hold it away from his body. "This was a new shirt, damnit!"
"See? You're much more fragile then I am!" Natalie groaned as she rubbed her big toe, surprised when Howie went stomping into the house. "What? What'd I say?! Come back here!"
"Good luck, Brian!" Howie growled with complete irritation, letting the screen door slam loudly behind him.
"Good luck?" Natalie repeated, wrinkling her nose as she turned to look at Brian. Still rubbing her big toe, she leaned against the table, setting the pitcher down as she regarded the man she loved. "Good luck with what?"
'Living to a ripe old age with you as my wife,' Brian thought with a small smirk as he reached out to grasp her hands, pulling her toward him so she might sit on his lap. "I love you, Nat."
"I love you more," she promised with a smile, glancing out into the yard to see Baylee stretched out in the grass, concentrating on what she assumed was some sort of bug that would end up in the house later on. Smiling at the picture of childish absorption, she allowed Brian to pull her down into his lap, turning her attention to him as she straddled his thighs. "Why do you look like the cat who swallowed the canary?"
"Because I have something for you that's going to make you squeal with happiness," Brian murmured with a proud grin, circling his arms around her waist to retrieve the velvet box from the table. Clutching it in his right hand, he leaned up to kiss her softly. "But you've got to listen to everything I say when I give it to you."
"Have I ever not listened to you?" Natalie inquired softly, looping her arms around his neck so she could linger over his kiss.
"Let's not start that fight, okay?" Brian chuckled, flipping open the lid to the velvet box behind her back as he sucked her top lip into his mouth for a tender bite, pulling her into a harder kiss.
"Brian," Natalie breathed softly, shivering in his arms. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she returned his kiss with fervor, more than willing to lose herself in him. "God, Brian, I - What have you got in your hand?!" she demanded sharply, jerking her head back when she caught sight of Baylee shuffling across the deck towards the door.
"Nothin'!" Baylee insisted, pausing to look from Natalie to his father. Then, with a hearty grin, he bolted into the house.
Natalie groaned, preparing to pull away so she could investigate. "If I find a creepy crawly in the bed tonight--"
"He's mad at Nick right now, the creepy won't be in our bed," Brian hurriedly insisted, drawing her back into his arms as he produced the velvet box for her viewing.
"And that means Alana'll be the one to discover - What's this?" Natalie questioned softly, staring down at the diamond ring that shimmered in the late afternoon sunlight.
"A promise ring," Brian explained softly, pulling the golden ring from its bed of protective velvet to hold it up for Natalie's inspection. "I just wanted you to know that my divorce with Leighanne is official. That the process has started and her lawyer has already received the paperwork. She's in some island in the middle of no where, but when she gets back, she'll have it. So, right now, right here, I want to promise to you that someday we will get married. That I should have waited and made sure that you were the one to walk down the aisle to me. But I was foolish and I'm sorry. But, one day, I'm hoping that these two diamonds will be melted into one, like our hearts in wedded union."
"Bumpkin," Natalie gasped in surprise, tears filling her eyes at his earnest oath. Her lower lip trembled slightly as she reached to cover his hand with hers, lifting her gaze from the ring to his eyes. "Promise?" she whispered, swallowing hard in hopes of being rid of the lump in her throat.
"With everything in me," Brian answered with a small nod, easing the ring onto her left ring finger, grinning when it slipped on perfectly. "I remembered the right ring size…"
"You always did have a good memory," Natalie giggled softly, sliding her hands up his chest until they cupped his face. Lowering her head to offer him the gentlest of kisses, she felt her tears escape, knowing they were of happiness. "Thank you…"
"You like it?" he inquired hopefully against her lips, pulling her closer to him.
"I love it," Natalie promised, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "It's perfect, Bumpkin. Nothing could be better than this--"
"An engagement ring as soon as possible," Brian mumbled with a small laugh. "With a bigger diamond."
"Not too big," she requested softly, sucking gently at his lower lip. "Don't want some hulking diamond weighing down your fragile little Natalie--"
"FRAGILE MY ASS!" Howie bellowed from his guest room balcony above the patio, thinking nothing when he tipped the bucket of water onto the two unsuspecting victims.
"HOWIE!" Natalie screeched as the icy water doused her entire body, breaking all amorous thoughts that had been occurring. "DAMNIT, THIS WAS A NEW SHIRT!"
"Sorry!" Howie called with a jovial grin. "Had to clean up the lemonade!"
