“Because I’m in love… with you,” I say all sappy like.

“You’re a dork,” she says with a grin. “But I love you, too.”

“So are Lisa, Adam, and the kids still coming next week?” I ask. They had planned to come out for a visit when the kids were out of school, but it had been tentative so far.

“Yes. She just emailed me today. They’ll actually fly in on Sunday night.”

“Excellent,” I say, excited over the prospect of seeing them. In almost all respects, Lisa has become like a sister to me, and Adam and I get along amazingly well. But best of all will be getting time with Colleen and Samuel. I never knew I had such an affinity for children, but every time Lisa and her family have come here, or we’ve flown to North Carolina, I find myself spending most of the time playing with the two little rugrats.

“And Lisa says you cannot buy them any toys when they’re here,” Moira says with a stern look. “She says you spoil them.”

“Lisa can go to hell,” I tell her with a pointed stare. “Those kids deserve to be spoiled.”

Giggling, Moira agrees. “They kind of do, don’t they? That’s the joy of being an aunt… and well, you’re sort of like their uncle. We’re allowed to spoil them and then hand the sniveling little brats back to their parents when they’re all good and rotten.”

“Exactly,” I tell her as I reach across the table to take her hand. “But… you and I never talked about kids. Why is that?”

Moira shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess because we’ve never really talked about our future. Do you want them?”

“Absolutely… I’m thinking three or four would be good,” I say with confidence.

“Maybe let’s start with two and we’ll work from there. Besides, we’re kind of talking about this backward. Kids come after marriage.”

“Not in this modern society,” I tell her with surety. “I’ve seen and met plenty of people that have families without getting married.”

Moira’s face falls a bit, but she can’t help but agree with me. Marriage isn’t what it used to be, at least from my keen observation skills so far.

“You’re right,” she says. “It’s just… it’s a norm for most couples. It’s a time-honored tradition and shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

“I suppose,” I hedge. Moira’s gaze turns out to the busy sidewalk, a slight frown on her face.

Grinning, I lean over and reach into my backpack, pulling out the small, velvet box that has been burning a hole in it all day. I set it on the table, and the movement catches her eye. When she focuses on the box, I merely push it across the table at her.

“What’s that?” she asks with suspicion.

“It’s a bomb,” I say sarcastically. “Be careful with it.”

Moira smirks at me and grabs the box, prying the lip of it open. When she reveals the contents, she gasps. “Where did you get this? It’s amazing.”

I lean over to the left and look at the four-carat oval diamond encased in an antique setting. “Randall gave it to me when we visited him at Christmas. It was his mother’s, and he wanted to pass it on to me.”

“Are you serious?” she asks as she tilts the box left and right, looking at the ring from all angles.

“As serious as I am right now when I tell you I want to marry you,” I say, and her eyes snap to me in surprise.

“You do?” she whispers.

Reaching over, I take the box from her and pop the ring out. Grabbing her left hand, I slide the ring on. This was a tradition that Randall told me about, and I soaked up all the knowledge. He did tell me that this was usually done on bended knee, supposedly with some type of poetic rant from the man to the woman. That wasn’t my style though.

“Yes, I want to marry you,” I tell her in exasperation as I grasp her hand. “I’m thinking maybe this time next year? Then we can get started on the children.”

“Whoa… wait up a minute,” she says as she pulls her hand away from me. “I didn’t say I’d marry you.”

I raise an eyebrow at her and smirk. “You will.”

She huffs out an exasperated breath and demands, “Do you always have to be in control?”

I surge out of my chair and stalk to her side of the table. Grasping her by the shoulders, I pull her upward and plant a punishing kiss on her lips. She opens underneath me and I push my tongue in, deepening our union and kissing the silliness out of her. The kiss goes on for so long that people at the nearby tables start snickering.

Finally, I release her, rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip as her glazed eyes start to clear. “Yes, I have to be in control… most of the time. Now, will you just say you’ll f**king marry me?”

Moira’s lips peel back into a wide and sinful smile, and she nods her head at me. “Yes, you impossible, uncivilized man. I’ll f**king marry you.”

I let out a whoop of a cheer and pick her up in my arms to swing her around. Several of the people at the nearby tables start clapping in congratulations.

When I set Moira back down on her feet, I lean in and feather my lips over hers again. “You won’t be sorry, baby. I swear I will love you like no man ever has.”

Moira nips at my bottom lip and murmurs, “You already do, Zach. You already do.”