We got into Owen's Bronco and the doors had barely closed and he started talking.

"Please for the love of all that's holy, tell me we won't ever leave our children with those two. They'll turn into plastic or something. I know that's your parents, but they're so d.a.m.ned mean and hateful."

After I finished laughing I answered.

"It's ok, when you take me on long romantic trips we can leave the kids with your parents." I smiled and looked out of the side mirror as the mansion grew smaller and smaller behind us.

"And there will be lots and lots of trips for us if they are anything like our weekend on the houseboat." His eyes gleamed with friskiness.

"That was a good weekend. We should do that again-soon."

"My parents also have a small cabin in Arkansas that belonged to my grandparents-since it's cold." He was looking at the road but I could see the smile.

"How ever will we keep warm?" He took my hand and kissed the inside of my palm.

"I think I know a way." His lips brushing my hand as he spoke.

"And by the way, I'm starving." I knew he would be and quite frankly, I was too.

"Let's go to your Mom's place and eat."

"Ok, let me call her and see how busy she is." He picked up his phone and made the call. His eyes widened and he shook his head several times and answered 'Yes Ma'am'-a lot.

"She says the next time we call ahead she's going to maim me. So I'm supposed to bring your cute b.u.t.t there before she has my hide and that's a quote."

"G.o.d, I love your Mom." I said and I meant every word.

"She loves you more than she loves me but not nearly as much as I love you."

We got to the restaurant and all ate together, even Falcon and Maddox showed up and were rowdy as ever. The three boys plus Chase, Owen's dad, were all giving each other looks and were kicking each other under the table. Sylvia noticed too and wasn't going to put up with it very much longer.

"All right you four, what in the h.e.l.l is going on?" She commanded the attention of the entire table and some onlookers. The word 'h.e.l.l' coming out of her mouth was odd and it was the first time I'd seen her fierceness.

Falcon spoke up first. "It's nothing, Owen is just a chicken, that's all."

Maddox agreed, nodding his head up and down with a mouthful of pasta.

Chase cleared his throat and said, "Owen, I think the surprise is ruined, son."

Owen looked deflated and p.i.s.sed. But he got out of his chair and reached out a hand to his Dad. I didn't know if they were going to waltz or what. Chase reached into the inner pocket of his jacket which hung on his chair and came out holding a black box and handed it to Owen. Sylvia, next to me, grabbed her cloth napkin from the table and hugged me around the waist in preparation.

He opened the box and looked at me and Sylvia trembled with sobs next to me. Chase grabbed her and hugged her to him as Owen bid me to stand. I stood on shaky knees next to him as he kneeled in front of me. And like a siren's call, his kneeling attracted every eye in the place and suddenly his family wasn't our only audience.

"Nellie Mich.e.l.le Forrester, I have loved you since before I knew your name. Every time you walk into a room my breath is taken away. A life without you in it is simply unimaginable. Will you be my wife?"

I could hear the ladies in the room gasp and whimper.

"Yes." I croaked out while the waves of water streamed down my face.

He placed the ring on my finger and I was surprised to see that it was an antique silver ring with a pink stone instead of the traditional diamond. Then again we were nothing even close to traditional, so it made sense. He stood up next to me and smiled bashfully as the entire restaurant was now clapping and his family rose from the table to congratulate us. Then as if no longer embarra.s.sed he bent me backwards and kissed me long and hard and we received even more clapping.

He wiped my tears away with his knuckles and more moved in to replace them. Maddox and Falcon gave their brother hugs and slapped each other on the backs while Sylvia and I hugged and sobbed. It was a great ending to an otherwise c.r.a.ppy day.

After another hour or so, Owen took me home and I gave him my present. I bought him two things. One was a new backpack since his was raggedy. And the other was a set of rings that could be switched out for the barbell piercings. It wasn't anything compared to what he had given me, but his face lit up just the same. The day had exhausted me and while he took a shower I felt myself drifting off on top of the comforter. The next thing I remember was a hand on my hip and an arm being slipped under my head and the words, "Thank you for the best Christmas."

The rest of the semester was spent in bliss. We both got our schedules and found that we both had Tuesdays and Thursdays free of cla.s.ses. Of course I had to work but only four or five hours at a time. We went out to the Black house for New Year's Eve and I got to see how much of a pyromaniac Owen really was. He and his brothers were just relentless. I swear they popped firecrackers until two in the morning. Then they had to spend an hour picking up all of the mess with a very angry matriarch on their tails. All of this happened after he gave me the most amazing kiss right at midnight. This year was starting off on a good note.

32. Owen.

On my way back to the dorms after a busy New Year's Day, I called my mom. I needed to talk to her now while all of this was in my head. The phone rang only once and she answered.

"Hey honey. What's going on?"

"Hey Mom. You have time to talk?" I hoped she did, I needed her.

"Of course. Come to the restaurant. I'm in the kitchen."

I rode over there and walked straight into the back and sat on the only countertop that wasn't used for food prep. She'd have my a.s.s if I sat on one of those. This was our thing. I sat on the counter while she cooked. She didn't push or pry. She just waited for me to talk and listened. Then she always gave me the best advice or called my dad in to do it.

She acknowledged my presence with a nod and then went back to shaving the zest from a lemon. More cheesecake I a.s.sumed. I let out my stress in a giant 'whoosh' of breath and just let my brain mouth connection flow uninterrupted.

"So Nellie's parents are super rich and they hate me. Her Mom hates anyone who isn't walking perfection including Nellie. Although I can't see how she views Nellie as anything but absolutely perfect. She grew up in a plantation, a huge mansion of a house with two of everything, formal and informal. They have chefs and housekeepers. They don't even put up their own Christmas tree. They have a decorator person come in and do it for them. I'm never going to make money like that-ever. And I know that Nellie doesn't care about that stuff but what if one day she wakes up and realizes that I'm not enough? That I don't have enough to offer her? And I told her all about Amy and the pregnancy and not knowing whether or not it was mine and she didn't come down on me about it at all. She just told me that it was all in the past. It almost would've been easier if she hated me for it because that's what I deserve. And I know that all of that broke you and Dad up and you're never going to get back together because of me. What if I do the same thing to her-to us? What if things get a little bad and I go on a tirade again? I can't lose her Mom-I won't. s.h.i.t."

My chest felt lighter. I carried this around with me since I proposed to her here in this very restaurant. I knew it was stupid and I could negate each and every feeling with one of the opposite side of the debate but I couldn't help that they still ran through my head. Mom continued to shave each lemon one by one until their outsides were no longer yellow.

She got on her phone and called my dad and asked him to come in but never said anything to me.

My dad walked in and looked at me and then her with a 'what the h.e.l.l' expression. Mom repeated the entire pathetic speech to him. Then they both lit into me. They told me that I needed to forgive myself for everything. Sounded like Dr. Phil c.r.a.p to me. They also told me that they were getting back together but hadn't told us boys yet and that none of it was my fault. I didn't believe them until Dad practically bent Mom over the counter and made me gag while they made out.

"Ok, ok, I believe you jeez." They both laughed and Dad said he wanted to talk to me in private and Mom said she was going home anyway.

"Son, listen to me. Everyone hangs on to the bad things about themselves. It's just life. But don't let it get in the way of what you have with Nellie. That girl is special and anyone can see that she loves you more than most people hope for. Don't ruin it with things that happened a long time ago that you can't possibly change."

"Ugh...why can't you just be like Mom and listen to my c.r.a.p and keep chopping stuff?"

"Because your Mom's a good listener and I'm not. I'm a problem solver. So love her with everything in you and don't go to sleep angry. Best advice my dad ever gave me except I was too stupid to follow it and I lost precious time with your mother."

"Ok Dad, thanks. I'm going home now. I kinda just needed to vent."

I made my way out and heard my dad yell after me. "I love you, Son."

"I love you too Dad."

On the way home I called Nellie who answered in her sleepy voice.

"Mmmm..." That was 'h.e.l.lo' in sleepy Nellie language and to wake up to that was heaven.

"I just wanted to call and tell you that I love you. Go back to sleep." I started to hang up and heard her talk.

"I can't go to sleep after you saying that. Come spend the night." She said still half asleep.

"We have cla.s.s tomorrow. You're thinking with your-well, not your brain." I laughed.

"Ugh-you're so sensible sometimes." She chuckled "Go to sleep gorgeous. I will see you Tuesday."

"That just makes it worse. And Owen?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you more every day. And you're gonna miss me tomorrow and wish you'd come over here."

"I'm sure I will. Goodnight."

She hung up. She probably wouldn't even remember the conversation in the morning. I got back to the dorms and fell asleep courtesy of Falcon's Christmas present-ear plugs.

Mondays always sucked but now they really sucked. At least last semester I got to see Nellie in the morning but now I wouldn't see her at all. Most of my cla.s.ses were scattered throughout the day and it seemed like hers took the s.p.a.ces between, sealing our fates.

That night after I ate dinner I went straight to the dorm, showered and went back to my room. I opened the door and hung my towel on the back and turned to get into bed.

"I couldn't take it." Her voice alone made the stress of the day fade.

"Come here." She got up and I bent down to meet her and welcomed her arms around my neck. She let out a moan and I reveled in the knowledge that I could give her some comfort.

"Rough day?" I asked her.

"The worst. I don't know if it was the first day or four cla.s.ses back to back or just because I missed you so d.a.m.n much. It was just awful."

"It wasn't easy for me either. Why don't you stay here? I know it's not as big as your bed but I bet we can fit."

"Dylan?" she asked.

"He's at your apartment, I a.s.sume. He packed up some clothes earlier and said he wouldn't be back."

"Yeah, I need you tonight. I couldn't make myself go home." To hear her murmur that she needed me was the best.

"Come on, I'll kiss you until you forget that it's Monday."

"Best-idea-ever." She said against my neck and by the time I was done with her she barely remembered her name much less the day of the week.

I woke her early the next morning in the same way I relaxed her enough to sleep the night before.

After bringing her to her apartment to shower and change we spent the day saturated in each other's presence to help tide us over for the days when we didn't see each other. I complained about another English cla.s.s while she complained about Chemistry and Chemistry lab which she called nothing more than glorified math. Her extreme disdain for all things math related was hilarious.

We looked at our schedules and picked an upcoming weekend for us to go to the family cabin in Arkansas. We had a Mardi Gras holiday coming up in February where we were off for the weekend plus Monday through Wednesday. It was perfect. She complained about having to go shopping again but I reminded her that I wasn't planning on letting her outdoors much.

Way before I had gotten enough of her she checked her watch and it was time for her to go to work. She only had to work four hours today so I decided to make a run to see my mom and tell her about taking Nellie to the cabin in case someone else had decided to use it.

Mom sent me back with tons of food for both Nellie and I along with permission to use the cabin over Mardi Gras weekend. I called Nellie and we made plans to meet at her apartment to eat.

After dinner she tried to barricade the door with her puny frame and I had to convince her, against everything my body was screaming at me, that she needed to go to sleep alone because right now the things I wanted to do in her bed were nothing even close to sleeping.

"You're killing me with all of this sensibility and common sense stuff Owen."

She groaned out as her face lay against my chest and it kinda irked me that she thought it was so easy to be the sensible one.

"You think it's easy being me?" My libido was winning the war so I picked her up and took her to her bedroom slamming the door behind me with my foot.

I laid her down on the bed and pinned her arms by her sides. I put my weight on the side of her body and leaned down to speak directly into her ear.

"I will always, always do what I think is best for you even if it means leaving you when you whine at me about being sensible. And don't you dare think for even one second that it doesn't kill me to go back to my cold, single bed when I could be here with you in my arms. Especially right now when you've got that blush on your face and your mouth is open just begging me in. But let me tell you this, you've got to marry me soon because I don't know how much longer I will be able to keep my wits about me."

I kissed her long and hard and then walked out the door not giving her the opportunity to protest. Because I swear at this point I would give in if I even heard the smallest whimper.

By the time I got down to the Bronco I had cooled off and I pressed my face against my driver's side door just to chill my own fury. I got in and my phone was already ringing.

It was Nellie and I chuckled to myself before answering.

"h.e.l.lo?" I said and hoped that she wasn't too p.i.s.sed about me leaving her.

"Are you p.i.s.sed?" She said. I laughed a little because we both thought the other was angry.

"Only at myself, though I meant every word."

"I know you did. So we'd better start planning this wedding." She said and I could imagine the smile on her face.

"Yes, please." I agreed and she giggled.

"Ok, I'm going to sleep per my future husband's orders."

"So, tomorrow night, you and me and wedding talk." I hoped.

"And honeymoon talk." She whispered in the phone.

"You just couldn't stand it could you?" I laughed.

"Ok, ok, ok, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Not having the will to put up with any more of her honeymoon talk.

It's amazing how fast the day goes along when you're actually paying attention in cla.s.s. But between cla.s.ses was a whole other matter. In between lectures and computer slide shows I thought about Nellie.

I reigned my thoughts in while I was with her, afraid that I would allow them to come out of my mouth. I wanted so much more than for her to be my wife. I wanted a family with her, even though she was already my family. The thought of a very pregnant Nellie with blue or purple or green hair made me laugh. She was right. She would be the most kick a.s.s wife in the history of wives and she was mine.

My last cla.s.s lasted from four p.m. until six p.m. and she had World History from six p.m. until seven fifteen p.m. I went to pick up some dinner and waited for her.