"We have to talk, I'm not going to be able to go home to washington with you tomorrow. My gramma is out of surgery and it doesn't look good, so I can't leave town, but you need to go be with your family." Dante looked at lulu with regret as he filled her in on his new plan.

Lulu couldn't believe this was happening. This was the first time she was attempting to bring home a boyfriend for Christmas and now the day before they were supposed to leave, NOW he tells me he can't go. "Well that's fine then but I'm gonna stay here too then."

Dante knew she was afraid to leave him here alone for Christmas, afterall it was the first Christmas he wouldn't have his mom and dad there for the special day. He knew she was doing this because she cared but he would not be the reason she didn't go home for Christmas! "Baby, you are not staying here, you're getting on that plane in the morning."

"Are you fucking kidding me Dante, this has nothing to do with your gramma huh? You want me out of the picture so you can have your precious Brenda for Christmas, well here ya go...I'm gone!" As she was speaking, lulu knew those were the wrong words to say. She knew that he really was worried about his grandma and now she just made this discussion all about her insecurities.

Danta sat there and watched her as she stood up and started to move toward the door. Realizing that he was actually quite pissed about what she just said, Dante grabbed her arm and stared at her with fierce eyes and said "Don't bother leaving, this is your house and frankly I don't want to look at your face right now, so I'll go!" Dante stood and swiftly moved to the front door so fast he felt like he floated over there. And as he slammed the door shut he yelled, "merry fucking Christmas lulu!"

"Wait! Don't leave...I'm sorry! Don't leave!" Tears springing to her eyes while she frantically tried to get him to look at her. "Dante wait, I'm sorry!" she ran and yanked the door open, while screaming for the man that she loves to come back to her, but she was too was gone.

I can't believe she said that, Dante thought to himself while he drove down the dreary street. He didn't know where he was going, but he sure as hell would not be with lulu tonight. He looked down at his cell phone and saw lulu's name flashing on the screen. She was calling him, and he couldn't answer. He was still too pissed! How could she take something like being there for his grandmother, his only living family member and turn it into him staying in town to be near a childhood crush.

"Hi!, you've reached Dante and I'm not here so leave a message and i'll get back to you" , Lulu listened to his voicemail greeting and had no idea what to say .."Baby it's me, please call me back! I'm sorry for what I said, I know you're worried about your gramma and god i'm so sorry...just please call me back! I love you!" lulu hung up and started bawling harder than ever, she couldn't believe how big she just fucked up.

Dante listened to lulu's message and still had no idea what to do. He wanted nothing more than to go to her and talk this out. To wrap his arms around her and say that he loves her and she doesn't ever have to worry about him wanting anyone else, but he couldn't. She didn't deserve that reassurance right now, she was in the wrong here. He parked his car in the parking garage of the hospital and looked down to see he had a text message. Ten text messages to be exact.

"Dante I'm sorry"

"Call me please"

"Baby I'm sorry, call me please"

"I love you"

"baby, I need to tAlk to you!"

"Dante, please please call me"

"I'm going to the hospital, maybe you're there"

"Are you there"

"Dante please don't ignore me"

"I'm coming"

With all of those texts, all he could answer were two words, "don't come."

Lulu couldn't breathe. She has sent him ten text messages begging him to forgive her, to call her, to talk to her and all he says is don't come. Oh my god, she's finally pushed him away. Deciding that she simply could not even try to sleep if she doesn't talk to him, lulu drove to the hospital and entered the parking garage. Just as she drove up the ramp to the second floor she recognized his range rover. There was an empty spot next to it, so she pulled into it and noticed that he was sitting at the wheel.

Dante was sitting in his car trying to figure out what to do about lulu when he looked up and saw her pull up next to him. What the hell is she doing here, he didn't want to see her right now.

Lulu got out of her car and knocked on his window, knowing that he saw her she just waited to see if he'd talk to her. When he just turned and stared at her without moving towards the window, she didn't know what to do. After what seemed like an enternity of staring at eachother through the glass dante scowled, rolled down the window and and spat "you shouldn't have come Lu".

"Well, what do you expect me to do...when the man that I love won't talk to me. I'm not going to just let you walk away from me, forever. I'm a dumb ass okay! I shouldn't have said that about Brenda. I know you have to be here for your gramma and I should've just accepted that..It's just I had it in my head that this would be the trip that I got to take the guy I see myself with for a very longtime and show him off to my family and friends and make them love you as much a I do. But I understand how important your gramma is to you ...I do, especially since your parents' accident and I should've respected your loyalty and support for her!" Lulu was sobbing beyond control."

She was hysterical, he couldn't not do anything to comfort her. He opened his door, stepped out and wrapped his arms around her.

Lulu totally didn't expect him to get out of the car, so when she felt his arms craddling her she totally broke down and cried into his warm chest. "I'm so sorry Dante, I'm sorry I'm a bitch and totally snapped for no reason!" she looked up into his eyes and was totally taken by surprised when his lips came crashing down unto hers.

Dante couldn't handle being so close to her with her so upset. He wanted it to stop. He wanted to go back to this morning when they were lying in bed after making love and the biggest problem he had was what to make for breakfast. Now he has a gramma who's not doin well and a girlfriend that's having doubts about where they stand.

After standing at the truck making out like two lust crazed teenagers, Dante stepped back and carressed lulu's cheeck. "Its cold out here, lets get in the car and talk." Dante said as he got into his car and reached over and opened the passenger door. "I love you Leslie Lu, but we appearantly have some things to talk through." he said seriously.

"I know we do, I know... But oh my god I was so scared when you wouldn't answer my texts!" lulu took her hands and grabbed his, pulling him closer. "I love you so much Dante, and I have no idea what I'd do without you!"

"Baby look, I know you've been worried ever since I told you that I used to know Brenda, but I'm telling you right now, it's not a big deal! We grew up together, people used to try to put us together and yeah sure I thought she was pretty, but YOU lulu, you are the love of my life and I will never want any other woman, ever!" Dante kissed her sweetly on the lips and hugged her tight.

"Okay well, I'll let you go see your gramma...I guess I have to go home and pack." lulu said with sadness in her eyes.

"Well visiting hours are over but I do have to talk to her doctors so you go pack and I'll come over when I'm done, that sound good?" Dante said as he kissed her forehead.

Not believing how big a deal she turned this whole situation into, lulu looked into his eyes and kissed him while nodding her head "okay, sounds great!" she got out of the car and went to hers, thinking just how lucky she is to have someone like him in her life, forever.

After Dante had checked on his gramma, talked to her doctors, and bought a coke he got in his car to head to lulu's house. As he was stopped at a light he saw lulu's phone in the cupholder of the console. Lulu must have left it in here, she's probably freaking without it he thought. He grabbed it to put it in his pocket and that's when he saw it. A text that had popped onto the screen and it read "I can't wait to be together when you fly home tomorrow, it's been too long! - Johnny"

Immediately dante's blood pressure began to rise and his fist began to clench. Without thinking he tapped the message and up popped the entire thread of Johnny and lulu's conversation.

"when do you get home? D comin' too?-jz"

"tomorrow, noon and no. - lu "

This is all it took, Dante didn't need to see anymore. His girlfriend has been giving him shit about a girl that he hasn't talked to in weeks and here she is making plans with her ex boyfriend, to get together when she goes home 3000 miles away tomorrow. Ah, hell no! Dante sped to lulu's house, opened and slammed the door and started screaming. "LULU!' get out here right now!"

She was was so confused by this loud outburst she ran down the stairs to see what was up.

"Have you been looking for this?" Dante waved her cell around in the air.

Shit, she thought. He totally saw the messages from Johnny. "Dante, it's not what it looks like... I was going to tell you about those messages earlier but forgot. I thought it was funny cuz it's not like I'm gonna see him." lulu tried to calm him.

"Oh really? Hmm. Well that's interesting cuz no where on here do you tell him no! I can't fucking believe you lulu! I'm sitting here feeling bad because I can't go with you because my gramma's dying and you're settin up a fucking booty call!" he shouted!

"NO! That's not what I was doing! I was letting him down easily, I broke the guy's heart before I moved out here Dante. I can't rub it in his face that I'm in love! But I wish you would just calm down." she said as she approached a shakily angered Dante. She snaked her arms through his and put her hands into the pockets of his jacket and pulled him close."Baby I love you, and would never do anything to fuck this up! I promise!" She tilted his face down to look at her. "I love you. I. Love. You!" She repeated slowly while staring at him with intent.

Dante didn't know what to feel. He was angry at her for earlier, he was angry at her for those texts, but most of all he was sad that his last night with her before she left was ruined by all these emotions. "I don't know Lu, this is a lot to process...your reaction to me staying here and these texts. It's like you want me there so you can trust yourself around Johnny. Well I think maybe we should take a break and see if this is really what you want." he stated not looking her in the eyes.

"Dante you can't be serious!" she cried with new tears streaming down her face. "You are what I want, dante you can't do this.. Please, let's just forget this and have a good last night, please baby!" she begged.

"I don't know lulu," Dante countered. "All I want is to hold you, but right now I feel betrayed and disappointed so this discussion needs to end and let's go our own ways for Christmas and maybe pick back up for new years, let's get some perspective." He started to walk away when he heard lulu shouting and running for the door.

"NO! You will not leave this house for the second time today! Dante I love you! Tell me what to say to make this better!" She was crying so hard she hiccupped inbetween sentences. "Baby, you are the one that lights up my life! Without you my life has no meaning, I don't need space, I need you! Please I'm begging you, stay here! Let's talk, or not talk but please just stay here!"

As lulu is pouring her heart out to him, he's fiddling with something in his pants pocket. He knows that this is probably not the best timing, this morning would've been better but right now felt right. "Shh, Lu my love, come here" wrapping his arms around her and sliding his hands up and down her back to comfort her. He didn't know how to explain it, but he knew that all of the misunderstandings and irritation of the entire day was all because they loved eachother and ultimately didn't want to be separated by anything or anyone, ever. Suddently he pulled back, causing her to look up, and what she sees completely blows her away.

Dante gets on one knee and holds out the most beautiful diamond ring with tiny sapphires around it, that she'd ever seen. "Lulu Spencer, I love you so much! Even when we fight over how much we really love eachother, I don't want anything else other than to hold you and try to express to you one tenth of the love and affection I have for you in my heart! I know we haven't known eachother for long, but I know that I don't want to go another day without knowing that you'll agree to pledge your future to me. Be my wife lulu, and I promise I will spend my entire life making you the happiest and most loved woman in the world!"

Dante didn't hardly get his speech out before she dropped to the floor with him, lunging at his face with hers. She cupped his face crying "Yes! Yes yes! I'll marry you! I want to be your wife for the rest of my days!" she said with enthusiasm as they kissed tenderly.

Dante pulled back and lovingly said "And before you freak out that I haven't met your family yet, you should know that I spoke to your dad lastnight and arranged for all of them to come out here for new years! All of them: your mom, dad, brothers and even your grandma Leslie! We'll all spend new years getting to know eachother."

"Oh my god Dante, you are so amazing! I am the luckiest girl in the entire world! I'm so sorry for ever doubting you and I'll try real hard not to be a jackass anymore, ever!" lulu grabbed him around the middle and started undoing his belt and pants. "Now come on, it's time for you to show me what a fiance does to show his love!" She said as Dante picked her up and carried her to the bed.

"No problem baby, that's something I'll never get tired of showing you!" Dante said as he began to express to her in touch, just how much he loved, needed and craved her in every which way!

This was shaping up to be the best Christmas eve, eve they'd both ever had!