Dylan opened the door and quietly walked into the house. He was tired from
his trip. It was exhausting but he was excited - they would be breaking
ground on the new resort soon. He smiled as he thought about it - and his
smile grew at what he saw when he entered the living room. He knelt down
in front of the couch and kissed the woman sleeping there. Her eyes
fluttered open and she smiled when she saw him, "Hi."
"Hi," he returned as he brushed the hair out of her eyes.
"We were waiting up for you," she told him as she patted the back of the baby asleep on her chest.
"I can see that," Dylan grinned. "Here, let me take him." He picked up the baby and she sat up, giving him room to sit down beside her.
She put her chin on Dylan's shoulder as she watched her two favorite men together. "How did it go?"
"We break ground next month," Dylan told her proudly.
"Dylan, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!"
He looked into his wife's loving eyes and his heart swelled. She leaned over and kissed him and he put his hand on the back of her head, deepening the kiss. "Let's go upstairs," he suggested. She didn't say anything as she rose from the couch. Dylan carefully placed his son on his shoulder and put his other arm around his wife as they walked up the staircase.
Several hours later Dylan watched his wife sleeping beside him. He wasn't sure what he had done to have God bless him with this angel, but he was forever thankful to Him. From the moment Dylan first met Cassandra, he knew his life had changed.
Although he and Kelly had admitted their undying love for each other at Donna and David's wedding, they were fighting within the month. Neither of them had a clear direction of what they wanted out of life and they were looking to each other for happiness. It never came. And the chemistry they shared wasn't enough to keep a relationship going. They broke up by the summer's end.
A few months later, Dylan was bored and looking for something to do so Steve introduced him to Eric Michaels, who was looking for investors for a new hotel he was in the process of building. Dylan and Eric hit it off immediately and soon became partners in the new hotel venture.
Knowing Dylan didn't have much family, Eric invited him to go home with him to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. Dylan didn't want to intrude on his family get-together, but Eric assured him that he came from a large family and guests were always welcome. Finally, Dylan agreed to go and that was the best decision he ever made.
They arrived at Eric's parents' home amid a flurry of activity. His mother and two sisters-in-law were in the kitchen cooking; his older brothers were pulling Christmas decorations out of the attic, and his father and younger brother were trying to get a huge Christmas tree into a tree stand. But everyone stopped to hug Eric and welcome Dylan. "Is Cass here yet?" Eric asked the others once all the introductions had been made.
"She got here just a little while ago," his mother told him as she went back to the kitchen. "She's out back with the kids."
"Come on," Eric said as he led Dylan outside. "Only a few more Michaels to meet."
Dylan followed Eric down a stone path to a small basketball court where five children (under the age of eight) were playing basketball with a beautiful young woman. The playing stopped when Eric whistled and called out to them. The woman beamed as she ran toward her brother and threw herself into his arms. Eric smiled too as he enveloped her into a bear hug. He put her down as the kids ran to him for hugs as well.
The woman turned to Dylan and offered her hand, "Hi, I'm Cassie, Eric's sister." She smiled at him and Dylan's breath was taken away.
Dylan got swept into the whirlwind of the Michaels' holiday weekend. On Thanksgiving day he helped them decorate the Christmas tree, gorged on the enormous dinner, watched football, and even participated in their annual touch football game. But through it all only one person had his attention - Cassie. He was fascinated by everything about her - her intellect, her sense of humor, her sweetness. And every time she smiled at him, his heart melted.
He was a little disappointed when he got up the following morning and found out Cassie was working a shift at the hospital where she was a pediatric resident. But he didn't have time to wallow in his disappoint -- he learned of another Michaels' family tradition - the men took care of the kids while the women went shopping.
Although he was worn out from the day's activities, he had a hard time getting to sleep that night and wandered down into the family room in search of a book to read. He was midway through it when Cassie arrived back from the hospital. She fixed them both scrambled eggs and the two talked into the wee hours of the morning.
The family spent the next day together as well, putting up Christmas lights, arguing, eating - and Dylan loved it all. They were a considerate, loving group that welcomed him into their fold. And he was finding himself growing more and more attracted to Cassie.
The attraction didn't go unnoticed by Mrs. Michaels. She had been hoping her daughter would meet a nice young man and Dylan seemed to fit the bill. That evening she suggested that Cassie take the dog for a walk-and that Dylan should go too so she could show him the neighborhood. Mrs. Michaels' intentions were evident the next day as well when Dylan found himself seated next to Cassie at the Sunday church service and again during lunch. Although Cassie was slightly embarrassed by her mother's lack of subtlety, Dylan could have kissed Mrs. Michaels there on the spot.
That afternoon Mrs. Michaels insisted that Cassie be the one to drive Eric and Dylan to the airport and when they arrived there, Eric had strict instructions to make himself scarce. He took over the task of checking their luggage in, giving Dylan and Cassie a few minutes alone. "I'm sorry about my family's antics," Cassie started.
Dylan smiled at her, "Don't be. They're great."
"They mean well, I suppose."
"Actually, I think they may be on to something," Dylan said as he moved the slightest bit toward her. "Do you ever get out to California to see your brother?"
"I haven't yet," she told him. "He hasn't been there that long."
"You really should come out there. You could check on him, see his work."
Cassie smiled, "Maybe I will."
"You'll have to do better than maybe."
"My schedule at the hospital is just so crazy."
"Don't make me call your mother," Dylan teased.
Cassie laughed, "I have a three day weekend in a couple of weeks. Maybe I can come out then."
Dylan left Atlanta feeling more hopeful than he had in a very long time. And his hope grew two weeks later when Cassie came out to California. Dylan and Eric picked her up from the airport and took her to dinner that night. The following day the three of them went to the hotel site where she oohed and aahed over their work. As they started to leave, Eric claimed to have just remembered other plans and asked Dylan to entertain Cassie for the rest of the day. Dylan took her to lunch and then on a tour of Beverly Hills. That night they had a lovely dinner and then went for a moonlit walk on the beach. Dylan placed his jacket around Cassie's shoulder when she shivered and took her hand in his as they walked back to his car. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Dylan pulled Cassie to him and kissed her. He deepened the kiss when he felt her respond and it quickly turned more passionate than he intended. Dylan broke the kiss and looked at Cassie, then kissed her again when he saw her smiling at him. They spent many precious moments kissing in the moonlight. The next morning Dylan attended church with Eric and Cassie -- something he had gotten in the habit of doing since his trip to Atlanta - and afterwards they all went to brunch. Then Eric once again made himself scarce leaving Dylan and Cassie alone to spend the rest of the day and evening together.
Dylan and Cassie talked almost every day after she returned to Atlanta. He spent Christmas with the Michaels in Atlanta and was thrilled to be kissing Cassie at midnight on New Year's Eve. Their long distance romance continued until she and the rest of the family came out to LA in April for the opening of the hotel. By that time Dylan knew he was hopelessly in love with Cassie and he was overjoyed that she would be there with him when they opened the hotel. The Michaels were among the first guests to stay at the hotel and Dylan went to Cassie's room to pick her up for the opening gala. She took his breath away when she opened the door. "Wow," was the only thing he could utter. Cassie smiled before pulling him into the room and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"It's your big night McKay. Are you excited?"
"I'm excited alright," he said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "But it doesn't have anything to do with the opening." He took a deep breath, "I love you Cassie."
She looked into his eyes, "I love you too." Dylan smiled as he kissed her. They were interrupted by Eric's knock on the door, telling them they were going to be late, and were soon caught up in all the festivities.
Although Cassie remained at Dylan's side the entire night, it was well after 3 a.m. before they were alone again. They returned to Cassie's room and Dylan collapsed onto the couch, pulling Cassie to sit in his lap. "Everything was wonderful tonight," she told him as she loosened his tie. "You should be a happy man."
He caressed her face, "Tell me again and I will be."
"I love you," she said sweetly.
Dylan kissed her deeply, "Marry me."
"What?" Cassie asked, shocked.
"I know it seems crazy," Dylan told her. "But I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Cassie was speechless. "We're great together Cass. I've never felt this way before with anyone - not Toni or Kelly or anyone. I love you Cassie. Be mine. Let me be yours."
"Yes," she said softly with tears in her eyes.
"Yes?"
"Yes," she said again before Dylan kissed her.
"I love you," he whispered into her hair.
"I love you too," she replied. "And there is nothing I want more than to marry you." He kissed her again. "But Dylan, this is crazy. We live on opposite sides of the country."
"The hotel is finished now. There's no reason Eric and I can't move our offices to Atlanta before we start work on the next one."
"You've talked to my brother about this?" she asked.
"We've discussed the possibility. He really wants to be closer to his family. And so do I," he finished with a grin.
"We're really going to do this," she said almost as a question.
"You just name the time and the place," he told her.
Cassie thought about it a moment. "Let's elope."
"You want to elope?"
"Yeah. I watched two of my brothers go through big weddings and with my schedule, I just don't have time to plan it. And I don't want to anyway. I don't want anything big or fancy. I just want to marry you."
Dylan smiled at her, "Whatever you want." He kissed her.
"I like that attitude. Will you keep it up after we're married?"
He cupped her face in his hand, "I don't think I'll ever be able to deny you anything." He kissed her again.
"Let's get married now."
It was Dylan's turn to be shocked, "What?"
"Let's drive to Vegas and get married now."
"What about your family?"
"They can come if they want."
"You're serious?"
"Mmm hmm," she told him. "Are you having second thoughts?"
"Me? No way," he assured her with a kiss.
And they got married that day. They rounded her family up and chartered a plane to take them to Las Vegas. Two days later Dylan moved to Atlanta and never looked back. He and Eric began working on plans for another hotel - this time in Houston. Between's Dylan's travel to Texas and Cassie's hospital schedule, their time together was limited, but Dylan had never been happier. He loved his new career - finally finding something he enjoyed; he loved his new family - finally feeling like he was a part of one; but most of all, he loved being married - everything about it. He and Cassie bought a house and had a wonderful time fixing it up. Dylan never complained about the endless chores awaiting him when he returned home. And he felt such love and pride whenever he was called "Cassie's husband" or talked about his "wife."
They were both a little surprised when Cassie became pregnant less than a year later. Both wanted children, it was just a little sooner than either had expected. But they were thrilled when their son was born six months ago.
Life was perfect, Dylan thought as he watched his wife sleep now. He leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder. She instinctively moved closer to him, laying her head and hand on his chest and sighing contentedly. Dylan sighed too, a smile on his lips as he drifted off to sleep.
"Hi," he returned as he brushed the hair out of her eyes.
"We were waiting up for you," she told him as she patted the back of the baby asleep on her chest.
"I can see that," Dylan grinned. "Here, let me take him." He picked up the baby and she sat up, giving him room to sit down beside her.
She put her chin on Dylan's shoulder as she watched her two favorite men together. "How did it go?"
"We break ground next month," Dylan told her proudly.
"Dylan, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!"
He looked into his wife's loving eyes and his heart swelled. She leaned over and kissed him and he put his hand on the back of her head, deepening the kiss. "Let's go upstairs," he suggested. She didn't say anything as she rose from the couch. Dylan carefully placed his son on his shoulder and put his other arm around his wife as they walked up the staircase.
Several hours later Dylan watched his wife sleeping beside him. He wasn't sure what he had done to have God bless him with this angel, but he was forever thankful to Him. From the moment Dylan first met Cassandra, he knew his life had changed.
Although he and Kelly had admitted their undying love for each other at Donna and David's wedding, they were fighting within the month. Neither of them had a clear direction of what they wanted out of life and they were looking to each other for happiness. It never came. And the chemistry they shared wasn't enough to keep a relationship going. They broke up by the summer's end.
A few months later, Dylan was bored and looking for something to do so Steve introduced him to Eric Michaels, who was looking for investors for a new hotel he was in the process of building. Dylan and Eric hit it off immediately and soon became partners in the new hotel venture.
Knowing Dylan didn't have much family, Eric invited him to go home with him to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. Dylan didn't want to intrude on his family get-together, but Eric assured him that he came from a large family and guests were always welcome. Finally, Dylan agreed to go and that was the best decision he ever made.
They arrived at Eric's parents' home amid a flurry of activity. His mother and two sisters-in-law were in the kitchen cooking; his older brothers were pulling Christmas decorations out of the attic, and his father and younger brother were trying to get a huge Christmas tree into a tree stand. But everyone stopped to hug Eric and welcome Dylan. "Is Cass here yet?" Eric asked the others once all the introductions had been made.
"She got here just a little while ago," his mother told him as she went back to the kitchen. "She's out back with the kids."
"Come on," Eric said as he led Dylan outside. "Only a few more Michaels to meet."
Dylan followed Eric down a stone path to a small basketball court where five children (under the age of eight) were playing basketball with a beautiful young woman. The playing stopped when Eric whistled and called out to them. The woman beamed as she ran toward her brother and threw herself into his arms. Eric smiled too as he enveloped her into a bear hug. He put her down as the kids ran to him for hugs as well.
The woman turned to Dylan and offered her hand, "Hi, I'm Cassie, Eric's sister." She smiled at him and Dylan's breath was taken away.
Dylan got swept into the whirlwind of the Michaels' holiday weekend. On Thanksgiving day he helped them decorate the Christmas tree, gorged on the enormous dinner, watched football, and even participated in their annual touch football game. But through it all only one person had his attention - Cassie. He was fascinated by everything about her - her intellect, her sense of humor, her sweetness. And every time she smiled at him, his heart melted.
He was a little disappointed when he got up the following morning and found out Cassie was working a shift at the hospital where she was a pediatric resident. But he didn't have time to wallow in his disappoint -- he learned of another Michaels' family tradition - the men took care of the kids while the women went shopping.
Although he was worn out from the day's activities, he had a hard time getting to sleep that night and wandered down into the family room in search of a book to read. He was midway through it when Cassie arrived back from the hospital. She fixed them both scrambled eggs and the two talked into the wee hours of the morning.
The family spent the next day together as well, putting up Christmas lights, arguing, eating - and Dylan loved it all. They were a considerate, loving group that welcomed him into their fold. And he was finding himself growing more and more attracted to Cassie.
The attraction didn't go unnoticed by Mrs. Michaels. She had been hoping her daughter would meet a nice young man and Dylan seemed to fit the bill. That evening she suggested that Cassie take the dog for a walk-and that Dylan should go too so she could show him the neighborhood. Mrs. Michaels' intentions were evident the next day as well when Dylan found himself seated next to Cassie at the Sunday church service and again during lunch. Although Cassie was slightly embarrassed by her mother's lack of subtlety, Dylan could have kissed Mrs. Michaels there on the spot.
That afternoon Mrs. Michaels insisted that Cassie be the one to drive Eric and Dylan to the airport and when they arrived there, Eric had strict instructions to make himself scarce. He took over the task of checking their luggage in, giving Dylan and Cassie a few minutes alone. "I'm sorry about my family's antics," Cassie started.
Dylan smiled at her, "Don't be. They're great."
"They mean well, I suppose."
"Actually, I think they may be on to something," Dylan said as he moved the slightest bit toward her. "Do you ever get out to California to see your brother?"
"I haven't yet," she told him. "He hasn't been there that long."
"You really should come out there. You could check on him, see his work."
Cassie smiled, "Maybe I will."
"You'll have to do better than maybe."
"My schedule at the hospital is just so crazy."
"Don't make me call your mother," Dylan teased.
Cassie laughed, "I have a three day weekend in a couple of weeks. Maybe I can come out then."
Dylan left Atlanta feeling more hopeful than he had in a very long time. And his hope grew two weeks later when Cassie came out to California. Dylan and Eric picked her up from the airport and took her to dinner that night. The following day the three of them went to the hotel site where she oohed and aahed over their work. As they started to leave, Eric claimed to have just remembered other plans and asked Dylan to entertain Cassie for the rest of the day. Dylan took her to lunch and then on a tour of Beverly Hills. That night they had a lovely dinner and then went for a moonlit walk on the beach. Dylan placed his jacket around Cassie's shoulder when she shivered and took her hand in his as they walked back to his car. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Dylan pulled Cassie to him and kissed her. He deepened the kiss when he felt her respond and it quickly turned more passionate than he intended. Dylan broke the kiss and looked at Cassie, then kissed her again when he saw her smiling at him. They spent many precious moments kissing in the moonlight. The next morning Dylan attended church with Eric and Cassie -- something he had gotten in the habit of doing since his trip to Atlanta - and afterwards they all went to brunch. Then Eric once again made himself scarce leaving Dylan and Cassie alone to spend the rest of the day and evening together.
Dylan and Cassie talked almost every day after she returned to Atlanta. He spent Christmas with the Michaels in Atlanta and was thrilled to be kissing Cassie at midnight on New Year's Eve. Their long distance romance continued until she and the rest of the family came out to LA in April for the opening of the hotel. By that time Dylan knew he was hopelessly in love with Cassie and he was overjoyed that she would be there with him when they opened the hotel. The Michaels were among the first guests to stay at the hotel and Dylan went to Cassie's room to pick her up for the opening gala. She took his breath away when she opened the door. "Wow," was the only thing he could utter. Cassie smiled before pulling him into the room and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"It's your big night McKay. Are you excited?"
"I'm excited alright," he said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "But it doesn't have anything to do with the opening." He took a deep breath, "I love you Cassie."
She looked into his eyes, "I love you too." Dylan smiled as he kissed her. They were interrupted by Eric's knock on the door, telling them they were going to be late, and were soon caught up in all the festivities.
Although Cassie remained at Dylan's side the entire night, it was well after 3 a.m. before they were alone again. They returned to Cassie's room and Dylan collapsed onto the couch, pulling Cassie to sit in his lap. "Everything was wonderful tonight," she told him as she loosened his tie. "You should be a happy man."
He caressed her face, "Tell me again and I will be."
"I love you," she said sweetly.
Dylan kissed her deeply, "Marry me."
"What?" Cassie asked, shocked.
"I know it seems crazy," Dylan told her. "But I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Cassie was speechless. "We're great together Cass. I've never felt this way before with anyone - not Toni or Kelly or anyone. I love you Cassie. Be mine. Let me be yours."
"Yes," she said softly with tears in her eyes.
"Yes?"
"Yes," she said again before Dylan kissed her.
"I love you," he whispered into her hair.
"I love you too," she replied. "And there is nothing I want more than to marry you." He kissed her again. "But Dylan, this is crazy. We live on opposite sides of the country."
"The hotel is finished now. There's no reason Eric and I can't move our offices to Atlanta before we start work on the next one."
"You've talked to my brother about this?" she asked.
"We've discussed the possibility. He really wants to be closer to his family. And so do I," he finished with a grin.
"We're really going to do this," she said almost as a question.
"You just name the time and the place," he told her.
Cassie thought about it a moment. "Let's elope."
"You want to elope?"
"Yeah. I watched two of my brothers go through big weddings and with my schedule, I just don't have time to plan it. And I don't want to anyway. I don't want anything big or fancy. I just want to marry you."
Dylan smiled at her, "Whatever you want." He kissed her.
"I like that attitude. Will you keep it up after we're married?"
He cupped her face in his hand, "I don't think I'll ever be able to deny you anything." He kissed her again.
"Let's get married now."
It was Dylan's turn to be shocked, "What?"
"Let's drive to Vegas and get married now."
"What about your family?"
"They can come if they want."
"You're serious?"
"Mmm hmm," she told him. "Are you having second thoughts?"
"Me? No way," he assured her with a kiss.
And they got married that day. They rounded her family up and chartered a plane to take them to Las Vegas. Two days later Dylan moved to Atlanta and never looked back. He and Eric began working on plans for another hotel - this time in Houston. Between's Dylan's travel to Texas and Cassie's hospital schedule, their time together was limited, but Dylan had never been happier. He loved his new career - finally finding something he enjoyed; he loved his new family - finally feeling like he was a part of one; but most of all, he loved being married - everything about it. He and Cassie bought a house and had a wonderful time fixing it up. Dylan never complained about the endless chores awaiting him when he returned home. And he felt such love and pride whenever he was called "Cassie's husband" or talked about his "wife."
They were both a little surprised when Cassie became pregnant less than a year later. Both wanted children, it was just a little sooner than either had expected. But they were thrilled when their son was born six months ago.
Life was perfect, Dylan thought as he watched his wife sleep now. He leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder. She instinctively moved closer to him, laying her head and hand on his chest and sighing contentedly. Dylan sighed too, a smile on his lips as he drifted off to sleep.