"Patrick? Are you almost ready? We'll be late for Timothy's piano recital if you don't hurry up."
Shelagh sighed. She felt like he took longer than she did to get ready sometimes.
"I'll be there in just a minute, darling," he called down the stairs in response.
She flushed a deep crimson at his words. Although she knew there would be many times to come when he would call her darling, she hadn't quite gotten used to terms of endearment yet. Their engagement was so new and so fresh that she felt giddy from the slightest of touches and the subtlest of endearments.
She was interrupted in her thoughts by Patrick loudly thumping down the stairs. She was stifling a giggle, when Patrick appeared.
"Shelagh, what's so funny?'
"I was just thinking about how you and Timothy are so loud. I guess I got rather used to the quieter movements in the convent."
As he took both of her hands in his, he said, "I suspect there are many more things you will have to get used to, my dear."
"Yes," she said as she gazed up into his eyes. How long they stood like that she wasn't sure, but Patrick eventually cleared his throat and asked, "Where's Timothy?"
"I told him to go on ahead. Jack had stopped over looking for him and I told him he could go with him. I thought that maybe his father would take a bit more time and knew he wanted to be there a few minutes early to practice."
"Was that acceptable?" She wasn't quite Timothy's mother yet, but she wanted to start to relieve Patrick of the burden of always caring for Timothy on his own.
"Of course," he said as he dropped her hands and reached over to gently cup her face. "It gives me the opportunity to do this," he said as he lightly touched his lips to hers. He so badly wanted to deepen the kiss, but he knew if he did, they wouldn't leave any time soon.
Shelagh sighed as he brought his arms down to her shoulders. He was about to release her when Shelagh unexpectedly clutched at his tie.
"Shelagh, weren't you the one who was concerned about getting to the recital on time?" he teased.
"Sorry, Patrick, it's just that I finally noticed what you're wearing."
"It's acceptable, isn't it? I thought that you said this waistcoat matches the blue tie you bought me." His forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Does this answer your question?" While moving her hands to his shoulders, Shelagh stepped up on her tiptoes and firmly kissed him on the mouth. His look of confusion only grew.
She giggled and said, "Yes, Patrick, I am pleased with your clothing choices. You look…very handsome tonight."
His confusion eased into a beaming smile. "Well, my fiancée picked out some nice clothes for me."
As she gazed at him, she realized that she had never explicitly told him he was handsome before, which was unbelievable, considering all the times she had thought it. She was going to be his wife soon. He should know what she thought of him. And she couldn't count the number of times he had told her she was beautiful.
These thoughts emboldened her to say, "No, Patrick, it's you. The clothes might bring it out more, but, she added teasingly, "I fell for you when you were still wearing those hideous ties and mismatched jumpers. You might have been a little rumpled, but you were still unassumingly handsome."
"Is that so? Would you mind telling me, Miss Mannion, when you fell for me?"
"I would gladly tell you, but then I would have to kiss you again and that would make us late."
Patrick groaned. "I expect a full report later tonight, along with a proper kiss."
She grabbed his hand. "Come on, Dr. Turner. First, a piano recital. And then, if you're on your best behavior, a kiss from your fiancee."
