Chapter Two
Ring shopping was fun even if Charlotte tried to get grabby with a ring Bo accidently put too close to her hands. The little girl saw something shiny and started to whimper once Bo wouldn't let her have it but then she was offered her blankie and all was forgotten.
For an hour Bo looked over different types of rings with Sara, searching for the perfect ring that Lauren would love. She wanted simple and elegant, something she thought Lauren would wear proudly around the clinic. The ring needed to be perfect for many reasons but also because she wanted Lauren to be proud that she was going to be married to Bo.
If she said yes, of course.
Even though Bo knew without a doubt that Lauren loved her and wanted to spend the rest of her life with her, there was always a chance that she would say no. Maybe she liked what they had going right now. They were committed to each other and shared their lives with each other. Bo tried her best to spend every possible free moment with Lauren and she knew that her girlfriend did the same. There was a little panic when they found out Lauren was pregnant but having Charlotte was well worth it.
Now they managed their life together around their little girl but that was worth it. Charlotte was such a happy baby when she wasn't trying to make sure both of them never slept and Bo was so proud of every little thing she did. It was one of the reasons why she had over a thousand pictures of her on her phone and why she and Lauren had covered the apartment with her pictures.
After all of that internal debating, she still walked out of the store with a beautiful diamond cut engagement ring that she hoped Lauren would love. It wasn't exactly cheap but it was the only one that Bo thought would look perfect on Lauren's finger. Charlotte had loved it, too, and that was more than enough for her.
In order to pay for the ring without Lauren knowing, Bo had started to take side jobs that Vex would find for her. They weren't the best jobs and sometimes she wondered if they were even illegal, but they paid well. Most of them involved old Fae disputes about property and she had to play a mediator of sorts. Normally, that meant strong-arming a Fae when they stole something from after family member after someone died.
She had no idea how Vex found the jobs but then again, now that she paid for the ring, in cash no less, she would be able to go back to the more legit jobs. Having to separate two cousins that were fighting over an antique table and then having to steal it out of one their homes wasn't the most fun she'd ever had. Bo felt her time was better served protecting people instead of protecting a piece of furniture. She also didn't like that it kept her away from Charlotte.
Charlotte had been fighting sleep as Bo paid for the ring so once she was outside and in the car again, the little girl was fast asleep. It almost pained her to get her out of her car seat when she pulled her car to a stop at the Dal. She knew she should have gone home so she could take a nap but she wanted to check in.
Bo managed to keep Charlotte asleep as she got her out of the car and walked her into the Dal. It was still in the afternoon so the crowd was light. Dyson was talking to a waitress behind the counter but he turned his head to look at her as she walked up to bar, smiling as he looked at Charlotte.
"Lauren hates when you take her here."
"Hey, this is a family bar. Charlotte might as well get used to it now. Lauren should, too."
"Have you told her that?" Dyson asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you think I want to have a fight with Lauren?" Bo said as she put her diaper bag on a barstool. "I like having sex. I literally need it."
Dyson laughed. "Dually noted."
Bo felt Charlotte start to wake up and she reached into the diaper bag. "Dyson, this little one needs to eat. I'm going to go back and get a bottle ready."
"I can do that for you, Bo."
Bo smiled. One thing she loved about going to the Dal with Charlotte was that all the waitresses absolutely loved her. They always wanted to hold her and play with her. It especially came in handy when she needed someone to look after her while she talked to Dyson, Mark, or Vex, all of whom were normally around.
"Thanks, Laney." She handed the bag over to her. "It's a little past her schedule since we got caught up in running errands."
"Not a problem. Be back in a minute."
Dyson watched the waitress go into the back before looking back at Bo and shaking his head. "Amazing."
"Charlotte's already great with the ladies." Bo smiled as she moved Charlotte off her shoulder to cradle her more. She knew that crying wasn't that far off, especially since she should have been fed by now. "Do you know how much action I'd get if I was single? I'd never be hungry again."
"Never let Lauren hear you say that," Dyson said, laughing. "She knows how to throw a punch."
"I'm sure she would if she hadn't already said it before."
Charlotte let out a soft cry and Bo knew that one well enough to know her little girl needed a little attention and that was something she could definitely take care of. She lifted her up so that their faces were level then peppered her face with kisses, making her little girl squeal. Her hands tried to reach for any part of Bo but she moved her away before she could. One of the hazards of having a baby was grabby hands and it was one of the reason Bo often wore her hair up now. Lauren usually did, too, and that was such a turn on.
"Remember when Lauren was pregnant and you freaked out about being around a baby?"
Bo looked from Charlotte to Dyson. "I'm still freaked out. I'm still not completely sure how Lauren got pregnant or how my chi can even do that. But then I look at Charlotte and I'm just thrilled she's here and that Lauren and I have a family."
She sat down on a stool and sat Charlotte on the edge of the bar as Laney came out from the back with a full bottle and the bag. "Here you go, Bo. Looks like the little one is ready for a bottle."
"Thanks." Bo took the bottle and put Charlotte on her lap so she could give her the bottle. Her daughter immediately took it and looked like she was giving Bo a dirty look in the process. Bo figured that Charlotte knew they were late with her feeding schedule.
"She gets more adorable every day, Bo," Laney said. "And she's getting so big, too."
"Yeah, she eats all the time so she better be growing."
Laney smiled and walked over to a table of customers to get their orders. Dyson watched her go before looking back at Bo and smiling as Charlotte continued to eat. "What errands did you run today that made you not feed Charlotte? I mean, didn't the two of you get a nanny?"
"I wanted Charlotte with me today. It wasn't like I was taking her on a case or anything. I just needed to pick up something."
"You're being very vague."
Bo shook her head. "Fine. I bought Lauren something." She reached into the bag with one hand and pulled out a box. "I'm hoping she'll like it."
Dyson carefully took the box and opened it to see the ring. He eyed it for a few seconds before shutting it and sliding it back to Bo. "It's nice."
"That's it? Nice?"
"I'm a guy, Bo, and I'm not big with jewelry. If you want a better opinion, you should ask Vex."
"Ask me what?" Vex asked as he walked in to the bar and up to the bar. He sat on the stool next to Bo and looked down at Charlotte. "Does the Doc know your mini-me is here?"
"Why does everyone think that I need to follow Lauren's rules? She's my baby, too."
"Trust me, we know. She has your scowl." He ran a finger down Charlotte's arm but she didn't pay any attention to him, concentrating solely on the bottle. "And when she eats, she's completely focused. Kind of like you when you . . ."
"Do not finish that sentence in front of the baby," Bo cut in.
"Bo bought something today," Dyson said, changing the subject completely.
Vex saw the box and grabbed it off the bar. "So this is the reason you were taking cases that you normally wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole," Vex said. He opened the box and looked inside. "It's nice but you should have gone to my guy."
"I don't want an illegal ring on Lauren's finger." Bo looked down at Charlotte for a second before looking back to Vex. "Think Lauren will like it?"
"She'll probably say that it's about time," Vex said as he grabbed the beer Dyson had put in front of him. "You knocked her up and didn't even think about marriage."
"I thought about it," Bo protested immediately. "I just thought she might think I was only proposing because of Charlotte. I didn't want her to think that was the first time I thought about it."
"I don't think she would have thought that."
Bo looked at Dyson and shook her head. "I wasn't taking that chance."
"So what's the difference now?" Vex asked before taking a sip of his beer. "It could just seem like it took Lauren pushing out a kid before you decided to make it official."
The comment made Bo stop and look down at Charlotte. The little girl was almost done with her bottle and was already looking a little tired. Would Lauren really think that the proposal was simply because they had a kid together? Bo wanted to think the thought would never cross her mind but a little voice in the back of her head told her differently.
"She's not going to think that, Bo," Dyson said. "Lauren loves you."
Bo chuckled quietly at the comment. "After all these years, would you have ever believed that you would be giving me advice on proposing to Lauren?"
"Never." Dyson laughed as well. "But I never thought you'd get Lauren pregnant either."
"Yes, what a world we live in," Vex commented, causing both Bo and Dyson to look at her. "No need to go down the very dirty memory lane, impressionable minds and all that. I think the real question is how you're actually going to pop the question."
That was something Bo didn't know. All she knew is that she would want to do it soon. Lauren was a clean freak and she knew where everything was in the house. Even with the possible mess of a new baby, everything was still spotless most days. It would be very hard to hide anything in the apartment and she didn't want to keep the ring anywhere else.
"You have no idea, do you?"
Bo narrowed her eyes at Vex. "So maybe I don't have an idea yet. It will have to be soon though. Lauren knows where everything is in the apartment. I have a feeling that she even cleans my weapons after a job."
"So just do it tonight."
"But I have nothing planned."
"Then maybe just ask her," Dyson offered.
It wasn't something Lauren would suspect, that was for sure. She could always do it after they put Charlotte to bed. It would be easy to keep the ring hidden for a few hours and then ask. Then she wouldn't have to keep it a secret either. She hated keeping anything from Lauren.
Tiny hands pushing the bottle away snapped Bo out of her thoughts and she looked down at her daughter. The bottle was empty so she pulled it away and set it on the bar before pulling Charlotte up and started to pat her back lightly. "I could always have Charlotte do it for me. Just have her holding the box when Lauren comes home."
"There are so many ways that could go wrong."
Bo nodded. "I guess it's something I'll have to figure out."
When Bo got back to the apartment she hid the little box with her weapons and played with Charlotte in the living room until her daughter tired herself out. Then she set her up in her swing before retreating to the couch and closing her eyes.
She wondered if Lauren would be tired when she got home. Her girlfriend always tried to get home early because she wanted as much time with Charlotte as possible but sometimes she still got caught up in whatever she was doing at the clinic.
Though some of it went completely over her head, Bo knew Lauren was working on a few projects that were completely personal. One was keeping up on her serum, something Bo still took to keep some of the hunger at bay. She didn't take it all the time, only when she was especially hungry and she didn't have the opportunity to feed, but it was something Lauren was working on and Bo supported it. If she could completely perfect it, Bo wouldn't have to feed anywhere else. She could be faithful to the woman she loved.
Another project was the one she continued for herself. Even though she had negative effects with her last experiment, something like that didn't deter Lauren. She still wanted forever with Bo and that to her it meant more than her own lifespan. That was something Bo wanted, too. The thought of only having 50 or 60 years with Lauren was heartbreaking when she knew she would have hundreds of years after her death. So even though the thought of Lauren experimenting on herself again scared her, she knew the why of it and supported her.
The last personal project had everything to do with Charlotte. Since her conception was something completely unknown, Lauren had no idea if their daughter was Human or Fae. A couple months ago she'd been taking swabs from Charlotte to test for any abnormalities. So far all of her tests were inconclusive and that was okay with Bo. She just wanted Charlotte to be a kid and not have to worry about any Fae problems.
She didn't know how long she closed her eyes but soon she was being tapped on the shoulder and then she felt soft lips against her own. Bo opened her eyes as Lauren began to move away, a small smile gracing her beautiful face. "Hey there, sleepyhead."
Bo smiled. "I've always wanted to woken up by a kiss from a princess."
Lauren shook her head as she walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. Bo sat up and noticed that she had a grocery bag on the counter so she stood and followed her. Once she reached her, Bo embraced her girlfriend from behind and kissed her neck. "Good day?"
"Mmm, better now," Lauren responded before turning in Bo's arms. "Taking advantage of Charlotte's nap?"
"We had a long day."
"Where did you go?"
Bo stopped short and tried to think of what she could tell Lauren. Sure, she went a few places with Charlotte that Lauren could know about but none of them came to her at the moment. "You know, lots of places."
Lauren eyed her, unpacking the grocery bag. Bo could already tell they were eating healthy tonight and she groaned silently. She knew Lauren was a health nut when they moved in together but for some reason she didn't realize that she wouldn't be eating pizza and burgers every night. Lauren was a fantastic cook but she really wanted to order a pizza once and a while.
"Your silence makes me think that you and Charlotte were up to something today." She walked over to where the little girl was now awake and batting at one if the animals that hung from her swing. She babbled happily when she saw Lauren. "Hey, baby."
Lauren picked their daughter up and held her close. "Missed you today, sweetie."
Bo smirked as she leaned against the wall and watched the love of her life cuddle their daughter. "So you missed her and not me?"
"No, I just missed her more." Lauren grinned as she walked over to Bo with Charlotte in her arms. She leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips before walking back into the kitchen with the little girl in her arms. "You didn't take her on any cases, did you? I'm not sure I want her around Fae who only want to hurt you."
"I would never bring Charlotte to any of my jobs," Bo said, watching Lauren place Charlotte in her little chair so she could watch her make dinner. "Besides, I talked to Dyson and Vex today and they didn't have anything new. People know where to find me though. I'm sure I can get normal cases that aren't Vex's weird ones, even if his pay a lot better."
Lauren stopped setting out what she intended to cook and looked at Bo. "And where did you talk to them?"
"Oh, at . . . the . . . Dal."
"You know how I feel about you taking Charlotte to a bar," Lauren said. "Bars are no place for a baby."
"Babe, the Dal is a family bar, as in our family," Bo explained. "It reminds me of Trick and Charlotte will probably end up spending some time there. It's not like I put beer in her bottle today. All she did was sit with me and had a bottle while I talked to Dyson and Vex."
"I bet the waitresses liked her being there, too," Lauren said. Bo knew she was only showing a playful jealous and wasn't actually jealous that the waitresses doted on their daughter. They already agreed that feeding on the Dal's staff was off limits. Dyson appreciated it, too.
"Our daughter impresses without even trying," Bo said, tickling Charlotte lightly and making her jump around in her chair. She was also happy she'd been able to deflect Lauren's disapproval of Charlotte being at the Dal.
"Well, she is the cutest little girl ever." Lauren leaned down and kissed Charlotte's nose. "Aren't you, sweetie?"
Bo looked at the scene and realized that this was the perfect time to ask Lauren. She didn't need to set up anything elaborate or go to some special place. All of hers and Lauren's big events happened in unsavory places because all of their big moments centered around some sort of Fae crisis.
"I'll be right back," Bo said quickly and retreated to the back of the apartment and her weapons. She picked up the box and took a quick look inside to make sure the ring was still there.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was still a little voice in the back of her mind that said Lauren still might say no. Love didn't necessarily mean that she wanted to spend the rest of her life being married. Not only did the Fae not believe in divorce, but they still weren't completely okay with Fae marrying Humans.
Taking another deep breath, Bo stood up straight and put the box behind her back as she walked back out to the kitchen. Lauren was talking to Charlotte, basically instructing her on how to making sure the chicken and vegetables were done perfectly using science. She shook her head at the sight. Her girlfriend, hopefully fiancé, was going to turn their daughter into such a nerd.
"Hey, babe, where did you go off to?"
"I had to grab something," Bo said, keeping the box behind her back. "So, Charlotte and I went shopping today."
"You didn't buy her that leather jacket, did you?" Lauren began chopping carrots, not completely looking at Bo. "I know you think you need to balance out the science shirts I put on Charlotte but she can only wear it for a couple months."
"We didn't buy any clothes," Bo said quietly. She walked around the counter to stand next to Lauren and moved the box from behind her back. "We got something for you."
Lauren still didn't completely look her way. "You didn't need to get me anything."
"I think I do." Bo put the box on the counter and opened it, making sure it was in Lauren's line of sight. "Charlotte and I picked this one out for you."
Lauren stopped chopping as soon as she saw the ring and looked up at Bo, her eyes wide with what Bo thought was disbelief. "Bo?"
Bo picked up the box and put it in her hand, moving closer to Lauren. "This is something I should have done a long time ago, long before our daughter came into the world. I love you so much, Lauren, and we've always said we wanted forever together."
"But Bo, what about . . ."
"I don't want to think about lifespans and Fae politics. The only thing that should matter is that we love each other and I want to make it as official. When we introduce each other to other people, I want to be able to say 'my wife'. Lauren, will you marry me?"
Lauren only stared at Bo and the ring for a few seconds, her eyes tearing up. Bo wanted to know what exactly was going through her mind but knew better than to interrupt Lauren's thought process. She was always so logical and Bo wanted her to be able to think everything through.
"You took Charlotte to get me an engagement ring?"
"I thought that our daughter should approve of your ring."
Lauren laughed as a stray tear escaped. "Of course you did. It's beautiful, Bo."
"Does that mean . . ."
"Yes. It means yes." Lauren kissed Bo before letting her put the ring on her finger.
They kissed again, only deeper this time, fully exploring each other's mouths as the food on the counter was completely ignored. Bo kept her arms wrapped tight around Lauren, not wanting to let her go. All she wanted to do was celebrate the fact Lauren had agreed to be her wife by taking her back to their bedroom and showing her just how much she loved her. The other person in the room had other ideas though. Charlotte let out an annoyed cry, causing Bo and Lauren to break their kiss.
Both of them laughed as Bo reached over and picked Charlotte up, kissing her cheeks. "Mommy said yes, sweetie!"
Every body part of Lauren was sexy and Bo loved worshipping every inch of it on a nightly basis. That is, whenever Charlotte decided to sleep long enough to accommodate.
She was currently kissing the inside of Lauren's thigh, inching her way higher and making her fiancé squirm in the process. There was a hand clutching her head, urging her to move but she staying right where she was, continuing to place kisses on her soft skin.
"Come on, Bo . . ."
Bo lifted her head for just a moment. "Patience, my love."
She knew one of the reasons Lauren wanted her to hurry was that she didn't want their daughter to interrupt them. That had happened more than once and every time it was prior Bo was able to give Lauren a mind-blowing orgasm. By the time they got Charlotte back to sleep, the moment was most definitely gone.
The hand on her head became more insistent so Bo gave in and went about giving Lauren the orgasm of her life. She always wanted to outdo herself in the bedroom, especially with Lauren. She wanted to be the type of lover her now fiancé wanted and craved. Especially when Lauren was the best lover Bo had ever had.
It only took a few minutes of Bo's talented tongue before Lauren was coming, putting a fist in her mouth to stop from crying out. It was one way to keep quiet, something that was a must since Charlotte was a light sleeper at times. Bo waited for Lauren's muscles to relax before placing delicate kisses on her then working her way up her body. She kissed over her stomach then moved up to her breasts, repeating the same actions that she did on the way down her body.
Once she reached her lips, they kissed gently before Bo moved off to her side. "I love you . . . everything about you."
"This was definitely an epic performance," Lauren said as she let a chuckle escape.
"I aim to please."
Bo moved to cover them then took Lauren into her arms. They relaxed against each other, listening to the quiet of their apartment. It wasn't often that it was quiet with the three of them so it was easy to simply lie there and listen to nothing.
"Bo?"
"Hmm?"
"At dinner you said something about wanting to ask me for a while. How long?"
"Ever since we moved in together," Bo answered as she moved her hand slowly over Lauren's skin. "Never knew how to ask."
"But you just asked while I was making dinner and teaching Charlotte how to cook."
Bo laughed quietly. "One, Charlotte is a baby and no matter how much of a genius you think she is . . ."
"She is."
"No matter how much of a genius you think she is, you can't teach a baby how to cook. Two, I was planning to do something grand but then I just saw you talking to Char and I just knew. It was the right time."
Lauren moved so she was looking at Bo. "I thought about asking you but I didn't want you to think I was doing it for any other reason than because I love you and want our forever."
Bo smiled. "Me, too. Guess great minds think alike."
There was a mischievous look in Lauren's eyes, which only meant that Bo was in for a whole lot of fun. Her fiancé moved more on top of her and began kissing her deeply. All Bo could do was hold on as Lauren began to work her magic but as soon as she got to her breasts, they heard a cry.
"We are going to have a serious talk with that little girl," Bo groaned out as Lauren moved off her and grabbed her robe.
"Don't worry. I'll get her settled and we'll continued what we've started. We're not done celebrating yet." Bo thought of something but Lauren beat her to it. "I'll call in tomorrow. Then we can sleep later."
Bo's smile morphed into a grin as she watched Lauren leave the room. "I love that woman."
A/N: hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know what you think, it helps me guide this one. Also, while I am dedicated to finish this one, especially because someone donated money for it, I've really lost my way with writing at the moment. I'm hoping that continuing this one will get it to come back but, yeah. I've really got nothing. If anyone has any thoughts on getting some inspiration or motivation back, I'd appreciate hearing it. If it works for you, it might work for me. Until next time! Twitter: hayley128. :)
