SUNDAY

Owen woke up Sunday morning around 6:30am to an empty arm. He lied on his back for a few moments letting his eyes adjust to the light coming into the room through the window. Eventually he turned his head to see his whole world sitting a few feet away from him breastfeeding their baby in their bed. She was so entranced in her daughter that she didn't notice Owen had woken up next to her. She was sitting up straight with her back against the headboard of their king sized bed, and he sat up and scooted over next to her. He put his arm around her and she sleepily rested her head on his shoulder. "Morning, babe." She hummed in response to him. "Hmm, good morning. I could have slept a few more hours, but somebody was hungry." Claire looked down and smiled at her hungry infant. Owen watched Claire as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes while Aiden continued to suck as if it was the last meal she was ever going to get. He then focused his attention on his baby girl. She looked up at him with her big green eyes that matched her mother's. He gently ran the palm of his hand over her head, still with nothing more than a little bit of auburn colored peach fuzz on top of it. He marveled at how amazing DNA and genetics were. She was literally a miniature version of Claire. All the technology that had been created, used and abused to create intentional chaos and the greatest technology lied right there inside of them. "Can you believe we made this beautiful little girl, Claire?" Claire opened her eyes and looked up at him and then back down at Aiden. The infant locked eyes with Claire and smiled behind her mother's breast. Claire looked back up at Owen and kissed him. "No I can't. Every day I look at her and still can't believe we created this beautiful miracle. She is the product of our love, Owen. I wish Maisie was the product of our love too." Owen could see the sadness in her eyes. "Claire, she is the product of our love. We may not have been the ones who gave her life but like you said, life gave her to us. If I didn't love you so damn much, I would have never gone back to that island with you, and God knows what would have happened. I know you would have survived either way because you're the strongest person I know, but who knows what the circumstances would have been and you might not have ever found Maisie. So you see? We were together when we found her and when she found us. I had decided long ago before the incident even took place that I wanted a life with you, Claire. So it was all meant to be. She is just as much the product of our love as this child is." Claire knew that, and she loved Maisie no less than Aiden, but she just wished she would have been the one to bring her into the world and hold her as a baby and love her from the second she was born. "I know, I just wish we could have known her sooner so we could have loved her longer." Owen reached his hand up behind her and used it to lean her head back on his shoulder. "I know babe. I do too. We missed out on the first nine years of her life but we get to experience many years going forward with her and call her our own." Claire smiled slightly and shook her head in agreement. She dozed back off on his shoulder for a few minutes and then Aiden fell asleep still attached to Claire's breast. Owen didn't pull Aiden away from Claire. He let them both rest for a little while, watching them both sleep soundly in his arm. He thought about how Claire was still the same person he knew back on the island, except he still couldn't believe how much she had changed when it came to her maternal instincts. The one thing she didn't know if she could ever handle was becoming a mother. However, as he watched Aiden shift a little in Claire's arm and reach for her finger to hold her mother's hand, he couldn't help but smile. Not only did his daughter look just like her mother, she was a Mama's girl too. She knew where her food source came from and Claire had a little more padding on her chest for Aiden to snuggle up into than Owen did, obviously, which Aiden loved. Maybe when she got older she would turn more into a Daddy's girl. He hoped, but he didn't mind if she didn't because he loved to see the woman who at one time didn't know what to do with two teenagers for one day suddenly nurture and love a baby so much it hurt. Claire was an amazing mother. Owen planned on making sure Aiden knew what her mother went through to bring her into the world too, just as soon as she was old enough to understand.

Owen laid his head back against the headboard of their bed and closed his eyes. Their bedroom was quiet for a little while. About an hour later, Claire woke back up. It was almost 8:00am. She pried her infant off of her chest and laid her on Owen's chest. He had fallen back asleep. She sat up and looked at him and then down at the ring on her finger. She couldn't help but smile. She leaned over and kissed him against his temple and then kissed her sleeping bundle of joy on her head and slowly got out of bed, careful not wake them. She grabbed her cell phone off the night stand and walked into the living room dressed in a tank top and a pair of pajama shorts. She peeked out the window to the front yard where Owen's RV sat adjacent to the cabin. Everything appeared to be quiet, as she didn't see any lights on or any shadows moving around inside. Claire then went to the back door and stepped outside onto the back porch. She sat down in the swing Owen built and let her bare feet dangle as she slowly glided back and forth. She opened the camera app on her phone and snapped a picture of her left hand with the ring glistening in the morning sun that was blaring over the mountain peak in the distance. She hesitated at first, but eventually hit the send button, sending the picture to her sister with the text, "So, will you be my maid of honor?" Karen lived in Wisconsin where it was a couple minutes past 10:00am at the time Claire sent the text. She knew if Karen was anywhere near her phone, she was going to be screaming in Claire's ear within less than a minute. Claire was right. She counted the seconds in her head and when she got to 49 her phone rang. She quickly answered it. "Claire Elizabeth Grady!" Claire unintentionally cut her sister a look through the phone even though she knew Karen couldn't see it. "Whoa, that's going to be Dearing-Grady, Karen! And by the way, good morning to you too." Karen was too excited for words. She kept stumbling over her questions wanting to know every detail of what happened. Claire told her everything, including about the sign Maisie had made. "Oh Claire Bear, look at you with your little family!" Claire rolled her eyes through the phone. "Shut up, Karen." Her sister tried to tell her years ago that she would have a family one day and she swore up and down she would prove her sister wrong. However, she knew she had failed at that promise and knew her sister enjoyed rubbing it in her face all the time. Karen then let the conversation take a more serious turn. As the big sister she was, she had to make sure her little sister was okay. "Claire, are you happy? I know you love Owen more than anything, but is this what you really want? I know untraditional you are about these kinds of things." Claire thought about that question for a second. Owen had asked her the same thing after the proposal yesterday. She felt bad that she had been so vocal about her thoughts on marriage and children in the past that everyone around her still questioned the fact that she had truly changed. Owen knew her better than anyone. He saw the change in her with his own eyes over the last couple of years. He just wanted to make sure was okay with the title of "fiancé" or "wife". Claire took a deep breath and answered her sister with nothing but truth and honesty in her voice. "I am happy, Karen. I am very happy." Karen started crying a little and Claire begged her to stop. "Karen, please stop. You're going to make me cry." "Claire, it's just that, you were so shut off from everyone for a long time and I know how hard you worked and still do and just everything you've been through and-" Claire cut her sister off. "But all of that led to this. I can't imagine my life without Owen in it anymore. I've never stopped loving him, even when we were broken up for that one year. He still drives me crazy sometimes but I know I do the same to him. We've had our ups and downs and still continue to, but what couple doesn't? We talked about the possibility of marriage shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Aiden so I knew, knowing him, that it was coming sooner or later. I had plenty of time to think about whether this is something I truly want or not, and I decided a long time ago that it is. I've had my answer and my mind made up for some time now. This is what I want, Karen." Karen then made Claire promise her she would not break Owen's heart. "Karen, aren't you supposed to be telling Owen not to break my heart? I'm your little sister!" Karen laughed wholeheartedly through the phone. "Claire Bear, that hunk built you a cabin and almost died of fear when he thought you weren't going to make it after Aiden's birth. It's not him I have to worry about! You better not be a runaway bride come wedding day!" Claire laughed and rolled her eyes again. "Hunk, huh? Don't hit on my man, Karen. I don't share!" Karen chuckled at her sister's banter. They talked for a few more minutes until Karen had to go. "Claire, I have to go get these two lazy boys of mine out of bed. They're helping me shovel snow outside today, they just don't know it yet. You have to tell Mom and Dad the good news though!" Claire knew her mother would finally be able to shut up about her daughter not being married, especially since she had two children with him already. She and her mother were complete opposites when it came to that topic. She had already berated Claire once before about having children out of wedlock, as if Claire planned either one of the children that came into her life. They were both a happy surprise. Her mom knew the times were different now, but she was still old fashioned when it came to her family values. Claire understood, but knew in her heart she couldn't just jump into something unless she was ready. And now she was. So what if the children came before the marriage? Maisie and Aiden had only made her relationship with Owen stronger anyway, so Claire figured she'd done it her way and succeeded. "I'll call Mom and Dad and tell them later. I promise. Don't you dare say anything to them in the meantime." Karen promised she wouldn't and let her sister go. "I love you, Claire. I'm glad you're happy. You deserve to be loved just as much as anyone else. Congrats, baby sister! I'll talk to you later. We have a wedding to plan!"

Claire hung up and thought about what her sister had just said to her. She deserved to be loved as much as anyone else. Sometimes she didn't feel worthy of the love in her life. She wondered how someone could love a control freak like her. Then she remembered the man who loved her was a control freak too. They were just two crazy alphas in the world trying to take turns being the other one's beta occasionally. Claire rocked back and forth on the swing for a few more minutes, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up in her sea foam green eyes. Just then she heard the back door open behind her and turned around to find Owen with the portable baby monitor in his hand. "Hey babe, I finally found you." He walked around to the swing and sat down next to Claire. He extended his arm across the back of the swing to allow her to scoot in closer to him. She gave him a curious look, assuming he didn't just leave their daughter in their bed. "I put Aiden back in her crib." He pointed to Claire's chest. "Whatever you put in there this time really knocked her out. She's sleeping like a baby." Claire gave Owen a slight smirk. "Well I'm glad to know she's sleeping like a baby since she is a baby." She then rested her hand across her chest and wrapped her other hand in his. "As for what she ate, there's nothing new in here. I think she just had a big day yesterday and she's just trying to catch up today." Owen looked out across the lake. "Yeah, we all had a big day yesterday, didn't we?" Claire hummed in response and laid her head on his shoulder. "Hey," he pulled away from her a little to force her head back up so she could look at him. He then leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips. "I love you, Claire." Claire leaned back in to him with that shy smile that sent him into orbit every time he saw it on her face. "I love you too, Owen." They swung together on the swing for a few more minutes quietly enjoying the morning sun. It was February, but oddly enough, it wasn't too terribly cold outside. Owen used his feet on the ground to push the swing back and forth while Claire's dangled a few inches off the concrete of their back porch. "Did you call your sister yet?" Claire shifted her weight and pulled her right leg up into the swing. As she crossed it under her left leg, Owen noticed the scar on her thigh and rubbed it gently with his thumb. "Yes, I just got off the phone with her a few minutes before you came out here." Owen knew how Karen would react to the news of his proposal to Claire. "Oh, is she on her way out here right now to help you pick out a dress for the wedding already? What colors have y'all picked out? What flavor is the cake going to be?" Claire let out a huge belly laugh. It was one of his favorite sounds in the world. "Owen, she's very excited and very happy for us. She thinks I'm going to leave you standing at the altar. She made me promise her that I wouldn't do that to you." She raised her hand up to touch his face and kiss him. "And I promise you both I won't." Owen let out his devilish smirk. "Well good because I spent a lot my settlement money on this proposal location!" Claire decided the cabin was where she wanted to not only continue to spend her weekends going forward, but where she also wanted to say "I do" to the man sitting beside her holding her hand. "You spent a lot of money on the wedding location too." Owen's eyes got really big for a moment as he looked at her with a surprised look on his face. "You want to get married here? Isn't it a little uh, rustic for you, Claire? I mean, I took a chance on it for the proposal but I didn't figure you'd wanna actually get married out here." Most of the time Owen and Claire could read each other like an open book, but every once in a while they surprised each other. This was certainly a surprise to him. Owen assumed Claire would want to get married in a big bridal hall with white walls and tables trimmed with gold leaf and violins playing. He would have loved nothing more to marry her a couple of feet from the very spot they were currently sitting in, but he never thought in a million years she would agree to it. "Owen, I don't want a big fuss. That's not who I am. That's not who we are. You know I like to play things cool. Yes, it's true that I like clean, pristine elegant things, but I just want a small ceremony with our families and a few friends and that's it. Honestly, as long as you, Maisie, Aiden and the person who's going to marry us are there, I'm happy. You built this cabin out of love. You have scars on your hands from blisters caused by hammering for days on end and putting up beams and laying shingles and installing this swing we're sitting in. Trust me, it will be classy. And it will be white because you know me." He cocked his head, letting her know he knew her when it came to fancy events. She used to orchestrate some of the fundraising events at Jurassic World, and she made sure every detail was incredible. The woman was completely insatiable. "But it will also be soft and inviting and relaxed because my overbearing mother will be here so I have to make it as relaxing as I can so I don't lose my mind." Owen couldn't help but laugh at the fact that she was already worried about her mother's need to drive her crazy.

Just then they heard a voice from inside the cabin. "Knock, knock!" It was Maisie and Zia, laptop in tow. "We're coming!" Claire and Owen got up from the swing and went back inside the cabin to greet them. Maisie walked up to Claire and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Good morning, sweetie. You sound like you're still sleepy." Maisie moaned into Claire's stomach. "What time did you go to sleep last night or should I say this morning?" She gave Zia a disapproving look. "Hey, I made her go to bed as soon as we got back to the van last night! Whether she actually went to sleep right away, I don't know. I was up most of the night myself editing these beautiful pictures of you guys!" Claire's face lit up. She wanted to see the photos right away. Owen had the bright idea of making breakfast for everyone before looking through all of the pictures Zia took. Claire groaned, but agreed to breakfast first. Owen grabbed a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls out of the refrigerator door and turned on the oven. "These will take ten minutes to bake and then we can all eat and enjoy the show!" Owen tried to keep his cool but he was just as ready to view the pictures as Claire was. Claire heard Aiden fussing in her nursery a few minutes later and went to get her up. She re-emerged with her baby dressed in a lavender footed sleeper with dinosaur spikes across the back. "I've never seen a purple dinosaur before, Claire." Claire corrected Zia. "Barney was purple and so was Little Foot. My Peanut's in good company!" "I stand corrected," Zia quipped. Claire bounced Aiden on her hip as Maisie sat at the kitchen island across from her and played peek a boo with her sister.

The time had finally come. Breakfast was over, and Zia spent the next ten minutes trying to hook her laptop up to the television in the living room. "Ugh, where is Franklin when I need him?" She finally got everything connected and sat down next to Claire on the couch. Owen sat on Claire's other side while Maisie sat Indian style on the ottoman in front of them. Aiden bounced around happily in Claire's lap and spotted the buttons on Zia's keyboard and reached over to try to touch them. Claire grabbed her hand and sat her back upright in her lap. "Oh no, Peanut, if you erase all of Mommy pictures, I'll have to cut you off from what's under this shirt for remainder of your baby life!" Zia and Maisie laughed, but Owen used Claire's playful remark as a way to jokingly antagonize his oldest daughter and fiancé. "Oh no, Zia, looks like I've got a third one who likes to press important buttons." Zia tucked her lips into her mouth, trying not to laugh, even though the certain button he was referring to resulted in the release of several dinosaurs onto U.S. land. Claire and Maisie shot Owen a harrowing look. "Can we just focus on the photos, please?" Owen felt a shiver down his back. Claire unintentionally said those words in the same tone she had said "Can we just focus on the asset please" the day she came to his bungalow to take him to view the Indominus paddock. He felt it was almost eery the way it rolled off her tongue. It was just another reminder of how different things were between then and now. Her focus in her work was on something so much greater now. She had shifted from wanting to make money off of those beautiful creatures to wanting to save their lives. Owen knew he was in a little bit of trouble with his remark but as soon as the first picture popped up on the screen, he knew Claire wouldn't be mad at him for long.

"Alright, here we go!" Zia had prepared an entire slideshow of the pictures to show Claire, Owen and Maisie. Maisie sat up a little straighter on the ottoman and Claire nudged Owen's leg and winked at him, noticing how cute it was that Maisie was just as excited to see the pictures as they were. The first picture that popped up on the television was of the four of them standing with Aiden in Owen's arm and Maisie standing in between him and Claire. Next, were a couple more similar family poses in different variations with Claire holding Aiden and one of them knelt down standing Aiden up in the grass by holding her hands while Maisie stood in the middle, leaning over Claire and Owen's shoulders from behind. Zia had put the pictures together in order of which they were taken mostly. Next came a few poses of Claire and Owen, standing together, then sitting on the ground together, her leaning her body into his a little. Claire noticed Owen getting excited about what was about to come next. And there it was, the first of several shots Zia grabbed as Owen dug the ring from his pocket as Claire turned back around to face him so he could propose to her. "Aww!" Maisie turned around to face the two adults on the couch behind her. Owen nudged Claire's knee with his knee. "I guess I'm pretty romantic, huh?" Claire gave him her famous eye roll/smile combination and they kept going. Zia literally captured the entire proposal almost frame by frame. Claire saw the tears in Owen's eyes in one of the pictures as he tried to get his words out on one knee on the ground. She reached for his hand on the couch and squeezed it tightly. He squeezed right back. Once they finished looking through all of the proposal shots, Zia paused the slideshow for a moment. "I need some tissue. Claire you got any tissues lying around this place?" Claire and Owen laughed at how even Zia was getting choked up at the pictures. Zia finally composed herself and the photo shoot viewing got back under way. Maisie was especially ecstatic over the pictures with her sign in them. Claire's personal favorite was the one of her kissing Owen with her arm stretched out showing her hand with the ring on it in focus while their faces were out of focus in the background. They all "oohed and awwed" over the pictures of Maisie by herself, Aiden by herself, each of them with the kids, and the rest of the engagement pictures. Claire teared up after a little while and waved her hand in front of her face. "Oh my God, I'm not supposed to be this soft." She gently slapped Owen on his leg. "See what you've done to me?" Owen made Zia pass Claire the tissue box. "You think you're soft now, just wait for what's probably coming next." He was right. After the more playful pictures of him with the girls came the pictures of Claire with the girls. Owen glanced quickly at each one as Zia scrolled through them, but he made a point to cut his eyes toward Claire to see how she was reacting. He could tell she was getting emotional more with each picture that passed. The picture of Maisie hugging Claire while she kissed her daughter on top of her head forced one tear to fall down Claire's cheek. The picture of Claire holding Aiden above her head as she and her baby exchanged the biggest of smiles forced the shy smirk Owen was so familiar with across her face. Then came the pictures of Claire with both of her girls. "My sweet girls-" Claire spoke softly, trying not to let her voice crack. Finally the picture Owen knew would send Claire over the edge popped up on their television screen. Claire slowly brought her hand up and placed it over her mouth. She tried to keep her composure but lost it very quickly. It was the picture of Aiden sleeping across her chest with Maisie lying in her arm looking at her sister while Claire closed her eyes and kissed her older child on her head. "Zia-" Claire tried to get her words out but was at a loss for words. Maisie turned around on the ottoman to face Claire and Owen. She climbed down after seeing Claire sobbing and wiggled her way in between her and Zia on the couch. "Claire, it's okay." Maisie's sweet, soft voice tried to reassure Claire but she was on the verge of inconsolable. "Maisie, I love sweetie. I love you so much. You and your sister are...Zia, that is beautiful. Just-" Maisie wrapped her arm through Claire's arm and leaned her head into Claire. "You changed my life too, Claire. You and Owen took me in and gave me a home...and love. I love you." Zia glanced over at Owen who was rubbing his eye with his thumb. He was caught in the act. "What? I had something in my eye!" Maisie piped up, "Yeah a tear!" Claire chuckled through her own tears. "Zia, that's going on my desk at work with one of me and Owen and one of the four of us all together. That's the picture that I want to go with the-" Owen and Zia finished Claire's sentence at the same time. "Quote." Claire looked at Owen and nodded her head. "Yes." They finished looking at the rest of the pictures, Claire picking out her favorites as they went along while Zia made notes so she could print the ones Claire wanted hard copies of. Owen had a few requests of his own. Maisie even had a few she wanted to set out on her bookshelf in her room.

Once the viewing party was over, Zia handed Claire a disc with every picture on it she had taken. "Here. I also emailed them all to you too. I'm going to print the ones you want on my lunch break tomorrow." Claire hugged Zia and thanked her immensely for everything she had done that weekend. "Zia, this is something I will cherish forever. Thank you." "You're welcome, Claire. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Hopefully everyone is on time tomorrow. Don't wanna start this week off the way we did last week!" Claire sighed and agreed with Zia as she gave her a goodbye hug. After Zia left, Claire and Owen packed up their weekend belongings so they could head back to the city later that afternoon. They managed to pry Maisie away from her tablet they had reluctantly purchased for her for Christmas two months prior and decided to go for a walk around the lake before heading back to their apartment.

Aiden had spent the entire time everyone was looking at the photo shoot pictures chewing on one of her many teething rings and Claire's finger. After a while she realized no milk was coming out of either one, and she let Claire know she was hungry. It didn't take her long to go from fussy to screaming and Claire quickly calmed her baby's lungs down with some milk and singing. She gently bounced her around the living room and sang lullabies to her while she burped her. After a quick diaper change and another round of "Lullabies by Claire" as Owen liked to call it, Aiden had drifted off in her favorite place, her mother's chest. She nestled her face right into Claire's neck and gripped the fabric of the sweater Claire had thrown on to walk in. Owen carefully placed a crocheted hat his mother had made for her over her tiny head and draped one of her fleece baby blankets over her as Claire held her over her shoulder. "Put your jacket on, Maisie, it's a little cool outside." Maisie rolled her eyes and got caught by Claire who only had to say one word, followed by one look. "Hey-" Claire shot her a discerning look, and Maisie got the point and quickly put her jacket on. Maisie was the most well behaved child Claire and Owen could have ever asked for, but sometimes she just wanted to be a little rebellious. "Okay." Maisie mumbled, and did as she was told. They walked together at first, Owen with his arm draped across Claire's waist as Aiden slept over her shoulder, and Maisie walking briskly just a few feet ahead of them. "This little thing is dead weight when she's asleep!" Claire's arm was getting tired and Owen took Aiden and placed her over his shoulder with her baby blanket across her back. She was lost in a milk induced coma and didn't even realize she had swapped parents. Owen held Aiden up in one arm and reached for Claire's hand with the other. Her fingers found his and their hands were connected like pieces to a puzzle within seconds. They continued to walk hand in hand watching their older child pick up rocks and try to skip them in the lake. Claire spoke softly to Owen so as not to let Maisie hear her. "She really has come a long way, hasn't she?" Owen squinted his eyes under the sun and said, "just like you, Claire." Claire stopped walking and turned to face him. "Owen, you're a big part of that change. I could never have seen myself having children with anyone else. You've made me a better person. I'm still the same person I was before, especially when it comes to my work. It's in my blood. I'm wired to keep going and determined to stay productive. But you forced me to see another side to myself. I've learned to sit back and enjoy the company of those around me sometimes. I've learned to love and be loved back. You taught me that. So thank you." Owen leaned down to plant a kiss on Claire's forehead. "Claire, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. Thank you for letting me be the person who gets to love you." She closed her eyes and smiled that shy smile that he loved so much. They continued walking hand in hand around the lake, making a few laps until the afternoon sun started setting. "We better get going back to the city before it gets too dark." Claire was always the logical one. Owen sighed as they rounded the last lap of the lake and made their way back inside the cabin to pack up the car and head to the apartment they still called home during the week. Neither of them really wanted to leave the cabin that weekend. It had been a whirlwind of emotions for both of them and they couldn't wait to come back the following weekend.

They made the two hour trip home and arrived just as the sun completely sank beneath the horizon. Aiden continued to sleep for the entire trip. Maisie even fell asleep in the back seat next to her sister, which she rarely ever did when they drove back and forth to the cabin. Claire let Owen drive as she held his right hand the whole way home. They briefly talked about a wedding date, but didn't get too bogged down in any details yet. They mainly spent the two hours in the car enjoying just being next to each other as fiancé and fiancé, no longer just boyfriend and girlfriend. When they pulled into the parking garage that adjoined the condo apartment building they lived in, Owen scooped Maisie up and carried her onto the elevator that took them up to their floor while Claire carried Aiden in her arms. Maisie woke up as they walked in the front door and suddenly decided she was hungry. "What's for dinner?" Owen threw together some of what Claire called his "famous pancakes" and the three of them ate breakfast for dinner. Aiden woke up and chewed on a teething ring as an appetizer until she realized she was hungry too. Claire took Aiden to her nursery to breastfeed her while Maisie helped Owen tidy up the kitchen. Aiden was usually sleepy after eating but since she slept most of the afternoon at the cabin and almost the whole way home she was now wide awake and wanted to play. Claire re-emerged from the nursery and joined Maisie on the couch. Aiden bounced in Claire's lap and leaned over to Maisie who took her and bounced her up and down before carefully picking her up and laying her on her tummy with her blanket on the rug in front of the couch to play with her. Owen finished up in the kitchen and came to sit down next to Claire on the couch. "Babe, bring Aiden's giraffe rattle from her diaper bag, please." Owen grabbed his daughter's favorite toy to chew on from her baby bag on the kitchen counter on his way into the living room. He got down on the ground with both of his daughters and laid on his back, holding Aiden above his head, pulling her down to his face to kiss her and then pushing her back up again. Claire sat curled up on the couch watching the man who spent his first date with her in board shorts trying to get her to down multiple shots of tequila with him, now using the child they created together out of their love for each other as a push up mechanism. Claire wasn't the only one who had changed somewhat. Owen was typical immature guy's guy material when he first met Claire. Now he was a father to two beautiful little girls and a soon to be husband. Claire couldn't help but smile at him as he rolled around on the floor with his baby and ten year old. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the laughter that filled the room. She would have never guessed she would say a child's laughter was her favorite sound in the world but it had become just that.

After a few minutes, Owen joined Claire on the couch. She curled up in his arm and continued watching Maisie play with Aiden. "Whew, that little girl gave my arms a workout!" Owen winked at Claire. She reached up and wrapped both hands around his bicep. "Hmm, she sure did. Looks good on you, Mr. Grady." Owen leaned down to kiss her. Maisie quickly grew to love the two adults when they brought her home from the disastrous events that tore through the only place she had ever known, but that weekend at the cabin sealed the deal for her. Her adoptive parents were finally tying the knot. She felt for the first time since before the man she knew as her grandfather had died that she had a real family. Blood meant nothing to Maisie. This was her family. These two adults brought her home without knowing anything about her other than how she was created, and fought hard to get full custody of her and give her love and a new life. She didn't need to share their DNA to love them. They didn't even notice her watching them on the couch having a kissing fest. "You guys need to get a room. That's rated PG-13 and Aiden is only 5 months old." Owen raised an eyebrow at Maisie's joke and said, "And you're only ten!" Maisie laughed and made it clear she was close to being one year closer to thirteen. "Yeah well, I'm almost eleven." Claire couldn't help but laugh at the two of them bantering back and forth with each other. "The point is, it's too grown up for my eyes too." Owen knew better. "Mais, you've seen us kiss plenty of times before. It wasn't too grown up for your eyes yesterday when I proposed to Claire and you got to hold up your sign!" Maisie giggled and let Owen know she was just messing with him. Claire and Owen made sure they never got into a situation where they could get caught doing anything too intimate that Maisie didn't need to see. Any time they spent their night in bed engaging in activities other than sleeping they made sure their bedroom door was locked and never made any displays of affection they felt were too grown up for her to see in general. Owen knew kissing Claire was innocent. "Hey, Mais, isn't it close to your bedtime anyway?" Maisie grumbled and got up from the living room floor with Aiden. "I'm gonna go take a bath first." She handed Aiden back to Claire, and Owen playfully fist pumped her on her way out of the room. He and Claire played with Aiden on the couch for a while until their infant started to get sleepy again. Claire got up to give her baby a bath. Owen brought her a clean diaper and footed sleeper. They were a good team. They had always been a good team. He watched the woman who swore she would never go on a second date with him bounce their baby around their apartment, her engagement ring glistening in the reflection of every light in the room that hit it. He still couldn't believe the sight in front of him sometimes.

Claire put Aiden down in her crib for the night and then returned to sit next to Owen on the couch. A few minutes later, Maisie emerged again to say goodnight to her parents. "Goodnight, Owen. Goodnight, Claire." They both said goodnight to her and she made her way to bed. Right before she turned the corner to go down the hallway to her bedroom she stopped, turned around and said, "Hey Claire? Thank you again for saying 'yes'." Claire winked at her little girl and said, "No problem, sweetie." The kids were both in bed for the night and Owen was ready to take Claire to bed himself. "You wanna retire early tonight, babe?" He had his arm around her on the couch and let it wander down around her waist and then to her hip. Claire closed her eyes and leaned her head into his neck. "Hmmm, you tired?" He pressed his lips against hers, and she could feel his hand wandering from her hip back up to her waist. He sarcastically responded to her question. "I'm exhausted, can you tell?" Claire smiled as she bit his lip. She stood up and reached for his hand and led him to their bedroom. They crawled in bed and Owen began to plant kisses all over Claire's body. "Owen?" He stopped what he was doing and glanced down at the beautiful red head under him, thinking she was about to say something romantic. "You smell like vanilla." He couldn't help but chuckle at his fiancé. "That's because I've been curled next up to you all weekend, cutie." She reached up, caressed his cheeks with both of her hands, kissed him softly and said, "You're pretty cute too, Mr. Grady." It had been a week of highs and lows, ups and downs. Tomorrow would start a new week and a new phase of life for them. Tonight they would get lost in each other and forget the world outside for just a little while again. Owen woke up a few hours later, Claire's naked body pressed against his. He glanced down to see her sleeping soundly, her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. Once again, they were both in their favorite sleeping position. The only thing different about it this time was that there was a ring on her hand glistening against his chest. He whispered the same words to his sleeping partner in crime that Maisie had spoken to her a few hours earlier before she went to bed. "Thank you for saying yes." Claire stirred a little in his arm but didn't wake up. Owen rested his head against hers and fell back to sleep, ready to wake up in the morning and start the next chapter of his life with the woman in his arms who was trying to save the world. He hoped she knew how much she saved his world every day. She was his ride or die. In case she didn't know enough, he planned to show her again on their wedding day and every day going forward for the rest of their lives.