Streets of Love
Chapter 10: And She Said...
Kelly sighed. "I'll have to think about it. It's a big step to take. I can't just decide right now. I have more than just myself to think of too, you know. I have to think of Hermés and Helena as well.
Matthew nodded. He was a little disappointed, but he understood. At least she didn't say no. "Take your time. All I ask is that you seriously consider it."
She smiled at him, and took his hands in hers. She kissed them. "I will, I promise."
"And, as far as Hermés and Helena go, you have to know I love them dearly. I'll love them and care for them as if they are my own if you say yes," Matthew assured her. "Heck, I will even if you say no, but I'm trying to persuade you to marry me, so I have to have some ammo to use!" He grinned.
Kelly laughed, and released his hands. "I know you love them. I'm sure they love you too. They're always excited when I tell them we're getting together with you."
Matthew grinned. "I'm excited too. I love seeing them, and hanging out with them. Aven loves playing with them both too. Hermés is always so sweet, treating her just like she's his sister."
"Well, Aven's such a sweet girl. Who wouldn't love her?" Kelly asked.
"Are you doing anything Monday evening?" Matthew asked in response.
Kelly thought about it for a moment. "Nothing really. I have a few things to do during the day, and a meeting in the afternoon, but nope! Nothing in the evening."
"Well, I have Aven on Monday, so why don't we get together, all of us, and hang out?" Matthew suggested.
Kelly sat up straight in bed, and looked at him. "You know what? That sounds like fun! What should we do?"
Matthew sat up straight too, and turned to face her. "Well, I know we do this all the time, but I think they enjoy it, and I know I do. Let's take them to the park. We can even get ice cream."
Kelly grinned. "That sounds like fun! I'll tell you what. Why don't I make dinner at home for us all, then we can walk to get ice cream for dessert, and then go to the park, and let the kids play on the swings a bit? It's supposed to be a nice warm day tomorrow, and I'm sure we could all stand for a little bit of fresh air."
"And maybe we can all watch a movie when we get back from the park," Matthew then suggested.
"They can get into their pajamas, and we can have some popcorn and lemonade, and watch the movie together, cuddled up on the couch," Kelly finished with a smile.
Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Ice cream and popcorn? And cuddling with you on the couch? You have me sold."
Kelly smiled. "It's a date then."
Matthew kissed her, then flicked off the television.
"The movie wasn't over yet," Kelly said in surprise.
"I have something much more entertaining for us to do now instead of watching a dumb old movie," Matthew murmured, already making his way on top of her.
She smiled. "Again? We've already made love three times today!"
"It's your fault for being so darn irresistible, and making me fall so in love with you," Matthew said simply.
"You're to blame too. Do you think it's easy for me to resist you? You're so sexy, sweet, and delicious." She gently gripped his hair in her fists.
"You resisted me for quite some time, actually," he reminded her with a wink.
"Yeah, well, guess what?" she asked.
"Hm?" he asked in return.
She brushed her lips against his right ear. "I'm not resisting anymore," she purred.
His eyes lowered, and they kissed. He then pulled the covers over their heads.
She giggled, then her giggles turned to moans as he showed her mow much he truly loved her.
~I walk the streets of love~
"Are you excited to see Hermés and Helena?" Matthew asked as he rang the doorbell to Kelly's place.
"Yes." Aven said simply.
Matthew chuckled. "All right."
Kelly opened the door, and smiled. "Hello, my Darlings!" She kissed Matthew's cheeks, then bent down so that she was at Aven's level. "And how are you today, Pretty Girl?"
Aven smiled. "Good."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it! Are you hungry?" Kelly then asked.
Aven nodded.
"Come on in then, and we'll get you some food!" Kelly said. She gently stroked Aven's hair, and quickly kissed her cheek, then stood back up.
Matthew led Aven into the house, her left hand in his right hand.
Kelly shut and locked the door behind them. "You can leave your shoes right here if you'd like. It's nice not to have to wear a jacket for once, isn't it?" she asked.
"It sure is! I love winter weather to an extent, but it's worn out it's welcome. It's time for the heat to stick around for a while," Matthew said as he slipped off his shoes, then helped Aven get hers off.
"I hear ya!" Kelly said. "Hermés and Helena are already waiting at the table."
"I'm sorry. Are we late?" Matthew asked, taking Aven's hand again, and following Kelly into the dining room with her.
"No, not at all. I just wanted to get them to the table so that when you did get here, they'd be ready. It can take a while to get them both to settle down. I figured I'd get a head start so that we don't waste anytime," Kelly said with a laugh.
Matthew laughed too. "I understand—believe me."
He and Aven sat down, then Kelly came in a moment later with the food. She had prepared a salad with raspberry vinaigrette and ranch dressings on the side, green beans, apple sauce, brown rice, and cinnamon chicken. To drink, she had iced tea.
"Yuck!" Aven said when she saw the food.
"Aven, don't be rude!" Matthew said, blushing slightly in embarrassment. He looked at Kelly. "It all looks delicious to me, but she's a picky eater. She'll be all right once she tastes it. Sometime's she's just afraid to try new foods."
Kelly smiled. "I understand. I have two children. I've just gotten them used to eating healthy. Even so, they still have their 'I don't want to eat this' moments, believe me." She sat down at the table, and they all passed the food around.
Matthew made sure Aven tried everything, for he didn't want to hurt Kelly's feelings.
"I don't like it!" Aven said, pushing the cinnamon chicken away after one bite.
"It's my fault," Kelly was quick to apologize. "I should have known cinnamon chicken isn't everyone's taste—especially when it comes to children."
"Don't even worry about it. She can have the side dishes," Matthew quickly said.
"I don't want salad," Aven said, pushing the bowl away.
"Try some rice," Matthew then tried. He fed her a spoonful of the brown rice.
She made a face. "It tastes funny. It's not white."
"It's just a different kind of rice. It's still good," Matthew assured her.
Aven shook her head, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yuck!"
"You love green beans. Eat those," Matthew urged her.
Aven tried a few bites, then pushed them away too. "I don't like that kind."
"She's just used to the canned kind," Matthew explained to Kelly. He felt like an idiot as he watched Hermés and Helena eating their food with no problem. "I'm sorry. I guess I need to teach her better eating habits." He blushed.
Kelly shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry about it. She's just a child. Children can be very opinionated when it comes to what kinds of food they like and don't like. This kind of food isn't for everyone. I should have known better. I'm the one who's sorry."
Matthew shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong! How were you to know she wouldn't like this food? It's good! I for one, can hardly wait to try it!"
Kelly nodded towards Aven, who was now eating her apple sauce. "At least she likes the apple sauce, right?"
Matthew snorted. "At least!"
Kelly then smiled at Aven. "Aven, do you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"
Aven looked at her and nodded. "Uh huh!"
"Well, how about I make you one to eat with your apple sauce?" Kelly asked.
"Yes, please!" Aven said, a smile finally appearing on her face.
"Coming right up!" Kelly said. She stood up, and headed to the kitchen, where she took out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread, and grabbed a knife.
Matthew came out to join her a moment later. "Aven's informed me she doesn't like iced tea. Come to think of it, I'm not a big tea drinker either. Do you have any milk? I'm sorry. I don't meant to be rude. Like daughter like father, I guess!"
Kelly laughed. "No worries! I have plenty of milk. I was actually going to put the milk out anyway in case one of you didn't like iced tea. I just forgot."
Matthew sighed, then wrapped his arms around her from behind, and kissed the side of her neck. "Thanks for being so good about this whole situation. I'm sorry she didn't like your food. It doesn't mean it's not good. I for one, love it so far."
Kelly smiled over her shoulder at him. "It's not a problem. Like I said, children have very distinct tastes. She knows what she likes and what she doesn't like. That's not a bad thing."
"You do realize you're only making me want to marry you more, right?" Matthew then asked. He sat on the empty side of the counter.
She smirked. "You do realize I still don't have an answer for you."
Matthew held up his hands. "I'm just saying."
Kelly smiled, and shook her head.
~I walk the streets of love~
Dinner had gone great once Aven had something she actually liked to eat.
Hermés had enjoyed telling Matthew about school, and Matthew was very interested in hearing about how Hermés liked school, and how Hermés and his best friend liked to have contests on the monkey bars to see who could go back and forth the most times.
Helena talked about her favorite doll, and Aven told Kelly a whole list of things she likes to eat.
Kelly listened intently. Matthew knew it was because she wanted to make sure she got dinner right next time. He still felt bad, and a little embarrassed that Aven had reacted that way. He was going to have to have a talk with her about manners later. He wouldn't be too hard on her though. Kelly was right. She was just a child. Still, she was old enough to know how to use words like, "No thank you," and "Please, may I have something else?"
Anyway, after dinner, they had the kids go to the bathroom, and then they got their shoes on, and headed out for ice cream. Hermés and Helena wanted to take turns in the stroller, and Aven preferred to be carried. Of course, they all had their moments, where they wanted to walk on their own. The park wasn't too far away, so it wasn't that bad. The ice cream place was right near the park, and they all got ice cream cones before heading to the park.
Matthew sat on a park bench with Kelly while they watched their children sit on the swings and eat their cones.
"Remember, no swinging while you still have your ice cream! Only sitting," Kelly warned her kids.
"That goes for you too," Matthew said to Aven.
"Okay," Aven said. She and Helena giggled at something together.
Kelly could't help but smile. "They're so cute at that age!"
"Aren't they?" Matthew agreed. "Then they grow up to be teenagers, and aren't so cute anymore."
Kelly shook her head. "Not ours. All our children will grow up to be sweet, parent-respecting teenagers."
Matthew looked at her, and they both broke into grins. Then they laughed.
"Well, we can dream, can't we?" Kelly asked.
Matthew nodded. "Yeah. We won't have brats though. I mean, they'll probably be mouthy and obstinate like any normal teenager, but I have faith that they will still grow up to be good kids."
"I think so too," Kelly said, now latching onto his arm, and resting her head against his shoulder.
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
After a bit, the kids finished with their ice cream. Kelly wiped their mouths and faces down with the wet wipes she kept in her purse, then she and Matthew let them go play.
"It's a good thing you had those in your purse," Matthew said, nodding toward the extra wipes she was putting back in her purse. "They all made a mess!"
Kelly smirked. "I'm used to it. Having two children, it doesn't take long to know you're going to need backup when it comes to cleaning up messes!"
Before Matthew could respond, Aven started sobbing. He looked up to see her, sitting in the dirt beneath the monkey bars.
He quickly ran over to her. "What happened?" he asked her.
"She wanted to see if she could do them as fast as me, and she fell," Hermés explained.
"I slipped," she said, tears still running down her cheeks.
He picked her up, and gently rocked her. He kissed her tearstained cheeks. "Are you all right?"
"I hurt my knee," she said.
He carried her over to the bench, and examined her knee. It was mainly just dirty, but there was a tiny scrape.
"Here." Kelly took out another wipe from her purse, as well as a Band-Aid. I know to always have these too," she said with a wink. "The Band-Aid has Neosporin right in it."
"And they're in cool colors too, I see," Matthew said with a grin. He turned back to Aven. "You get to wear a blue one! How cool is that?"
"My favorite," Aven said with a smile, her tears starting to slowly dry.
"I know, right?" Matthew asked her. He took the wipe from Kelly, and gently washed Aven's knee clean. Then, he put her Band-Aid on. "Feel better?" he asked.
Aven nodded. "Yes, Daddy. Can I go play?"
Matthew nodded. "Yes, just be careful. Why don't I push you on the swings instead of you going back to the monkey bars?"
Aven smiled. "Okay!"
So, Matthew went over to push his daughter in her swing.
"Push me too, please!" Helena said, who was already swinging beside Aven.
"Sure, Princess!" Matthew said, using both his hands to push the girls at the same time.
The girls giggles, both finding this hilarious.
Kelly watched with a smile, her heart melting at how good of a father Matthew was. She knew he'd be a great stepfather to her children, and a great father to their baby too of course.
She placed her hands over her stomach. "You're going to be a lucky baby," she said to their unborn child. She then smiled, and got up to swing with the girls. It looked fun!
~I walk the streets of love~
They had fun at the park. At one point Hermés saw his mother swinging, and so he instead on pushing her like Matthew was pushing the girls. Kelly found it hilarious, and let him push her. "This should be the other way around!" she had said.
Hermés then wanted to race Matthew on the monkey bars. Matthew let him win, pretending that he couldn't lift himself up for very long.
"You need to lose weight!" Hermés had joked.
Kelly covered her mouth, and giggled.
"Hey, you try being my age, then we'll see if you can still lift yourself!" Matthew teased back.
"I'll have better things to do than play on the monkey bars when I'm your age," Hermés said simply.
Kelly and Matthew both laughed at this one.
"Look at him! He's maturing pretty fast for a boy who's not even six yet!" Matthew said, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at Hermés. He was impressed.
Kelly grinned. "I know, right?" She sighed. "They grow up too fast."
Matthew nodded. "Indeed they do. It seems like just yesterday I was holding Aven in my arms for the first time, now she is already three."
Kelly sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Time just goes by so fast. It's scary sometimes."
"It is," he agreed.
"Daddy, come watch me on the slide!" Aven called out then, running toward the slide.
Matthew glanced at Kelly. "I'll be right back," he said with a wink.
"Take your time," she said with a smile.
As soon as Matthew was out of earshot, Kelly called Hermés and Helena over to her.
"What is it, Mom?" Hermés asked.
"What do you guys think of Matthew? Do you like him?" she asked.
"I love Matthew!" Helena said with a bright smile.
Hermés nodded. "He's nice. I love him too."
"Would you guys like it if he was around all the time?" Kelly then asked.
"That would be cool," Hermés agreed.
Helena smiled. "I love him," she said again.
Kelly laughed. "Well, that's good to know!" She picked her daughter up, tickled her ribs, and kissed her.
Helena giggled.
Hermés laughed too.
Matthew and Aven came over then.
"Aven is getting tired of the park. Shall we go back and watch the movie now?" Matthew asked.
Kelly nodded. "Yes! Let's go."
So, Helena went back into the stroller. Matthew picked up Aven, and Hermés wanted to walk.
They then headed out of the park.
Kelly felt like they were all one big happy family. She realized, she kind of liked that feeling.
~I walk the streets of love~
The movie wasn't too bad. It wasn't something Matthew would have normally wanted to watch, but Kelly and the kids enjoyed it, so he did too. It wasn't the worst movie he'd ever seen. In fact, he had to admit, it was pretty cute for an animated movie. It was The Secret World of Arrietty.
The kids had all sat on the couch together under blankets, and he and Kelly cuddled together on the love seat under a blanket, so he didn't mind one bit, actually.
When the movie was over, Kelly had her kids brush their teeth, and go to the bathroom, and wash their hands. Then they got ready for bed.
Once they were all ready, Kelly told them to say goodnight to Matthew.
"Goodnight, Matthew. I had fun today!" Hermés said, giving him a hug.
Matthew hugged him in return. "Goodnight, Little Guy! I had fun too. I love when I get to come see you guys."
"I love it too!" Hermés said. He then went over to Aven, and hugged her. "Goodnight."
"Good night," she said, a smile on her face.
Hermés then hugged his sister, and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Hermés," she said, hugging him back. She kissed his cheek with a loud 'muah!' then giggled.
"Just like her momma!" Matthew said with a chuckle.
Kelly laughed. "Yes!"
Hermés then went to bed, and Kelly went to tuck him in. "I'll be back for you," she said to Helena. "Go climb into bed."
Once Kelly had gone, Helena looked up at Matthew. "I'm not tired!"
"You're not tired? After that long day you had today?" Matthew asked her.
She shook her head.
"Well, I think you're more tired than you think!" He picked her up, and held her on her stomach like she was an airplane. "Come on, you little airplane! It's time to land on the landing strip that is your bed!"
Helena giggled.
"Say goodnight to Aven first." He "flew" her over to Aven.
"Goodnight, Aven!" Helena said with a giggle.
Aven smiled. "Goodnight, Helena!"
"I'll be right back. Wait here," Matthew said to Aven before then making a noise as if he were an airplane, and swooped Helena into her bedroom. "Coming in for a landing!"
Helena continued to giggle.
He then gently lay her down on her bed, and covered her up. "Another safe landing for airplane Helena!"
Helena smiled. "I'm still not tired."
"Well, would it help if I were to sing you a lullaby?" he asked her.
She nodded.
"What would you like me to sing?" he asked.
She shrugged.
"Well, how about I sing you something I sing to Aven?" he asked.
She nodded and smiled.
And so he sang to her, keeping his voice gentle and soothing. It seemed to be working, for he could see it in her eyes that she was getting tired.
When he finished, Helena was definitely just about to fall asleep. He could tell, for her eyelids kept fluttering.
He kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Pretty Princess."
"Goodnight, Matthew," she said sleepily. "I love you."
He gently stroked her hair, and kissed her cheek again. "I love you too."
Kelly meanwhile, saw the whole thing. She had tears in her eyes, she was so touched. She entered the room, and headed over to her daughter. She kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Sweetie. Sleep well." She gently stroked her hair as well.
"Goodnight, Mommy..." Helena was then asleep, barely able to get her goodnight out.
Kelly and Matthew then left the room, Kelly turning on the night light, and shutting off the main light on her way out, and Matthew quietly shutting the door behind them.
Kelly stopped him in the hallway, and pulled him into a passionate kiss. "Thank you," she said.
Matthew smiled, and raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"For helping her get to sleep. It was so sweet of you. I almost cried," she admitted.
"It was no problem. I meant it when I said I love her like my own." He then kissed Kelly sweetly on the lips, and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "Don't cry. Those beautiful eyes should never have tears in them." He kissed her closed eyes, then sighed. "I guess I should be going now. I'm sure Aven's getting tired."
Kelly looked disappointed. "All right. Before you leave, I want to say that I've made my decision...about marrying you. If you want to propose to me again, I'll give you my answer."
Matthew smiled. "That's good to know." He winked, then turned his back on her, and headed into the living room to collect Aven. Sure enough, she was half asleep on the couch.
He picked her up, and kissed her cheek. "Come on, Darling. It's time to go home to your own bed."
"Aren't you going to ask me?" Kelly asked as she watched him put Aven's shoes on. Her face fell slightly. "Or did you change your mind?"
Matthew got Aven's shoes on, then slipped his own back on before picking Aven up again. He then turned to Kelly. "Of course I didn't change my mind! It's just not the time to ask you. I'm going to propose to you again when you least expect it!" He grinned.
Kelly smiled; clearly relieved. "All right. I bet I'll expect it though." She winked.
Matthew shook his head. "Aint gonna happen!" He kissed her lips quickly. "I'll call you tomorrow. Sleep well. I love you."
Kelly kissed him, making this kiss last a little longer. She gently stroked Matthew's cheek. "Goodnight, My Love."
They kissed one more time quickly.
"Goodnight, Aven," Kelly said to Aven, kissing her cheek.
"Goodnight, Kelly," Aven said sleepily.
Matthew then left with Aven.
He smiled back at the house once Kelly had closed the door. She as going to say yes. He just knew it! He was glad she hadn't said yes right away. This way, he could make this the most romantic proposal he could think of. He headed home with a little hop in his step.
Kelly locked the door behind him, then leaned against the doorway with a smile. Kelly Settle. She kind of liked the sound of that. Actually, she kind of loved it.
She squealed in delight, then headed off to take a bath to try to calm herself, for right now, she was far too excited to sleep!
~I walk the streets of love~
He waited a week. He loved messing with her head all week. At one point, he had taken her out to dinner, then told her he had something important he wanted to ask her.
"Yes?" Kelly had asked, her eyes lighting up immediately.
"I want to get my mother something special for Mother's Day. She loves rubies and emeralds. I figured I'd get her some earrings and a bracelet. Now, do you think I should get her an emerald bracelet and ruby earrings, or emerald earrings and a ruby bracelet?"
Kelly's face instantly fell, and he tried not to laugh.
"Emerald earrings and a ruby bracelet would be nice," he muttered.
"Thanks! I think you're right," he said before taking a drink.
He had taken her home that night, and left her with a quick peck on the lips. He knew he was driving her insane, but he had meant what he said. He was going to propose when she least suspected it.
The night had finally come. He was ready to propose to her. He figured after a week of not proposing, she'd finally have stopped expecting him to.
He was going to take her out to dinner and a movie. After dinner, he'd pretend he forgot something at home so that they'd have to stop there first before the movie. He already had everything set up. He had the portable CD player so that he could play soft music, and he had candles everywhere around the bedroom. He also had a bottle of the best Champaign on ice in a bucket by the bed, and rose petals spread all over the freshly made bed.
The very next day after Kelly had told him she had her answer, he had gone out and bought her ring. It was heart cut. At first, he had planned on getting her a princess cut or emerald cut, but when he saw the heart cut, he knew he had to get it for her. It was unique, and he wanted this marriage to be different from her other ones. He wanted it to last. So, he figured, what better symbol of his love to get her than a heart? And of course it would be a different kind of engagement ring, just like he wanted this marriage to be different.
He decided upon a silver band that had a diamond heart outline along the four carat diamond heart in the middle. The band also had tiny diamonds embedded around the whole band as well. It wasn't exactly cheap, but to him, Kelly was worth every penny...or rather every thousand dollar bill.
As for giving her the ring, well, once back at his place, he was going to tell Kelly she needed a breath mint. He knew she'd be a little embarrassed, or even a little miffed that he had told her she needed one. But he knew she'd quickly get over it once she opened up the tin of breath mints he offered her, and found the ring.
He hoped their movie would be long since forgotten once she saw it.
He made sure the ring was securely in the tin, then put the tin on his night stand, and headed out to pick her up for dinner. It was sure to be a night to remember. At least, he hoped it would be.
~I walk the streets of love~
Dinner had gone all right, but he sensed a little tension with Kelly. She didn't seem herself. In fact, she seemed a little annoyed at times.
He wasn't worried though. He knew she was just getting restless, waiting for him to propose. He paid the bill, then began his plan.
"I have to get something at home before we go to the movie," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you have to get?"
He laid the tip down. "I need to get some headache medicine. I feel a horrible headache coming on."
"Can't we just stop at the drug store?" Kelly asked as they headed out of the restaurant. "It seems a shame to go all the way back to your place just for some Tylenol."
"I just bought a bottle the other day. I don't want to buy another one. I rarely get headaches. It would just go to wast," Matthew insisted.
"Well, we can always use some at my house. I'll buy it, then just keep the rest," Kelly stated.
"I have to go to the bathroom too though," Matthew tried.
Kelly motioned to the restaurant. "Restaurants have bathrooms, you know."
Matthew blushed. "I know, but dinner and dessert didn't set right with me. I'd be too embarrassed to do what I have to do in a pubic bathroom." He found it embarrassing to say even though it wasn't true.
Kelly wrinkled her nose. "TMI!" She sighed. "Fine. Let's just hurry, or we're going to be late for the movie."
Matthew hid a smile as he hailed them a cab. They then headed to his place.
When they got there, they went into his apartment. The candles were soully in the bedroom, as were the rose petals. He didn't want to give anything away before he was ready. "I'll be right back. Wait here," he ordered. He kissed Kelly sweetly on the lips then so that he'd have an excuse to comment on her breath.
Kelly broke the kiss first, and sighed. "I'll be right here," she said, plopping herself down onto the couch.
So, Matthew quickly headed to his room. He lit the candles, and made sure the Champaign glasses were right with the Champaign. He then turned the music on, keeping it just low enough so that it could only be heard in the bedroom. He then grabbed the breath mint tin that contained the ring, and brought it out to Kelly.
"Here, take one of these. I'm not trying to be rude, or to embarrass you, but you need it," he said, holding the tin out to her.
She stood up. "You know, I'm not feeling that great anyway. I think I'm just going to go home."
He hid a smile. "But I thought you wanted to see the movie!"
"I suddenly lost my desire to do anything but go home," she said.
"Have a breath mint first," he ordered, gently shaking the tin at her.
She gave him a look to kill. For a moment, he thought she was going to throw the tin in his face. Then, she sighed. "Fine. If you think my breath is that horrible, I'll have a stupid breath mint. But if you think I'm going to kiss you after taking one, you can forget—" She cut herself off as she opened the tin and saw the ring. She covered her mouth.
"I wanted to get a heart to represent my love for you. I also wanted something unique since I wanted this marriage to be different from your other marriages, and my other marriage. I want this one to last. It's four carats. I wanted nothing but the best for my beautiful goddess. I say goddess because you're as beautiful as one, and I love you like Greek analogies." He took the ring out of the box. "And you do not need a breath mint." He tossed the tin aside. "I just wanted a way to propose to you that you'd never expect. That's why I waited so long. I had to wait until you no longer suspected."
"I thought you'd changed your mind, and were too cowardly to tell me. I'm sorry for thinking that of you!" Kelly said quietly.
Matthew laughed. "It's all right. You're cute when you're angry." He winked at her. "Oh, and by the way, I don't really have a headache, and I didn't really need to go to the bathroom. I just needed an excuse to get you back here without you suspecting."
Kelly grinned. "Good to know! It worked!" She winked.
He grinned too, then got down on one knee, and held the ring out to her. "Will you make me the happiest man alive by saying yes so that I can marry my best friend?"
Kelly had tears in her eyes now. Then, she shook her head. "No."
Matthew's heart sank. "No?" He was confused. Was she pranking him like he had pranked her?
"I'm not going to say yes. I'm going to say, 'Duh! Of course I'll marry you!'"
Matthew grinned, instantly relaxing. "I thought you had changed your mind when you said no!"
Kelly laughed. "We're even." She held out her left ring finger.
Matthew slipped on the ring, then stood back up. "Do you like it? I can always return it, and you can pick out one you'd like better."
Kelly shook her head. "You couldn't have gotten me a more perfect ring. I love it so much! Thank you!" She pulled him in for a passionate kiss, and they stood there kissing for a short while before breaking apart.
Kelly shook her head. "This is crazy, you know. Us getting married so soon after dating. But, when I saw you with Aven, and then with my children... I just knew that I was making the right decision to say yes. I believe that, when it comes to marrying someone, you just know it in your heart if it's the right decision or not. With you, I have no doubts. In fact, it actually got to the point where I was so excited to marry you, I was hurt and disappointed when I thought you'd changed your mind!"
Matthew grinned. "I have no doubts either. I just know you're the only woman for me. And, it is crazy, but sometimes love itself is crazy. I mean, at least we can be crazy together, right?"
Kelly grinned and nodded.
Matthew took her hands in his and kissed them. "And, if marrying you means I'm crazy, then commit me, because I never want to be sane."
Kelly laughed. "Neither do I." She pulled him closer. "I can't wait to be your wife."
His eyes lowered. "And I can't wait to be your husband."
Her eyes lowered too, and they kissed. Then, he picked her up, and carried her to the bedroom.
She gasped when she saw the candles, rose petals, and Champaign, and heard the music. "It's all so beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you," Matthew told her. He gently set her on the bed. "Would you like some Champaign to celebrate our engagement?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "The Champaign can wait. Right now, I just want to make love with my fiancé."
Matthew smiled, and gently stroked her cheek. "Your wish is my command."
They kissed, and slowly began to undress each other, the candles flickering around them, and the sound of the Rolling Stones singing "Streets of Love" barely being noticed by either of them, for all they could concentrate on was showing how much they loved the other. And they did just that.