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Epilogue

Kate got up and wandered through to the kitchen, she wished she was able to get off her mind what he's said on Christmas day in the car, but she couldn't. He'd not mentioned it since and she was realising that maybe it was something he'd said in the heat of the moment and regretted it now. Problem was she actually wanted to marry him. Fool that she was. Maybe he was right, she mused as she toasted some bread and made coffee, they'd been together a year, just about, fair enough they'd known each other for a long time, crossed paths occasionally, but they'd only been living together a few months. Things hadn't settled down yet, they were still at the stage where sex eclipsed everything else and only time would tell if, after that calmed down, they still had something underneath it all.

She frowned as she saw a note in his untidy scrawl, pinned to the refrigerator, with some catalogues underneath. She read it.

'My credit card is in the top drawer, when you finally get your lazy ass out of bed, choose a ring and order it. Love you'

She thumbed through the catalogues, they were for engagement rings. He hadn't changed his mind then. Anger and resentment bubbled in her, she might not be the most romantic of people, but this was just ridiculous.

…...

"You get one?" he asked as he noticed the ring catalogues on the coffee table.

"No" she snapped.

"Why?" he frowned at her, kicking his shoes off where he stood.

"Don't leave those there" she said through gritted teeth "I'm tired of falling over them!"

He gave her an odd look, picking his shoes up and putting them in the hallway, coming back through he dropped onto the couch next to her, reaching out only to find the space where she'd just been empty.

"What's with you?" he asked.

"Nothing!" she said, sitting in another chair.

He shrugged, he was tired, cold and hungry "Any dinner?"

"You know where the kitchen is" she told him, opening her book again.

"Fine!" he jumped up "You know I've had a hard day at work, and I was looking forward to coming home to my beautiful, funny, sexy and warm wife to be" he huffed "You seen her by the way?!"

"I'll only be your wife to be" she spat at him "When you actually ask me properly!"

"I have asked you!" he yelled back "And you said yes! I left you the stuff to get a ring! What's the problem? I love you, I want to marry you!"

"Problem?" she stood now facing him "I don't expect moonlight and roses from you Flack, you're not that guy, but when it comes to a marriage proposal, even I have certain expectations! Not just a drunken conversation and a ring catalogue with a blank cheque!"

"Right" he said, his face set "Whatever" he crammed his coat back on, walking into the hall.

"Where are you going?" she asked, suddenly nervous.

"Out" he snapped back, she heard the front door slam behind him.

…...

Kate fumed for about ten minutes.

This is my problem she thought as anger waned to fear that he wasn't coming back any time soon My mouth runs away with me, now I've screwed it up. That and no matter what he does, I can't stay mad at him!

Then she paced, then she decided that of course he would come back, after all, he had nowhere else to go, even if he slept in the spare room, he'd be back. Maybe she should cook him some food, peace offering. Then seduce him, if he refused that, then she'd really pissed him off.

She was chopping salad as she heard the front door slam again, rattling every window in the house.

"Still pissed at me then" she told the salad sadly.

She turned as she heard him slam something onto the kitchen table behind her. Frowning she saw bags, and an even colder and more annoyed looking Don. Her eyes lighted on a huge bunch of roses.

"Right" he scowled at her, pointing to the bags in turn "Flowers, chocolates, wine, candles" he rolled his eyes at that one, Kate bit her lip at the sudden urge to laugh.

Her eyes widened as he knelt in front of her, getting a box out of his pocket "Kate, God only knows why, but I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know I'm not perfect, not romantic, but there it is. You drive me crazy, you make me madder than anyone ever has before, but I want to marry you" he held the ring out, still scowling "And hurry up because I'm not staying down here all night!" he added menacingly.

She started to laugh this time, her hand across her mouth.

"Oh so I'm funny now?" he said.

"No" she said "I mean yes, oh God" she held her hand out "Yes I'll marry you, and no you're not funny. Well actually, you kinda are"

He stood up, sliding the ring onto her finger "I don't care if it doesn't fit" he said "You whined about it, you're wearing it!"

"It does fit" she said, admiring it. She threw her arms around his neck "I love you" she said, smiling.

"Yeah" he grunted, but his arms went around her "Now I've done that can I have some dinner?"

"Now?" she looked disappointed, kissing him.

"Maybe I can wait half an hour" his expression softened and he kissed her back "But we better be quick, my beautiful, funny, sexy and warm wife to be will be home any minute, she'll kill me if she finds me in bed with a hell cat like you"

"Well my husband to be is a cop" she told him gravely, her expression belying her tone, pulling him towards the bedroom "And if he finds you here, he'll kick your ass"

"I think I know the guy" he said, pulling her shirt over her head in one movement "Funny, great sense of humour, great body, fantastic in bed"

"Oh no" she said, working on his belt, his shirt on the hall floor already as they stumbled into the bedroom "My guy's moody, sarcastic and going grey"

"Bitch" he muttered as her bra hit the floor.

"But I love him" she added as they landed on the bed.

"Better" he said, undoing her jeans as she helped him out of his.

…...