Proposal

"That's my girl," John said, looking at his passed out girlfriend on the couch. "Honey?"

"Hmm," she murmured. "Is that my date?"

"Are we alone?"

"If I say yes are we going to be naked on this couch in 10 seconds?"

Cut-offs and a long sleeve t-shirt, he thought, her hair falling out of her ponytail. "Maybe I just want to talk. Everything go okay?"

Soccer, making nice with all those moms, I actually like some of them. "Somehow I'm making sugar and gluten free cookies for practice next week and having brunch and a salon day with some of them."

"Who are you?"

"I know."

"You stuff Kara full of sugar?"

She settled against his side, snuggling in close on the couch. He doesn't even have to take me out, I'd stay right here all night with him. "Well, pretty much against both our wills? Fruit smoothies and protein bars. I thought of you."

I can't stop touching her, he thought, wrapping his arms around her. Ask her, while she's all soft and wrapped around me, this loving and warm side of her that has come out. My prickly deputy. "Well there goes what I planned on taking you out for."

She smiled at that. "And where are you taking me tonight?"

"You look pretty comfy here, but," he said, combing through her hair. "We haven't had many kid free nights lately. Not that I don't love spending most nights right here with both of you, but I really want some time with just you. I should take you out because you'll be back asleep on the couch in about five minutes if I don't."

"You're welcome to join me," she teased, as he kissed her. "Oh. Hi. What happened to talking?'

"We're smart people, we can do both."

She nodded, grinning at him. "I can handle that. Why don't you lose your pants?"

"Max, will you marry me?"

"John!" she yelped. "What?"

What did I just to? She looks terrified. "Max, I'm asking you to marry me. I want you to be my wife. I love you. I want to have amazing babies with you. Not just that, an amazing life."

"Marry you?"

"You heard me the first two times. You need a third? Max, will you marry me?"

She pushed her hair back and just stared at him as he pulled a ring out of his pocket. Married? He wants to marry me? I knew he did, we…a ring? Married? I need to say something and not just sit here mute. I love him, why can't I say anything? "I…Yes."

He slid the sapphire and diamond ring on her finger and kissed her again. "Yes, huh?"

She nodded, still shocked down to her core. Looking at the ring and back to him. "Yeah, yes."

"Max?" he pressed, wiping her tears away. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said. I need to speak a complete sentence. I love him. I can't move or think. What is he doing to me? Stop being a freak. Shivering a bit, as he pressed his lips to her forehead. Move, do something. Wrapping her arms around him, she leaned into his strong embrace, her mind swimming. Say something. Anything. "I'm good. Sorry…you surprised me. I can't even…You want to marry me?"

"Asked and answered."

She looked at him, as he intertwined his fingers with hers. "Oh, stop being a lawyer."

He smiled at her, glad to see a spark back in her as some of her shock wore off. Don't push her anymore, she still looks pretty shocked. "How about you stop looking at me like I killed your puppy instead of proposing?"

"John, you asked me to marry you. That not something that happens every day. I may have known we were heading in this direction…but it still shocked me. I'm not running screaming from you. I'd be homeless if that happened," she stated, looking at their intertwined hands and the new ring on her finger. "Can we talk about this ring? It's gorgeous."

"It was my great grandmothers. It looks good on you. I picked it up from my mom when I took Kara down there for her birthday."

"That was five months ago."

"I like to be prepared."

"You push me, John, so far out of my comfort zone. Did you really think, a year ago, that we'd be here, living together, engaged…and I'm so totally in love with you."

"A year ago you were still antagonizing me every time I saw you."

She smiled at that. The spark, chemistry, whatever it was, that made us shove back at each other. "I can say the same about you."

"We can start fighting about wedding stuff."

"Can we elope?"

He looked at her hand in his, as she settled back against his chest. "Whatever you want."

She bit her lip, looking at her ring as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "That could be dangerous."

"Hey, whether you want to elope or wear a ball gown and tiara? I don't care. I just want you."

Blunt and honest, she thought, and I'm totally in love with him. She shifted so she was looking at him. "Do I look like the kind of person who wears a tiara?"

"I like you just like this."

She smiled at that, leaning in to kiss him. Wrapping herself around him, she straddled his lap. "I love you."

"Good because I love you."

"I kind of figured that when you asked me to marry you a few minutes ago."

"And you said yes," he teased. "You want to fool around? Go elope?"

"Those are my choices? Elope or sex?"

"We can do both."

Max laughed, kissing him again, relishing his hands sliding her shorts down. This is right, this is so right with us. "I believe I asked you take off your pants?"