Little Moments: Like Mother, Like Daughter

Chapter 14: Down on One Knee

Disclaimer: You can give me a dorky Julian high five for my creativity but OTH does not belong to me.

A/N: So here it is. A chapter I think most of you have been waiting for. The feedback was excellent last chapter. I'm sorry I couldn't post sooner. Hopefully you guys will like how I have things play out. Enjoy!

OTHOTH

Graham was pacing. Pacing in his living room with a lump in this throat the size of the entire Atlantic Ocean. Never ending, and plenty deep. He was holding onto the little black box and swallowed hard. He'd been sitting on that ring for the last two weeks but it was now or never. He knew he didn't need to wait. He couldn't.

"Mr. Scott, I...I was wanting to know if I could marry your daughter?"

"Lame!" Ben looked up from the sofa and threw a piece of popcorn at Graham. "And move, you're blocking the game." Ben was more interested in the Braves, Nationals game than Graham's practice round for facing Charlotte's dad.

Graham furrowed his brow. Sawyer was obviously rubbing off on his best friend. Clearing his throat once more, Graham stopped pacing and looked at his his fellow Coastie while he imagined Mr. Scott. "I love your daughter. I'm in love with Charlotte and I'd like to marry her."

Ben scooted up the couch and put down the popcorn bowl, "Look, you're over thinking this. I mean Nathan likes you. Charlotte's whole family loves you. There's no way he's gonna say no."

Even if Ben was right, it didn't mean Graham wasn't nervous. How could he not be? "I don't know, this is a lot more stressful that I thought it was gonna be." Looking at Ben, Graham narrowed his eyes, "And just wait till you have to do this. It's not as easy as it looks. No matter how good your relationship is."

"Right, sure, okay. Well, I don't see myself settling down soon. I mean hell, Graham, you and Charlotte have only been dating a year."

They were in month thirteen to be more precise but Graham nodded, "I know, and that's what worries me. What if her dad thinks we're moving too fast."

"He won't. I think everyone in this town knows you two are gonna get married. You just haven't asked yet." Ben nodded and dug his hand deep into the popcorn bowl. "Now please...move over so I can see the rest of the game."

The green eyed Coastie stood aimlessly in the living room clutching the little black box his eyes were fixated on. He was gonna ask her to marry him. He was gonna get Charlotte Scott for forever.

"Graham!" Ben furrowed his brow and shook his head, "Come on, man. Move!"

"Sorry." It had come out in a jumbled rush and Graham walked out of the way and to his bedroom. He was holding that little box tightly in his hands and he'd been hiding the ring in various places over the last two weeks. Why? Just in case. Just in case Charlotte happened to go through his sock drawer or wherever else he might put it. Graham wanted to mix it up and keep her guessing. Not that she was. She wasn't. It was just in case.

This time he picked the coat pocket of his formal USCG uniform. It would be safe there.

Graham walked out of his bedroom and toward the door.

"Hey?" Ben turned away from the television and nodded, "If Nathan says no, meet me at Tric tonight for beers."

Graham took a deep breath and shook his head, "I hope not." He laughed as he opened up the front door of their apartment and felt a tsunami of nerves hit him with the fresh air. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? They were having a guys afternoon after all. Nathan, Jamie, Bennet, and Graham were all going out on Nathan's boat to do a little bit of fishing, so they'd at least be having fun.

But before they started reeling in snapper, Graham had to go pick up Charlotte. The girls were having a day to themselves while the boys had theirs but everyone was going to meet at Nathan and Haley's first.

Graham got in his Tahoe and while he drove toward Sawyer and Charlotte's house, he kept asking himself the same question over and over. What if he says no? What was Graham going to do if Nathan said no? The Coastie hadn't really thought about what that would mean. Would they have to date longer? Would he have to break up with Charlotte? He didn't want any of that to happen. Graham wanted Nathan to say yes. He needed him to say yes.

He'd made it to the little house and his feet were leading him toward the front door without much thought. His mind was elsewhere, running it's course of "what if's" and "how's" when Charlotte opened the door.

"I thought I heard you pull up."

Graham had been stirred from his trance and he looked to the brown eyed beauty with a smile, "Hey."

"Hi."Charlotte held open the door and the twosome made their way to the living room.

Their six month old puppy bound up off the floor and hustled over to Graham. "Hey, Mack." Graham ran his hand over the pup's golden coat and patted him on the back.

"So how was the game going? Was Ben being obnoxious about the score?" Charlotte walked towards the kitchen waiting for Graham's reply as she finished the last bite of her turkey fold over. She was waiting for him to tell her all about the Braves and Nationals game. Charlotte knew that he and Ben had been watching but Graham wasn't answering. "Graham?"

"Huh? What?"

Charlotte laughed and shook her head, "I was wondering how Ben was taking the game. I was flipping through he channels when I was eating lunch and saw that the Braves were down by four." She walked back to the living room with a funny smile, "Was he raising hell back at the apartment?"

"Uh..." In all honesty Graham had no idea. He'd been more preoccupied thinking about this impending fishing trip with his hopefully, soon to be father-in-law. "I...uh, I don't know. Probably."

Noticing his spacey demeanor, Charlotte took a few steps toward him and reached out to touch his arm, "What's with you today? You're acting so weird."

"N...nothing, nothing. I'm fine." He shook his head and knew he needed to get it together. "I think I'm just excited to go fishing." Graham knew that it sounded a little lame but it was the best he could come up with.

"You know Bennet's been talking about it for the last two weeks."

"Yeah." Graham nodded and smiled, "He's a fun kid."

They both turned to see Sawyer and Ben's dog lazily walk towards them.

"Oh no. We better go."

Graham laughed and furrowed his brow, "What?"

"It's Trout. He has really, really bad gas. I told Sawyer not to feed him leftovers but..."

A whiff hit Graham's nostrils and he cringed, "Ugh..."

"I know, let's get outta here." Charlotte laughed and pulled Graham's arm toward the front door, "Come on." She looked down to the dog by her boyfriends feet and smiled, "Bye, Mack. We'll be back later."

Graham rubbed his hand over the golden retriever's ears, "See ya, bud. Keep the house in order." He looked to their dog and nodded with a smile. Graham turned to follow Charlotte out the front door and saw her looking at him. "What?"

She bit her lip and shook her head.

"Wait? What did I do?"

Charlotte shrugged as they started walking down the pathway to Graham's car, "Just...being you."

Looking at her with a boyish grin, Graham raised his brow, "And that's a good thing, right?"

Leaning into his side, Charlotte looked up to him and kissed him quickly on the corner of his mouth, "It's a very good thing."

Graham felt himself smile with that and he opened Charlotte's door when they got to his car. It didn't take long to get to her parents house. Tree Hill was a small town; nothing ever took long to get to.

Charlotte saw that Liza's car was in the driveway. "I guess everyone's here." She opened her door and realized that Graham was still sitting in the driver's seat, "Come on, slowpoke."

"I'll be right there, I gotta get something." He nodded to her and unfastened his seat belt. Charlotte started walking to the house and Graham looked to the backseat and saw the hat he'd promised Bennet.

As soon as Charlotte opened the front door she was quickly met by her young nephew. "Bennet! Ah you've gotten so big!" Charlotte glanced at the little boy who looked just like her brother and shook her head in disbelief. He really was getting big. It had only been a week since she'd seen him but still, that kid was sprouting up really quickly. He was six years old and growing up fast.

The little boy gave his aunt a goofy smile and narrowed his eyes, "Where's Graham?"

Charlotte turned to look outside and smiled, "He's coming."

Bennet stood in the doorway and saw Graham walking up. He waved at him and the older man waved back.

When Graham walked inside he arched his brow and looked to Bennet, "So I gotcha something."

"Did you get it? Did you get it?" Bennet had been asking Graham to get him a United States Coast Guard hat and he was very curious as to what his aunt's boyfriend had for him.

Graham laughed at Bennet's eagerness and nodded. He pulled his hand from behind his back and displayed the navy blue hat. "It's all yours."

"Oh man!" Bennet took the hat and fastened it on his head. Charlotte and Graham both smiled at him and then he ran for the kitchen.

Charlotte walked with Graham as they followed Bennet and she turned to her boyfriend with a warm smile, "Thanks for getting that for him. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." Graham nodded his head and they made their way to the rest of her family.

"Mom! Dad! Look!" The young boy had run to the kitchen and pointed at his head.

Jamie smiled, "So does this mean you're gonna keep us safe on the water today?"

Charlotte and Graham walked into the kitchen and she hopped up on the counter, "Yeah Bennet, you gonna keep everyone safe?"

Bennet smiled widely and ran his hands over his hat, "Uh-huh."

Nathan laughed, "So you'll jump in after me if I fall overboard?"

Grimacing, Bennet shook his head and pointed to Graham. "He will."

All the adults laughed. It was what Graham did for a living after all. So Bennet was right, if someone was suited to jump in after anyone, it was Graham.

Nathan looked to his son then Graham, "You guys ready to go?"

Bennet raised his arms, "Yes! Yes! Let's go!" Nathan wasn't directing his question to his grandson but Bennet couldn't help but answer. The boy walked over to Jamie and pulled his dad by the arm, "Come on Dad, let's go."

Laughing Jamie nodded, "Alright. Alright. We're going." He smirked when Liza walked over to him.

"Be careful." She ran her arm over Jamie's and squeezed it lightly, "Okay?"

"We will." Jamie placed a sweet kiss on Liza's cheek, "Love you."

"Love you too."

After he'd kissed Liza goodbye Jamie walked towards his mom, "And you." He looked at the little girl in his mother's arms, "You be good for your mom." Jamie blew a raspberry on Claire's cheek and she laughed.

"Dad! Let's go!" Bennet was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Jamie walked by and ruffled his son's hair, "Okay, we're going!"

Liza saw her two boys walk away and couldn't help call out, "Don't forget to put sunscreen on him!" She wasn't sure if they had heard her or if Jamie knew where in the bag she'd packed it, so she walked after them.

Graham looked to Charlotte and smiled. His emerald green eyes met her deep chocolate ones, "I'll see you when we get back."

"Have fun." Charlotte nodded and watched him walk away. She turned to her mom and held her arms out, "My turn. Pass her on over." With her arms out, Charlotte motioned for her mom to pass over her young niece.

Haley did as her daughter wanted and saw that Nathan was checking his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and phone. She saw his keys on the counter and picked them up and handed them to him, "You might need these."

"I was just looking for those."

She smiled and walked over to him, "You don't know what you'd do without me."

Wasn't that the truth? Nathan nodded and smiled.

Charlotte whispered in Claire's ear, "So this is the part where they kiss." She couldn't help but laugh when both her parents shot looks at her, "What? You know I'm right."

Nathan thought about it and it was true. He waited for Haley to turn back around and leaned down to kiss her, "Bye."

"Bye." She watched him start to walk away, "Let Graham drive the boat if the water gets rough."

Charlotte smiled when she heard her mom say that. She'd always been proud of Graham for doing what he did, but it was an extra little bonus when her parents or Jamie or anyone else recognized it. It meant everything for her family to like him. Charlotte loved him. She saw herself married to him one day.

Funny thing; Charlotte had no idea that day would come so fast.

OTHOTH

The girls had been shopping for the last hour, and for thirty of those minutes Claire had been sound asleep. Scheduling a shopping excursion during an afternoon nap always had its pluses.

"What about this one, Charlotte?" Haley looked to her daughter and then the blouse she had in her hand, "I think it would be really cute with that skirt you have."

Charlotte looked at her mom and then to her sister in law for some advice, "What do you think, Liza?"

"I think it's cute." Liza nodded, "Very teacher appropriate."

Charlotte agreed, "Yeah. I'll try it on." She looked at her mom and held out her hand. "Let me add it to my pile."

The three women and baby roamed the department store and when Haley stopped to make small talk with a old friend of hers Liza and Charlotte were left to fend for themselves.

"Is this too blue?" Liza looked down to the cute summer dress she was holding and shrugged her shoulders.

Charlotte looked at it and shook her head, "No, I like it. Kinda makes your eyes pop."

Liza laughed at herself as she held out the dress, "I mean I don't know where I would wear this. Most of the time I'm in my scrubs or some dinky mom outfit."

"No you're not. You always dress well when I see you, and plus, if you get that it will give Jamie a reason to take you out more often."

"Yeah, in our spare time." Liza laughed sarcastically and shook her head, "Not much of that is going on between a six year old, a one year old, the hospital, and him working."

Charlotte knew that her brother and his wife lived a very busy life but she smiled, "So you'll just have to ask me and Graham to watch the kids more often. "

Liza raised her brow as Charlotte said and Graham. It wasn't that she didn't like him, she did. Everyone did. Liza thought it was really sweet. "And how's everything with the two of you these days?"

Smiling, Charlotte had a sweet grin, "Great." She narrowed her eyes a bit and tilted her head, "Well, he has been acting a little strange lately but..."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. It's like when it's just the two of us he gets all quiet and his mind kinda goes somewhere else."

Liza suddenly had an intuitive thought about what might be on Graham's mind. Jamie had been the same way before he proposed. "Does he tone you out? Do you have to ask him things twice or say his name kinda loud to get his attention?"

Charlotte nodded, "Yeah. Is it a guy thing or something? Does Jamie do that with you?"

Liza tried to hid her smile and she bit her lip, "Um..." She knew she didn't want to spoil anything if she was on the right page. "...how's work been? Did he miss a save or something?" Liza knew that was a decent way to guide the conversation.

"No, I don't think so. Everything's been fine."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe a lot has been on his mind? Boys are very weird sometimes."

Laughing, Charlotte nodded and took a deep breath, "Maybe?"

Haley walked back toward the girls and saw that Liza was holding a blue dress, "Oh, that's cute."

Liza nodded, "I thought so, too."

Charlotte had noticed a rack of black pants and picked up a pair, "I could use another pair of these, but look how long they are."

Waving off her daughter, Haley laughed, "Well I'm sorry that you got my height, but that's what your Aunt Brooke is for. She can hem those in no time."

Liza laughed. She was in the 5'4 club too. The mother of two looked to her sleeping baby and knew that Claire would in all likelihood join her mom, aunt, and grandmother as another Scott women to inherit the short pants gene.

Charlotte picked up the pants and looked toward the dressing rooms, "Alright, let's go try this stuff on. Hopefully we'll come out with a few keepers."

The Scott women all headed to the dressing rooms while the men were busy facing a daunting task in the Atlantic. There were hoping for a few keepers too.

"I can't do it. Help." Bennet was holding his fishing pole so tight that his knuckles were white. He'd hooked a fish that felt like it weighed a bazillion pounds.

Jamie was behind his son helping steady the pole while Graham leaned over the boat to scout the water. "I think you've got a big one, Bennet."

"Ugh, it's really hard." The six year old tried with all his might to turn the reel but he wasn't so successful.

Putting his hand over Bennet's Jamie helped his boy reel and slowly they started to make progress. "There we go, slow and steady, bud."

"How's it going, Bennet?" Nathan had been standing on the other side of the boat but had turned to watch the action unfold.

"Not so good."

"Nah, you're getting it." Graham looked at the boy and nodded, "I can see him coming in. He's about as big as you."

"Me! There are fish that big?"

Jamie laughed and nodded, "What do you think a whale is?"

Bennet furrowed his brow and he put more effort into reeling, "I thought it was different than a fish?" The boy turned to his grandfather for some backup.

Nathan laughed and threw his hands up, "Don't look at me. I never took marine biology. I hardly got through biology alone."

Graham knew a thing or two about marine life and he smirked at Bennet, "You know what? You're right, Bennet. A whale is different than a fish. It's a mammal."

Jamie laughed and closed his eyes, "Oh nice. I graduate from UNC and my six year old outsmarts me."

Nathan laughed and patted his son on the back, "Get used to it, Jame."

"Here we go. Just a little bit more." Graham looked over the side of the boat and reached for the net. When the fish surfaced Graham scooped it up and brought it aboard.

"Whoa! Dad, look at that."

"Pretty good, Bennet." Jamie shook his son's shoulders with a proud smile.

Nathan extended his hand toward the boy and gave his grandson a pound, "I think you got us dinner."

Bennet looked to the three men on the boat with a smile as big as the Summer sun. "That was pretty cool, wasn't it?"

Graham laughed and held the king mackerel up nodding, "Pretty cool, Bennet."

A few grouper later and some missed opportunities, Nathan decided to take a break and let the younger fellas mess around.

Knowing that this was an opportune moment to speak with Charlotte's dad alone, Graham took a deep breath and let a minute or two pass before he put his rod down. "I'm gonna go up top to see if I can see any schools swimming around."

Bennet was securely holding his rod and nodded, "I'll call for you if we get another one." Jamie laughed at his son as he cast his line.

When Graham made it to the captain's quarters he saw Nathan leaning back in the chair. Charlotte's dad turned and smiled when he saw Graham. "Water looks pretty good from up here."

Graham nodded, "Yeah, for July it looks great. Sometimes there can be some nasty swells but today's pretty nice." He looked out and saw blue sky and the glimmering ocean beneath it. He loved the water. It was the only thing in life he knew he'd love forever. That was until he'd met Charlotte Scott of course.

Nathan got up from the chair and looked out the port window.

Graham swallowed hard and balled both his fists up before he found the nerve to speak up. Once he realized he couldn't just stand there in silence he cleared his throat. "Mr. Scott...?"

Nathan turned around at that. Graham had been calling him Nathan for the last six months so he knew something was up when he used that name.

Graham hesitated then began again, "Mr. Scott I love your daughter. She's intelligent, incredibly kind, determined, beautiful and the best part of my day..."

Nathan could hear the shakiness in Graham's voice but valued everything the guy said.

Graham ran his hand through his hair, "I don't want to wait around for this. She's the one. Charlotte's the girl for me and I wanted to know if I could marry her." Once he'd finished he repeated himself since his nerves got the best of him, "May I marry her?"

Sighing heavily. Nathan didn't know whether to be happy or sad. In one instance his little girl had found a man who loved her to no end, who was smart, who was kind, who made her laugh, and Graham was a good guy. He was a great guy, but for the last twenty four years Charlotte had been his. His little girl and he didn't know if he was ready to let her go.

When Graham realized Nathan hadn't said anything his heart dropped and his mouth went dry. He was about to speak up but Nathan intervened.

"Take care of her." Nathan looked to Graham and nodded, "Love her, protect her from anything and everything." He looked out to the water and then back to Graham, "Be safe out there."

"Yes sir, absolutely. Always." Graham realized that Nathan was saying yes and he felt his heart race a thousand miles an hour.

Nathan smiled and extended his hand, "Be good to her."

Shaking Nathan's hand Graham had a grin so big he could hardly speak. "Yes sir, I will. Thank you." He shook his head in disbelief, "Thank you so much."

Nathan nodded. He remembered how nervous he'd been when he'd asked Haley's parents, and he could tell by the way Graham was speaking, the way he looked, that he was the one for Charlotte. It was a bit scary to think about, but he knew he was doing the right thing. One of the best days of his life was the day Haley's parents said yes and he was pretty sure he'd just given Graham one of those days.

Graham was still taking it all in. He was going to ask Charlotte to marry him. Her father had given him permission and he couldn't be happier. He took a deep breath and looked down to the stern of the boat where Jamie and Bennet were. "Do you think we could keep this between ourselves for a little while? I want to make sure she's surprised when it happens."

Nathan nodded and laughed, "I'll try." He'd been able to keep Jamie's plans on proposing to Liza a secret from Haley and anyone else, but it was going to be really hard for Nathan not to tell anyone about this.

Graham looked over to Nathan again and nodded once more, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Nathan smiled and watched as Graham headed for the ladder to go back down to the bottom level.

As Graham stepped onto the flat surface Jamie turned to him and noticed Graham's extra happy demeanor. He knew that face. He'd had it almost nine years ago when he'd asked Mr. Bennet a very important question. It was a look every married man could relate to.

Jamie turned to Bennet, "Hey bud hold on tight for a sec I gotta go talk to Graham." He walked towards Graham and arched his brow, "Congratulations man!"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about?" Graham waved it off like nothing had transpired in the last fifteen minutes.

"You're gonna marry my sister."

Graham furrowed his brow, "How did you know? Did you hear us talking?" He looked up to where Nathan was and knew that there was no way Jamie could have heard them.

Jamie shook his head, "No, I just knew. I was in the same place you were a while back."

Nodding his head Graham realized Jamie must have gone through the same thing with Liza's parents. He saw Jamie extended his hand so he did the same.

Once Jamie had a firm grasp on Graham's hand he tightened his grip and pulled Graham close, "Look I hate to be a jackass about this, cause I like you. I do. I mean we're friends, but I've got to say this. I didn't really do it when you started dating but I am now. I know you love Charlotte and I know she loves you, but if you break her heart or get her upset about something" He closed his eyes and shook his head, "I don't want late night phone calls about something you've said or done to make her cry so as the big brother I'm just warning you."

Graham was absolutely taken back by Jamie's behavior but he was the big brother. Jamie had every right to want to protect his little sister.

Jamie looked over to his son who was holding a fishing pole, "And he thinks the world of you so don't mess that up. It won't only hurt Charlotte, but Bennet too, and I won't have that."

"Yeah, no I completely understand." Graham knew that Jamie was only saying it because he cared. "I''m in it for forever, I'm never letting her go, and Bennet..." Graham laughed a little, "I'll always be his cool Uncle Graham."

Jamie nodded. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He'd gotten pretty much the same thing from Liza's brothers when he'd first started dating her so he couldn't help but do the same for his sister. But Graham was a great guy. Charlotte loved him and he loved her. As long as she was happy, everyone else was happy.

Graham had to take a deep breath and let the everything set in. Nathan said yes. He'd said yes! It was almost as good as hearing it from Charlotte. Almost. That was his next question. He was gonna ask Charlotte Scott to marry him.

He looked out over the cool blue ocean and smiled thinking about it. It was happening. Everything was falling into place and now his next dilemma was figuring out how he was gonna pop the question.

OTHOTH

Two days had passed and Graham was still trying to come up with the best way to propose. Spontaneous and spur of the moment or planned romance? There were so many things he could do that it was hard to decide. He'd taken the ring out of its sacred little black box, and it had been in his pocket every time he and Charlotte had been together thinking he might find the right time, but nothing had happened so far.

"Let's go out to dinner." Charlotte was sitting on the back porch watching Graham throw the ball for Mack and Trout. "How about that."

"Sure. Where do you want to go?" He threw the ball and laughed when Trout tripped over Mack.

Charlotte looked up to the sky and took a deep breath, "I don't know. How about Bluewater?"

"Works for me." Graham leaned down to get the ball back from Mack and turned to Charlotte, "You wanna head there soon?" He looked to the sky and saw that the cloudy haze had probably turned most beach goers away. "It probably won't be crowded since it's cloudy."

"I was thinking the same thing."

Graham held out the ball for both dogs and nodded, "Last one, boys." He tossed the ball to the back fence and walked to the porch where Charlotte was sitting. "I'll clean up a little bit."

"Kay." She nodded and smiled when he leaned down to kiss her.

Graham pulled away and gave her a smile that melted her heart. He walked inside and subconsciously put his hand over his pocket to make sure the ring hadn't gone anywhere. It had become habit. Graham always wanted to make sure it was safe and secure in his pocket. The last thing he wanted to do was lose it.

They both were ready within minutes, and made their way to the beach.

"So maybe we were wrong." Charlotte laughed and looked at the long lines by the restaurant, "Maybe the clouds didn't scare off the tourists."

Graham pulled into a parking space and shrugged, "Maybe the wait won't be so bad? Let's go put our name in and see." The summer air was warm on their skin and Graham took Charlotte's hand as they crossed the street. He put their name on the list but it was going to be at least a forty five minute wait. They should have figured as much considering the time of year but they could find something to do to pass the time. Wrightsville Beach had plenty of little shops and other various places they could roam.

They started walking away from the restaurant and Charlotte listened to the ocean as the waves crashed along the shore just over the dunes. "So what's Poseidon up to today?"

Graham laughed and looked up to the sky to see if he could tell what the tide was doing. It was close to seven and with the cloud coverage and the time of day, Graham couldn't tell what the sun or the moon were doing. "I don't know, We can go check."

She nodded and it didn't take long to find a beach access. Charlotte took her heals off and held them in one hand as they walked toward the water. Surprised that the beach was as empty as it was, Charlotte turned to Graham, "The clouds must have scared away the beach goers to all the restaurants." She looked down the sparsely populated beach front and started walking in the sand.

Graham dug his hand into his pocket and took a deep breath. Her back was to him and he pulled out the ring.

"There's gotta be a story about clouds and the sea." Charlotte looked out across the breaking waves and then to the sky that was painted in various grays and purples as the sun slid beneath the horizon.

Graham had been in a quiet daze but when he'd heard her speak up he fell back into reality. He also dropped the ring. "Shit."

Turning around, Charlotte laughed, "Mmm, good story so far." She saw that he was kneeling down looking for something and shook her head, "What are you doing."

"Uh...I dropped...a nickel."

"A nickel?" Charlotte furrowed her brow and started to walk back to him. "Leave it for the sweet old men who wear those headphones and use the metal detectors."

Graham wasn't about to let this particular nickel fall into someonelse's hands. "Actually, it's a really rare one. I...should really try to get it back." He felt a lump form in this throat. Why did he have to drop the ring then? Why did he have to drop his grandmother's ring in the soft sand?

"Oh..." Charlotte knelt down on her knees and started to run her fingers through the grains of sand, "Is it one of those commemorative ones or something?"

He only nodded and continued to run his hands through the sand. He couldn't believe what was happening, and the worst part was that the ring was probably getting deeper with each move they made.

They were both on their knees looking for that nickel and Charlotte looked up to Graham with a small laugh, "Remember when I lost my earring?"

"Yeah. It was our first beach date, wasn't it?"

Charlotte nodded, "I got to watch you play volleyball...shirtless."

Graham laughed, and even though he was freaking out internally, her presence alone was calming him down. "I'm pretty sure I tried to show off and sucked."

"It wasn't that bad." Shaking her head, Charlotte smiled, "The actual volleyball wasn't so good but I got to hear one of your stories. I think you ha..." Charlotte stopped talking when her hand hit something cool and metalic, but it wasn't a coin. She opened her palm and saw a ring. Her heart stopped and she instantly knew he hadn't dropped a nickel. Charlotte felt her heart race and her voice grow weak, "Graham?" She shook her head out of disbelief and swallowed hard, "...you didn't drop a nickel, did you?"

Looking up from his search, Graham saw his grandmother's ring in the palm of Charlotte's hand and he shook his head, "No. I didn't." He took a deep breath and let out a small laugh. Reaching for the ring he picked it up, "You found it, huh? Well...I guess this messes up my plan, then. "

Charlotte laughed because he'd said something vaguely familiar the first time they'd met. She nodded and her eyes grew glossy as her heart started to race uncontrollably. She knew that he was about to ask her something.

Graham looked to Charlotte and the ring, and then back to Charlotte. He shifted his feet beneath him so he was on one knee. She was still on her two knees and they were nearly eye level.

The green eyed Coastie looked to the girl in front of him and took a deep breath, "I've never been so sure or so terrified of anything in my life. And when I thought I'd meet the girl I'd spend the rest of my life with, I thought there would be a moment, a fraction of a second where I'd just know." Graham took another deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. He saw a tear roll down Charlotte's cheek and he kept going. "But, Charlotte, it wasn't just one moment. Everyday you find a way to surprise me." Shaking his head, Graham shrugged, "I'm not saying it's perfect, but I don't need perfect with you. I love you." Charlotte's breath hitched when he'd said that and she was going to have a hard time saying anything coherent if he kept on going. But he did. He took one of her hands and nodded, "I want to build a family with you." Graham smirked and took her hand in his, "Today, tomorrow, and the day after that." Charlotte bit her lip and felt her chin quiver. Graham took another deep breath, "I think what I'm trying to say, is that I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. So I'm asking..." His green eyes met her brown ones, "...Charlotte Scott, will you marry me?"

Charlotte nodded first and tried to speak as best she could. "Ye..yes."

Graham felt an overwhelming feeling rush over him, "Yeah?"

"Yes." She nodded, "Of course." His hand were a little shaky but he slid the ring onto her left ring finger. Charlotte sighed and threw her arms around his neck and kissed his jaw, "I love you."

Smiling, Graham rested his forehead against hers, "I love you too." He kissed her and kissed him right back. They stayed close for what seemed like an eternity and Graham got up from his knee and helped Charlotte up.

She looked to her ring and shook her head out of pure shock. "I...Oh my gosh... I just...wow, Graham."

He laughed and ran his hand through his hair, "I can't tell you how happy I am that you found the ring."

Glancing to the diamond on her hand she sighed laughing, "Me either." She shook her head and got on her tip toes to kiss him again.

They'd stayed on that beach for awhile. Their reservation had come and gone but it didn't matter. None of it mattered. She said yes. Charlotte said yes, and if it was just the two of them for the rest of their lives they'd be perfectly content.

When the newly engaged couple got back to Charlotte's they were surprised but thankful that Sawyer and Ben were still out. It was close to eleven when they got inside but Charlotte went straight for the phone. The twenty four year old dialed the number and waited for the line to pick up. She stared down at her finger while the line rang and then she heard the familiar voice, "Mom? Hey, I didn't wake you up did I?"

Haley smiled and shook her head. She knew exactly what this call was about. Nathan had caved and told Haley that Graham asked for his permission to marry their daughter. Smiling, Haley looked to her husband, "No, we were up. What's going on?"

Charlotte couldn't contain the excitement in her voice, "Graham proposed! I'm getting married!"

OTHOTH

They're getting married! Next chapter will pick up the next morning and we'll see Charlotte and Graham tell the rest of their family and friends the happy news. Then I'll be skipping each months after each section so the wedding will happen relatively soon. There's drama to come, though. One happy couple doesn't remain so happy, there will be lots of wedding planning, and a Graham's job will threaten everything they've planned.

Oh, if you haven't seen it yet, I've added in a family tree for the Little Moments "franchise". It may help some of you remember all the characters and who belongs to whom.

My reviewers are hands down, HANDS DOWN the best on this site. I'm totally convinced, so thank you. The support for this story has been incredible!

Just me and ncaq2000, I hope you enjoyed the update. I know you were waiting.

C: I'm so glad you've been enjoying the story. Hopefully you liked the proposal!

Joan: OTH 20 years down the road, lol. Sure. Maybe. I'd like to think something like this would happen with Nathan and Haley's daughter. I'm glad you liked how I incorporated the run last chapter with their 1 year anniversary. Again, Sawyer and Ben's problems will be addressed later. I'm bound and determined to get their story up. Believe me.

Anon: So how'd I do with the proposal? Hopefully it wasn't something too predictable. I appreciate the encouragement to think about my family before my stories. I was definitely going through a stressful time but all is well now.

Review Please!