Six weeks later, Carly was in her fourth month. Now in her second trimester, she was past the morning sickness, moving straight to the strange cravings and constant naps. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and she was curled up on the couch in Jason's lap. He stroked her honey blonde hair as she slept. The rest of the house was quiet, the boys were spending the day with Mike.

"Hmmm," she yawned as she stretched her legs out.

"Nice nap?"

"Nice nap."

"So, I have a question for you."

"What's that?"

"Want to be my wife?"

The casual question completely surprised Carly, but she didn't let him know it. "Sure, sounds good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Jason bent down and captured her lips in a deep kiss. Their tongues danced until both their lips were swollen, and he finally pulled away, breathless from their passionate tangle. "I love you."

Looking up at him, she realized that there really was nothing else that needed to be said. They didn't need an ornate proposal, filled with fireworks and fancy words. His simple proposal perfectly reflected their relationship. Like the love that they shared, Jason's proposal to Carly was didn't need to pretend to be something that it wasn't. Private and direct, it was exactly what she would have wanted it to be.

"I love you, too, Jase. More than anything, you know that," she said. "I can't wait to be your wife."

"You don't have to wait. We could do it tomorrow. Just you and me and the boys, that's all that I really need. If you want something more, we can wait."

"This, us, is all I need. As long as the boys are there, that's all that matters to me."

"Will your mom be upset?'

"Maybe, but so will your family," she said. "We could have a nice dinner at the hotel next week to celebrate with both of our families. I've done the big wedding thing. I think it's better that this time is different. We need to start our new life as a family with just the family."

"Whatever you want, Carly, I will give it to you."

"You already have, Jason," she said as he placed her hand over his, which was resting easily on her slightly round tummy. "You already have."