Evan

rebecca and i'd been together a long time. I didn't want to date anyone else and i'd decided that since we'd already had 3 kids – reva, karessa and briarra - and were holding off on having another that I wanted to marry her. I was going to propose where we met. I'd told ashley to ask her cousin annabelle if it was ok if we borrowed her camera to self time us when I proposed.

That june day rebecca and I were at my place. Which had become hers since she didn't have anywhere else to go. We'd dropped our daughters off at my dad's.

"rebecca," I said going into the living room.

She looked at me: "yes?"

"i want to talk to you about something."

"here?"

"no."

"is everything ok?"

"yes it's better than ok."

"um well alrite."

in my car I had the engagement ring, her fave flowers and the camera. Ashley would meet us as the park and videotape the whole thing w/ dad's camera. Annabelle would be behind the trees and take photos.

I led rebecca out of our place down the hall stairs and out into my car. On her seat were the flowers.

"oh these are my fave! We should go put them in water," rebecca said as she took them off of the seat.

"no just wait," I told her.

"but..."

"you're going to be even more confused," I told her: "get in please."

I held the flowers while she did. Once she had buckled I gave her the flowers. I got in and buckled. Before i'd come out into the living room i'd texted ashley that we were on our way. She'd texted annabelle.

I started the car and we drove downtown to where we'd met.

"but. We've been here before," rebecca said when we got there.

"yes I know. Bring your flowers," I said as I parked.

I parked turned off the car and got out as did she. We walked to the spot where we'd met.

"oh I think I dropped something," I said getting down to the ground where I took the ring out of my pocket.

"oh where?" rebecca asked looking down..

"no i'll get it."

I looked up at her. I was nervous and really happy.

"rebecca. Ever since we met I thought you were beautiful. You've been nothing but sweet to my sisters and so helpful around the house. And I know how much we all appreciate it. Yes we've fought but everyone does. You're so lovely and I want you to be and you deserve to be in my world for the rest of time and I in yours. Will you marry me?"

"i...i yes I will."

as I slipped the ring onto her finger we both had the biggest smiles. I stood dipped her and kissed her right then and there as she held the flowers behind my back.

"wow that's quite a kiss. We've not had many like that," she said once we came up for air.

"no we haven't."

"so now what?" she asked sensing there was more.

"come w/ me."

we walked to where there was 'she said yes' spelled out. The letters were made up of unicorn images my sisters had either drawn or gotten from the internet. The words were on canvases which were on easels.

"oh evan...bc when we met..."

"that's one of the first things we talked about."

"that's just. That's so thoughtful of them."

"well I was the one who came up w/ the idea. But thank you."

I nodded. Rebecca probably had no idea who I was nodding at. Ashley and annabelle came out from behind the trees.

"chapmagne?" annabelle asked offering us both glasses and taking the flowers and the ring box.

"we um. We're not..." I said meaning we weren't supposed to drink in public.

"the trees."

we followed them to the trees. Ashley went back and got the easels. She went and put them in my car then came back to us.

"i'm so happy for you 2," ashley told us as she took a sip.

"me too," annabelle said.

"good. There's something I want to tell you. Ashley since I don't talk to my family I want you to be my maid of honor. You're strong as hell but you're sweet and good w/ your sisters. Er well I guess they'll be my sisters now. In laws. But i'll think of them as my sisters," rebecca said.

"oh wow thank you."

"and annabelle. I've not heard you sing much but the times I have you've always been emotional. You're such a beautiful person. I want you to sing at our wedding."

"i...wow. Things like this don't happen to me."

"but they do. And they are," rebecca turned to me: "evan I want your dad..."

I smiled knowing what she was asking: "yes it's ok if you dance w/ him."

"so when's the wedding?" ashley asked.

"we don't know yet we only just got engaged."

"i wish marie was here it would make her happy."

'me too," I said as I had more of the champagne.

"the bridesmaids are going to be your sisters and the groomsmen...well that's for you to decide," rebecca told me.

"honey it's our wedding not just mine. It's ok if you have more of a say."

"ok. Well I like puck he seems cool. And I want chris there too. And ashley's er serena's um. Ben. I want him to be a groomsmen."

"ok."

"oh and your spanish teacher. And mark hannah's dad. That technically now makes him my uncle doesn't it?"

"yeah."

"wow."

rebecca took a sip.

"yeah i've heard that when you marry someone you don't just marry them you marry their family too," annabelle said drinking some more.

"actually mark's lily's dad lacey's her mom. They're dad's friends from college. But either way they'll be honored you asked. To be honest I don't know how chris would feel about being a groomsmen though since he's gay. It's ok if you ask him," I said.

"he seems like a sweet guy," rebecca said.

"yeah he is."

"i want cherie there too."

"ok...so that's...um...5 guys including my dad. Er well 6 plus mark. And 7 ladies. So the guys are outnumbered by 1."

"i...i don't have a dress. And it would mean more to me if I got it from someone in your family. Er our family. But I don't know...as neither of your parents have ever been married. Oh but mark and lacey might have one. I'll ask them."

"they'll be at my parents' today."

"your mom I...i don't know. I'm not big on her to be honest. I've been more of a mom to your sisters than karen has. As has pam. Who I also want there,"

"yeah none of us are," ashley said.

"after we get married. I want to have our own house. But we don't have the money nor do we have jobs yet so..." rebecca began.

"oh pam'll give us her place. There's enough room for our daughters and it's right across from my mom's, so," I said.

"ok."

"reva will start preschool in 2 yrs. So she'll be there during the day and if it's ok w/ you sara or my dad will take care of karessa and briara while you and I are working. Do you know what you want to do?"

"excuse us," annabelle said.

She and ashley left us alone to talk.

"no. I could move to amsterdam cause sex work is legal there. But then I wouldn't be here for you or your family. Unless we all moved. It's something I know how to do. How do you feel about me doing that?"

"what moving or continuing sex work?"

"well both."

"i don't want to move cause I want us to be involved w/ my sisters. If kate and anna didn't have cancer it would be different. I've always wished it was."

"yeah me too. Not for me necessarily but the others."

"you know I didn't like it when you were a sex worker. Esp. bc it's not legal here. But it's more that if you get pregnant I want it to be by me. My family will pay for your birth control if that's what it takes. I'd rather you run it out of pam's house so I know where you are. And if that's what it takes then that's what ittakes. Until you save enough for college or w/e."

"ok. But thing is...if i'm busy working I won't be able to just drop everything to go and help your sisters. Alexa's not able to do that as much as she wants to. In fact none of us are except well. You and I."

'well what do you want? Do you want to work or do you want to help? A lot of people do both."

"i don't know. Well I do but it's not. It's not simple. And thing is that's the only thing I know how to do. Is sex work. Well and. And the …...the drug trade. I'm not like. I'm not proud of it. And i've never told you this before. But yeah when I wasn't working as a sex worker I. I was in the drug trade."

"sweetie I will never judge you. On a big scale like that."

"back where i'm from that's what I did. I sold drugs I did drugs I was a sex worker."

"well I figured you shot up. How do you feel about being a waitress? Er a hostess rather."

"i could do that."

"i know where ashley used to work as one needs a new hostess."

"yeah. I'll explain my situation and. Yeah. But until then...untill reva goes to preschool. I don't like taking money from your parents."

"they are willingly giving it to you."

"yeah but back. Before I met you I was my own boss. I'd buy the drugs from people w/ the money I made from my other job and sell them. And sometimes buy them for me. And I liked that. I mean I liked being on my own like that."

"a lot of ladies are stay at home moms and there's nothing wrong w/ that."

"yes and while there isn't I want to do more. I've spent so much time doing one thing only. And you still don't have a job."

"well actually i'm looking into getting one at a store."

"oh."

"at a king's actually stocking."

"oh ok."

"yeah i'm still waiting to hear back."

"ok. Good so you'll be able to provide a little bit for us for the next 2 yrs. Although a lot can happen in 2 yrs."

"ok so we've gotten that figured out."

ashley and annabelle came back and we finished drinking.

After we were done drinking I gave our glasses to ashley who put them in our car. I know she'd texted my dad who would come get us. Puck would get annabelle and ashley and we'd all go to my dad's.