Rick and Michonne opted to Michonne's house when André became fussy. Rick carried him while Michonne pushed the stroller and when they returned to the car, Rick gracefully handed André to his mother and took the stroller instead to put it in the trunk of the Rav4. Michonne buckled André into his car seat and started the car. When Rick was settled in the passenger seat beside her, she put the car in drive, looked both ways and pulled out of her spot.
"Is it weird?" Rick blurted.
"Is what weird?"
"Talking to other moms? I mean, they all are so much older than you."
Michonne thought about her answer because it was weird. At least it used to be. She always felt like other mothers shunned her for being so young. She was very uncomfortable when she went to labor and delivery classes with her mom because every other mother there was much older than her and probably much more in tune with their bodies than Michonne was. But as time went on, she realized that she was not an outsider to this circle of women. She was just the same as them in their eyes. She was another first-time mother, who had no idea what to expect, who was prepared to love and protect her baby above all else.
"At first I thought it would be terrible and embarrassing, but it wasn't. Every mom wants the same thing; to keep her child safe. I feel like a lot of women don't see me as a teenager, but as just another mother."
"I guess I'll have to get used to this," Rick sighed.
"That's absolutely right. If you want to be with me, you're with André."
Rick rapidly amended, "I mean, I'm going to have to get used to you being a part of two groups I guess. You're a teenager like me and everyone else, but you're also a mom. I'm not used to that. You saw how weird I got around that other mom at the park. I don't know how to talk to adults about adult stuff."
Michonne laughed, "It's not adult stuff, it's just different stuff. I know that it seems really scary at first, but it's not that bad. It's the same basic formula of asking questions, answering questions and saying how cute the baby is. As long as you're nice to them, 99% of the time they'll be nice back to you. And if they're not nice, well, quite honestly, they can go fuck themselves."
"I mean, I guess," Rick wasn't sure what to say next.
Michonne tried again, "I know it's hard for you because you haven't been there since day one and I know it's hard because he's not your child."
Rick just nodded and Michonne dropped the subject, opting to hand Rick her aux cord.
He took it from her, trying to hide his excitement about being allowed to play his country music. Every few minutes, he would look in the back to check on André. Rick might not have been there since day one, but he was pretty sure he wanted to be there for the rest of them. He felt silly thinking this now, but he knew he loved Michonne. He loved how fiercely she loved her son and what a good friend she was. He admired that she felt her emotions so strongly, but exercised phenomenal restraint to not act on them. He loved the way her lips felt on his. He loved the way her arms were toned from carrying trays in the bakery all day. He admired what a hard worker she was and how determined she was to be able to provide for her baby. He remembered the smile that lit up her face when she bought her car. He smiled at how pure it was, sincere and genuine just like she was, especially now that she was done trying to convince herself that she didn't love Rick.
These reasons represented just a small fraction of why they dated while he went to the police academy and she went to school. They were an infinitesimally small amount of the extraordinarily vast number of reasons he decided to propose to her after she got her bachelor's degree in political science. The extraordinarily vast number of reasons were why he asked his father for his grandmother's ring to propose with. He knew Michonne would appreciate the sentimental value of the heirloom and that she would wear the ring happily. In fact, he knew she would wear it more than happily. He knew she would wear it more than willingly, ecstatically, overjoyed, exuberantly, and every other synonym there was for the word.
She loved the way that Rick was so kind to her, the way he was affectionate with her, both in public and in private. She loved how hard he worked to become a police officer. These reasons and then some were why Michonne smiled so strongly when she overheard Rick asking her mother for her hand in marriage.
Of course, he would be so traditional; she shouldn't have been so surprised. She was delighted, knowing that she would one day be able to marry Rick. Rick didn't know she had overheard the conversation. She didn't know when he would propose. He had spoken to Michonne's mother during her sophomore year of college, and when she entered her senior year, she gave up hope that Rick would propose. She figured he had gotten cold feet. That as much as Rick's father liked Michonne, that he had gotten into Rick's head and convinced him that he shouldn't marry her. It was at first difficult for her to keep going on dates and spending time with him, feeling as though it would ultimately end in a break up and not in marriage. Her fears were quelled when about twenty minutes after she walked across a stage to accept her college diploma. She had found Rick and her mother, Rick standing there, holding André's hand while he whined. He didn't understand why the graduation ceremony had been so long or even what it was. He was only seven. Seven-year-old kids got bored easily.
She watched Rick nudge André to go hug his mother, which André did without really knowing why. Rick had planned on proposing to her after dinner, but in that moment seeing how happy she was and feeling how proud he was of her, Rick felt himself lose control of himself and found himself pulling out the box from his pocket and suddenly he was down on one knee, before Michonne. He stumbled through his very sincere proposal, nervous only because he thought Michonne might realize she was too good for him and tell him no, and leave him there embarrassed.
"Michonne Dawson, you make me so happy, truly and sincerely every single day since I've met you. You bring immense joy to my life, and I want to maximize that joy by asking you if you would build a life with me. We might have skipped a few steps, but that is more than okay with me. It gave me a taste of the pure bliss that our life together would be, and it has made me want more. Michonne, will you marry me?"