"NATALIE! WAIT!" Adrian shouted as he heard the screen door slam shut. Shaking his head, he grabbed his cane, walked out through the back door and onto the porch. Natalie had not taken the news of his moving out well and had run away. Standing by the banister, he looked for her, but the sun had set making it difficult to see. So, he steadied himself with his cane and went down the back stairs and into her yard.

"Sweetheart, where are you? …Awe...don't make me hunt for you. It's dark out." He said, moving as quickly as he could through the yard and into the shadows. There he saw her, sitting on the ground under a little crab apple tree, her arms around her knees, crying and rocking back and forth.

Mentally, he chastised himself for not handling this better, but steadied himself with the knowledge that he needed to fix this and fix it quickly.

"Natalie. Darling. Please." He said.

"No. Adrian. Just go away." She said.

"But…" he protested.

"I, I can't talk about this right now." She replied.

He stood there, helpless, for about sixty seconds, then he spoke.

"Then fine, be like me." He said, turning back towards the house and throwing his hands up in the air.

"What?" she asked, incredulously.

Turning back, he continued. "You're acting just like me. When hard subjects come up and there are things you don't want to face, you just run away. That's what I did with you and Steven. Wasn't that exactly what you got upset with me for?"

"You were hurt! I didn't know if you were safe." She said sharply.

"True. But you were also upset that I didn't stay and hear you out, and that I jumped to conclusions that were the opposite of the truth. Isn't that right?" he asked.

There was a long pause and then she looked up.

"Yes." she whimpered.

"Fine! Well, that's exactly what you're doing here. You've taken my words, not letting me explain, and jumped to a conclusion that I can pretty much tell you is the exact opposite of what is true, and you've run away." He said.

She was quiet and her eyes followed him as he walked over and stood by where she sat underneath the tree.

"Natalie, I need to talk to you." he said, his voice softening. "I planned on talking to you before and what I would say to you…but I really need to explain to you about last night and about why I feel like I can't stay here anymore…note…I said stay here, I did NOT say stay with you." He said.

She looked up at him, a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. Maybe she wasn't losing him.

"Now, won't you come back outside? It's dark out here and there's bugs and nature and stuff… and… I saw a spider coming down from that tree limb over there…" he mumbled.

"You want me to kill it?" she asked with a wry grin.

He thought for a second. "No. As long as he stays out here, and we go in there, I'll be fine."

"Alright." She said softly, standing slowly, she reached for his hand as leverage to stand up, then he took her by the hand, interlacing his fingers around hers and kissed her on the top of the head. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, she put her hand upon his back and they walked inside together.

As they entered the house, he walked her over to the couch and asked her to sit down while he turned on the burner on the stove to make her a nice cup of chamomile. She anxiously watched as he moved around her kitchen, as if it were his own and then woefully blinked back tears as she considered that soon she wouldn't be seeing that sight any longer. He was almost well, for that she was happy. But, the events of the past twenty hours had left her shaken. His speech to her at the beginning of the evening had been beautiful and she thought she understood. But once he told her that he was moving out, her understanding went out the window.

Adrian returned carrying a tray with two cups of tea on it and set the tray down on her new coffee table that had replaced the old one broken during his fight with Steven. He picked up her cup and brought it to her lips, encouraging her to take a sip while he held it for her. She took a sip and then took the cup from him, gently smiling a nervous smile as she put the cup back down on the tray and then placed her hands in her lap, giving him full attention.

He reached forward his hand and placed it on hers while taking his other hand to brush a strand of hair off of her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. Having done so, he gave a satisfied smile and then looked her in the eyes. He took his thumb and dried her tears and then brought her close to him for a hug, kissing her on the forehead. As he held her close, he spoke.

"Natalie. I'm sorry. I handled this entirely the wrong way. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. I shouldn't have just blurted that out and upset you. I…I just thought it was fair to let you know so that we can get prepared…"

"Adrian…it's okay. I understand." She said, tears whelming up in her eyes.

"You do?" he asked, leaning away from her but then seeing her tears he said, "Awe, sweetheart, no. No. I don't think you do."

He pulled her close to him again and she began to cry, wrapping her arms around his neck and saturating his shirt with her tears. He held her for a long time, patting her and trying to comfort her as she let all of the nervous energy from a day's worrying pour out. When it finally seemed she was slowing down, he leaned back and cupped her chin in his hand and gently kissed her on the lips.

"My sweet, sweet Natalie. Darling, don't cry." He said. "Please, don't cry. Tell me what's going on in your mind right now that's hurting you so. Let's work through this."

Natalie sniffled and placed her head on his chest again, and then sat up, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. He looked down and tried not to look a little disgusted by the action, but instead reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of wipes, using them to clean her up. Folding the wipe into a neat little square, he placed it on the tray and then looked her in the eyes.

"Talk. What is worrying you?" he said.

"It hurts. I don't want you to go, but you're leaving. And I guess, I'm afraid." She replied, looking down.

"Alright. Fear is something I'm well acquainted with. We can deal with fear. Tell me what you're afraid of."

She thought for a moment about how much he sounded like Dr. Bell at that moment, trying to get her to discuss what was on her mind, but maybe that was the right thing. If it helped him, maybe it would help her.

"Alright." She sighed. "When you left this morning, all sorts of things were going through my mind. All sorts of things about last night and about how we left things. Things about why you pulled away from me, and things…well, things about me."

He tilted his head but decided not to probe for specifics just yet. "Go on."

"Adrian, I know that you love me. I know that part of you wants to be with me. You can't fake that. But, I also know…" she exhaled. "Trudy."

"Awe, Natalie…" he interrupted, shaking his head.

"No, Adrian." She said, placing her fingers on his lips. "Trudy has been the only woman that you've ever loved up until now and I…I'm worried that maybe part of the reason you're feeling overwhelmed is maybe because you feel guilty about me - because of Trudy."

He began to speak but she wouldn't let him "No. Let me finish. Adrian, I think maybe both of us underestimated how hard it would be to date one another and I think part of you maybe wants to return to the way things were, because then we could be together and be friends and you didn't have to think about maybe betraying Trudy by having a relationship with me. So…you're moving out because of that, which is really sort of par for the course with me and relationships anyway, since no man I've dated has chosen to stay in my life, so part of it must be something about me too that I somehow drive men away…but this time, Adrian, this time it isn't like the other times…this time it really hurts, because I…I really love you. I didn't love any of those other men. But, now that we are together, it really hurts to think that we won't be…" she said, beginning to cry again.

Monk sighed.

"It's okay if you want to go back. I just want you to be happy." She said.

After a few seconds, he looked up at her with a soft smile and a crinkle in his eyes. "Is that what you think? Is that what you're really worried about?"

Natalie timidly nodded her head.

"Okay, may I speak now? Can I say something?" he asked.

"Yes. Go ahead." She replied.

"Alright, Natalie…first…this idea that we could somehow go back to the way things were with you as my friend and assistant and I as your boss, just toss that away. You've wrecked that for me. Not even a possibility. Do you know what you do to me? My word, you come into a room and you light it up by your presence and my heart skips a beat. I can't believe you'd even want to be my friend much less date me. I still have to pinch myself when I think you're really mine. And it's not just that…it's a million little things you do that drive me crazy.

You know, when you come down the stairs in the morning with your hair still a little damp, and you're walking around in your robe without makeup and you're positively beautiful. I find myself checking you out, and I'm certain Julie has caught me several times, so I really must be careful because she's going to call me out on it someday and then we're going to end up having a very uncomfortable conversation.

But, then there's that way you bite your lip when you're thinking something mischievous or your crinkle your nose when you're tickled and the sparkle in your eyes when you flirt…Natalie, you're opening my eyes to what life was really supposed to be about and I can't wait to take the next step with you into our future. And darling…sweetheart…I'm not going away. A trainyard full of locomotives couldn't pull me away from you now – so it appears you're stuck with me. I love you. I love you with all of my heart and as I said, I just need for you to be patient with me. I need you to believe in me and that we will be together, because it's coming. I promise.

And as for Trudy, if she has anything to do with this at all, it isn't because I feel guilty being around you because of Trudy, because I don't. I'm quite certain that she's looking down and is very happy for us, and I'm happy for her where she is. She will always be a part of me, and I'll always love her, just as you will always love Mitch – but life is for the living and I'm ready to move on.

But still, the way I did things with Trudy is the way I want to do things with you. It was years before Trudy and I ever came together in that way, and we waited until the right time…a very special time…and it was magical. I want to have that with you, Natalie. I love you so much I feel like my heart is going to burst most days and don't ever…ever…ever think I don't want you….because I very…very…very…very…very…very….very...very...very much do." He said.

"That was only nine." She smiled.

"Huh?"

"Nine. Nine verys."

He stopped for a moment and thought. "Oh yeah. Very... much do. But when it happens, and when I give you all of me that I have to give, it's going to be for a lifetime and there will be no turning back and I promise you it will be a night we will never forget. But we have to wait for it. We need to wait. Do you understand what I'm saying? That we need to wait?"

She smiled. "Yes. I think so." She paused. "We won't have to wait too long will we?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"You said you and Trudy waited years. We're not going to wait years are we?"

He laughed. "No. Not that long. Not years. I don't think even I could withstand that."

She smiled.

"I love you, you know." he said.

"And I love you." She replied.

He looked off to the side and then stood up and began to walk towards his room. "Stay right there a second."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Just stay right there. I need to go get something." He replied, heading his room.

A few minutes later he came back into the room and sat back down on the couch. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out an oblong shaped leather box. It wasn't the original, because it had gotten so dinged up in the explosion that he had it replaced. But the contents were the same.

"Here. This is for you." He said.

Reaching forward her hand, she took the box from him and asked. "What? What is it?"

He looked down. "I bought it for you several months ago. Go ahead. Open it."

She opened the box and took out the watch, holding in in her hands and examining its beauty and its intricacies.

"Adrian. It's beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like it."

"I…I love it!" she said, taking off her old watch and draping the new one over her wrist. He reached forward and helped her put it on.

"I designed it myself." He said, smiling proudly. "It is eighteen carat gold, not twenty-four since that would have been less durable, and it has ten diamonds of exquisite quality. It has a beveled glass…though I added that later, and it's engraved…from me to you with love."

She was touched. "But…why?"

He looked down. "Because I wanted to surprise you. Because I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you, how special you are to me. I didn't know at the time, or at least wouldn't admit to myself that it was because I really had these deeper feelings that were coming alive within me, but I knew I wanted to do something special for you…so when I saw you needed a watch, I decided to get you a watch."

"But this is extravagant. Why not just go out and …buy me a watch?" she asked.

He spoke softly. "Because. It had to be special. I wanted it to be a reflection of what I see in you. I wanted it to be beautiful and exquisite and unique. I wanted it to sparkle the way you do when you smile. I had them put in two blue stones to match your eyes. They are aquamarine. I also had them reinforce the wristband in such a way as to not detract from its beauty – so that it is both strong and graceful … just like you."

She looked up at him with misty eyes. "This is what you and Julie were out picking up when the explosion occurred, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yes. It is."

"And you actually went back and retrieved it?" she asked.

"Leland and Randy helped. It wasn't easy to find, but we combed through the rubble for quite a bit to find it. I had to. It was for you. I wanted you to have it." He replied.

"Adrian Monk. You never cease to amaze me." She said, moving next to him and kissing him tenderly on the lips. "I love it. And…I love you more than you could even imagine."

"So, you're not mad?" he asked.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" she asked.

"Because of last night. Because I need to move out." He said.

"I'm not mad about last night. I confess I didn't understand, but now that we've talked, I do. It's not easy on me, you know, because I think about you in that way all the time too…"

He looked down and the dimples in his cheeks that drove her crazy began to appear.

"I do. Don't kid yourself. But, I understand where you're at and I get why you feel you have to go back to your apartment right now, though it does disappoint me. I love having you here." She said.

He looked up at her. "And I love being here. But, the only thing that will be different is I just won't be spending my nights here. We can still see each other every morning and go out on the field and have dinner together and watch movies together and date."

"And kiss?" she teased, with her arm draped over his shoulder.

He grinned. "Um… that would be affirmative. I don't think I can get that horse back into the stable now that it's free to run wild. Well…not too wild….not yet."

"Excellent. I was going to be mad if you said we couldn't do this." she replied, leaning in and wrapping her arms around his neck for a long and passionate kiss.

A day later, the two of them sat down with Julie to tell her of Adrian's decision to move out. They answered Julie's questions as honestly as they could, without revealing the actual reason he felt that he needed to leave. When it came down to it, Adrian loved the two women that inhabited the Teeger home more than he ever thought possible and if there was any way for him to stay, he would have done so without question. However, all it took was one look at Natalie and he was reminded all over again why he couldn't stay. He was doing the right thing for the both of them – actually, for all three of them. Julie was a good kid and she said she was happy that he was dating her mom, but surely she wouldn't have approved of the thoughts he had sometimes when he saw Natalie in the morning.

At first, Julie was worried that Adrian would go away – just like every other man that her mother had brought home to date (although sometimes it was Natalie who broke up with a man who was just not right for her and her daughter – enter Steven). But Monk assured her that he'd still be around for dinner and movie nights and would still help her with her calculus – plus, she could even visit him at his apartment. Both she and Natalie could visit him and it would be like old times, except of course, everything was different now. It took multiple assurances that the fact that Adrian was moving out didn't mean that there was something wrong with his and Natalie's relationship or that he didn't want to date her. Julie wasn't happy about the move, but eventually she accepted that he was just relocating, and it didn't mean he loved them any less. Nobody in the Teeger household was happy about Adrian moving in two weeks' time. But it was the way it had to be.

Knowing that Adrian was moving created an unexpected urgency in his and Natalie's interaction to enjoy every moment that they had together. They went everywhere together and sat for hours and talked and worked around the house. She was even able to get him to go with her to some places that he never would have gone before such as to her OB/GYN appointment. He waited out in the lobby and refused to look around, soldiering on in a manner that made her proud. If only she knew what sort of things were really going through his head in that office and how he would have rather bathed in milk than to be there. But, he did it just to be close to her.

If staying busy with one another was the name of the game during the daytime, it was also true at night. In spite of the earlier mishap, the couple still enjoyed snuggling together on the couch and watching movies with Julie; and, they still enjoyed sneaking in their nightly ritual after Julie had gone to bed – albeit now with a clear understanding of boundaries that they would not cross.

Of course, Julie was nobody's fool, and it only took a couple of instances for her to know what was going on. But she wouldn't let on because she again didn't want to embarrass them, and it was just too darn cute.

All of this changed one morning about a week before he was to leave. Natalie had been taking advantage of their time together to the degree that she and Adrian were spending every waking moment with one another to the exclusion of everyone else. One day Natalie noticed how sad Julie seemed, and after talking to her a bit Julie indicated that she was simply feeling sad because he was going away. It was then that she realized that Adrian's moving out was almost as hard on her daughter as it was on her, seeing that the two had truly bonded and Julie greatly enjoyed his company. So, Natalie decided to give them a little alone time and asked Julie to be the one to pick Adrian up at physical therapy that morning.

Julie was excited to spend some time with Monk before he left, so she left the house about a half hour earlier than he was to let out and made her way over to the rehab facility. After parking her car, she walked inside and went to the front desk to tell the attendant that she would be over in the corner studying some lessons and to let Adrian know she was there once he got out of therapy. She was surprised when the attendant let her know that Monk had cancelled his session with them that morning which made her wonder where he had gone.

Since Natalie had been the one to drop him off, she gambled that he was somewhere within walking distance and took off on foot looking for him. She knew of a coffee shop down the street adjacent to an outdoor shopping plaza which housed some of the finest fashion and goods that San Francisco featured. She wasn't quite sure why she thought of the coffee shop other than it was a place that her Mom said that she and T.K. would go to talk, and she thought maybe Monk might have gone there to relax in preparation for his move. She walked inside the shop and looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen, so she ordered herself a Chai Tea and walked back outside to continue her search.

Standing on the sidewalk, she looked to her left and about half a block down, she would swear that she saw him enter a store on the opposite side of the street. Quickly, she walked towards the store and crossed the street, almost getting hit by a passing cab along the way. As she approached the store, she immediately recognized where he had gone. Why on earth would he be going to Tiffany's? she thought to herself.

Tiffany & Co. was a place that she, Amy and Bethany liked to visit at least once a month. Usually, they would just window shop, but occasionally they would purchase something small like a chain or a charm for a bracelet. So, she knew the store quite well. As she approached the store, she considered what possible reason he would be visiting that particular store, and settled on the idea that he must be purchasing a gift for her mother before he left as sort of a thank you for housing him and taking care of him so many weeks. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw as she reached the store. Peeking into the window, she saw Adrian standing at a counter talking to a clerk. She immediately knew which counter it was because she and her friends always walked past the counter and fantasized about the contents in the display as they considered what they would want to be given when one day their prince arrived.

Why is Adrian in Tiffany's looking at engagement rings?!

Her hand covered her mouth and she watched through the window with excitement and she saw him point out a particular ring to the clerk who then retrieved it from the case and handed it to Monk. Adrian studied the ring, and even asked for the jeweler's loupe, but then handed it back to him, talking to him a bit more about whatever he wanted. The clerk listened then made a face as if he understood. Holding up one finger, the clerk smiled and led him to the slightly more expensive rings a couple of cases down. He reached into the case and pulled out a ring, and once again, Adrian examined it – only this time, Monk smiled.

Julie's heart was beating a mile a minute. Oh my gosh! He's going to propose! She thought. But then she considered what would happen if he knew that she was out there, so she quickly made her way back to her car and waited for him to arrive back at the rehab facility so he could carry out his little ruse as if he had actually gone.

When at last he arrived back at the building, she waited about a minute as he stood outside looking for Natalie's car. Pulling up beside him, she smiled and rolled down the window.

"Hey, you heading to the Teeger house?" she said.

Monk was surprised to see her, but smiled as he walked to the passenger side door and got in. "As a matter of fact, I am. I'm surprised to see you. Everything okay with Natalie?"

"Yeah. Everything is just fine. She just asked me to swing down here and pick you up. I figured maybe you could buy me lunch for my trouble." She smirked.

Adrian smiled as he buckled his safety belt. "Ah…I see how that works. Sure. I would love to have lunch with you. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. How about this new funky Asian fusion place that just opened up on Geary?"

"Asian fusion? Would I like it?" he asked.

"Yeah. You'll be fine. Just follow my lead." She said, smiling.

"Alright…but I'm trusting you to not lead me wrong." He joked.

You're going to be trusting me with a lot more than that. She thought to herself.

Inside the restaurant, they had just gotten settled and had ordered some pot stickers and chicken on a stick as an appetizer. Monk was clearly out of his comfort zone in terms of food choices, and he hated to tell Julie that ever since his father left, that Asian food wasn't high on his list of favorites. But, it was some place she wanted to go so he acquiesced to her request.

Adrian looked around at the ambiance as Julie studied him intently. She was dying to know if he was doing what it looked like he was doing. But, she knew that she had to be subtle in her approach to ferreting out the information.

"So…was therapy good today?" she asked.

Monk swallowed and looked around. "Yeah. Therapy's good every week."

You little liar, you didn't even go to therapy. She thought.

"That's great. About how much longer do you think that you'll need to go?"

Monk looked over at her this time and answered. "Well, Dr. Werner said that I can probably ditch the cane early next week, so I think they are going to be dropping back my therapy to twice a month at that point."

"It'll be good to get that over. You've done very well." She replied.

He smiled. "It has been a lot of work, but I was highly motivated to get it done right."

"Highly motivated? What motivated you?" she asked.

He paused and smiled. "Yes. I think you know what motivated me. I wanted to date your mother, and I didn't want to do it if she was going to have to be my caretaker the whole time. So, I needed to get well as quickly as possible."

"I could see that. And you did." Julie stated. "And now, here you are dating, and things seem to be going well, right?"

Adrian narrowed his eyes. Something about the way she asked the last question and the way she looked asking it got his attention. This young lady had some sort of agenda. "Um…yes. Julie. Your mom and I…well, I love her and she loves me and we love to be with each other so you could say we're doing well."

"Yeah. It looks like you two are getting along VERY well." She replied.

"We are." He said nervously.

"Good. I'm glad. Because, it seems…you know, just to me…things are moving pretty fast in that direction."

"Direction?" he asked.

"Yeah, between you and my Mom. Things are quite…uh…physical." She said.

Adrian now became very nervous. "Physical?! Julie… your mother and I aren't…"

Julie rolled her eyes. "Oh…I know that Mr.… Adrian. I know that you're not…well, you know. But, you two constantly are holding hands and touching each other and I see you stealing little kisses throughout the day and….well, I guess I should go ahead and tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"That you're not fooling anyone. I mean, it's not like I don't know that you're downstairs snogging my mother every night around eleven PM."

Monk was stunned. "JULIE!"

"What?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"Juliette Elizabeth! I…I am NOT snogging your mother!" he indignantly replied.

Julie laughed. "Oh, Adrian Monk! Don't sit here and lie. You are too SO snogging Mom. And with gusto! Don't deny it. I've seen you!"

Monk looked like a fox surrounded by hounds, not knowing which way to turn.

"You…you've seen us? You couldn't have." He said, mortified. "No!"

"Yes. After I went to bed, I had to get up to use the bathroom, and well…I saw you…"

Monk sat silently, his mind racing to find some excuse to tell Natalie's daughter as to how what she thinks she saw wasn't really what she saw. But she gave him no relief.

"You have nothing to say for yourself?" she asked.

He said nothing, but his face said it all, having turned a solid crimson.

Julie laughed. "Adrian. Do you even know what snogging means?"

The look in his eyes clearly showed that he did not. "Well…"

She laughed again. "This is just delicious."

"Delicious?"

"No. Seriously. This is fun. I know now why Mom likes to tease you so much."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." He said, finally relaxing a little before she went in for the kill.

"Snogging is not something bad, Adrian. It just means you've been kissing, you know…making out…" she replied.

He looked at her a little uncertain, but then shook his head slowly. "Okay…if that's what that means, then…I guess…I'm guilty as charged." He smiled. "But I will say you shouldn't have been spying on me."

She paused. The perfect opening. "Spying on you? I wasn't spying on you. I just kinda stumbled onto it. Sorta like today." She said, taking a sip of green tea and waiting for him to ask.

There was a long pause and he looked over at her confused. "Today? What about today?"

"Oh…when I went to pick you up from therapy a little early and they said you had cancelled your appointment." She replied. Monk looked over at Julie and felt the blood drain from his face as she continued. "So then, I went looking for you…and you'll never guess where I saw you…"

Monk shut his eyes and threw back his head, placing his right hand over his face. He had been caught.

"Yep. Busted." She said. "You want to tell me what's really going on? Why did I come downtown expecting to pick you up for therapy and find you shopping for rings?"

This was not a conversation that Monk had prepared himself to have, but he knew that it was far too late to try to convince Julie that it was anything other than what it was. So, he took a deep breath and told her.

"Alright. I'll be honest with you, but you can't tell your mother."

Julie looked at him but didn't respond.

"Don't tell her. Promise me."

"Alright. I promise. I won't tell Mom."

"Okay. Well..it's like this. Julie. I love your mother and I want to marry her. I knew that even before we began dating. But, now that we're together…she is everything to me…she's all that I want…and I want to spend the rest of my life with her and make her happy and be her husband." He said.

Julie looked at him questioningly. "But you've only been going out for a little over a month."

"That's true. But, Julie, we've been best friends for years. We've been with each other daily, many hours every day, for many years. She knows me better than I think any other living human being…in some ways, even more than Leland, because she 'gets' me emotionally on a level that he doesn't. She's patient with me. She helps me. She makes my life so much better and she just makes my life complete. And…well, I think I know her pretty well as well. In some ways not as much as I probably should, because I could be pretty much a self-absorbed jerk. at times…but I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know those aspects of her. Exploring her mind. Finding out what makes her happy and…giving her all of those things…forever."

Julie was quiet, so he continued.

"Julie, here's the thing. I am not a young man. I don't have the luxury of waiting for a long period of time if I want to get this thing started. And I've seen firsthand what happens when you waste time or what happens when you no longer have the time to do things with someone you love and it's all gone, and I don't want that to happen. If you're worried that this is somehow sudden and not well thought out, don't. I've never been more sure of anything in all of my life. I'm going to ask Natalie to marry me, and I hope you approve."

Julie looked up at him. "You've never been more sure? Are you as sure of this as you were sure of Trudy?"

He paused and thought, then looked up at her with confidence. "Yes. I am. With Trudy, it was…different. I was a lot younger. She was my first love, and I thought would be my only love. I worshiped her. I couldn't believe that she wanted to be with me. And, well…I knew that I had to reach out and grab that chance and see if maybe she would be my wife. I had no confidence that she would say yes. I was just a naïve kid in my twenties who was dumb and in love. But she was my world.

Your mother…she's my world too. But, it's different. We started as friends and our friendship has developed into something so special, so real. It's hard to explain, but…I think I knew the first time we went out together, not dating, but on that case concerning those guys that broke into your house over the moon rock. We were at the museum together and she kept the germ guy from accosting me. From that point in time, I knew she was special. Of course, I was all about Trudy in those days and I denied any feelings I was having, insistent that I was a married man and any relationship that I had with Natalie had to be kept clinical or else it would be a betrayal to Trudy. But I know now, I was foolish. And, I wasted a lot of time, mourning that which I had lost and couldn't' get back all the while missing what was right before my eyes. I don't want to do that anymore. I want for us to be together…really together."

Julie teared up and smiled. "Then you have my approval."

Adrian's face visibly relaxed into a smile. "I do?"

"Yes. You do. You've been the only father I've known from my pre-teen years on, and I think it's natural that you become my stepfather for real. As long as you love her, I am more than happy to have you as a member of our family – officially, that is. You've always been that, unofficially."

"Thank you, Julie. I promise, I'll make her happy." he said.

"You already do, Adrian. You already do."