Chapter Forty-Six
"Are you sure you don't mind watching him, Grace? He can be quite a handful at times," Gwen said. Searching the other woman's kind blue eyes for any sign--any tiny sign of doubt on her part. Surely she knew by now how Jake was. She loved her son, but even she had to admit Jake was exhausting.
"Will you excuse us for a moment, Grace?" Hank stepped in. Taking Gwen by the elbow and leading her to a quiet corner of the living room. "Are you trying to talk her out of watching Jake?" he laughed. "Cause she's starting to crack a little Babe, and I thought you were looking forward to tonight."
His brown eyes were dancing with amusement, and she couldn't help but smile back at him before she answered. "Hank, Jake runs wild on a normal day. But he's been out at the park with you, Luis, and Ali all day. And that's not always a good thing. Sugar is practically oozing out of his pores."
He ran his hand over his face. Realizing she was right. Then he looked up at her with a smirk on his face. "All the more reason we should cut out of here soon. This may be the last time Grace ever volunteers to watch our son. Man, she does not know what she's agreed to. Come on, let's get out of here while the gettin's good."
Her mouth hung open in shock. For at least a minute before she wiped the astonishment off her face and plastered a sweet smile on it instead. And walked over to Grace. Who stood with her hands on Jake's small shoulders. Hank kneeled to Jake's level and whispered something in his ear. Something that caused a wide grin to take over his face.
Hank's small yelp of pain went unnoticed by Grace when she pinched him in annoyance. Most likely he was planting ideas in Jake's head. She looked into Jake's mischief-filled brown eyes and shook her head. Poor Grace, she thought to herself. She could hardly look her in the eye after hugging Jake goodbye and making him promise to be good. For all the good it would do.
"Don't you even feel the least bit guilty?" she asked as they drove away. To their destination. He just laughed and took her hand. "It'll be alright. It isn't like he's going to set the house on fire. How much trouble can he get himself into in the next few hours?" He glanced over at her. Saw the incredulous look on her face. "On second thought, don't answer that."
She laughed softly. And noticed with surprise that the car had stopped. At the Seascape. "Hank? What are we doing here? You can't afford this." "I told you tonight was a special occasion. That means it calls for a special place. Only the best for what I have planned." "Oh, Hank," she said. Tears welling up in her eyes. "You didn't have to do this. Go through so much trouble."
He wiped her tears away as he gazed into her eyes. "I know I didn't have to. But I wanted to. For you." His lips met hers in a gentle kiss. They pulled away startled when someone knocked on the window. "Excuse me, Sir. Ma'am. Sorry to interrupt." She hid her smile as Hank talked with the valet.
She took the arm he offered. And they walked inside. She laughed inwardly as he mocked the stuffy, uppercrust host at the front under his breath. "Hank," she whispered as they followed the man to their table. "Stop it." Her pleas only made it worse. She laughed aloud. Causing the man to turn around and look at her oddly. "Is something wrong, Ms.?" She swallowed. Hard. "No. Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect. Thank you for asking."
He seemed pleased with her answer and left them after showing them to their table. "Ouch!" Hank exclaimed a little loudly as she kicked him underneath the table. "What was that for?" "You know what that was for. You know, I wasn't sure before, but now I'm convinced. You ARE a little kid in a man's body." "And that's bad how?" She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting into laughter at him. He never stopped.
They enjoyed their meal. Talked. About anything. And everything. But mostly they talked about Jake. Hank reached across the table and took her hand in his. "You know I love you both, don't you? I'm not just saying that, either. That's why I planned tonight. I want," he said as he got up from his chair and came around to kneel in front of her, "to spend the rest of my life with you two. I don't want to ever be apart from you again. What do you say, Gwen? Will you marry me?" She wiped carelessly at the tears streaming down her face. Opened her mouth to answer. When she heard a familiar sound.
"Oh my god! Gwen Hotchkiss! Don't you even think about it!"
"Are you sure you don't mind watching him, Grace? He can be quite a handful at times," Gwen said. Searching the other woman's kind blue eyes for any sign--any tiny sign of doubt on her part. Surely she knew by now how Jake was. She loved her son, but even she had to admit Jake was exhausting.
"Will you excuse us for a moment, Grace?" Hank stepped in. Taking Gwen by the elbow and leading her to a quiet corner of the living room. "Are you trying to talk her out of watching Jake?" he laughed. "Cause she's starting to crack a little Babe, and I thought you were looking forward to tonight."
His brown eyes were dancing with amusement, and she couldn't help but smile back at him before she answered. "Hank, Jake runs wild on a normal day. But he's been out at the park with you, Luis, and Ali all day. And that's not always a good thing. Sugar is practically oozing out of his pores."
He ran his hand over his face. Realizing she was right. Then he looked up at her with a smirk on his face. "All the more reason we should cut out of here soon. This may be the last time Grace ever volunteers to watch our son. Man, she does not know what she's agreed to. Come on, let's get out of here while the gettin's good."
Her mouth hung open in shock. For at least a minute before she wiped the astonishment off her face and plastered a sweet smile on it instead. And walked over to Grace. Who stood with her hands on Jake's small shoulders. Hank kneeled to Jake's level and whispered something in his ear. Something that caused a wide grin to take over his face.
Hank's small yelp of pain went unnoticed by Grace when she pinched him in annoyance. Most likely he was planting ideas in Jake's head. She looked into Jake's mischief-filled brown eyes and shook her head. Poor Grace, she thought to herself. She could hardly look her in the eye after hugging Jake goodbye and making him promise to be good. For all the good it would do.
"Don't you even feel the least bit guilty?" she asked as they drove away. To their destination. He just laughed and took her hand. "It'll be alright. It isn't like he's going to set the house on fire. How much trouble can he get himself into in the next few hours?" He glanced over at her. Saw the incredulous look on her face. "On second thought, don't answer that."
She laughed softly. And noticed with surprise that the car had stopped. At the Seascape. "Hank? What are we doing here? You can't afford this." "I told you tonight was a special occasion. That means it calls for a special place. Only the best for what I have planned." "Oh, Hank," she said. Tears welling up in her eyes. "You didn't have to do this. Go through so much trouble."
He wiped her tears away as he gazed into her eyes. "I know I didn't have to. But I wanted to. For you." His lips met hers in a gentle kiss. They pulled away startled when someone knocked on the window. "Excuse me, Sir. Ma'am. Sorry to interrupt." She hid her smile as Hank talked with the valet.
She took the arm he offered. And they walked inside. She laughed inwardly as he mocked the stuffy, uppercrust host at the front under his breath. "Hank," she whispered as they followed the man to their table. "Stop it." Her pleas only made it worse. She laughed aloud. Causing the man to turn around and look at her oddly. "Is something wrong, Ms.?" She swallowed. Hard. "No. Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect. Thank you for asking."
He seemed pleased with her answer and left them after showing them to their table. "Ouch!" Hank exclaimed a little loudly as she kicked him underneath the table. "What was that for?" "You know what that was for. You know, I wasn't sure before, but now I'm convinced. You ARE a little kid in a man's body." "And that's bad how?" She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting into laughter at him. He never stopped.
They enjoyed their meal. Talked. About anything. And everything. But mostly they talked about Jake. Hank reached across the table and took her hand in his. "You know I love you both, don't you? I'm not just saying that, either. That's why I planned tonight. I want," he said as he got up from his chair and came around to kneel in front of her, "to spend the rest of my life with you two. I don't want to ever be apart from you again. What do you say, Gwen? Will you marry me?" She wiped carelessly at the tears streaming down her face. Opened her mouth to answer. When she heard a familiar sound.
"Oh my god! Gwen Hotchkiss! Don't you even think about it!"