Evelyn couldn't remember when she'd spent a more romantic evening with her husband.

It had been quite awhile since they'd been able to dress up and sit at a table without having to help their children get more of their dinner in their mouths than on their faces. They were growing so fast it seemed to Evelyn and as tired as she would get sometimes, even with Rafe helping her, she cherished the time that she had with her children. And with their last child on the way, she cherished that time even more.

She sat across from Rafe and would have been content with looking at him for the rest of the evening. She'd always thought he was handsome, but there was something about him in his dress uniform that made him even more handsome and she thanked her lucky stars that he was hers.

Rafe didn't miss the fact that his wife was looking at him, because he was doing the same with her. This evening with her reminded him so much of their coffee dates that they had had when they were in New York. They were just getting to know each other then and from that very first meeting, Rafe knew that Evelyn was not going to be a passing fancy.

They had finished with their dinner. There were two glasses of champagne in front of them and a chilled bottle in a bucket next to the table, but neither of them seemed to notice because this evening was for them and there was no talk about children or any more talk about the Air Corps. They held hands across the table as they reminisced about their time in New York and laughed with the memories.

They also remembered when Rafe had shown up in Hawaii after Evelyn thought him dead and she flushed at the memory of their reunion. He had to resist the urge to grin, that cocky grin that always made her flush even more. So instead he asked her for her engagement ring.

Evelyn looked at him. "My engagement ring? Why?"

"If I'm goin' to propose to you Evelyn, I want to do it right." Rafe told her.

She was perplexed for a moment before she realized what he was talking about and she laughed softly. "Rafe, is this about my teasing you about an engagement dinner?"

"Remember when I asked you to marry me?" He asked her.

She nodded. "As I recall, I said yes."

Rafe shook his head and smiled. "Do you also remember that I told you it wasn't the way I'd planned on askin'?"

"Of course I remember. But it didn't matter to me how you asked Rafe, just that you asked."

"This is what I had in mind, bringin' you to a fancy hotel. I would have had two glasses of champagne in front of us like we do now and I would have gotten down on my knee. I would have taken your hand and looked into those beautiful eyes of yours and asked you to be my wife."

Underneath that cocky exterior beats the heart of a very romantic man. Evelyn thought and she felt her face flush even more. "I love you too Rafe." And to her surprise, he flushed.

It took some doing because her hands had started to swell, but Evelyn got her engagement ring off and handed it to her husband. "Don't lose it." She teased.

"I won't lose it Evelyn." He said as he took her ring. He stood up and stepped over to her chair. He got down on his knee and took her hand, just as he'd wanted to do that December seventh evening but never got the chance. "Evelyn Johnson, would you do me the honor of becomin' my wife?" He asked her quietly.

She wasn't used to being called Johnson and she felt the tears start to gather. "Are you sure?" It's what she'd asked him at the time and couldn't help but ask again.

"All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you." He answered her.

It was silly to cry she knew, because they were already married. But it was the idea that this was the way her husband had wanted to propose marriage to her and she loved him even more because of it. "Lieutenant McCawley, I would love to be your wife." And she leaned over to kiss him before he put her engagement ring back on her finger.

Neither had realized that they had attracted the attention of diners around them until they heard quiet applause and a few "Congratulations" from some.

Rafe looked up as his wife and smiled. "I guess that makes it official." He stood up and kissed her before he sat down again. They picked up their glasses and took a sip from them all the while smiling at each other.

The orchestra had started to play and the romantic tune got Rafe out of his chair and he held his hand out to Evelyn. "Would you like to dance Miss Johnson?" He grinned.

She stood up and took his hand. "I'd love to Lieutenant McCawley." She smiled as Rafe laughed and pulled her toward the dance floor.

He put his arms around her waist and she put her arms around his neck as they moved around the floor, never taking their eyes off each other. This was what he'd dreamed about when he was in England when he'd bought her ring and he'd carried it with him through all of his missions with the Eagle Squadron. He had considered it his good luck charm because even though he'd been shot down, he'd survived.

God, he wanted to kiss her. He had a beautiful woman in his arms who just happened to be his wife and she was having his child. A smile from Evelyn made his heart stop for a moment and he leaned over to kiss her. Her arms tightened around his neck as she kissed him back.

Her thoughts had been running along much the same line as his and when he'd looked at her she knew he wanted to kiss her, so she smiled at him to let him know she wanted it too.

He released her only enough to pull her to him and hold her close as the music continued. When it finally ended he said quietly, "Let's go home."

She knew what he had in mind and for some reason couldn't look at him, so she just nodded. He tipped her chin up so he could look at her and he was smiling. "I love you Evelyn." And he took her hand as they went back to their table to wait for the check.

They'd had to be careful. Evelyn's doctor had not told them they couldn't make love, but they were both aware that the possibility of a miscarriage was there, no matter how remote.

Nevertheless this is how it would have ended up that night, of that Evelyn had no doubt.

Rafe had gotten up to check on the children because Danny had been dealing with a monster under his bed and he wanted his daddy to make it go away. He stopped by Sarah's room and she slept soundly as he watched her. He was so thankful that she looked like her mother.

When he got back to the bedroom Evelyn was curled up on his side of the bed. Her eyes were closed but she had a smile on her face. He sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed a lock of hair off of her forehead. "I love it when you do that." She said without opening her eyes.

"Why do you think I do it?"

She opened her eyes then and she put a hand on his chest, which he promptly took in his own and kissed it. "Thank you Rafe."

"For what honey?"

"For giving me such a romantic evening and loving me so much."

"You make it easy Evelyn." And he leaned over to kiss her. "You've made me a very happy man over these last four years."

"You make it easy too Rafe." She pulled back the blankets to offer him back his side of the bed and she moved over as he got in and put his arms around her. She snuggled next to him and after Rafe kissed her goodnight, they both closed their eyes and fell asleep.