Faith felt her heart skip a beat as Bosco opened his mouth to speak.

"Faith..." Bosco said in a soft voice. "You know that I love you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. You are my everything, and I can't go on without you."

Faith's heart felt like it was going to explode within her chest as she sat quietly in his arms.

Bosco placed a firm kiss on her lips and peered into her eyes as their mouths slowly partly. There was something about her; something that kept him fighting for breath whenever she was near. Maybe it was her eyes that he got lost in, or maybe it was the sweet smell of her hair that put him in a trance. Whatever it was, he knew he couldn't live without it.

"I love you, Boz." Faith whispered.

"I love you too." He said. His palms were sweaty and his knees were weak. "Faith..." He said as he grazed her soft cheekbone with his finger. "I want to show you how much I love you; show you how much I care."

"What is it, Bosco?" She uttered in a broken voice.

"Faith, I LOVE YOU, and I want to marry you." Bosco said as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "But I want you to be ready, I want you to be sure."

Faith threw her arms around his neck and kissed it gently.

"Oh, Bosco" She cried as the tears of joy streamed down her face. She could barely hold back the urge to tell him 'Yes' but she didn't want to rush things, and plus, the kids didn't know yet, or so she thought.

Faith gasped as she peered over Bosco's shoulder. "Em? Charlie?" She stuttered "I...I didn't even hear you come in." Faith bit down on her bottom lip as she thought to herself 'Is that the only thing you can say right now?'

"The door was open, Mom." Emily said; the shock, clear on her face. "What? What is going on?"

Faith looked to Bosco for help. They were both in shock. This was not how they wanted the children to find out. Bosco released Faith and turned to face her kids. He hung his head down, as he tried to find the right words, but there were no right words.

"Come here, Guys" Bosco said; his arms outstreched to greet them. "We need to talk."

Emily and Charlie took their respective places atop each of Bosco's knees. He wrapped his muscular arms around them so they would not fall. He wanted to protect them from the harsh world outside. From all the drugs, guns, and lies. 'Lies...' He thought to himself. 'How can I protect them if I am no better than the people I am trying to save them from?' He loved them as if they were his own, and silently he hoped that one day they might be.

TBC