Here is chapter 11 out a bit earlier than usual. I'm trying to write chapters faster since school is starting next week. Hope you enjoy!

With Caleb's full attention, Sandy began, "Your daughter was the best thing that happened to me during college. She means the world to me. I love her so much. She's the most perfect, beautiful, intelligent person in the world and honestly, I can't imagine my life without her in it. It wouldn't be complete…so I ask you for your permission to ask your daughter to marry me."

"You want to propose to my daughter?" Caleb asked bluntly.

"Yes," Sandy said, a sigh of relief coming over him that he had said it already.

"And you came to me before doing it?"

"Yes." This isn't looking too bad Sandy thought to himself.

"You have some guts. I wouldn't have expected you to ask me first."

"You wouldn't? Why not?"

"Because I'm sure Kirsten has told you about me. I'm not the nicest or warmest of people. I tend to scare people away…yet you came forward…boldness…aggressiveness…I like that Sandy. You're not afraid of people. You've got confidence. Great quality to have."

"Thanks. That'll come in handy when I become a lawyer."

"But about proposing to my daughter…"

"Yes…" Sandy got very serious again.

"She's only 20 years old…a child…"

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying my daughter needs to mature…she's not ready to be married yet…she doesn't know what she wants…she hasn't been exposed enough yet…"

Sandy was speechless. He expected Caleb to maybe question their very different family backgrounds, but never did he expect Caleb to say Kirsten wasn't old enough.

"I mean look at her…she's very immature…first she leaves home with basically no warning…then I find out she isn't even majoring in business like she planned to…then I find out she works as a waitress when I offered her an internship with one of my friend's businesses close to the college…and ever since she left home she began dressing horribly in bright colors and strange looking outfits…she doesn't know what she wants."

"That's because you don't know your own daughter! If you knew her you'd know that everything you mentioned is what she wants." He snapped, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you don't know my daughter. Before she left here she was completely different. It seems like all of a sudden since you came into her life she's decided to make these changes." Caleb's voice was starting to rise.

"You're right. I encouraged her to make these changes. When I first met her she was more depressed than imaginable and I couldn't understand why…someone who had her priorities straight and seemed to have her life together…it didn't make sense how someone that organized could be so miserable and cold…but I realized after getting to know your daughter that she never freely expressed herself before. Slowly she realized this too and started being herself. What she wanted, not what you wanted."

"She doesn't know what she wants, but I know what I want, and that is for her to mature before getting married."

"What?" Sandy asked, disbelief covering his face.

"You heard me, so back off. I applaud you for coming to me first but know that the marriage plans stop here. She can't get married until she matures. Now, back to golfing."

Sandy was shocked. He thought things were going well with Caleb, especially after hearing Caleb compliment his forwardness and in telling him that he had confidence. How was Sandy going to convince Caleb that Kirsten was mature enough to get married? Better yet, how was he going to convince Caleb that it isn't about what he wants but ab out what Kirsten wants?

The car ride home was filled with Caleb's babbling on about his golf scores like nothing ever happened. When they arrived back at the Nichols', Sandy quickly found Kirsten in the kitchen helping her mother sort through Christmas decorations.

"Hi Mrs. Nichol, uh…Kirsten, can we talk privately?"

"Sure."

They went into the living room.

"I don't want to be rude or anything but can we get going? Golfing didn't go so well and I don't feel like facing your dad."

"What did he do?" she asked slowly, starting to get worried.

"No, no, nothing. It's okay. I'll tell you about golfing on the way home. Can we just get going though? I have to catch up on some studying as it is anyway." He needed to get out of there fast. He'd tell Kirsten that her father just disapproved of Kirsten's choice in major, work, and clothing, and that he questioned what Sandy and Kirsten have in common in a relationship.

"Umm…sure baby. Let me just go get my purse and clothing upstairs. I'll get your stuff too." Kirsten was a bit confused. Nonetheless, she didn't mind leaving at all.

"Okay. I'll be in the car."

Kirsten gathered her and Sandy's stuff together. While doing this, she overheard her parents downstairs, who were in the middle of a conversation that she caught the end of as their voices rose.

"Tell me you didn't Caleb. Don't tell me you tried to chase Sandy away."

"No, I chased his motives away."

"Motives?"

"He asked for my permission to marry her."

"And you said no? Caleb how dare you! Why did you say that?"

"Because she's a 20 year old who is very immature. She didn't act like this before she went to school, did she? Ever since she went there and met him she changed…and not for the better. He even told me he encouraged her to change."

Mrs. Nichol tried to reason with her husband saying, "Caleb he encouraged her to change because its what she wanted. Look at her, she's happier than ever. I don't think I've ever seen her this happy."

Hearing all of this, Kirsten ran down the stairs, stopping in the kitchen doorway a good distance away from her parents saying, "You will mom, when I get married to Sandy. I'm leaving."

Surprised and worried that Kirsten had heard, Mrs. Nichol said, "Honey wait, I'm trying to reason with your father. We're going to figure this out."

"No mom, its too late. I've heard it all. I heard what he said. He doesn't want to do things Sandy's way-the proper way. You know Sandy was just doing this because he wanted to make the whole families coming together thing work."

"I know Kirsten please don't leave. I don't want to see you this upset."

"Hey, don't worry I'm not upset. I'm not even surprised. I expected dad to pull something like this. He never wants me to be happy but you know what, this time it doesn't matter what he wants because I have who I want and there is nothing he can do about it. Bye mom, I'll talk to you soon." Kirsten made her way to the doorway as her mother ran after her.

"Honey, I love you, and your father does too, please know that Kirsten, please say you know that."

"I know you love me mom, and thanks for understanding. I will talk to you later in the week. Promise." Kirsten reached out and gave her mother a hug and a kiss. Then loudly so Caleb could hear she said, "And by the way, thanks for screaming Sandy's plans out so loud like that, it was so nice finding out before Sandy asked me."

Kirsten quickly got into the car and said angrily, "Sandy, I can't believe him! I just can't! Are you okay?"

"What? Who? Me? Yeah, fine. Why?" Sandy asked playing stupid.

"Sandy you don't need to pretend nothing happened with my father today. I overheard him telling my mom while I was packing up our stuff. They were screaming at each other…I know…"

Sandy put his head in his hand and sighed loudly. A sign of frustration overtook his face, which up until now, had been calm every since Kirsten had gotten into the car.

"Sandy why the perplexed look? This is great. I'm so excited." Kirsten was trying to give subtle hints about saying yes to Sandy.

"No…it's not." As he said this, an idea came into his mind.

"Yes it is Sandy. Yes…yes!"

"Yes what?"

"Yes I will marry you. Of course! I love you!"

"No Kirsten, everything is on hold right now."

"What, why?" Kirsten got serious again. "Sandy…Sandy…please don't let my father influence you…please…he's done that enough with me over the years…please don't let him do it to you too!"

"Maybe he's right. Maybe we are too young. Maybe we need to see if we can hold secure, professional jobs before doing something this serious."

"What? Sandy come on…"

The ride home involved Kirsten telling Sandy all the reasons why they should get married and all the reasons why Sandy shouldn't agree with Caleb. He continued his resistance while in his head thinking, "I am quite an actor if I say so myself." The truth is, after the surprise proposal was ruined, Sandy decided to play along with Caleb's whole immature reasoning. He figured that by doing this Kirsten would have no idea when Sandy would really propose. He wanted the proposal to be special-he didn't want them to remember the night they got engaged like this-so he figured by pretending that he wanted to wait longer before they got engaged she would have no idea when he really would propose.

After they got back to Berkeley and Sandy had a few minutes alone while Kirsten was taking a shower, he quickly called Mrs. Nichol to explain everything that had happened during golfing. He also explained all the reasons why they should get married and how they really were prepared to begin a married life together. On one hand Mrs. Nichol did think they were a bit young to get married, but on the other hand she believed that they were two mature young adults. After all, they had been living on their own since they started college, were paying rent along with school tuition, and both held full time jobs. Mrs. Nichol also wanted her daughter to be happy and she knew Sandy was the one person who could do that for her daughter.

Sandy and Kirsten continued their relationship the way it had been before Thanksgiving. Though in the back of her mind, Kirsten still thought about being married to Sandy and how great that would be.

The next few weeks Mrs. Nichol argued with Caleb in trying to get him to accept the fact that their daughter was mature and Sandy was the perfect person for their daughter. Mrs. Nichol kept in contact with Sandy, as she knew that in the soon future Sandy would be her son in law. Eventually Caleb agreed to the proposal when Mrs. Nichol threatened that she was going to encourage Sandy to propose to Kirsten, and then have the wedding in Newport Beach with everyone invited, except for Caleb. Caleb thought too much of his personal status in Newport Beach to have it thrown away because everyone found out about his daughter's wedding that he didn't approve of nor was invited to. With Caleb's approval, Mrs. Nichol anxiously asked Sandy when the big day would be.

"Mrs. Nichol…don't you think it's a little early for that? I haven't even proposed to Kirsten yet…"

"Get to it Sandy!"

"Yeah, actually, I have the perfect plan for the proposal. Tell me if this sounds good…"

Sandy told Mrs. Nichol his plans. With his mother accepting Kirsten has her future daughter in law, Caleb agreeing and Mrs. Nichol's praise of Sandy's proposal idea, he now had one thing left to do, propose to Kirsten.

He was waiting for Kirsten to come home from work the night Mrs. Nichol told him Caleb agreed. Kirsten was running late and it was already past midnight. Finally, at 12:30, she opened the door.

"Hey honey," he said standing up to greet her.

"Hey, what are you doing up so late?"

"Waiting for you," he said smiling.

"Aww, Sandy you didn't have to."

After they got settled into bed, Sandy began, "Uh...Kirsten..."

"Yeah babe?"

"Remember how during Thanksgiving we promised that we're going to celebrate the holidays together?"

"Yeah."

"Well...let's do it. Your parents house for Christmas. My mom's house for Chanukah."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There is one thing though...Chanukah falls during the week of exams...and when exams are over there isn't much time before Christmas...so what do you say we go to New York after Christmas to go to my mom's?"

"Really?" Kirsten couldn't believe it. This sounded awesome.

"Yeah. Works out perfectly. Our families are happy we seem them for the holidays…we spend the holidays together…and then New Year's in New York with my baby. Couldn't get any better than that."

"Oh Sandy!" Kirsten, who had been laying flat on her back, turned to face Sandy and reached her arms around him and hugged him tightly. When they broke apart and were face to face, she put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him on the lips. Sandy wanted to giggle and smile. It was almost time to propose…

Tell me what you think. Any guesses about Sandy's surprise proposal?