It Feels Right!

About five-thirty am, Irene and Hyde both awoke to the sounds of the birds on the island where they had been blissfully asleep. Irene glanced at the rock on her finger sparkling in the early morning sun. "Good morning Mrs. Barry Hyde to be!" Barry said affectionately tracing her jawbone with his finger. She nibbled the end gently still half-asleep.

"Breakfast?" he asked.

"Sure! You brought breakfast?" Irene asked.

"No…the diner will make us breakfast though," he said sheepishly.

"Our first breakfast as an engaged couple," Irene said. "We can't tell anybody before we tell Kim, Tash and Kirsty and Kane," Irene said.

"Of course not. It would be a huge step backward if Kim found out about it from someone else!" Hyde said. "I know," Irene said. They walked to the mooring dock where Barry's hired paddleboat sat bobbing on the crystal blue waters. They loaded their picnic gear into the back and Barry tied it down and fastened a tarp over it. "So efficient! I love you," Irene said softly.

"I love you," Barry said the emotion not even making him stammer.

They took their time paddling into the bay and took the boat back to the man Barry had hired it from who was nearly asleep in a deckchair. Barry got his deposit back and at quarter to seven they headed to Irene's place which was were they found Robbie pretending to be asleep on the couch. "Did you spend the night upstairs with Tash?" Irene demanded. Hyde looked uncomfortable under Robbie's scrutiny. "Yes," he admitted. "We were careful though," he assured her. "Oh, how reassuring!" Irene exclaimed furious.

"Tash! Get down here!" Irene barked. Tash slipped down the stairs in nothing but a shirt and boyleg shorts. "Oh!" she gasped when she saw Hyde. She fled upstairs and came back with a short wraparound filmy beach-skirt on. "Do you often invite boys into the house to sleep in your bed?" Irene asked.

"No. It was the first time, Reeny and we are ready," Tash said embarrassed to be discussing her and Robbie's sex-life in front of the stern principal. He excused himself seeing her utter embarrassment. "Ready? To do it in my house?" Irene screeched. Tash saw the sparkling ring on Irene's finger. "You got something to tell me?" Tash asked quietly.

"Huh?" Irene asked baffled.

"Your ring," Tash said.

"Barry and I…we are engaged!" Irene said delighted.

"ENGAGED?" Tash gaped in surprise.

"Yes. Engaged. Isn't it wonderful?" Irene pressed.

"Congrats," Robbie said pulling the blanket around him closely.

"Yeah…congrats!" Tash said sitting heavily next to Robbie. Irene glared at them and went in to see Kirsty and Kane to tell them the good news. "When you see Kim, if you see him before us…please don't tell him," Hyde said.

"Of course," Tasha agreed nodding. Robbie took her hand and Irene gave him such a forbidding stare he dropped it as if he had been scorched.