Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding "The O.C." nor am I affiliated with any of the cast and characters used in the story. Anyone or anything that you don't recognize is mine, and anyone and anything else that you do recognize is not mine.
Note: Thank you everyone for your patience! I really appreciate it.
Against All Odds
Chapter 20 – A Modest Proposal
"Come on, Cohen, you're making a mess," Summer said as she playfully bumped him on the side.
Seth and Summer were in the kitchen trying to prepare breakfast. Throughout the course of the past week, Summer has been able to regain her strength and was able to move around the house with ease. Seth has been adamant though that she does not do anything strenuous.
"Me?" he asked innocently, looking down on Summer to his right. "What about you?"
"For your information, you made this mess ten minutes ago."
"Aren't you just perfect?" he smiled before leaning to give her a kiss. "The most perfect person in the world."
"Okay, Romeo, let's finish this mess," Summer said in between kisses as the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Seth said. "Don't go anywhere."
Seth wiped his hands on his apron before heading towards the door. He managed to get a glimpse of the clock and wondered who would be visiting them at eight o'clock on a Friday morning.
"Nana?" he uttered once he opened the door. "You're here."
"You don't seem thrilled to see me, Sethela."
"I am, grandma, I am," Seth said as he let her in. "It's just that, well, isn't it a bit late notice?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, of course not," he said. "You're always welcome here."
"Where's Summer?"
"Summer?"
"I know she's staying here."
"How?"
"Ryan and Marissa dropped by and told me about what happened."
"The Atwood-Cooper duo," Seth muttered.
"Who?"
"Nevermind," he said. "Summer is in the kitchen."
Seth wondered if he should be offended that his own grandmother came to visit Summer, but he actually smiled at the thought. He liked the fact that she and Summer got along really well, almost as if she was already a part of the family. In all honestly, she practically is part of the family. A wedding would only make it official. He didn't bring up the topic to Summer, but he did think about it. He thought about it a lot.
They had a mutual agreement that they would take things slow, but that was before Summer got sick again. For some reason, taking it slow didn't seem so sensible anymore. Summer's sickness was only more proof that they should seize the moment and stop going around in circles of what's right in front of them. He knows that she loves him, and he knows that he loves her, so it would only be the logical next step.
"What took you so long?"
"I was just carrying your stuff inside, grandma."
"That apron is very becoming of you."
"She made me wear it."
"I think it looks very nice," Summer said.
"It's great to see you both, and Summer, you're looking really great."
"Thanks Nana," she smiled as Seth walked to her side. "Seth here has been really nice to me."
"I have been nice," Seth agreed.
"Are you two playing house now?"
"Funny," Seth laughed nervously. "Oh, look at that, breakfast is ready."
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The Nana stayed with them for a couple of days, residing in the guestroom while Summer and Seth stayed in his room. Seth never really got around to sleeping in his old bedroom. Summer liked having him with her, and he liked the fact that he was close to her in case anything bad happens. On her last day, they decided to treat the Nana to a farewell lunch. As Summer was getting ready, the grandmother and the grandson had a little talk in the living room.
"So everything is going well for you two?"
"It's been great," Seth told her. "She's doing a lot better than last week."
"She told me that you carried her around for a couple of days," Sophie gave a small laugh. "You didn't hurt your back, did you?"
"It hurt my arms more than anything else, but it's the least I could do," Seth said. "Anything for those you love, I suppose. I didn't care. I'm happy"
"I'm glad you're happy, and I'm glad that you're making her happy."
"It must be my lame jokes."
"No, it's not that," the Nana said. "I can really see the difference in her before you came along. I was there the last time she was sick, and smiling was almost forced. She was very lonely, but Marissa and I managed to get her back up. She managed for a while, entertaining herself and keeping busy, but there was always that spark missing. It was you."
"Well, she makes me happy too."
"I know," Sophie smiled. "I can see that as well."
The ringing of the doorbell interrupted their conversation. Seth excused himself and headed for the door. Once again, an unexpected guest turned up.
"Dr. Roberts?"
"Call me Neil."
"Right."
"I just came by to see Summer, and you know, ask if she wants to go out to lunch or something."
"Actually, we were just leaving to go out with my grandmother."
"Oh, well, that's great," Neil said. "I'll just come back some other time. Maybe tomorrow."
"Do you want to come?" Seth asked.
"That's okay," he declined. "I don't want to intervene with your plans."
"It's okay," Seth said. "I insist. I'm sure Summer would love to have you."
"Cohen, who's at the… Daddy?"
"Hey sweetheart," he said as Summer gave him a hug.
"What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to ask you out to lunch."
"Oh," Summer said. "Seth and I were just going out."
"Actually, he invited me to come, if that's okay."
"Really?" she looked at Seth. "Are you sure?"
"The Nana won't mind," he told her. "Is it okay with you?"
"It's fine," Summer said. "It's just weird."
"What's weird?" the Nana asked.
"Nana, I'd like you to meet Summer's dad Neil Roberts."
"The doctor," the Nana said as she shook his hand. "I'm Sophie Cohen."
"It's nice to meet you."
"Would you like to join us for lunch?"
"I already invited him, Nana."
"That was very thoughtful of you."
"The more the merrier, right?"
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Lunch went as well as anyone could expect. The Nana was the head of most conversations, and Neil was not too far behind in making his thoughts heard. Even Summer added her opinions to the conversation. On the other hand, Seth was unusually quiet, which didn't go by unnoticed to Summer.
"Can I talk to you?" she whispered as they excused themselves from the table.
"What's wrong?"
"You!"
"Me?" he asked. "I didn't say anything."
"Exactly," Summer said. "Come on, Cohen, spill."
"I'm just nervous, okay."
"I thought the two of you were in good terms."
"We are, but still, it's a little ironic that we're in the same restaurant where our ill-fated meeting happened."
"That was a long time ago," Summer said. "You were a lot geekier, he was a lot jerkier, and I had more hair."
Seth gave out a laugh despite himself, raising his hand to the tip of her scarf.
"I'll do my best and talk a little more."
They went back to the table hand in hand, interrupting the ongoing conversation only slightly.
"Is everything okay?" Sophie asked.
"Everything is fine," Seth said. "Great!"
"Nana, would you like to accompany me to the bathroom?"
"Well, I was just about to go there myself," she said while giving Seth a sly glance.
Seth noticed the look that she gave him, but he didn't give it any thought. He glanced at Dr. Roberts for a second before turning his head away. It wasn't that he was nervous because he did not want to talk to the guy. He was actually nervous because he did want to talk to him.
"How are things with you and Summer?"
"Great."
"So you and my daughter are getting serious?"
"We weren't really messing around or anything to begin with."
"That's not what I meant," Neil said. "I know that you two love each other, but, well, this is hard…"
"What?"
"What are your intentions for my daughter?"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm so sorry," Neil apologized. "That totally came out wrong, but Sophie was just…"
"What did my grandmother say?"
"Are you two getting married?"
"No!" Seth blurted out as he almost choked on his drink.
"So you're not planning to marry Summer?"
"No, I mean, we're not getting married right now, and as for marrying Summer…"
"As for marrying Summer…"
"I would like to talk to you about that."
"Really?"
"I've been thinking about it lately with everything that has been going on. Like I've told you before, I love Summer to death. She means everything to me. We haven't talked about marriage yet, but I know that I want that's what I want for the both of us."
"So what are you saying?"
"Well, I'm not really sure myself, but I do know that I am planning to propose to Summer one of these days, and I am going to marry her."
"So you want my blessings?"
"I'm not saying that I want your permission, because I am going to marry her whether you like it or not. I just want to let you know what I'm planning to do, but if you want to give your blessings, then I would really appreciate it."
"You have a lot of nerve, son," Neil said before chuckling. "You're scared of me, aren't you?"
"I'm not scared," Seth said. "A little intimidated maybe, but not scared."
"I'm sorry for treating you badly back in the day," he said. "Now I know why Summer was fond of you. She still is fond of you. You're a nice guy, and from what I've seen, I know that I'll be leaving her in good hands."
"Are you saying that…"
"Yes," he smiled at him. "You have my blessings."
"Good," he said before giving out a sigh. "I'm actually quite relieved right now. Just don't tell anyone anything. You're the first to know."
"My lips are sealed."
A few moments later, Summer and the Nana returned to the table.
"Did we miss anything?" Summer asked as she took a seat between Neil and Seth.
"We were just chatting about business," Neil said. "Right Seth?"
"Business talk," Seth played along. "You know how we men are."
"At least you're finally talking," the Nana commented. "I was wondering where my grandson went."
"I only talk when it's appropriate."
"A step up from high school," Summer added.
"Okay, ladies, let's just enjoy our meals and stop picking on Seth," Neil said. "He brought up some interesting topics earlier."
"Like what?" Summer asked, eyeing Seth curiously.
"Partnerships," Neil said. "He was very adamant about it too. He wouldn't even take no for an answer, although it was nice and considerate of him to value my opinion."
"I'm glad you two had a nice talk," Summer said as she reached for Seth's hand under the table.
"We did indeed."
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"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."
Seth drove the Nana to the airport alone while Summer opted to stay in the house. She stayed indoors for a while until settling on a chair outside the house. She was sitting by the pool not too far from the pool house formerly occupied by Ryan.
"Not too long," Summer said. "So what were you talking to my father about for real?"
"Like he said, partnerships," Seth told her as he pulled a chair to sit next to her.
"You guys were acting all weird when we came back."
"Everybody is someone else's weirdo."
"Are you sure everything is okay?"
"I'm positive," he said before leaning to kiss her on the forehead. "How about you?"
"I've been thinking."
"That's a scary thought."
"No, I'm serious, Cohen."
"What about?"
"I know how much you want to have a family."
"I do."
"But I can't marry you."
"What?" Seth asked in alarm. "We haven't even talked about getting married. I haven't even proposed."
"I know, but I can't…"
"If this is about you not making it through this, I don't want to hear it."
"I can't give you a family."
"Yes, you can."
"No," Summer said. "At least not anymore."
"Summer…"
"I know that I may be better now, but I could get sick again, and that means more chemo, which means that the chances of me being fertile is only going to get worse."
"This is crazy," Seth said. "Where is this all coming from?"
"I was talking to the Nana earlier…"
"The Nana again?" he said. "I knew she would cause trouble."
"This is not about her, Cohen."
"I know, but I don't care, Summer."
"I thought you wanted…"
"I do, and I understand all the risks. I've read about them. I talked to Dr. Abney about it. I know."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I don't care," he said exasperatedly as he knelt beside her. "It doesn't change the way that I feel about you. I would love to have kids of my own, but there are many ways to get around that. All I know is that when that time comes, I want you to be there with me. I know it's hard to take, and I admit that it made me sad for a while, more for you than for me, but we can't help these things. It's not even for certain, so we can't possibly dwell on that right now."
"So you don't really mind?"
"No," Seth said. "I just want you. I want to marry you."
"You what?"
"Marry me."
"Marry you?"
"I can't believe that I'm doing this right now. I'm not even sure if I'm actually doing this right now. I know that I love you, and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Cohen…"
"My life was good before you came back to it. I had my freedom. I had a good lifestyle. Good friends. Good family. I practically had everything and probably could have had everything that I wanted. Still, there were lonely days and days when I just felt empty, but when you came along, you just erased all of that and filled that emptiness in me. You make me so happy by just coming into the room. I smile just thinking about you, and when you're not around, everyday just feels so incomplete. My life was good, but with you, it's beyond great, and I want to keep it that way. I lost you twice, and I am not losing you again."
"I don't know what so say," Summer said teary-eyed.
"You are so beautiful, and I love you with all my heart and soul. With every moment that we share… With every smile… With every touch… I become more certain that in you, I have found something that some people never find in their lifetime. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know how much your love excites me and how happy I feel when I'm with you. And from this day forward, that's more than enough."
Seth reached for his pocket and pulled out a small box. Truth be told, he was also talking to the Nana. She was able to wheedle out of him what he and Neil talked about. She was thrilled to hear the news, and actually gave him a family heirloom. She said that she meant to give it to Sandy, but never got around to actually giving it to him. It was Seth's great-grandmother's old ring. Seth refused at first, but Sophie said that she wanted him to have it. A marriage means bringing another person into someone's family after all. On the other hand, Summer could not believe what she had just heard and witnessed. Never in her life, even with Seth back in the day, had she expected someone to tell such a heartfelt confession of his love for her. Just when she thought she could not love him more, he just proved her wrong. She was speechless for the first time in a long time.
"Summer Roberts, will you marry me?"
Summer looked at the ring, and even though it wasn't one like Marissa or the typical diamond rings, she still thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever set her eyes on. She looked once more towards Seth, who was waiting intently for her answer.
"Yes."
"You said yes," Seth said almost in disbelief.
"I did," she smiled at him.
Seth reached up with his free hand and pulled Summer in for a kiss.
"You have just made me the happiest man alive," he said.
He grabbed Summer's left hand and slipped the ring on her ring finger.
"I know that every woman dreams of a guy bending down in one knee, and I am sort of, but I know I wasn't the gallant prince that you women dream about. It was a spur of the moment thing, although I have been thinking about it, but still…"
"Stop it, Cohen, it was perfect," she told him in between tears. "I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
"Really?"
"Really," Belle as she cupped his chin. "You are all that I want."
"I love you, Summer."
"I love you too, Seth."
"You just called me Seth."
"I know. It's kind of weird."
"What are you going to call me once we're married?"
"Don't worry," Summer smiled. "You'll always be Cohen to me."
