Chapter 6: A Perfect Gift

Three months later, Connor and Kira went through a rough time during the beginning of the school year. They started to pull through. Now that Kira was settled in with Kimberly, Connor decided that it was time to take the next step with his relationship with Kira. Connor took a deep breath when he came into the mall. He saw Trent there meeting him. "Hey," Trent greeted. Connor nodded to him before they entered the jewelry store in the mall. "So, you're actually going to ask Kira to marry you?" He asked.

"Yes, why do you have a problem with it?" Connor answered with another question.

"No, just trying to wish you luck, man," Trent replied.

"Thanks," Connor mumbled.

Connor looked at the display of rings in front of him. He was trying to find that perfect right for her. He knew that Kira wouldn't care, but he still wanted it to be perfect. Kira's everything to him and he'd do anything for her. He helped Kira a lot during the next few months at school. Even though she still looked tiny. A bump had formed on her stomach. She kept it hidden with baggy shirts. The hard part was when Kira got tired easily and when she had food cravings during the day. The teachers would understand when Kira got emotional, hungry, or tired. Connor was there for her all those times.

Twenty minutes passed and Connor picked up a ring. "What do you think Trent?" He asked. Trent walked over and nodded.

"It's perfect," he replied.

The were two diamonds sitting on each side of a yellow diamond and those three diamonds sat on a golden band.

Connor went up to the counter to buy the ring and the woman behind the counter gave Connor a slight look because she could tell that he was sill in high school. She put the ring in a box and handed it to him. "Have a nice day, sir," she stated. Connor nodded and left the store with Trent.

As both men went to reach the doors, Connor's eyes widened when he saw Kira walking over to them. "Trent, hide this," he whispered. He passed the ring to Kira and Trent placed it into his small bag.

"Hey," Kira greeted.

"Hi," Trent and Connor answered.

"What are you guys up to?" She asked.

"Nothing," Trent replied calmly.

He opened his bag and pulled out a CD. "We just came to grab this," Trent replied. Kira looked at the boys a little confused and then she pushed the thought away.

"What are you doing here?" Connor asked.

"Oh, Kim decided to take me a little shopping. We're trying to get the nursery ready for the baby," she replied.

"The nursery?" He asked.

Kira looked at him as if he had grown another head. "Oh! That's right, I forgot. We were supposed to fix the nursery today. I'm sorry, Kira," Connor apologized.

"It's fine. Kim and I are just grabbing the things we need," Kira assured him.

Kira then turned to Trent. "You're welcome to join us," she commented. Trent chuckled and handed the bag to Connor.

"I don't think so, thanks for the invite," Trent answered.

He then left the mall and Connor made sure the ring was hidden away.

Later that afternoon, they had just finished painting the nursery and Kira was taking a nap while Connor was trying to think of a way to ask Kimberly if he could marry Kira. "Hey, Connor," Kimberly greeted. Connor quickly stood up when she came in. "Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"Kim, I have a question to ask you," he replied.

"Okay."

They sat down and Connor took a deep breath. "You know how much I love Kira," he started. Kimberly nodded. "And you know that I love this baby too. I'd do anything for both of them. I want to know if I can marry your cousin," he added.

"Connor, you never had to ask," she assured him.

She then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, Connor, and if you do hurt her or that baby, I will see to it personally that I throw you out of this town," she teased even though she sounded serious. Connor nodded and then Kimberly left to get the surprise birthday/baby shower ready. "Connor, when Kira wakes up from her nap, could you like take her out somewhere while I'm trying to get the party ready?" She asked.

"Sure," Connor replied.

Later that day, Connor was taking Kira a walk around the park. He had his arm wrapped around her and she had her head on his shoulder. "I'm still scared, Connor," she told him. He sighed as he held her. He knew that Kira was still scared. She was afraid that her parents were going to come and take her away from him and the baby once the baby was born. Connor always vowed that he would protect her from being taken from him. They were both going to raise their baby and the Fords weren't going to do anything about it. He then kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, Kira," he whispered.

She smiled every time she heard those words come out of his mouth she loved him so much and she knew that he would be there for her no matter what. She was so happy to have a guy like Connor by her side. "I love you too," she answered. Connor smiled as he held his hopefully soon-to-be fiancé close to him.

"Come on, we better head back," he insisted.

Kira nodded before following him back to Kim's house.

When they got home, Kira gasped to see everyone standing there. "Happy birthday, Kira," they announced. Kira gasped as she embraced Kimberly. Kimberly laughed as she embraced Kira.

"Thank you, Kim, this is so great," Kira told her.

Kimberly could see the emtions playing on her face. Hormones were raging at that moment. "Kim, I can't believe it. You guys planned all of this?" She asked. Connor nodded.

"It's not only a birthday party, it's also a baby shower for the newest member of the family," Kimberly replied.

Kira smiled as she embraced all of her friends. There was a knock on the door and Kira's heart stopped. "Who could that be?" She asked.

"I have no idea," Kimberly replied.

She walked over and opened the door. "May I help you?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Connor and Kira," the person replied.

Connor grinned as he walked over. "Eric, come in," Connor invited. For the first time, everyone was meeting Eric McKnight. "Eric, this is Dr. Tommy Oliver, Kimberly Oliver, Trent Fernandez, and Ethan James," Connor informed.

"And what am I, Connor, chopped liver?" Kira teased.

"Yeah, who is this beautiful girl?" Eric asked.

"Back off, Eric. This is Kira Ford, my girlfriend," Connor replied.

"Ah! So you're the girl that my brother won't stop talking about."

Kira smiled as she shook his hand. "And look, I'm having a little niece or nephew on the way," he commented. Connor wrapped his arms around Kira before getting the party started.

Along with gifts for the baby, there were gifts for Kira. Trent nodded to Connor and then Connor sat next to Kira. "I've got something for you," he announced. Everyone watched as Kira opened the box to reveal another box. She opened that box to reveal another box.

"Is this some kind of joke?" She asked.

"Just keep opening," he replied.

Kira opened about three more boxes before revealing the tiny jewelry box. "Connor," she whispered. She opened it to find a ring. Connor grinned as he took the box, got down on one knee, held her hand in his, and looked up into her beautiful face.

"Kira Ford, will you marry me?" He asked.

Kira couldn't say anything. She was too choked up to say anything. Tears fell down her face and she nodded. "Yes," she replied. Connor slipped the ring onto her finger and then she hugged him tight. Everyone then congratulated them.