I hope you enjoy this very sweet chapter!

Isaac and Mirabel had a wonderful relationship. Everyone around them could easily tell how in love they were and it was obvious they were so good together. Life stayed busy for the both of them, but they made time for dates every week and they continued to eat at each other's houses for dinner several times a week. The two families got along so well. Mirabel loved when they had the time to hang out with old friends from school. She saw them frequently around town, but to actually sit down and have a conversation with them was nice. It felt like the good old days.

They had their minor disagreements and arguments that all couples have, but nothing severe and nothing they couldn't handle. Mirabel had a lot of insecurities and self-esteem issues, so any time they had even the tiniest little argument, she'd freak out and think they were going to break up. Isaac was the most patient man in the entire world. He was always so good at reassuring her that arguments were normal and he wasn't going to break up with her over them.

The most they ever did was light kissing and this wasn't even something they did every time they were together. Some days, she could handle the physical touch and she loved it, but other days, she didn't want to be touched in the slightest. Isaac respected that and it never upset him. He was just happy to be with her. They were so in love with each other that little things like that didn't bother them. It took a long time, but Mirabel learned she didn't have to apologize to Isaac when she wasn't in the mood for any sort of physical touch. It wasn't something that was her fault, so there was no need to apologize.

One thing she didn't know if she'd ever be able to handle was Isaac running his hands through her hair. When they kissed, he usually just had his hands on her waist or at his side, but never in her hair. She told him it was something that made her very uncomfortable and she wasn't ready to try it out.

They were having so much fun together and staying so busy that before they knew it, it was 2 years since they started dating and 3 years since he told her he liked her in the first place. He already felt like he was part of the family. Because the families were around each other more, Camilo and Isaac's sister, Lucia, started spending more time together and they started to date once Mirabel and Isaac had been together for a year. It shocked everyone at first, but it made sense, because they were so good together. Lucia was just 1 year younger than Camilo, so he already knew her from school and being friends with Isaac. It wasn't like with Isaac who knew he liked Mirabel from the beginning. This made for some really fun double dates.

It had been over 8 years since Mirabel was rescued. Life was so good now, better than she could have imagined it would be. She was able to live a relatively normal life, but it didn't mean she didn't still struggle from time to time. She still had anxiety that was triggered by anything that reminded her of that time. She still had the occasional nightmare that had her waking up in a panic, screaming bloody murder and the occasional panic attack. On very rare occasions, she wanted her mama to sleep with her. Mirabel hated talking about that time in her life, so she didn't. Isaac only knew what she told him right before they started to date.

Mila was now 8 years old and she still loved Isaac. He was so incredibly sweet and kind to her and treated her like a princess, but she mainly loved him, because she could still feel how happy and in love he made her mom. Mila knew her mom deserved to feel that way. She still didn't know much about her biological father. She still only knew what Mirabel told her at almost 5 years old. She knew there was probably more to the story than that, but he clearly caused her mom a lot of pain and she didn't want to make her mom feel worse by making her relive that. Mila knew that, eventually, she'd learn the full truth. She trusted her mom to know what was best for her.

Isaac felt that it was time to propose to Mirabel. He could have asked her to marry him after only dating for a few weeks, because even then, he knew he'd never want to be with anyone else. He obviously knew Mirabel wouldn't have been anywhere near ready for that at the time, though. He thought about it at the one-year mark, but still felt like it was too fast for her. They were having a good time and just enjoying each other's company and there was no need to change anything yet. But now, at the two-year mark, he was ready to take that leap. He knew that marriage would mean taking that next step in their relationship, but he was committed to not pressuring Mirabel on anything she wasn't ready for. That's not why he wanted to marry her. He wanted to marry her, because he wanted to fully be committed to her and only her. The thought of going from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife made him so excited.

He had not bought the ring yet, but he had it picked out. First thing's first: he needed to talk to Julieta and Agustin and he prayed so hard they would think it was a good idea.

Isaac was already going to join the Madrigals for dinner one evening a week before Mirabel's 25th birthday. He wanted to propose to her on her birthday, but he didn't know exactly how yet. He was running out of time and knew he needed to talk to her parents before planning anything else. He was hoping he could get a time with just her parents that night somehow.

Just as he was about to arrive at Casita, he ran into Mirabel. She was on her way to the grocery store for her mom. "Do you want to join me?" she asked him.

Normally, he would have, but he knew this would be the best time to talk to her parents without her anywhere around. "Next time I will, but I think I want to see if I can help your mom in the kitchen in anyway." He really hoped that sounded convincing, because he wasn't convincing himself.

It must have been good enough, because she bought it. Mirabel just nodded. "Okay. See you in a few, babe." She gave him a quick kiss and headed off to the store.

Isaac took a deep breath and headed into Casita. The store was a 5-minute walk from Casita, so he estimated he had 15-20 minutes to do this, depending on how long it took her at the store.

Julieta was already in the kitchen, getting stuff prepared for dinner. Agustin was standing next to her, chatting about his day. Isaac took a deep, shaky breath. Here goes nothing. He walked in the kitchen and when they noticed him, they smiled. He smiled back and said, "Um…is now a good time…to talk? I'm sorry, I know you're about to make dinner, but…this can't wait." The last time he was this nervous was when he told Mirabel he liked her. He really wanted this to go well.

Julieta and Agustin glanced at each other and then looked back at Isaac. They both nodded and stood silently, waiting for him to speak. "We're listening." said Agustin.

Isaac took one more deep breath. "I, uh…I wanted to ask…your permission…in asking Mirabel to marry me."

For a few seconds, there was no reaction. Julieta and Agustin just stared at him. Then, Julieta got tears in her eyes and Agustin started to slightly nod his head up and down. They both had the biggest smiles on their faces. "Oh, Isaac, come here." said Julieta, walking up to him and holding her arms out.

Isaac let out a little sigh and smiled as he hugged Julieta. When they pulled apart, Julieta said, "Before you and Mirabel started to date…I never thought she would find someone to be with. I never thought that she would…trust someone enough or…feel comfortable enough to actually be with someone. I watched my older girls find love and I hoped my youngest would find love someday, too. She deserved it so much, but…I completely understood if it was never something she wanted." Julieta smiled. The tears were streaming down her cheeks now. "I watch the way you are with her. She could not have found a better man for her. You are so patient with her and…so understanding of everything. You have never pushed her to do anything she doesn't want to do and, Isaac, you will never understand how much that means to me. Not only that, but…you have treated Mila with so much respect and kindness as well. I can imagine it's hard to…love a woman who already has a child and especially a child…from such a terrible situation. But…you haven't let it change anything and it shows."

Isaac could have burst into tears. He looked at Agustin who just nodded. "I couldn't have said it better myself." he said with a shrug. "You truly do love Mirabel and Mila and we appreciate that so much. You have our blessing." He held his hand out and Isaac shook it. Agustin pulled him in for a quick hug.

"I can't tell you how much it means for me to hear you say that." said Isaac shakily. "I love Mirabel and Mila so much and I will spend every day making sure they know that."

"Now, Isaac, I do want you to understand something." started off Julieta. "I know for a fact that Mirabel loves you. I mean, it's obvious. We can all see it and Mila can feel it." Everyone chuckled at that comment. "But…marriage is a big step. You do have our blessing to ask her to marry you, but…don't be surprised if asking her…causes some anxiety. Marriage is going to mean…something more to Mirabel."

Isaac nodded. "Oh, trust me, I know. I've thought about that, too. Just like everything else, it will be her decision."

Julieta nodded and then shrugged. "Mirabel is my baby and always will be. I'll always want to protect her, no matter how old she is."

"I completely understand that and I wouldn't have it any other way." Isaac said. He cleared his throat. "Now…I don't know exactly how I want to propose to her, but I know I want it to be on her birthday. Because of her anxiety, I want to go about it gently and not bring too much attention to her. Do you have anything in mind?"

Julieta and Agustin both thought for a moment and then Julieta said, "Mirabel is always eager to help with the dishes after dinner and I know she'll want to do that, even on her birthday. The rest of us can say we have something to do and leave you two alone. That might be a good time to ask her. Not having an audience will help."

"Yeah, I can do that." he said. "I wish I could do something big and extravagant for her, because it's what she deserves, but…I know she wouldn't like it."

"I know." said Julieta sympathetically. "It's the same reason why she hasn't wanted a huge birthday party since she came home."

It was after this that other family members started to come into the kitchen and so the conversation immediately shifted. Then, not much longer, Mirabel came back to the house with the groceries. It was a normal family dinner night with normal conversations that consisted of the kids and their silly stories. A year prior, both Dolores and Isabela each had another baby a week apart. Dolores had a baby boy she named Carlos and Isabela had a baby girl she named Emelina. Dolores' twin girls had their gift ceremony that year and so the house was full of all kinds of gifts and excitement.

It didn't take long for the family to learn the secret. Unbeknownst to Julieta, Agustin, and Isaac, Dolores was in the house and heard the conversation. It wasn't like she was spying, but just like it was most days, she couldn't help but listen in to the conversation. She kept it to herself for a few days, but then couldn't help but start to share it with others. Within another day, the whole family knew, minus Mirabel and the kids. Everyone was so excited and couldn't wait for Mirabel's birthday now.

Isaac knew that his proposal to Mirabel needed to just be the two of them, but he wanted to add something to make it special. He finally got the idea to involve Isabela and have her make a bunch of flowers surrounding the two of them. He kept thinking about how to make it work and he figured his best bet would be to take Mirabel out to the back porch where there would be the flowers and he'd propose there. He talked to Isabela about it and she loved the idea. "You know, Isaac…" started off Isabela, after she told him she'd do this for him. "I'm sure my parents already told you this, but thank you so much for being so amazing to my sister and my niece. I can speak for the entire family when I say that we all just want Mirabel to be happy and clearly, we can all see that you make her happy."

Isaac smiled at her. "Thank you, Isabela."

The day before Mirabel's birthday, Isaac managed to pull Mila aside without Mirabel knowing. She still didn't know about the proposal and he wanted her to know before he actually proposed. He knelt down in front of her. "So, Mila…you know how much I love you and your mama, right?"

Mila nodded. "Yes, I know you love me and my mama. Mama loves you, too. Why are you asking about this?"

"Well…with tomorrow being your mama's birthday…I thought I would…ask her to marry me, but I want to know what you think about it first. I would never ask her this if you didn't approve of it first." Isaac already had the ring and he was ready to go with this plan, but if Mila didn't want him to do this for whatever reason, he wouldn't do it.

Mila's face broke out into the biggest smile. "My mama would love that and I know it will make her so happy!" She immediately jumped into his arms and gave him a hug. When she pulled away from him, she said, "Does this mean you'll be my new papa?"

"Well…" he started off gently. This was a delicate situation that he knew he had to tread carefully. "You know, Mila…I'll love you like a papa should love his daughter, no matter what."

"Does that mean…I should start calling you Papa?"

"You can if you want or you can just keep calling me Isaac. I want you to do whatever makes you the most comfortable." Isaac knew all this was technically still hypothetically. While he was pretty sure Mirabel would say yes, it still wasn't something that was 100% going to happen and he needed Mila to understand that. "But before we get ahead of ourselves, let me ask her first. She still needs to say yes to marrying me and we don't know if she will yet. Okay?"

Mila nodded. "Okay, but I just know she's going to say yes! She has to!"

Isaac couldn't help but laugh. He loved this little girl so much.

Before he knew it, it was Mirabel's birthday. The day had finally arrived. He was going to be asking the woman of his dreams to marry him. If he would have told himself 10 years ago that he would be proposing to Mirabel he would have never believed it. Sometimes it felt so surreal that he actually worked up the nerve to tell her he liked her in the first place.

Mirabel came down to breakfast and she could tell something was going on. Everyone was extra excited to see her. It was her birthday, so she knew there would be some excitement, but this was more and she couldn't figure out why. Mila ran to her, jumped in her arms, and said, "Mama, Mama, it's your birthday! Happy birthday! I'm so excited that it's your birthday!"

Mirabel laughed. Her usual excited daughter was even more excited. "Well, thank you, mi vida."

Everyone was so smiley during breakfast and through the rest of the day. Isaac came by and wished Mirabel a happy birthday. He seemed like his normal self, so she couldn't figure out why her family was extra excited. The same excitement filled the air during dinner that evening. Isaac was obviously there along with Lucia. All of Isaac's family knew he was proposing and it made them so excited, too.

After dinner, Julieta brought a cake out for Mirabel and everyone sang. Then, cake was cut and passed out to everyone. Mirabel refused candles on her cake. It was 9 years later, but the memory of Gonzalez making her blow out the candle on the cupcake still burned in her brain and she knew candles would send her into a panic. Even seeing candles on the cakes of other people gave her major anxiety.

After cake was done, Mirabel got up from the table to help with the dishes, just like Julieta knew she'd want to do. Julieta stayed with her and helped her. She usually would help with dishes, but she needed to keep Mirabel occupied. Since Mirabel was distracted, Isaac and Isabela headed out to the back porch. Within a few minutes, the whole back porch was filled with so many colorful flowers and plants that they both knew Mirabel would love. It was planned that as soon as Mirabel walked outside, one of the flowers above the door would toss petals all over her.

Isaac looked around, loving it so much, but feeling so anxious. He really wanted this to go well. Isabela could tell he was nervous. "Hey, it's going to be fine." she said sympathetically. "Mirabel loves you so much. Just speak from the heart. I know for a fact that she will say yes."

Isaac took a deep breath. "I hope so."

The both of them went inside. Mirabel and Julieta were still doing the dishes while everyone else was in their rooms. Julieta looked up at Isabela, who gave her a nod. Julieta cleared her throat and said, "Mira, I need to take care of something really quick. I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

Mirabel nodded. "Okay. I'll be here."

Julieta and Isabela left the room and it was just Mirabel and Isaac left. Isaac walked up to her. "It's still daylight outside. How about we go out back and…just walk around for a bit?" His heart was pounding so hard and he really hoped she couldn't tell he was so nervous.

"Can I finish these dishes first?"

Very gently, Isaac took the plate out of her hand and put it back in the sink. Mirabel looked at him with an odd expression. He held his hand out. "Come with me?"

Still very confused, Mirabel grabbed his hand and let him lead her outside. All the way there, she couldn't help but think something was definitely up. She looked around briefly and realized none of her family was around. That was also very weird. So many people lived in Casita, so unless it was nighttime, it was very rare that no one was in the courtyard or living room.

The second they stepped outside, rose petals seemed to fall from the sky and gently cascaded over Mirabel. She gasped, looked up, and then looked around. She was staring in complete shock at all the flowers and plants that were clearly done by Isabela. It was gorgeous. She was looking in awe at everything, unable to find words. She had been so confused all day by her family's odd behavior. She looked at Isaac, who was smiling. She knew now. "Isaac…? What's…going on?"

"Mirabel…" started off Isaac. She was still staring at him, eyes wide. "I love you with my whole entire heart. You and Mila are the most important people in my life. Mi vida, you make me happier than I ever thought someone could ever make me feel. If you'll let me…I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you feel the same way." He pulled a small box out of his pocket while getting down on one knee. He opened it to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring Mirabel had ever seen. "Will you marry me?"

Mirabel was so moved by his words that she got immediate tears in her eyes. Her heart was beating hard. She felt like the whole world was moving so fast around her, but she was frozen in this spot. She couldn't speak and she couldn't move. She loved this man more than she could ever express. She wanted to marry him. She wanted to say yes. Instead, her mind was racing with old memories that were about to send her into a full-blown panic attack.

What felt like an eternity for Mirabel, but was only 10 seconds later, Isaac stood up. He could see the look on her face and he knew why she hadn't spoken yet. He knew she must be terrified. He wasn't even upset that she was reacting like this. He was fully expecting it. "Mi amor, I know what you're thinking." he said quietly. "I know what marriage means to you and…you need to know I'm not expecting anything. I only asked you to marry me, because…I would love for you to be my wife. I want to be that committed to you, because I love you. I'm not asking for anything else. Not until you're ready. And if you're never ready…that's okay, too." Isaac truly meant that, but he really hoped someday she would be ready. He was only human.

It took her a moment to comprehend his words. She truly felt like she didn't deserve him. She gulped as tears filled her eyes. "I don't deserve you." she said, already sobbing. She wrapped her arms around him. "That's not fair to you. I could never ask you to do that or…wait for me like that. Why did you have to fall in love with me?" She had to pause to take a few deep breaths. She was still sobbing through them, feeling so much pain in her chest. "I'm not meant…to be with anyone."

Isaac pulled apart and gently grabbed her cheeks. "There is no one in this world I'd rather be with than you. Mi amor, you have to believe me. You saying yes would make me…so happy, but…if that's not what you want, you can say no." Isaac meant those words, but it still hurt him. "We can keep doing what we're doing for as long as you'd like."

"No, no, it's not that." she said, sobs starting to slow down. "I do want to marry you. I mean, of course, I want to marry you." She softly smiled at him. "The thought of being your wife makes me…so happy. But…I can't…do the things that…"

"I know, I know." he said quickly. "I'm not asking you to. Just being with you makes me so happy. But, also, mi amor…you don't know what the future holds. You never thought you'd be able to be in a relationship at all. You probably never thought we'd be able to hold hands or…kiss. But you did all those things. I know the next step goes way beyond that and it's much different and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for you, so please don't think I will ever pressure you, but…you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You have come so far."

Mirabel thought for a moment. He was right. She never thought any of those things would be possible. They were only possible, because of Isaac. He was the reason she was comfortable enough being in a relationship. He proved time and time again that he was okay waiting for whatever she needed and he never pressured her. None of their arguments were over things like that. She knew good guys existed, but she never thought she'd be lucky enough to find one as amazing as him. He exceeded her expectations over and over again.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I love you…so much." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. It was 2 years later and she still got butterflies when they kissed. When they pulled apart, she smiled again and nodded. "Yes, I will marry you."

Isaac took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. She looked at it and it was perfect. She still had a little bit of anxiety, but she would try her best to put it aside and just know that she'd be spending the rest of her life with the man of her dreams. Also, they just got engaged. A wedding was far off in the future.

Mirabel and Isaac came back into the house a few minutes later and cheers immediately erupted. The whole family was in the courtyard now. Isaac whispered, "Your mama and I thought you'd appreciate not having the entire family watch the engagement."

Mirabel giggled. "You know me so well."

Mila ran to Mirabel and Isaac and hugged them tightly. She pulled away and looked at Mirabel and grabbed her hand. "Mama, it's going to be okay."

Mirabel let out a big sigh of relief as all of her anxious feelings left her body. She was feeling so peaceful and excited now. She hugged her daughter once more and kissed her on the forehead, and then she started to hug other family members. Mirabel would be marrying the most amazing man and she had the most amazing daughter. Life couldn't get much better than this.

If you watch Friends, then you may recognize a part of what Isaac says in his proposal to Mirabel 3

Hopefully the time jumps don't feel too rushed. Next chapter will be the wedding. Hopefully it doesn't take me too long to get it posted, but as always, thank you for your patience :)