After dating for 3 months, Mirabel and Max had their first fight. They planned to meet at the coffee shop where they had their first date at 4:00. It was 4:10 and he still wasn't there. Mirabel's anxiety got the best of her and she started freaking out, thinking he was standing her up and it would be just like it was with Javi. She started going over the possibility of him leaving her the same way Javi did and she was already starting to hyperventilate. Just then, Max came running in the door. He went right up to her and said, "Babe, I'm so sorry. I had to help my grandparents with something and it took longer than expected."

She wanted to be understanding, but she couldn't help but be furious with him. She didn't want to make a scene in the coffee shop, so she asked for them to go outside. Once outside, she said, "Do you even realize how freaked out I was? I thought history was repeating itself and you just decided to abandon me."

"Wait, what?" he asked, confused. "You're really comparing me to Javi? Mirabel, I have never given you any reason not to trust me. I already said I was sorry. I was helping my grandparents with something. I kept telling them to hurry up, but they're slow. As soon as I finished, I ran over here as fast as I could."

"I understand that, but you need to understand where I was coming from. I really thought you weren't going to show up. He never gave me any reason not to trust him, either, and we see how that ended up."

Max ran his hands over his face in frustration. "I can't believe you. I get that it's hard for you to trust men, but it's been 3 months. I've done nothing but love and support you through everything. I just thought we were past all of this. When I was nice to you that first week after I first met you, do you remember what you did? You told me that you didn't want to talk to me anymore and to ignore you. I figured I wouldn't have to see that side of you again, but I guess I was wrong." He shook his head. "You know what? I'm just going to go back home."

He turned to walk away, but Mirabel grabbed his arm and said, "You're just going to leave me here? What about our date?"

"Yeah, well, I'm not really interested in this date anymore." He pulled out of her grip and he left.

She instantly knew she screwed up. Everything he said was right. She did overreact. He truly had never given her any reason not to trust him. He was a very good man. He treated her and Rosa so good, better than she felt like she deserved. She wanted to go after him and apologize, but she was frozen in that one spot. It took forever for her to actually decide to leave and go home.

By the time she got home, she was in tears. She was about to head upstairs and into her room when she heard Pepa's voice from the living room. "Hey, Mira, I didn't think you'd be back so soon." Pepa and Antonio were watching Rosa.

"I didn't think so either."

Pepa could immediately tell from her voice that something was wrong. "Oh no. What happened?"

Mirabel sighed and went to the living room with Pepa, Antonio, and Rosa. Rosa was on the floor playing with Antonio and barely even noticed Mirabel had come in. There was no one in the family that could make her laugh more than Antonio could, so when he was around, it was like no one else existed. "I think Max is going to break up with me. I messed everything up. Next to Rosa, he is the best thing that's ever happened to me." She wanted to blame her anxiety, but honestly, she knew she was to blame. She shouldn't have jumped to the worst-case scenario. "What is wrong with me?"

"Let's go to the kitchen." said Pepa, motioning to the kids. Mirabel nodded. "Antonio, we'll be right back. Let us know if there are any problems." They went in the kitchen. "Okay, what did you do? I've seen the way he looks at you. I don't think there's anything you could do that would make him want to break up with you."

"He was 10 minutes late to our date, because he had to help his grandparents with something, and when he finally showed up, I freaked out on him and compared him to Javi. He, of course, got really upset with me and just left. This will ruin everything, won't it? Javi leaving was his own fault, but this is my fault. I'll be the reason this relationship ends."

"Mirabel, I think you're jumping to conclusions." Pepa said gently. "I understand where you were coming from, but I also understand where he's coming from. Comparing him to the man who broke your heart and wants nothing to do with his kid is very hurtful. Max has shown you he is better than that. But I highly doubt he is going to break up with you over this."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Couples fight. Felix and I fight. Your mom and dad fight. It's a normal part of a relationship. You fight, you make up, and you move on. Honestly, it's not normal if you never have fights. It's how you learn and grow in a relationship. I can see you realize you made a mistake. You need to own up to it and apologize."

"I know."

Despite Pepa's words, Mirabel was still worried that things were over with Max. She asked Pepa if her and Antonio didn't mind watching Rosa for a little bit longer and they didn't, so Mirabel went to her room and laid on her bed. She knew she needed to go talk to Max, but she wasn't ready to face him. She just couldn't get that look of disappointment out of her head. She was so scared that if she did go talk to him, he'd still be mad at her and he'd yell at her. Honestly, she felt like she deserved that.

30 minutes went by and Mirabel decided she needed to go talk to Max. Even if he was still mad, she needed to see him. She had to tell him how sorry she was.

She was walking to his house and coincidentally, she ran into him while he was walking to her house. They stood there, facing each other, not quite knowing what to say. She looked down, kicking at some rocks on the ground. She finally looked up at him and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

He raised his eyebrows. "You are?"

She nodded. "I'm so sorry, Max. I should never have compared you to Javi. It was so wrong of me to do, because you are nothing like him. Everything you said was right. You have never given me a reason not to trust you." She didn't mean for her voice to shake, but it did. "I just…I hope you don't hate me and don't want to break up with me, but if you do, I understand."

"Hey." he said and walked up to her, putting his hands on her cheeks. She was looking down, but looked up at him. "I was mad at you, yes, but that doesn't mean I want to break up with you. I also don't hate you. I could never hate you." He smiled slightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He sighed shakily and moved his hands, grabbing her hands. "Listen…I'm going to be there for you. I understand you've been through a lot, but, please, don't think I'm anything like Javi. Just saying his name makes me angry. That man left you with no warning and wants nothing to do with his child. If we were to break up, which we're not, I would give you a real explanation. I would never leave you questioning why the breakup was happening. I would be honest with you. I hope you know me well enough by now to know that. The fact that you would even think for a second that I'm like him is hurtful. I know I'm not perfect, but I wouldn't do that to you."

She nodded. "I know. I'm so sorry. I won't do it again."

"Okay. I trust you. And I forgive you." He wrapped his arms around her and she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her head against his chest.

"I said this before and I'll say it again. Thank you for not giving up on me. I promise, I'm going to try and do better."

"I said it then, too, but it's still true now. You're worth it." He gave her a kiss. "I'm sorry about my reaction. I probably overreacted a little bit."

"No, you didn't. You had every right to react that way. I was the one who was unfair to you." She took a shaky breath. "I would blame my anxiety for it, but I have to take responsibility for the bad choices that I make."

"I know a lot of your anxiety isn't your fault, but I appreciate you owning up to it."

"I can't blame my anxiety on everything. That would not be fair."

Mirabel was a little nervous that things would change after that fight, but they didn't. Mirabel did continue to profusely apologize to him about the fight, because she still felt horrible about it. She knew she made a mistake and she vowed to never make that same mistake again.


"Can I talk to you both about something?"

The whole family had just finished dinner and mostly everyone was out of the kitchen at this point, except for Julieta and Agustin. Max thought this would be the perfect time to talk to them. Rosa had refused a nap that day, so Mirabel was putting her to bed early. "Sure. What's up?" said Julieta. She turned to him, wiping her hands on a towel.

He took a deep breath. His heart was racing. He was so nervous to ask them this question, but it was important to him to do this. "Okay, so…Mirabel's birthday is next week and I know birthdays are tough for her, especially her own. I have an idea, but I need to get your approval first."

They glanced at each other, confused, then looked back at Max. "Approval of what?" asked Agustin.

"I had this idea that…I think would make her birthday better." He took another deep breath. "I want to ask her to marry me. But I want to get both of your opinions on it first and your blessing, of course. Is it too soon? It's only been 6 months and we agreed to not take things too fast, but I just love her so much and I don't want to be with anyone else, ever. So, what do you think?"

Julieta and Agustin looked at each other and smiled. They looked back at Max with the same smiles. Julieta giggled slightly and walked forward to hug Max. He was a little shocked, but hugged her back. When she pulled away, she said, "I think that's a wonderful idea."

"Really? You don't think it's too soon?"

She shook her head. "Max, Mirabel is so in love with you. She is just so happy when you're around and you have no idea how good it is to see that light in her eyes again. There was a time that we didn't think we'd ever see it again." Julieta sighed shakily, thinking back to all her daughter endured. "I don't know about Agustin, but you have my blessing."

Max looked at Agustin, who was smiling as well. He walked up to Max, shook his hand, and pulled him in for a hug. "You have my blessing, as well. I know you will take great care of her and Rosa."

Just then, they could hear Mirabel coming down the stairs. They all tried to act casual, but Mirabel still eyed them as she walked in. They looked nervous about something. "Uh, did I miss something? What's going on?"

"Nothing, mi amor." said Max as he walked up to her. He kissed her on the side of her head. "I was just helping your parents finish up in the kitchen." He was always helping out in the kitchen, so this wasn't something out of the ordinary.

"You're so sweet." she said and gave him a hug.

A week later it was her birthday. Mirabel and Max were both nervous for the day, but for completely different reasons. Mirabel was in a completely different place than she was a year ago. For her 22nd birthday, she was still recovering from postpartum depression and she didn't want much of a birthday celebration. She was also still reeling from the memories of her 21st birthday party then. She decided she did want a party this year. Not a huge one, though. She just wanted family and a few close friends. Mirabel was also very confused as to why Max was acting so strange. He was at Casita off and on all day, but he just seemed off. It caused Mirabel some anxiety, but she would remind herself to take deep breathes when she felt the anxiety getting to be too much.

Max was scared out of his mind. Today was the day. He was going to ask the woman of his dreams to marry him. He was pretty sure she'd say yes, but it was still so nerve wracking. He thought about doing something small for the proposal, but he wanted to go all out. He knew it wouldn't matter to Mirabel, but she deserved it. He spoke with Isabela and their plan was to sneak off in the middle of the party after cake and presents, have everyone else keep Mirabel occupied inside, and she would make an extravagant garden of Mirabel's favorite flowers for her to walk out to. Max would be in the middle of it and that's where he'd ask her to marry him.

It was the middle of the party and Mirabel looked around for Max. He had shown up at the exact time he said he would. She knew he would, but still, when he walked through the door, she ran to him, threw herself in his arms, and kissed him. She was just so happy he showed up. He stood by her side while she blew the candles out on her cake. But now, he was nowhere to be seen. She also couldn't find Isabela. She asked Luisa about it, but she just said they were taking care of stuff. Mirabel had no idea what kind of things they'd be doing, but she trusted her sisters and her boyfriend.

Mirabel was holding Rosa while talking to a friend when Isabela walked in. "Can I get everyone's attention, please?" She still carried herself with so much grace even being 6 months pregnant.

Everyone looked at her and started to smile. Everyone was in on the secret and couldn't wait for what was next. Mirabel, however, was very confused. She had no clue. "Isa, what are you doing?"

"You'll see." She walked up to her and took Rosa from her. "I'm going to need your daughter for this next part." She smiled and motioned for Mirabel to follow her outside. They got to the door to go outside, but Isabela turned to her. "You need to close your eyes now."

Mirabel groaned. "Are you for real? What is going on? I don't like this."

"You will. Trust me." Isabela looked behind Mirabel's head, seeing her mom there. "Mama?"

Julieta stepped up and grabbed Mirabel's arm. "Close your eyes, mija, and I'll guide you. Come on."

Mirabel rolled her eyes, but did what they all wanted her to do. She took her glasses off, held them in one hand, and used her other hand to cover her eyes. She felt her mom drag her outside. She could hear hushed conversations around her. She couldn't make out what they were saying. Not being able to see and being mostly quiet around her was overwhelming.

Just as she realized she was getting huge whiffs of flowers, her mom said, "Okay…open your eyes."

Mirabel opened her eyes and saw nothing but a blur of color. She put her glasses on and gasped at the sight in front of her. There were flowers everywhere. It was mostly roses of all colors with a mixture of other flowers and plants. It was all of her favorite flowers and she was mesmerized by them. She looked around at the beautiful sight for a moment before her eyes landed on the sight in the middle of it all. There stood Max with a huge smile on his face, hands behind his back. The sun was starting to set making it look golden outside. It was gorgeous.

Mirabel smiled, let out a little gasp, and walked towards him. There was a path leading right up to him. She had a slight idea of what might be happening, but she couldn't believe it. It didn't feel real. He still didn't feel real sometimes. When she reached him, she said, "Max, what are you doing? Why did you have Isa make all these flowers?"

"Just trying to make your birthday magical."

Mirabel shook her head while still smiling. "You're seriously incredible." She grabbed his face and kissed him. She thought it was odd that he didn't put his arms around her. They were still behind his back. Her suspicions were starting to come true.

When they pulled apart, Max took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Mirabel…I love you so much. You and Rosa are the best things that's ever happened to me. I want to spend the rest of my days making sure my favorite girls know how loved they are." Mirabel gasped slightly and put her hands to her mouth. Her eyes widened and she got a smile as he got down on one knee and pulled a little box from behind his back. He opened it up to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. "Will you marry me?"

She was so moved by his words that her eyes filled with tears. "Max," she breathed. "Yes. Oh, my gosh, yes, of course, I'll marry you." She grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. While still kissing, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her, still holding onto that box tightly. Everyone behind them was clapping and cheering loudly.

The cheers continued as he put the ring on her finger. They heard everyone there, but just stood there staring at each other and smiling in their own world. "Happy birthday, babe. I wanted to find a way to make your birthday special. You deserve to enjoy your birthdays, not dread them."

Mirabel's eyes filled with more tears. This would save the way birthdays made her feel. "I can't even tell you how happy that makes me." She kissed him again, not ever wanting to stop. If Mirabel had told herself 2 years ago, or even 1 year ago, that she'd be getting engaged on her 23rd birthday, she would have never believed it for a million years. But it was happening. She was going to be marrying the man of her dreams.