'Shut the door.' Max said.

'I don't understand?' Zoe responded.

She closed the door behind her and looked around the room. The bed was covered in rose petals, tea lights were lit, an ice bucket on the table with Champagne and two glasses.

Max was wearing a full suit and tie, Zoe couldn't take her eyes off him, she still didn't understand what was going on, she saw a sequinned silver dress hanging on the door, 'is that for me?' she asked.

'It certainly is madam.' Max spoke softly, 'you'll need to be showered and dressed in half an hour.'

'But Max, what about today? We can't forget it didn't happen!' Zoe said.

He walked over to her and took her in his arms. 'I don't want to forget Zo, I'm so sorry the way I reacted, it wasn't fair on you, I was being childish and only thinking of myself.'

'Oh Max, you don't have to be sorry, I'm the one that should be apologising! We were having so much fun, I didn't want to ruin it with something so serious.'

'Well guess what Zo, we are serious whether you like it or not!' He laughed. 'I think it's time we had a proper date, nice food,music, champagne and let's just talk, about us, the future, what we both want?'

'So that's why you look so smart?!' Zoe teased.

'Hey!' Max looked offended.

'And very, very sexy..'

'No time for that! Go get ready!' Max ordered.

Zoe went off to get showered, wondering what Max was planning. She couldn't believe how lucky she was, she knew the hard part was coming, the discussion, but she knew she wanted it. This was the man she wanted to be with.

She quickly dried her hair and did her make up, Max snuck up behind her making her jump. 'Max! You nearly gave me a heart attack!'

'Sorry, I just wanted to give you these.' He gave the box to Zoe who opened it, a pair of diamond earrings she'd been admiring in town a couple of weeks before.

'They're gorgeous, Max, you shouldn't have, I don't deserve them, not after today.'

'I think you deserve them more after today.'

Max looked at Zoe, her eyes glistened with tears 'No crying Dr Hanna! Crying women make me uncomfortable!'

'I love you so much, I thought I'd lost you.' Zoe started.

'Stop right there, come on, time to get dressed!' Max ordered.

'Are you going to zip me up?' Zoe asked. 'The dress is beautiful by the way, and it fits!'

'I know you better than you think!' Max said, 'ready madam?'

'Where are we going?' Zoe asked.

'Well you see, that's the thing, after the dress and the earrings I realised I couldn't afford a fancy meal so...'

Max walked over to the balcony and opened the door, there was a table set for two and yet more tea lights on the ground.

Zoe couldn't help but laugh 'you got us dressed up so we could sit on our own balcony?'

'Well, yeah! But have no worries, I had a word with the hotel and they've prepared us our own special three course meal with personal waiter on hand! Kind of a thanks for spending so much money staying here!' Max grinned.

'I love it' Zoe told him. She may have expensive taste but it was the simple things that mattered the most to her.

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door, Max opened it to let two waiters in, one carrying a tray of food.

'Good evening Mr Walker, Dr Hanna,' the empty handed waiter said, 'may I show you to your table for the evening?'

'Certainly' replied Max.

He led them out to the balcony and pulled out the chairs for them, they both sat down whilst the waiter poured the glasses of Champagne.

The second waiter came over to the table and served them their starters, a mini tapas selection.

'Thank you.' Said Max to the waiter.

'Just give us a call when you're ready for the main course Mr Walker.' The waiter said and they both left the room.

'So, Spanish?' asked Zoe.

'Remember I told you I'd always fancied living in Spain? Well here's a sample!'

'Oh yeah, I remember now, well it's delicious'

'Mmm, just like you!' Max said.

'Ugh, how cheesy! Did you just say that?' Zoe asked him laughing!

'I know right?!' Max laughed too. This is how they were meant to be, happy, laughing, together, everything he'd dreamed off for the past year.

They finished the starter and Max called down for the main course.

'It'll be about fifteen minutes' he told Zoe. 'So...'

Zoe felt a knot in her stomach. Here goes. 'The children thing?' She asked. Max nodded.

'Well it's true, I can't conceive naturally. I found out when I was with Nick, that's why we broke up, he thought I was pregnant, I was having all these fertility injections which were giving me the symptoms of being pregnant but I wasn't. That's why I was so scared today, I thought you'd leave me and history was repeating itself.'

Max held her hand, 'I'd never leave you, I was upset that you'd kept it from me when it should have been something you'd told me about, especially as we'd commited to buying a house! I just thought because you hadn't told me you weren't that serious about us.'

Zoe gripped his hand tighter 'I am deadly serious about us Max, and I can't apologise enough, it's not a easy subject to approach 'oh by the way, you know I'm ten years old than you, I also can't have children!' Imagine your disappointment!'

'Zoe Hanna, you could never disappoint me.'

'Do you want children Max?' Zoe asked him.

'I don't know Zo, I've never really thought about it. I've never needed to think about it, until now. All I know is I want you and whatever you decide I'll support you.'

'What do you mean?' Zoe asked him.

'Well,if you decided you wanted to go through treatment again?'

'I can't do that Max, I'm 40, I can't put my body through that again.'

'Then you don't, if we decide we do want children there are other options, surrogacy, adoption...'

Tears ran down Zoe's face, 'I'm sorry' she whispered, 'they're happy tears, honestly, I never thought I'd be in this position.'

'Well you are, we're a team now, we work together!' Max comforted her.

There was a knock at the door, 'quick dry your eyes, he'll think one of us is dying!' Max joked.

The waiter removed the starter plates and placed the main on the table. 'Now for my all time favourite,' Max said, 'Paella! Thank you kind sir.'

'Wow, this looks amazing!' Zoe said, she was learning a lot about Max, his favourite food, how supportive he was despite his laid back personality, that he'd do anything for her.

She looked out over the river and looked at Max. 'This is perfect Max, thank you, it tops some overpriced fancy restaurant any day!'

'I know I'm not some rich surgeon but I'd do anything to make you happy and I want to do that for the rest of our lives.' Max stared at her.

'Is that a proposal?!' Zoe asked.

'Er, no! But for future reference, what are your views on marriage?' He asked her.

'Not sure really, I have been engaged before but never done the marrying thing. I'm not against it but I'm not the big white wedding type either! What about you? Secretly married/divorced?' Zoe asked him.

'God no, I was sowing my wild oats whilst I could! Just waiting for that special someone to tie me down,' Max laughed.

'Tie you down?! And that's me? I'm more likely to tie you to a lamppost then tie you down Max!'

'Ooh Dr Hanna showing her wild side! Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you!' Max said.

'Seriously though, I've really enjoyed this evening, I wanted to show you I can wine and dine you, clearly in style!, and there's more than just the fun to me. This is it for me Zoe, you're the one I want to be with, forever.

'Are you getting emotional on me Max?' Zoe asked.

'Absolutely, is that ok with you?' He replied.

Zoe leaned over and kissed him, 'Definitely.'

They'd finished eating and called down to say they were too full for dessert, the waiter came to clear the plates away and brought them a complimentary bottle of wine.

'I don't know what they'll do when we tell the we're leaving!' Laughed Zoe.

'We could offer them jobs as butlers at our new house, you can afford it right?!' Max joked.

'Get inside Mary-Jane!' Zoe said guiding him through the door ignoring his attempt at being funny. 'It's my turn to treat you...'

'Sure thing Spider-Man!, now, what the hell do I do with these rose petals?!'