Before Sarah could respond, Tanya asked bitterly, "What are you doing here?"

Sarah looked between Alex and Tanya, unsure of her next step. "I came to see your dad."

"He's not here right now, and you're not welcome here—" Tanya spit out.

Alex knew that Tanya had never gotten over the double hurt she had experienced in her father's relationship with Sarah. The first had occurred thanks to the revelation that the relationship existed, and the second in how Sarah had treated the family before leaving. Alex had her own strong feelings, but they were perhaps a bit more detached since she had not been present to experience it herself. Alex rubbed her hand on Tanya's back and smiled at the young woman. "Tanya, why don't you let me handle this."

Tanya drew her eyes away from Sarah and they softened as she looked questioningly at Alex. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just—keep the kids inside for a bit till I come back in." Alex nodded in the direction of the upstairs and Tanya nodded and slowly turned to walk away from the door. Alex watched her head upstairs, then stepped outside and shut the door behind her, turning her attention back to the woman in front of her.

"I'm sorry, you know who I am, but who are you?" Sarah asked in a judgmental tone that didn't escape Alex's notice.

"My name is Alexandra Stanton," she said matter-of-factly, then paused while decided how to continue. "After walking away two years ago I'm not sure the tone of your question is appropriate, Sarah. Why are you here?"

Sarah gulped, obviously growing more unsure as the conversation continued. "As I said, I came to see Dave—to talk."

"To talk, or to mess about with his emotions again? I know the whole story, Sarah. You'll find that Dave is in a much better place now and has a much better understanding of his own feelings. You won't be able to manipulate him this time." Alex crossed her arms over her chest to punctuate the statement. She hadn't realized it, but her left hand was on top and the presence of her engagement ring was evident immediately to Sarah.

Sarah gasped. "You're his—"

"Fiancée, yes. And you're the Rita's ex-best friend, Dave's ex-girlfriend, who jumped him while he grieved, got yourself pregnant by him without including him in the decision, and then treated he and his children like trash to be dumped when you didn't get the ideal life you had wanted."

"That's not—" Sarah argued.

Alex sighed and interrupted her. "Sarah, I am not an unkind person. I'd like to think that perhaps you were just grieving and hurting too. That in confusion you made a bad decision. But I've heard how you treated them, and how you left them. I love them and I will not see you cause him or his children any more hurt and pain than you already have. They have healed, and there is no healthy reason for them to see you again. I suggest you leave now, before Dave gets back and things get even more awkward."

"She what!?" Dave Tiler shouted as he dropped the shopping bags onto the kitchen counter.

"Ssshh, Dad. The others don't know, I kept them upstairs." Tanya paused and glanced at Alex, who wasn't thrilled that Tanya had decided to share what had occurred earlier. "She just showed up at the door. Alex dealt with her."

Dave glanced between Tanya and Alex a moment, the shock still evident on his face, and his chest heaved up and down as his heart raced. His gaze landed on Alex, but his words were to Tanya. "Tanya, please leave us alone for a bit."

Tanya looked at Alex, then nodded and slipped out of the room and went out back to check on the rest of the kids while they played. Dave leaned back against the countertop, his hands gripping the edges tight, his face turned down and he stared at the floor in front of him. Alex stepped closer, standing a few feet away, but waited for him to make the next move. He whispered, "Tell me what happened."

Alex took one more step forward but seeing that he was making no move to welcome her closer, she stopped and spoke from where she stood, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "She said she was here to see you. I reminded her that she manipulated, hurt, and left you and the kids. I told her that you had healed and there was no reason for her to see you. I made it clear to her that she was no longer welcome here."

Dave's mouth turned up at one corner, and he took a slow deep breath in and back out. "What did you tell her, about you? About us?"

"I told her my name. She saw the ring and realized who I was to you. I confirmed it."

"Good," he said as he reached out his hands and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her towards him. He wrapped his arms all the way around her waist, burying his head into her hair at her neck. "Good," he repeated, not moving from his position.

She moved to wrap her arms around his neck, one hand going up to run her fingers through his hair. He didn't move for several minutes, but finally pulled back just enough to look down into her eyes, still holding her close. She saw his tear-rimmed eyes and ran her thumbs over his cheeks. "Are you going to be okay?"

He let a slow smile spread across his face. "Oh, I'm going to be brilliant with you around. I love you."

She smiled back. "I love you too." Then her face grew a bit more serious. "wasn't sure if we should tell you that she was here."

"No, no, I'm glad to know. A bit more closure, I think. I always worried if she was going to show back up. Now the door isn't only closed, it's locked and sealed." He smiled as he looked into her eyes. "And you, my darling, it sounds like you were brilliant. Thank you for protecting the kids from that." He leaned in as he tilted his head, pulling her into a kiss.

When they pulled away from each other, she grinned. "On that note—can we talk about wedding plans for a moment?"

"Of course," he responded with a smile. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, a date, most importantly. And—how big did you want to go?" she questioned.

His face quirked up a bit. "Honestly?"

"Of course." She nodded.

"As soon as possible, and as small as possible." He gave her a questioning look, hoping he hadn't aimed too far from her own desires.

She smiled wide. "I agree."

"Really?" He smiled back.

"Yes! I do want my brother and family here. Otherwise, just them, all the kids, Anna and Robin. Just family—" she said.

"That sounds—perfect." He smiled. "How soon?"

"What about—Christmas holiday? I'd have to check with Nathan and Danielle, but the kids would be out of school, and—is that too soon? It's only a month and a half away. We could push it later if that's—"

"I think it's perfect." He kissed her again.

She pulled away from him, smiling as she did. "I'm going to call my brother before it gets too late!"