Begin Again Season Two
Episode 4: Put a Ring On It
Lily woke up happy. Today was the beginning of her and Rufus' married life together. True, they weren't married, but picking out the ring to propose was the first step in a married life. Well, technically, making the decision to propose was, but today was when she took the first physical step to make it happen.
As she showered, she thought of what kind of ring she would like to get Rufus. Would he find it too weird or girly to wear an engagement ring? He might. She could get him a simple white gold men's ring with a diamond in it. Nothing too flashy, but something he might not mind showing off even if it hadn't been an engagement ring. Or, she could get him an ID bracelet with something romantic engraved on the back. Or, she could get him one of those chain bracelets that was popular with men nowadays.
She simply couldn't decide. Maybe she could hint around to Rufus, she figured.
She finished with her shower, then got ready for the day. Once she was ready, she headed downstairs.
"What is this? Are my eyes deceiving me? You're actually giving Waffles some food and fresh water?" Lily asked, a hand over her heart as she entered the dining area to see Rufus by the island, bending down to set Waffle's water dish down. The food bowl was now filled to the brim.
"Only to shut him up. He kept meowing," Rufus said.
Waffles ran right over to the food and started purring while he ate.
"Aw! He's happy for the food," Lily cooed.
"You're welcome!" Rufus grumbled to the cat.
"He didn't hiss at you this time. I think he's warming up to you," Lily said with a smile as she walked over to Rufus and kissed his cheek.
"I think his love for food takes precedence over his hatred for me," Rufus said before kissing her cheek in return.
"Well, at least that's a start," she said with a smirk and a wink. "Pancakes today! Looks good." She sat at the island to eat, for that is where Rufus had their food set out today. "Mm, and you know how much I love my pomegranate juice!"
Rufus sat down beside her, and smiled. "Remember Pomegranate the Pomeranian?" he mimicked the old lady that owned the dog. "'My Baby! Save my baby!'" He waved his arms and hands like he was in such distress.
Lily laughed. "You're terrible!" Rufus of course was referring to when he and Lily had been out on a paddle boat, and a little Pomeranian named Pomegranate had jumped out of his owner's boat, and into the water. The old lady who owned him had cried bloody murder, making them both think the dog was a child. Rufus had managed to save the dog, and the old lady was forever grateful. Her son, who was also in the boat had even given them enough money to get a nice dinner after as a reward for saving the dog.
"The sad thing is, you're starting to treat waffles like that old bag treated Pomegranate!" Rufus teased before taking a bite of his pancake.
Lily gasped, and playfully smacked Rufus' arm. "I am not! I would never take him in a boat and risk my baby drowning."
They both laughed at her joke.
They then ate in silence for a moment.
Lily then decided to hint around about what Rufus would rather have for his proposal gift. "So, Jimmy wants to get a men's diamond ring. He thinks people will respect him more on the streets if he has some bling as he calls it."
"Respect? He better watch where he wears that thing. That puny little guy will get robbed blind," Rufus said with a chuckle before taking a sip of his juice.
Lily smiled halfheartedly. "What do you think of men's rings? Do you think they're too girly, or do you think you could pull one off?"
Rufus thought about it for a moment as he chewed more of his pancake. "I don't know. I guess if the jewel was small enough. I wouldn't want anything big and flashy. To me, that would remind me too much of a woman's engagement ring." He laughed.
Lily laughed too, though she was slightly worried. Did he think women proposing to men was silly? "How do you feel about ID bracelets, or those chain bracelets that are popular lately?"
Rufus smirked at her. "What's with all the jewelry talk all the sudden?"
Lily looked back at her food, and moved her eggs around with her fork. "I'm just curious. The whole Jimmy wanting a ring thing made me think about men wearing jewelry. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I was just curious as to how you felt about it."
"Well, I wouldn't want to wear too much of it, but as long as it looked manly enough, I'd wear any of the things you mentioned. I think I'd like a bracelet more than a ring though. A nice ID bracelet might be nice."
Lily smiled at him. "Yeah, those are nice." She dug into her yogurt with blueberries then. Well, at least now she knew what to get him. On her lunch break she'd head to the jewelry store and find out which one to get him. She could hardly wait!
~BA~
The time leading up until lunch seemed to drag. I was so eager to get to the jewelry store and pick out that ID bracelet! I had already planned what I was going to get engraved on the back—This time, it's forever. I always liked the look of white gold better than yellow gold, so I was going to get him white gold. I could already imagine him wearing it, thinking of me every time he looked down at it. I was so excited!
I took a cab to the jewelry store practically the second the clock hit noon.
I opened the door, glad that no one else was in the store. I wanted the jeweler's full attention.
He smiled when he saw me walk in. "Well, hello there! How are you today?"
I smiled politely. "I'm good, and you?" I asked as if we knew each other.
"I'm doing splendid!" he replied with a cheery smile. "Thank you for asking. What may I help you with today?"
"Well, I know it's not in the norm, but I would like to propose to my boyfriend tonight, so I want an ID bracelet to give to him in lieu of a ring. I hinted around this morning to see what he'd prefer, and he said that he wouldn't mind a non flashy ring, but, as a man, he prefers ID bracelets," I explained.
"It's not too out of the norm nowadays. I've had women come in here before to buy rings to propose," the jewelry said kindly.
I felt a little disappointed that I wasn't the first woman to come here so she could get something to propose to her boyfriend. "Did they all get rings, or did some get something else?" I asked.
"They all got rings. You're the first to get an ID bracelet. I have to say, I kind of like the change in pace! I think you're boyfriend's right. ID bracelets seem better suited toward men than rings do," the jeweler stated.
I smiled. "Well, at least I'm the first to step outside of the box—the ring box!" I joked with a laugh.
The jeweler laughed as well, and I was happy he had found my joke funny instead of just staring at me like I was an idiot.
"So, this is our selection of ID bracelets. Do you see anything you'd like?" the jeweler asked. I read his name tag, and it read Geoffrey.
Right away, I saw one that looked perfect. It was a black leather band with a white gold plate. "That one! I want that one!" I said, pointing to the bracelet.
"My, my, you don't waste much time, do you?" Geoffrey asked with a smile as he took the bracelet out, and handed it to me to look at.
I examined it. "This is white gold, right? And real leather?"
"But of course! I carry nothing but the finest materials in my store. I never sell knockoffs or imitations. Everything you see in my store is the real deal," Geoffrey assured me.
"I'll take it!" I said, handing him the bracelet back. I did love animals, so I felt bad getting real leather, but the way I see it is, me not buying real leather, or me not eating meat wouldn't stop the killing. I'm just one person. If I didn't buy it, someone else would. Besides, there was no use in making the poor cow die in vain now, was there?
"Wonderful! Do you mind me asking what the lucky fellow's name is?" Geoffrey asked as he got out the paper to write down what I wanted engraved on it.
I smiled as I thought of Rufus who would hopefully be my soon to be fiancé. "His name is Rufus," I said proudly. "He's so handsome, and so good to me. Oh, I hope he says yes!"
Geoffrey smiled. "And your name is?" He posed his pen above the paper.
"Lily," I answered. "Lily Rhodes."
Geoffrey raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I asked. "Have you heard of me?" I know it sounded a little vain to assume he'd heard of me, but I am in the paper a lot because of the events I go to, and of course my charitable donations and my involvement in Bass Industries. He was just looking at me funny, and it made me curious.
"I was just thinking what a pretty name that is," Geoffrey replied as he wrote it down. "R-h-o-d-e-s is it?"
"Thank you, and yes!" I said. What a nice man he was!
"I'll put his name on the front. That's what you want, right?" Geoffrey asked.
I nodded. "That is right. And, on the back, I'd like, This time it's forever."
Geoffrey wrote that down, then smiled up at me. "How very romantic."
I smiled as well. "Thanks. We've been married before, and it didn't work out. I wanted him to know that this time, history won't repeat itself. This time, our marriage will last forever."
"Well, I'm sure he will love it!" Geoffrey said. He then gave me the total, and I took out my credit card, and handed it to him to swipe.
"I just hope he says yes. I mean, he hasn't asked me to marry him yet. There must be a reason he hasn't yet. He said before he wasn't ready. What if I'm rushing him? What if he's not ready?" I asked.
Geoffrey handed me back my card, then pushed the receipt toward me to sign. He also gave me a pen to sign with. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." He smirked. "I'm sure he'll say yes."
"What makes you so sure?" I asked as I signed the receipt. I handed it back to him along with the pen.
"I just mean, I find it hard to believe any man would turn down a proposal from such a beautiful woman. And hey, he married you once, so what's to stop him from marrying you again, right? He obviously finds you desirable enough to marry." He winked and smiled at me.
I blushed. "You're too kind. And when you put it that way, I'm suddenly not so worried." I grinned. He sure knew how to make a woman feel good! In a non sexual way that is.
"I will have this ready for you in ten minutes. Would you like to wait?" he asked.
"Sure!" I looked at my watch. "I have enough time."
He smiled at me. "Great! I'll get right on this." He then headed back to the engraving machine.
I looked at the engagement rings while I waited. They were all so beautiful. I was kind of sad that I wouldn't be getting an engagement ring since I'd be the one proposing this time around. However, I still had my old engagement ring from Rufus, so that was good enough. I had given it back to Rufus when we broke up before, but he had sent it back to me, telling me he had given it to me, and so it was still mine whether we were together or not. Even when I was married to Bart and William, I never could get myself to pawn of it. Now, I was glad I hadn't.
Ten minutes later, as promised, Geoffrey came out with the newly engraved bracelet. "I think it came out beautifully. How do you like it?" he asked me.
I took it, and looked at it. It was perfect. I looked at Geoffrey and told him just that. "It's absolutely perfect! Thank you so much, Geoffrey. I just know he'll love it! I know I do."
Geoffrey smiled. "You're very welcome, Miss. Lily. I'm glad you like it. Would you like red, blue, or black for the case?"
"Red, please!" I said. "Red for love."
Geoffrey smiled. He seemed to be amused with something, but I didn't ask why. I was just so excited that my proposal was falling into place!
I watched him as he boxed and bagged the bracelet. Then, he handed it to me. "Good luck, Miss. Lily. Please be sure to come back and tell me what his answer was." Again, he smiled and winked at me.
"I will. Thanks again, Geoffrey!" I said.
"You are very welcome, Miss. Lily," he replied.
I then left the jewelry store feeling as if I were on cloud nine. I had gotten the ring. Now, the only thing left to do was figure out when and how to propose.
~BA~
Lily had thought about proposing to Rufus all day. She figured she'd just do it at dinner. She wasn't the most creative. She never had been able to figure creative things out like her kids had been able to. However, she was sure that Rufus would love it as long as she spoke from her heart.
When she got back home, Rufus was waiting for her.
"Hello, Darling! You're home early!" she said, kissing him softly on the lips.
He kissed her lips in return. "I took off work early. I wanted to plan something special for you tonight."
She grinned, and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be?"
"Well, how does a rooftop dinner sound?" he asked. "And by that I mean dinner on the top of our apartment's roof. I already cleared it with the landlord, and we will have it to ourselves. She is going to put a closed sign in front of the entranceway, and she said we can feel free to lock the door behind us. I figured it will be beautiful once night falls, and see the stars and city lights."
Lily's heart beat faster. This would be her perfect opportunity to propose to him! After all, dinner on the rooftop underneath the stars with a close up view of the city lights? It didn't get much more romantic than that! "I'd love that!" she said.
He smiled, and took her hands in his own. "Excellent! Why don't you go get ready or do whatever you have to do? I'm going to go take care of some last minute things I have to do before dinner. Then, I'll get ready myself and we can be on our way."
"Sounds like a plan!" Lily said, a big grin on her face that she was not sure she could get off her face.
Rufus pulled her in for a slow and passionate kiss. "I'll see you in a bit," he said with a smile, his eyes boring into hers.
Lily sighed with happiness. "See you in a bit," she echoed.
Rufus then headed into the elevator, and disappeared behind the doors.
Lily watched him disappear, then squealed with excitement. Tonight was the night she was going to propose to him! She would wait until it got dark, then propose to him right underneath the stars with the beautiful city lights as their background. Heck, maybe she'd even get down on one knee!
She giggled to herself as she headed upstairs to take a nice warm bath, then get dressed into the most beautiful dress she had. She planned on tonight being perfect, and she wasn't going to let anything get in her way.
~Begin Again~
Rufus checked the rooftop. Everything was set. The table for two was set up with a white tablecloth and a candle lit in the middle. Soft music was playing on a little wooden nightstand he had brought up from their apartment. He had even covered the nightstand with a mini table cloth and rose petals.
He had red rose petals strewn on the table as well, and all around the floor surrounding their table. He had a bucket of ice holding a bottle of the best red wine the restaurant had. There was a bouquet of twelve long-stemmed, thornless red roses with a few lilies thrown into the mix. It was in a big glass vase with a heart-shaped mouth. The food was prepared on silver plates with silver covers over them just like they served food in the finest restaurants. He had originally wanted to make Lily something, but instead he had decided to just order in from her favorite restaurant. He didn't have the time to cook. He supposed he could have taken the day off, but he didn't want to miss out on any potential sales after he had spent so much money on Lily's ring.
He had gotten ice burg salad wedges with ranch and Italian dressings on the side for an appetizer. Filet mignon well done was for their main course, and French cut green beans and mashed potatoes with butter and gravy was for the sides. He also had water to go with their wine.
Once he was sure everything was to his liking, he headed back to the apartment to get ready for the night. It was going to be perfect, he knew. And this time, he wasn't going to let anything stop him.
~Begin Again~
Once they were both ready, they headed up to the roof for their dinner.
When they reached the roof, Rufus shut and locked the door behind them. "Now!" he said with a smile as he took Lily's hands in his own, "We have the place all to ourselves." He kissed her.
Lily wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him lovingly in return. "Thank you for setting this all up. I absolutely love it!" She broke from his embrace, and looked around. "The view is just breathtaking, and look at what you did for us." She eyed up the table and rose petals. She then turned back to Rufus. She stroked some hair out of his eyes. "You're so good to me. In fact, you're beyond good to me. Thank you. I love you so much!" She pulled him in for another kiss, her fingers playing with his hair.
He kissed her back until she broke the kiss. "You're welcome," he said once she had broken the kiss. "Shall we eat now?" he asked.
Lily smiled and nodded. "Yes!"
So, they headed over to the table, and Rufus held Lily's chair out for her. He gently pushed it back in, and then sat down across from her.
"I can't get over how beautiful this is. You should forget the gallery and go into interior decorating instead. Or, in this case, exterior decorating." She winked at him with a smile.
Rufus grinned. "Na! I'll stick to working at the gallery and pampering you with things like this." He winked at her.
Lily blushed. "You keep getting sweeter and sweeter! It makes me feel like I don't do enough for you."
Rufus took Lily's hands in his from across the table and kissed them. "You do so much more for me then you realize, Lil. You make me happier than I've been in like forever, and you make my life worth living just by loving me."
Lily wanted to propose to him right then and there for being so sweet, but she wanted to wait until after dinner when it was dark and they had the stars and the beautiful city lights as their background. So, instead of proposing, she picked up his left hand, and kissed the ring finger symbolically, even if it was only symbolic to her. "Right back at ya!" She said with a grin and a wink. She then turned her attention to her food. She lifted off the lid, and saw what Rufus had gotten for her. "Wow!" She looked up at Rufus. "Is this Filet mignon?"
Rufus grinned and nodded. "Yes, M'am! I got it from your favorite place!" He lifted the lid to his own meal, and set it aside. In fact, everything is from there."
"I know everything will be good then," Lily said with a smile. So far, tonight was the perfect night, and she hadn't even proposed yet!
"So, if I had made it, it wouldn't be good?" Rufus teased with a smile.
Lily laughed. "You know what I meant!"
They ate their dinner then, having a pleasant conversation. They talked about their days, and simply enjoyed each other's company.
When they finished their dinner, Rufus took the wine bottle and poured himself another glass. "Would you like another glass?" he asked.
"Yes, please," Lily said. "So, not to be rude or anything, but does this dinner include dessert?" She grinned.
Rufus grinned too. "But of course, my love!" He went over to the table the music was on, and he reached underneath the table, and brought out another silver plate covered with a silver top. He brought it back to the table, and set it down.
"What is it?" Lily asked, excited to see what it was. "Is this also from the same place?" All the desserts there were amazing. She could seriously eat them all in one setting if her stomach would allow her to.
Rufus nodded. "That it is."
"What is it, what is it, what is it?" Lily asked, clapping her hands excitedly. She knew she was acting like a little kid, but frankly, she didn't care. She loved, loved, loved the desserts of her favorite restaurant! That was part of my the restaurant was her favorite to begin with!
"Are you ready?" Rufus teased.
Lily clapped her hands again. "You know I am!"
"All right. Here it is." He whipped off the cover. "Voilà!"
Lily squealed with delight, and clapped her hands yet again as she saw the red velvet cake before her. "Yum!"
Rufus laughed. "I take it I made the right choice."
"Anything you had chosen from there would have been the right choice, but this is a really, really, good choice!" Lily said happily.
"I'm glad you approve," Rufus said with an amused smirk on his face.
As Rufus cut the cake for them (he had gotten a whole one), Lily ran her fingers over the ID bracelet box in her purse. It was a little dark out now, she could propose now, she figured. But then she changed her mind within seconds. No. She would wait. She wanted the moment to be perfect.
Rufus handed her a slice of cake. She took it. "Thank you, Darling."
They had their dessert then, and didn't say much as they ate.
"It sure is a beautiful summer night," Rufus said.
Lily nodded. It was the perfect weather outside. It was warm with a gentle breeze. It wasn't too hot, nor was it too cold. It was perfect—just like the night was turning out to be. "We have to enjoy it while we can. Fall will be here before we know it."
Rufus nodded. "I know that's right!"
They finished their dessert.
"Would you like another piece?" Rufus asked her.
Lily shook her head. "No, thanks." She pat her stomach. "I'm stuffed!"
"Well, then, care to dance?" Rufus asked, standing up and extending his hand to Lily. He smiled.
Lily smiled too, and stood up from her chair, taking his hand in hers. "I'd love to."
And so they danced. It was rapidly getting dark, and the lights from the buildings were starting to turn on. It was a perfect, magical moment.
Lily rested her head on Rufus' shoulder while gently swaying with him to K-Ci and JoJo's "All My Life."
"I will never find another lover sweeter than you, sweeter than you. And I will never find another lover more precious than you, more precious than you..."
Rufus gently sang along to the song as they danced. Lily knew this was it. This was her moment. It was time to propose to Rufus. She would after the song. Right now, she just wanted to relax in Rufus' arms with the beautiful stars and city lights shining down on them like approving angels. Tonight would be their night, she knew. And after tonight, no one and nothing was ever going to take him away from her.
~Begin Again~
When the song ended, Rufus knew it was time. It was time to finally propose to Lily and make her his forever. He had sprayed her ring with disinfectant, then washed it again for good measure. Now, it was looking good as new, and was more than ready to be put on her finger.
He cleared his throat when the song ended, and reached into his pocket.
Lily, however, had made her way over to her purse.
"What'cha doing, Lil?" he asked her.
She smiled at him. "I just want to grab something quick."
He held back a sigh. It seemed like a jinx to propose to that woman! He hoped it wasn't a bad sign. "Just come over here for a minute. I want to talk to you about something important."
Lily looked at him, her happy expression changing a bit. She set her purse on her chair, and walked back over to him. "What is it?" she asked, sounding worried.
"I just want to tell you how much I love you, and how I could never live without you," he began.
Lily smiled. "Oh. I thought you were going to tell me something bad!" She looked visibly relieved. "I feel the same way about you. You know that."
"I'm glad to hear that," Rufus said. He dug into his pocket, and pulled out the box.
Lily looked at the ring, her eyes big, but she didn't say anything quite yet.
Rufus then got down on one knee. He was a little shaky. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He guessed it was because he loved Lily so much that this moment was crucial. He wanted it to be everything she dreamed it would be. "I know I said I wasn't ready before. I guess I was just scared. But now I realize that it would be even scarier if I never had you as my wife again. Lily, you are my sun, my moon, and my stars. My world rises and sets upon you, and you make my world a whole lot brighter. It would be my great honor and happiness if you would say yes to being my wife again."
Lily was crying now, her hand over her mouth.
"Lily, will you marry me?" Rufus finally asked, popping open the ring box, and revealing the ring.
For a brief moment, Lily just stared at the ring, still sobbing. Then, she nodded, and held out her left ring finger. "Yes!" she finally managed to get out. "Yes, Rufus, I will be your wife again!"
Rufus grinned, suddenly feeling all the weight lifted off his shoulders. "You've just made me the happiest man on earth!" he said as he slipped the ring on Lily's left ring finger, then stood up, and kissed her passionately.
He could now die a happy man.
~BA~
She had said yes! I was so happy, I felt like I was walking on air!
"Do you like your ring I picked out? I wanted to get the flower because it reminded me of a lily even though it doesn't really look like I lily," I explained, my forehead resting against hers.
She nodded and smiled. "It's perfect, Rufus—just like your proposal was. Thank you for making it so romantic." She kissed me, then examined her ring. "It's so darn beautiful! I just love it so much!"
"So, you love it even more than your other one?" I asked with a grin.
"Well, I love them both because you picked them out for me. I think I'm going to get a chain and put my old one on it. I'll use it as a necklace," she said.
"There you go! My beautiful fiancé is so creative!" I said. Boy how I loved that word—fiancé. I loved it almost as much as I loved the word wife.
Lily grinned. "I love being able to say I'm your fiancé. "I'm your Fiancé, I'm your fiancé. I'm your fiancé! It never gets old."
I laughed, and pulled her in for yet another kiss. I just couldn't get enough of her and her beauty tonight. "I wanted to surprise you. I got the ring a few days ago, but... I really shouldn't be telling you this. I wasn't going to, but I think you should know where your ring has been."
Lily raised an eyebrow, and looked at her ring before looking back up at me. "Where has it been, Rufus?"
I sighed, then told her all about the Waffles fiasco—from the ring being consumed, to it being dug out of the litter box and cleaned.
Lily listened to the story, a hand over her mouth. I was afraid she was going to get angry I put it on her finger before first telling her where it had been. However, she just laughed when I finished telling her the story. "Oh my gosh, that's why you were so grumpy that day! It wasn't just because Waffles ate my waffle, but because he ate my ring! And that's what you were doing so long by the litter box and sink, and why you always insisted on scooping the litter box for me! Just being nice my butt!"
I blushed. "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I couldn't tell you about the ring. I wanted my proposal to be a surprise."
Lily smiled. "I understand." She looked at her ring again. "You cleaned it well. It doesn't smell or anything. It's shiny and new looking."
"It is new aside from the trip through your cat's body," I grumbled, still bitter about it. "Stupid cat!"
"Well, put it this way. We'll never forget the story behind this ring, the proposal, or Waffles—either kind." She smirked.
I smiled. "Thanks for not being angry," I said.
"Angry? Are you kidding me?" Lily gestured all around the roof. "Rufus, you proposed to me, and gave me the best, most romantic proposal a woman could ever ask for. Not to mention the hell you went through to get the ring back!" She grinned.
"Yeah, let's not mention that part anymore," I said, a little embarrassed.
Lily laughed, then pulled me in for a kiss. "I love you, Rufus Humphrey," she said, her forehead pressed against mine. "I can hardly wait to be your wife again."
"And I can hardly wait to be your husband again," I told her.
We kissed again, then held each other close as we danced, enjoying the beautiful music, the beautiful city lights, the beautiful stars, and for me, my even more beautiful fiancé. Fiancé, fiancé, fiancé! Like Lily said, it never got old.
~Begin Again~
They danced and kissed underneath the stars for a bit, then just cuddled up together on the roof, and enjoyed the view. Then, it started to get chilly.
"I'm sorry. I should have brought a blanket up here," Rufus apologized.
Lily smiled. "It's all right. You had so much to plan as it was." She kissed his cheek. "What do you say we gather all this stuff up, then head down to our warm bed?"
Rufus nodded, and pulled her in for another kiss. "All right."
So, he stood up, and helped her up as well, then they gathered everything up, and brought it back down to their apartment. It took a few trips, but eventually everything was back in their apartment.
"So, was your proposal as good as you dreamed it would be?" Rufus asked Lily then, pulling her body close to his.
Lily nodded, and draped her arms over his shoulders. "It was better than I dreamed it would be!" She kissed him, then rested her forehead against his. "Now, what do you say we go upstairs and make this night even better?" she asked.
Rufus grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that!"
Lily grinned as well.
Meow!
Lily laughed as Waffles walked between them, crying out.
"Is somebody's food bowl empty?" Lily asked.
Waffles meowed again as if in response.
"Aw!" Lily cooed, then picked up her kitty, and walked over to the food bowl.
She stroked Waffle's head, and Waffles began to purr. "I hear you ate my ring! How did it taste?"
Waffles meowed again.
"Not as good as your cat food, I know," she said, giving the cat's head one last rub before gently setting the cat down, and pouring food into his bowl.
Rufus smiled as he watched Lily with the cat. He used to think her baby talk to the cat was stupid, but now he found it sweet. She was such a goodhearted person. Sure, she could come off as cold-hearted to those who didn't know her. But to those who knew her better than they knew themselves, as it was in Rufus' case, she had a heart of gold. She was an amazing woman who loved her family—cat included.
Lily gave Waffles fresh water, and then scooped his box. "No more rings!" she teased, grinning over her shoulder at Rufus.
Rufus smirked, and shook his head. "Ha, ha," he said sarcastically.
Lily stood up, and headed over to the kitchen where she washed her hands. She then headed over to Rufus.
Rufus turned off all the downstairs lights, then embraced Lily.
They kissed in the dark for a moment. Then, he picked her up, and carried her to the bedroom.
"You are so beautiful," he said to her as he set her down on the bed, and gently stroked her cheek. "How did I get so lucky?"
"I ask myself the same thing every day. How did I get so lucky?" she asked, stroking his cheek in return.
Rufus' eyes lowered with love for her, and he gently laid her down on her back as he got onto the bed with her, and continued to kiss her, his hands roaming down her body. "You're so perfect," he murmured.
"So are you," Lily murmured between kisses.
They undressed each other in the dark, and in hardly any time at all, were making love. It was full love and desire for each other, and it was even better than ever before for both of them. Rufus figured it was because they were engaged now. They were going to spend the rest of their lives together, and that made their lovemaking all the more special and perfect.
"This time our marriage will last. I promise!" Lily whispered in his ear.
Rufus kissed her softly and lovingly. He brushed his lips against her ear, then whispered in response, "I have no doubt."