For Those You Love

Chapter 2

Seven Months Later

"Alright… Calm yourself, Lee." He thought to himself, shifting his footing and fixing his tie absentmindedly. His palms were sweating uncontrollably as he waited for a response. "They love you! They won't kill you!"

He broke away from his thoughts when the door opened, revealing a small woman with blonde hair that was pulled back in a messy bun and brown eyes.

"Oh, Lee! What a surprise!" She said, smiling and bringing him in for a hug. He accepted it, patting her back softly. She let go of him and gestured him inside. "Carley should be home in a little while. Why don't you go make yourself comfortable in the living room?"

"Um, actually, I'm not here to see Carley." He admitted, his nerves once again taking over. "I wanted to talk to you and David about something."

"Of course." She said, looking at me sceptically. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Uh, a glass of water, if that's okay?" He smiled, seeing her signal for him to walk into the next room. He did as she asked and saw Carley's father, David, reading a newspaper in his armchair. He looked up to see the younger man hovering in the doorway and smiled happily, the eyes that Carley shared staring at him.

"Hey son!" He said, putting his paper down and leaning forward. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"I… uh… wanted to talk to you and Jennifer about something…" He muttered, sitting down on the large couch and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Alright…"

"Here you go, Lee." They heard. Lee stood to accept the drink and cleared his throat as she sat next to her husband. He sat back down on the couch and took a sip, awaiting the inevitable question.

"So, what did you need to talk about?"

"I… as you know, Carley and I have been dating for a while now and… well, I know it's soon but I wanted your blessing to ask her to marry me." He stammered, looking down at his hands.

He waited while the two older people came to terms with his shock announcement. Sure, he was twenty three and Carley was twenty one, but he knew how he felt.

"Well…" David started after what felt like an eternity. "How could we say no?"

Lee's eyebrows shot into his hairline and his face broke out into a grin.

"Seriously?"

"Of course, son. I know you love our daughter and, more importantly, I know that she loves you. Who are we to stand in the way?" He assured, standing and walking over to the shaking man. He held his hand out and shook Lee's hand, bringing him in for a manly hug. "Just make me one promise?"

"Of course, sir. Anything." He replied, nodding his head eagerly and letting out a sigh of relief, ready for almost anything.

"You never lay one finger on her without her say-so." He said, jabbing Lee's chest with his index finger.

"You don't even need me to answer that, sir. I would never do that in a million years."

Two Days Later (Sunday)

"Hey beautiful!" Lee greeted, opening the door to his parents' home and hugging his girlfriend tightly. She wore a knee-length yellow dress and matching flats. Her hair was hung loosely around her shoulders and in her hand was a small clutch purse.

"Hello yourself." She smiled back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He lifted her with ease and heard her giggle in surprise. "Put me down!"

He did as she asked and kissed her softly.

"Thank you." She laughed, playfully swatting his arm. He feigned pain and gestured for her to walk inside. She did as he asked, leaving him with her parents.

"You ready son?" David asked, shrugging his jacket off and hanging it up on the coatrack. Lee shrugged as he hugged Jennifer.

"As I'll ever be." He replied, closing the door behind them. They followed the sound of music to the back garden, where Lee's father, James, stood over the BBQ and his mother, Christine, chatted away to Carley.

Everyone milled around for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. Eventually, James called them over to collect their food. Grabbing a plate and sitting himself down, Lee tucked into his burger and felt his heart pound in his chest.

"Not long now." He thought, quickly losing his appetite. He saw Carley walking over to him, carrying her own plate.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked, plopping herself down into the closest lawnchair. He chuckled, shaking his head. He reached over and gently took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. The look she sent his way confirmed it. He was going to ask her in private, but… screw it.

"Alright! Listen up!" He called, attracting everyone's attention and standing up. Carley's eyes narrowed in confusion as she tilted her head to the side. "I was gonna do this in private, but… oh, to hell with it!"

He took one of his girlfriends' hands in his and brought her up to stand with him, still receiving confused looks from her, his parents and his brother. He took a calming breath before pressing on.

"Carley, to put it simply, I love you. We've been dating for seven months… the best seven months of my life." He said, letting the words flow freely. "You are the only woman I could imagine spending the rest of my life with, growing old. So, Carley…"

He got down on one knee and checked his pocket. He felt the small box and brought it out in front of him, seeing her eyes welled up with tears. He snapped the box open, revealing a white-gold ring. In the centre sat a single, small diamond.

"Will you marry me?" He asked, looking up for her reaction. She seemed dumbfounded for a second before nodding eagerly. Lee let out a sigh of relief and stood, embracing her tightly, the ring still in his trembling hand. "I love you."

"I love you too." She pulled away, smiling brighter than he'd ever seen her. He showed her the ring and her smile got even wider. Gently, he slipped it on her finger. Only then did they remember their families. They both looked across to see Jennifer and Christine hugging each other with tears streaming down their faces, James and David clapping and Brad shaking his head, a small smile on his face.

"I'm telling you, Lee." He said, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "You're gonna regret this."