Hey. I forgot to tell you guys. I have a picture of the ring on my profile. I really like this one. Also, I noticed I called her Elizabeth Liliyan and then Liliyan Elizabeth. Its supposed to be the second one. Just wanted to clear that up. Anyways, I might not be able to update for a while, I'm going to Florida the last week of July (my grandparents don't have internet) and then we go back to school on August 4th. I'll try my hardest to get a couple more chapters up before I go though, so I hope you guys like this one.

Tyler woke up the next morning with Beth's hair tickling his face. Sometime in the night, she had crawled onto his stomach and was resting peacefully there. He smiled when he caught sight of her left hand resting on his chest. He remembered last night. She had said yes. He couldn't believe it. He would have been a lot more excited if he had met her parents first. He felt like he really blew this. He had gotten her pregnant, then asked her to marry him, and now he was going to met her parents. Completely wrong order. He wasn't opposed to meeting them. He just really hoped that her dad didn't try to shoot him.

*****************

Beth woke up in her bed, warm sunlight filtering through the windows onto her bare back. She rolled over. There was a note on her pillow written in Tyler's skinny handwriting.

'Good morning. In the shower. Should be out soon. Love you, Tyler'. She listened and heard the water running. She sat up, holding the covers to her chest. She grabbed her phone from beside hers. She had a text message from her parents, saying that they'd be home around twelve. The clock read 9:15. She got up and slowly crept to the bathroom door, easing it open. He was in the corner shower scrubbing his hair. She stepped into the room and assumed his eyes were closed, because he didn't turn. She grabbed a towel off the rack and dropped it beside the shower and, still naked from the night before, she slipped inside. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

He jumped about a foot in the air. "Beth, God, I thought you were still asleep. I didn't wake you up did I?"

"No, I woke up on my own. All alone," she said rolling her eyes to look down. He turned around to face her.

"Well I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

"It's ok," she said with a laugh. "My parents will be here in about three hours anyways."

"Hmmm… three hours. And what would you like to do with that time," he asked thoughtfully.

"Well, you planned last night so beautifully, why don't you plan this morning too?" He smiled wickedly at her. She grinned back as he picked her up, propping her against the wall. He eased into her slowly, enjoying the feeling of her around him. He started moving in and out of her, picking up pace, causing her to grip his broad shoulders tightly. She dug her nails into his skin. He was soon going so fast that her eyes were rolling and she was crying out. Afraid that she would alert her sisters, whose rooms were directly below hers, she leaned in to Tyler's shoulder. She bit down, not hard, but enough to cause Tyler to groan. Soon, they both came. Beth was now pushing against the walls, holding herself up. As soon as he was finished Tyler looked up into her eyes and smiled. "You know, as many times as we have sex a week, I am really surprised you didn't get pregnant sooner."

She laughed as she eased down slowly. "I was just thinking the same thing. Now, I have to was my hair." She turned so the steamy water was hitting the back of her head. She grabbed the shampoo and poured some into her hands. She scrubbed her head, and then rinsed it out. She next grabbed the soap and her loufa (that weird bath scrubby thing), lathering it. She started rubbing it over her stomach when Tyler took it from her hand. He stepped right up to her and took her hand in his, stretching her arm out. He slowly rubbed it, then moved on to the other. She just watched as he cleaned her. He paid special attention to her more, ah, sensitive areas. She closed her eyes. His hands were like magic. She let the water run over her skin, then she grabbed the bar of soap again. She lathered it on her hands and ran them over his chest. She washed every inch of him. He smiled down at her. "I never really realized it before, but I'm a lot taller than you shorty."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Only by like, 2… or 5 inches. Besides, I'm not short, I'm vertically challenged." He burst out laughing. She smiled. "I also learned another one from my cousin. I'm not short, I'm fun sized." He leaned down to lay his head down on top of hers, wrapping her in a hug. "That you most definitely are."

"I have to get ready now," she said. Without waiting for his answer, she hopped out and wrapped her towel. She walked into her closet, going to a rack hanging with tons of denim. She browsed for a minute, and finally decided on a pair of dark blue jeans, a matching jacket and a black tank top. Next, she went to her dresser and, digging around in her top drawer, pulled out a light pink lace bra and matching boy shorts. She pulled it all on, and then walked into her room. Tyler was just pulling his shirt on and scrubbing his hair. She smiled and walked back into her bathroom, grabbed a brush and quickly pulled it through her hair. She was going to let it air dry, so she came back in her room and walked over to Tyler.

"Come on, we can't stay locked up here all day. My parents will be here soon." She pulled him up and led him out into the hall. They slowly descended the stairs and ran into Beth's sisters. They were standing in the hall. Haley was crying.

"Nu-uh, he is not. Stop it Tiffany," commanded Maddie, even though she herself looked close to tears.

"Hey," said Beth. "What's going on? Why is Haley crying?"

With a sniffle, she explained. "Tiffany says she heard the blonde guy and the black haired guy talking this morning. The blonde one said that daddy was gonna kill Tyler. We don't want Tyler to die and if you kill someone you go to jail."

Beth turned to Tiffany. "Why did you say that? Daddy is not gonna kill Tyler, and he most definitely is not going to jail."

"Reid said it," she cried. Beth turned to Tyler. "Do you wanna say something to him, or should I?"

"I will," he said to her, and then turned to the girls. "Your dad is not going to kill me. He might be mad, but he's not going to kill me." He smiled at them. "Let's go talk to Reid." Beth was pretty sure that they had a crush on him, because Tiffany grabbed his left hand, and Haley grabbed his right arm. Beth smiled as he turned to look at her. "Sorry," she said as she started to laugh. Maddie stayed back and walked with Beth.

"Don't you like Tyler," Beth asked, curious at her not towing him down the stairs.

"I do. But I kinda like the blonde guy," she whispered. Beth laughed and they headed downstairs and smelled all sorts of breakfast food. Once they entered the kitchen, they saw the counter laden with plates of bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, and toast and pots of grits, milk gravy, tomato gravy, white gravy. She smiled. She hadn't had a breakfast like this since before she started at Spencer. The room was full of hungry teenage guys, all of their plates about to over flow. The girls stood in the corner laughing at the sight. Tyler being dragged in by two little girls made them laugh harder. "Hey Beth, it looks like you might have a little competition," said Sarah. Beth laughed and watched as Tyler made his way over to Reid, girls still attached. Maddie sauntered over behind them. He tapped him on the shoulder and Reid turned around holding a piece of toast in his mouth.

"Ut," he said.

"Were you talking to Caleb this morning?" Spitting the toast down on his plate, he said "Yeah, so what?"

"Did you tell him that Beth's dad was going to kill me?" Reid smirked.

"Yeah, because I don't think he'll take the news that well."

"Well you have these kids scared that I'm going to die and their dad is going to go to jail because of it. I think you need to tell them you're sorry," he said. Everyone in the kitchen quieted. Reid didn't apologize… ever. Reid bent down so he was eye level with the tear faced girls. He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I made you cry. I don't really think your dad is going to kill Tyler. He just won't be very happy." He leaned in and kissed each of them on the cheeks. When he kissed Maddie, just like out of the little rascals, she said "Hey, let's event things out. How 'bout one on this side," and turned her face. He smiled but leaned in and kissed her other cheek as the other burst out laughing. Steph looked at him and asked "Reid, is there something I should know?"

"Ha ha ha, very funny." He stood up and went back to fixing his plate.

"Are you guys gonna save us some," asked Kate.

"That's why I got so much babe. You can eat off of my plate," explained Pogue with a smile. Kate came over and stole a bite of his eggs. "Nice save," she said. Beth walked over and fixed the girls one big plate, knowing that they wouldn't eat all of their own. She sat them down then fixed her own. She piled her plate full. Tyler raised an eyebrow at her. "What, I like breakfast." He smiled at her and they all went to sit down. They joked and laughed throughout breakfast. Matt suggested that they go ride horses and the girls all squealed. They threw their dishes in the sink and went into the back yard. There was an extended golf cart by the door. Matt climbed in the front seat. They all piled in and he started to some trees. Around the edge of them, they saw a large barn. They could hear noise from inside. The girls ran to the doors and waited for someone to open them. Matt and Shane pulled them open. Inside were at least twenty horses. They were all whinnying and fidgeting. The group walked in. "Ewww… horse poop," Steph complained. Beth laughed. Before they had both moved from Connecticut, they had both owned horses. Once, when they were about 10, they were playing in the stables. They jumped out of the loft window, landing in a huge pile of hay. They hadn't gotten hurt, but Beth and Steph's parents had found out and were less then thrilled. As a punishment, they had had to shovel the stalls by themselves. It had taken all day, at the end of which Stephani had declared she never wanted to see horse poop again. Now, she took a step back and covered her nose.

"Steph, it's not that bad. We don't have to clean them by ourselves." Maddie, Haley, Tiffany, Reid, and Shane had wondered down to the far end. The girls, familiar with the routine, opened the stall. They led out a large pinto. Tiffany, the tallest, pulled up a brown step stool. She climbed up and grabbed the bridle, bits, and pads. Shane grabbed the saddle. Maddie grabbed another stool and placed it by the horses head. She stood up and gently ran her hands over his snout. He nuzzled her hand. Reid wondered how they knew exactly what they were doing as Tiffany continued putting head gear on and Haley led out another horse. Shane finished with the first. Maddie dragged her little stool around while held him in place. She put her foot in the stirrup and grabbed the saddle horn, pulling herself up into the saddle. She looked perfectly at ease. She turned to face Reid. "You can ride with me if you want. I can't ride by myself." He looked nervous. He wasn't exactly thrilled by horses. Never the less, he wasn't going to admit that they kinda scared him. He walked up and stood beside the horse. And didn't move. Maddie sighed and grabbed his shoulder. "Give me your hand." He did and she led it to the saddle horn. "Hold this tight and but your foot in the stirrup. Then, pull yourself up. When you can, throw your leg gently over the other side… without kicking me off please." He did as she instructed and was surprised when he landed behind her on the first try. She beamed at him. "See, it's not that hard. I was scared the first time I did it too."

"I'm not scared," he retorted sticking his tongue out at her. She made the horse start forward and he fell against her back, grabbing the saddle and squishing her against the horse's neck. "Oh yeah, you're as cool as a cucumber," she grumbled as she pushed herself back. "It's ok P.E.," she said rubbing the horse. Reid raised an eyebrow.

"P.E.? As in like, Phy. Ed.?"

"No, P.E. As in Prince Edward," she explained.

"Oh, well what makes you so sure he's a prince?"

"He's spoiled like one." She said it so matter of factually that he laughed. He stopped and they both looked over as they heard a scream. Kate had jumped about a foot in the air when Pogue brought a horse out. He and Caleb got it ready as Steph talked to Kate and Sarah. "You guys will be fine. These are the sweetest horses you'll ever meet. They don't buck I promise," she said. Sarah seemed a little calmer. Kate was still freaking out.

"What if it tries to bite me? What if it gets spooked? I won't know what to do," she said.

"You'll be riding with Pogue. Nothing will happen to you. Shut up and get on the horse," she said calmly. Kate looked offended but turned and walked to Pogue anyway. He helped her up then climbed on himself. Next, Caleb did the same with Sarah. That left Tyler and Beth, since Haley was riding with Shane and Tiffany was riding with Matt. They all headed out as Beth went to the third stall on the left. She opened the door and inside was a beautiful light brown mare. She wasn't like a Clydesdale, but she was still pretty big. She led her out and smiled at Tyler. "This is my horse. I got her when I was 13. Not quite as impressive as your powers, but still pretty cool. Her name is Athena. She's tough and very protective. He looked at her with a grin. "So, little miss girlie denim skirts rides horses too. Wow, is there anything you can't do?"

"I cant' fly. And today, I can't ride very fast. I shouldn't even get on, but I'll just walk her and I should be ok. Here, hold her," she said after she had slipped her head piece on and hooked the reins. He took them and watched her as she went to the stall right beside hers. She came out with an even bigger male that was dark brown. "This is Apollo. I was really into Greek mythology around the same time we got him. He's Athena's beau. Do you wanna ride him?"

"Sure," Tyler said. He helped her saddle him and then went to help Beth up, but she said "Get on your own horse. I got this," with a smile as she swung herself up. She went over to Tyler. He swung up to. "You seem like you've done this before. You look at ease up there."

"I have a couple horses at my house. I like riding them: it's more than Reid can say. He's terrified of them," he said smirking.

"He's riding with my little sister. He won't throw her off if he panics will he," she asked, concerned for Maddie.

"No, he might squeeze her to death though."

"Oh, well, in that case, she can throw him off. Are you ready to go," she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." She led the way out. The horses just trotted for a while and it was quiet. Then Beth looked at Tyler and laughed. "What," he asked.

"Nothing, I just haven't ridden them in a while and I didn't realize how much I missed it."

He smiled. "So, do you have any other animals that I should know about?"

"I have three dogs. One's a puppy. The other one is pregnant so she's inside, and the other is the daddy, so he stays with her. It's really weird. I didn't think dogs would do that. I also have another horse, two rabbits, about a dozen cats, a few parrots, and… I don't want you to be freaked out, but I have a Brazilian rainbow boa."

"Ugh, you have a snake? I think they're kinda creepy," he said with a small shudder.

"It's not creepy. I think she's pretty. But yeah, that's it. Do you?"

"I have four dogs: a black lab, a huskie, a rottweiler, and a pocket beagle.

"How does the beagle survive there? I mean the others are big and he's just a baby." She sounded genuinely concerned for him, and Tyler laughed.

"He can take care of himself. So, when are your parents getting home," he asked nervously. She checked her phone and replied "Maybe fifteen minutes." She sounded scared. "We should go back." Sadly, she turned Athena and headed the other way. As they made their way there, Tyler suddenly said "I want to tell them." Beth looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you insane, he'll kill you."

"No he won't. It's the right thing to do though."

"We'll wait until the time comes," she said with a frown. They made it to the barn in about five minutes. They put the horses away and walked back into the deserted house. "Do you wanna see the animals, you know, to pass some time?" He nodded and they headed up the stairs. He expected them to go to Beth's floor, but they stopped on the second. She led him down the hall. "Which one do you want to see first?"

"The snake. I wanna see what you find so amazing about her." She smiled and led him into the second door on the right. Tyler immediately felt the heat. It was very warm in the room. "The rabbits would have been ok in this room. She can't get out, but it's too hot for them. So they have there own room. She's right in there. Her name is Pandora because of all the trouble it was when mom found out about her." Tyler looked and saw a glass aquarium that took up the far wall, halfway up. In one half, it was at least two feet of water. There were some rocks in the middle that led up to the other half, which was earthy. It had a lot of plants and rocks. There were small plastic trees in it and as he looked, he saw something slithering on one. It was a snake, glistening in the lights from right over her tank. She looked almost blue. "What's up with the color," he asked as he slowly moved closer.

"She looks like that because of the lights. Isn't it cool?" Tyler couldn't help but feel a certain fascination with the creature. "Yeah, I guess it kinda is," he said. "Can I see your dogs now?"

"Sure," she said and led him across the hall and into a room filled with boxes and blankets. He realized that it was for the dog since they were all on their sides. She whistled and three dogs rounded a corner of boxes. One was a baby border collie and wasn't completely in control of his feet yet and skidded on the hard floor. The others were black and white labs. Beth dropped down on her knees and laughed as they came running up to her. The white lab was big around the middle. "Oh, yes, that's a good girl. You so pretty," she cooed. "Tyler, this is Melody, Snoop Dog, and Kevin," she said with a smile.

"Did you just call him Snoop Dog," Tyler asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, as in the wrapper. Pussycat Doll Melody and Kevin Rudolf."

Tyler smiled. "Wow, I never thought anyone would name there dogs after those particular people."

"I like those names so back off bud," she said playfully. "She should have her puppies any time now. Hey boy, yeah, you's gonna be a daddy," she said to Snoop. They stayed there and for a while and then Beth got a text message. 'Sweetie, we're home. See you in a minute.' Beth stood up. "Time to go," she sighed. They went back downstairs and into the living room. To take her mind off of it Tyler asked a random question. "How do you take care of all of them?"

"We have a bunch of people come in and give them all baths once a week. Except for the snake. We wash her when she first starts to peel. Me, Matt, and now Tiffany do the stable."

"What are you gonna do with the puppies?"

"Keep them probably," she said. At that moment, the door opened. Beth and Tyler stood up. She walked to the door, him a few feet behind her. Beth's mom caught sight of her and ran up, embracing her. "Beth, you're back. I'm so happy to see you. How have you been? Have you been alright?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine. Kinda need to breathe though," she gasped. Her mom instantly released her and stepped back and only for her to be picked up and spun around by her dad. "Hey baby. How are you doing? I knew you couldn't wait to come home," he said with a laugh. Beth's dad had aged gracefully, as had her step mom. (Ok, in case y'all didn't realize it, this is her step mom. That's what she meant by she wouldn't give a kid up and what Reid saw is true. Her dad got remarried. Anywho, back to the story.) He was tall, average build, and had most of his hair with some grey in it. She was slightly shorter and had long brown hair. She was tan and had barely there wrinkles around her eyes.

"I'm good dad. I just wanted to come home this weekend." He set her down and smiled. Her mom saw Tyler and stepped toward him. "And who is this handsome young man," she asked.

He stepped forward and shook her hand. "Hello ma'am. I'm Tyler Simms. You must be Beth's mother. I've heard nothing but good things about you. It's nice to meet you." Beth smiled. He was being very polite.

"It's nice to meet you too Tyler." Beth's father stepped up next. He eyed Tyler and Beth swallowed hard. Then, miraculously, he beamed at him. "How's it going son. It's nice to meet you. Have you been taking care of my girl?"

"Yes sir," Tyler said nervously. "I'll always take care of Beth."

"Why don't we go talk in the living room," asked Beth. "Anybody thirsty?"

"Yeah, I'll have a bottle of water," her mom said.

"Tea," said her dad.

"Coke please," Tyler said. Beth went to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of water, a glass of sweet tea, and two cans of coke. Her hands were shaking so bad that she almost spilt the tea. She went into the living room and gave everyone their drink, and then hastily sat beside Tyler. She left a good 7 or 8 inches in between them. She started fidgeting and Tyler put an arm around her shoulders, calming her some.

"So, I take it you wanted to talk to us about something," said her dad suspiciously as he eyed Tyler's arm around his daughter. They hadn't really thought this far in their nervousness. Beth had her hands in her lap and started playing with her ring which was turned diamond down. It was to make it look less noticeable, but she still wondered how they hadn't seen it yet. Tyler cleared his throat and Beth took a sip of coke. She looked at him as he opened his mouth. And her cell phone rang. She blushed as Tyler looked bemused. She peeked down and saw the caller i.d. read Steph. She hastily flipped it open in her left hand. "Not a good time," was all she said and she slammed it shut again. She turned it off. Her dad frowned. "Don't slam your phone like that," he said. She had always done that. It was just a habit. She was looking at her dad and didn't see her mom's face. But she heard the tension when she "Beth, can you come here for a minute. I have to tell you something." Beth blushed but got up and followed her to the kitchen. She shut the door behind her after a small half smile to Tyler. She spun to face her mother.

"Gimme your hand Beth." Beth immediately snatched it behind her back by instinct. "Beth, please. I just want to know if that's what I think it is."

In a barely audible whisper, Beth said "It is." She slowly brought her hand forward. Her mom took it in her own and turned the ring. She examined it. "Can't you wait until after high school?"

"We will, it's just that we're engaged right now."

"But why so soon. There are only two reasons to get married this young. 1.) Getting out of your parents' house or 2.) You're pregnant." Beth blushed scarlet. "Oh my, oh, are you, tell me your not." She didn't seem to be able to form actual sentences. Tears were sliding slowly down Beth's face.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I know it's not right, but it just happened. We didn't plan this. We still have a future. But it just is what it is."

"Have you thought of adoption, abortion-" Beth cut her off.

"NO," she said rather sharply. Her mother looked slightly hurt. Beth softened her tone and said "I'm sorry. I just won't do either of those. It's not right. I can't do that because I know what it feels like and abortion is murder." Her mom studied her face for a long while. She knew her daughter, even though they weren't blood. They were close enough. She knew that once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. She smiled at her. "Come here, I can help fix your face. It's too obvious that you've been crying." She pulled her over to the sink and wet a rag. She held it over Beth's eyes. "Do you love each other?"

"Yes ma'am. A lot. I think I knew it the first time we hung out." She used the ma'am like she always did to get on an adult's good side.

"And it's not just because you're pregnant? You really want to marry him, because you don't have to be married to have a baby."

"No ma'am. We're sure."

"Then, we just have to go tell your dad."

"Tyler said he wanted to do it, but I don't know if I should make him do it alone."

"Let him tell him about the engagement, and you can tell him about the baby." Beth nodded and they made their way back to the living room. The guys looked up and Tyler smiled when he saw Beth. It didn't matter how bad it was, he always smiled when he saw her. She sat down beside him and turned to face him. "We have to do it now." He nodded at her and faced her dad.

"Mr. Shaufner, I have something to say so I'm just going to come out and say it. Beth and I are going to get married." Beth noticed she didn't tell him that they wanted to get married. He told him they were going to get married. She grabbed his hand in her own. He continued. "I've already asked Beth and it would be very disrespectful to her to ask you if we can. So I'm going to ask for you blessings." Beth thought it sounded very old fashioned, and now of all times, she was fighting down giggles. She must really be nervous. She instantly stopped when she saw her dad's face. He was beet red and had jumped up.

"Now you wait just a minute. Who do you think you are to come waltzing in here and tell me you're marrying my daughter." Beth's mom put a hand on him.

"Wait, they aren't finished." He sat back down and Beth steeled herself. "Dad, I'm going to have a baby." He was instantly on his feet again and Beth was thankful for the coffee table in between them. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'DAD I'M GONNA HAVE A BABY!' I KNOW THAT YOU DIDN'T JUST SAY THAT." The tears stung her eyes again, but she fought them back and jumped up too.

"I did. I mean that I am pregnant. I'm going to have a baby in about 8 months." She said coolly. She didn't know why, but she was mad.

"WELL I WON'T LET YOU. YOU ARE ALLOWED." She scoffed.

"Really, what are you going to do? Forbid it from growing? It doesn't work that way." She took a step forward and fearing her dad might smack her, Tyler grabbed her arm and gently tugged her back down. However, his anger was now directed at Tyler.

"DON'T TOUCH HER. YOU DID THIS. YOU'RE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. GET OUT." He pointed at the door. Beth was up again.

"If he goes, I go. I'll just go get everyone else and we'll be gone," she said glaring at him.

"OH, SO THERE ARE MORE OF YOU! THAT'S JUST FUCKING WONDERFUL," he screamed.

"Watch your language Mike," her mom said severely.

"DO YOU NOT HEAR HER? OR DO YOU JUST NOT GIVE A DAMN? SHE'S NOT YOURS SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!"

"Don't you yell at her. She's taking it better than you are. And yes she does give a damn. She's more of a mom than that first little tramp you married. I'd pick her over anyone else any day." She looked at her mom and said "I'm sorry. We have to go. I'll call you later."

"Now just stop. STOP," she commanded as Mike looked like he was about to protest. "No one is going any where. Talk it out." She was usually kind, but now looked kinda scary.

"I tried, and he won't hear it." Beth was looking crossly at the floor. She heard her father take a few deep breaths.

"Have you thought this threw. All of your options."

"I'm not giving it up. I won't do it."

"Well why get married. How do we know that he can keep you two safe?"

"I love him very much. I trust him with my life."

"I feel the same about Beth. I would never let anything happen to her or the baby."

"I wanna talk to you slick. Will you two leave," he asked Beth and her mom.

Her mom agreed, but Beth was hesitant. She looked between the two. She didn't want him to hurt Tyler. He leaned in and ran his finger lightly over her cheek and whispered in her ear "I'll be ok. Remember, I am kind of a warlock if you will. I don't think you should worry."

"I just don't want you to have to use." She was close to tears again.

"I'll be fine," he said as her dad cleared his throat. Beth stood up and followed her mom to the back doors before turning back to face Tyler. "Go, I'll be fine." She shut the door to the room and turned and walked up to her mom. She ran her hands through her hair. "It's going to be ok." She pulled open the door and jumped back as a ton of people fell through the doorway. Beth raised her eyebrows at her friends. From down on the floor, Pogue said "So, you're getting engaged. Congrats." Kate, awkwardly but still managing it, lightly elbowed him in the side. Beth couldn't help it. She started giggling. It was full blown laughter as she grabbed Caleb's hand and pulled him up. "I didn't take you for an eavesdropper." He just kinda half smirked half grimaced. Her mom helped Steph up. They all managed to untangle themselves and her mom said "Why don't we take this little get together out back." They all anxiously trooped out the door.

"So, let's see that rock." She grabbed at Beth's arm, but Beth jumped back and said "Ummm… no. You shouldn't even know about it. So why should I," she asked. However, her mom grabbed her hand and pulled it around front. "Thanks mom," she grumbled sarcastically. There were 'ohhs and ahhs' from the girls. "Is it real," Tiffany asked.

"Yes, very real. So, sorry but no. You can't wear it." She knew what was coming the second she had said yes.

"Oh, his mom's going to be pissed," said Reid and Maddie got mad. Reid had been swearing all day and just not getting the point that it was bad, so she had smacked him in the stomach while on the horse. "And if you do it again, I'll go lower." It was common knowledge even to a five year old that it hurt to hit there, but he didn't believe her. So he was caught off guard when she pulled her fist back and popped it forward into his crotch. She hit him pretty hard and the effect was instant. He was on the ground holding himself though his jeans. The girls all jumped in surprise and started to laugh. Pogue and Caleb both groaned. They knew that it hurt… bad.

"She warned you man," Caleb said as he helped him up. Reid was glaring at Maddie.

"That was so not cool," he wheezed. She stuck her tongue out at him and he jumped at her. "I'll pull that tongue out of your little mouth."

"Alright, you two break it up. And meet my mom." They all shook her hand and told her how nice her house was. They went to sit in the shade under some hedges. They talked and joked, the girls admiring Beth's new ring, the guys taking turns spinning the kids in the air. One time, Pogue tossed Haley up, caught her, and spun her so fast, the second he put her down, she ran over, stuck her head in the bushes, and threw up. She came back pale faced. Beth's mom fought back a smile. She moved to take her inside, but she just walked to the hose, turned it on, and stuck her head under it. Caleb laughed at her antics, so Haley picked up the hose and, because there was a nozzle with different settings, she turned it to straight shot, and sprayed him. That started a water fight, everyone trying to get the hose and spray everyone else. Beth was having fun, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head. Her dad had been talking for at least 45 minutes.

Finally, after about an hour of waiting, still soaked from the fight, Beth sat up as she heard the back door opening. Tyler emerged, her dad right behind him. She couldn't see any white on his face, so she knew he wasn't smiling. Her dad said something to him, and he started forward. She stood up and slowly started towards him. When they were about thirty feet away, he cracked. He was beaming and she knew everything was ok. She ran the rest of the way and when finally reached him, she didn't care who saw. She jumped up into his waiting arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and locking her wrists behind his head as he held her up from underneath her. She laid kisses all over his face. In between them she asked "He didn't hurt you, did he? Are you ok? Is he mad at us? Does he hate me? I'm so glad you're ok." She had seriously expected him to come out with a few bruises at least. He didn't seem hurt.

"I'm fine. No, I'm ok. He's still upset, but he doesn't hate you, or me for that matter. He just wishes we would wait. God, I love you," he replied as she continued her examination, kissing his neck and pulling him closer. She pulled her head up to his. "I love you too," and he leaned in and kissed her long and hard on the mouth. Then Beth heard a smack and an "Ow," from her dad.

"How come you never kiss me like that anymore," her mom asked. Beth grinned and pulled back to look him in the eye. "Why is your mom gonna be pissed," she asked. He looked confused. "When I showed them the ring, Reid said your mom was going to be pissed. Why?"

"Oh, that. She wanted me to give my fiancé her mom's ring. But I didn't like it. It was big, bulky, and just ugly to tell the truth." She laughed.

"When am I going to meet her?"

"How about next weekend. One set of parents is enough for now. But this was probably worse with you being the baby girl and all."

"Ok, that's fine. I just wonder if she'll give you up. You're quite a catch."

"Beth, I'm yours whether she gives me or not." He kissed her again on the cheek and set her down. He held her hand and walked towards everyone else.

"I so get to be your maid of honor right," Stephani asked. Beth smiled.

"I don't know. I might just drag him to Vegas and get married with Elvis," she said. The girls all gasped.

"You. Wouldn't. Dare," growled Sarah.

Kate looked at Tyler. "You wouldn't let her do that would you?" Reid spoke up. "He'd do whatever Beth told him to do. Isn't that right Baby Boy."

"Yeah, pretty much," Tyler admitted. Beth smiled."Be-eth" whined Steph. "Don't do that to me. You know my parents would want to see you get married. Do this for them." Beth's dad couched. "Oh, and your parents. You two of course. Yeah," she said.

Beth smiled. "I was kidding. What about a small wedding though?" Tyler shrugged.

"I wanna help plan," Tiffany piped in. That set all of the girls chatting. But Beth had eyes only for Tyler. He had shrugged because he had meant it. He really didn't care as long as she was happy. She took his hand and leaned against his shoulder as she listened to plans for her wedding. It really didn't matter to her, as long as she was marrying Tyler.

Oh, sorry for those of you who wanted him to die. Like I'd kill Tyler, yeah right. Anyways, hope you liked it. Read and review. Love getting them from you guys. Anyways, TTFN bye