On Wednesday, Bill took Elizabeth out to lunch at his favorite Italian restaurant but the time went by too quickly and he was unhappy when he had to drive her back to the furniture store. He kissed her goodbye and lingered momentarily.
He left the building, drove back to the job site and he felt his spirits bolstered as he remembered that he was taking Elizabeth out tonight.
He was whistling a happy tune when he got out of the car and went to find Bingley. Charlie was staring at him with a grin on his face when Bill finally located him.
"You're in a good mood this afternoon." Bingley commented.
"I have a date with an enchanting woman this evening," Darcy answered, "who wouldn't be happy under those circumstances?"
"So things are progressing nicely with Elizabeth." Bingley's face broke into a smile, "I knew you liked her, I was sure my plan would work."
Darcy looked at his friend, rolled his eyes, but nodded his head, "You were right, I'm in love with Elizabeth Bennet and have asked her to marry me."
Darcy's bold statement brought Bingley up short, "You've asked her to marry you," Charlie's voice was full of concern, "Isn't this a bit sudden. Has she agreed to marry you?"
"Elizabeth has not given me an answer because I took her by surprise and she is thinking about it." Bill said with a sigh, "Charlie, you have known me long enough to realize that when I find something that I want, I always move quickly." Bill Darcy grinned at his friend.
"In your business life, yes," Bingley countered, "But the only time that I've seen you act so impulsively was when you met Sarah and look how disastrously that turned out? I warned you not to marry her but you insisted that you knew what you were doing."
"Elizabeth is not Sarah." Bill said quietly looking directly into Bingley's eyes.
"I know." Charles agreed with a sigh, "Elizabeth is like a symphony of music played beautifully where Sarah was one note played badly. She had no depth, no light and there was no love in her heart."
Darcy's eyes clouded over with emotions, "Sarah gave me Anne Marie so I can never regret having married her when she gave my greatest treasure." Bill's eyes shone brightly, "Now I have a chance to have Elizabeth and David into my life which will make my life complete." Darcy grinned at Bingley with a bright smile, "Anne Marie has already put in an order for a baby sister when Elizabeth and I marry." His face softened at the thought, "Having more children with Elizabeth would be a joy."
"Well it seems that you know what you want." Charlie said as he watched the feelings play over his friends face, "I wish you well and hope things turn out the way you want them too."
Darcy sighed, "Thank you, Charlie; I appreciate your good wishes." Darcy pulled his shoulders back and the tone of his voice changed as he said, "We'd better get back to work."
When he got home that night, Elizabeth and the children were waiting for him. His heart filled with love as he looked at his family. With Anne Marie and David hanging on his feet, he leaned over and kissed Elizabeth as he ran his fingers along her face. He bounced the kids on his feet into the living room as they giggled and begged for more.
He saw that Anne Marie's and David's dinners were on the table and he bent to retrieve David off his foot. He settled him into the high chair and picked Anne Marie up and put her in her chair. "I see you have macaroni and cheese for dinner, my favorite." Bill scooped a little off Anne Marie's plate and popped the piece in his mouth.
"Daddy, you can join us for dinner." Anne Marie stated, "There's plenty more."
"Thank you, baby," He said as he ruffled his daughter's hair as she tilted her face to look at him, "But I'm taking Elizabeth out tonight."
"Yea!" Anne Marie squealed with delight as Bill heard a small echoing, "Yea!" from David in imitation of his daughter.
"Now Daddy, don't forget that you need to kiss Elizabeth a lot so that she will fall in love with you." Anne Marie reminded him in her very grown up tone.
He pulled Elizabeth into his arms and kissed her, "I will kiss her every opportunity that I get." Bill grinned at his daughter as Elizabeth blushed lightly.
He heard the doorbell ring, "That must be Barbara back to look after the kids."
While Bill got the door, Elizabeth made sure that Anne Marie and David finished their dinner. "If you're good for Barbara," Elizabeth told them, "There is ice cream in the freezer for dessert."
"I will make sure that David is good." Anne Marie said as she led David to the living room, "I like ice cream."
Bill and Elizabeth said their good-byes and Bill slipped his arm around Elizabeth's waist to walk her out to the car.
"Anne Marie is such a wonderful girl and definitely the big sister in David's life." Elizabeth commented as she slipped into the passenger seat, "So where are we going?"
Bill smiled as he got in the car, "There is a symphony in the park tonight so I had a dinner packed for us and we will be enjoying dinner under a star filled sky with lovely music playing in the background."
"That sounds very romantic." Elizabeth glanced over at Bill under her eyelashes.
"It will be." Bill assured her as he shot her a quick look and arched his eyebrows.
When they arrived at the park, Bill got a blanket and the basket out of the trunk. With one arm around Elizabeth, he guided her to a remote spot on the lawn.
They unpacked the basket which held an array of delectable items. The music started while they ate dinner and talked about a variety of subjects.
"The social worker is coming by my place tomorrow for the inspection before she makes her final recommendation to the court about guardianship of David." Elizabeth said a little nervously as she finished packing away the dinner things in the basket and moved it off to one side.
"I'm sure you're going to do well." Bill said as he drew her into a comforting embrace, "I can come by as moral support if you would like."
Elizabeth looked up at him as relief filled her eyes, "That is extremely nice of you and I would appreciate the support."
"What time is she coming?" Bill asked as he pulled out his schedule.
"She will be at my place at noon." Elizabeth sighed.
"I'll be there." Darcy made a note on his calendar before he pulled Elizabeth close to him, "I want you and David to be part of our lives so this is for me as well as you."
While the music swelled to a crescendo in the background, Bill found Elizabeth's lips and kissed her passionately. Her response made his heart race as he lifted her so that she was sitting on his lap.
Elizabeth unbuttoned his shirt as she slipped her hands beneath the fabric to feel the warm muscles of his chest. Her lips traced the path that her hands made as she released the final buttons to allow herself access to his body. When her lips reached his stomach, he shivered with pleasure and gently laid her back onto the blanket.
She lay back with her hair fanned out around her face and Bill caught his breath, "You are so beautiful." He leaned in to kiss her as he settled on top of her. His hands explored the curves of her body as he moaned when her hands slipped around to his bottom and pulled him to her.
With a groan of frustration, Bill rolled off of her and Elizabeth looked up him quizzically.
Bill answered her unspoken question, "You are so damn sexy that I am having a hard time remembering that we are in public."
"Oh." Elizabeth said as she pushed up to a sitting position. She leaned in to kiss him as he raised himself on his elbows. He was enveloped by the waves of curly dark hair and he couldn't resist running his fingers through the silkiness of her hair.
"I'd probably better get you home." Bill said as regret tinged his voice, "I want you to be well rested for your meeting tomorrow."
"It's still early." Elizabeth insisted.
"Darling," Bill growled as he wrapped her in his arms, "If it were up to me right now, you would be anything but well rested tomorrow."
Elizabeth's cheeks reddened at his words, "I guess we should be going then." She pulled herself out of his embrace and turned away from him.
He caught her face with his hands and moved her mouth until it was only inches from his. His heart flipped as he pulled her lips to his and applied pressure as his tongue slipped into her mouth. He heard a small sound escape her as he deepened the kiss. He gloried at the feel of her and reluctantly pulled away.
He looked her in the eyes, "I love you, Elizabeth Bennet." His voice was husky as he kissed her lightly, "I am trying to wait patiently for your answer to my proposal but I'm finding it more difficult every day not to pressure you."
Bill searched the depth of her eyes for an answer and saw her eyes soften with emotion as he held them with his. He couldn't contain the joy that flooded him as felt sure that she loved him back.
He stood up and pulled Elizabeth to her feet. Now that he was sure Elizabeth loved him, he could wait until she was ready to give him an answer.
He picked up the blanket and the basket as the music came to an end. He wrapped Elizabeth into his other arm and held her body tight to his.
He drove back to his house and helped Elizabeth out of the car. To his surprise when he opened the door Anne Marie and David were waiting for them. With David clinging to Bill's legs and Anne Marie on Elizabeth's the couple laughed as Bill bounced David while Elizabeth scooped Anne Marie into her arms.
Bill paid Barbara as she got ready to leave and said good-bye to the children. "I'll see you tomorrow." She called as she walked to her car.
Bill and Elizabeth exchanged children as Elizabeth said her good-byes. Bill and Anne Marie walked Elizabeth out to her car and watched until her taillights disappeared from their view.
"Why didn't Elizabeth and David sleep here tonight?" Anne Marie asked in a demanding tone that Bill recognized as one of his.
"Elizabeth and David are going to their own apartment tonight." He kissed her daughter on the cheek, "But I'm hoping that soon this will be their home too and they will spend every night sleeping here."
"Maybe they didn't stay because you didn't kiss Elizabeth enough." Anne Marie suggested, "Aunt Georgiana says that you have to kiss her a lot."
Darcy chuckled at his daughter's theory, "If I tell you something, can you keep it a secret?"
"I'm good at keeping secrets." Anne Marie insisted, "Tell me. Tell me."
"I asked Elizabeth to marry me." Bill said as he lifted her in the air.
"Yea!" Anne Marie squealed with delight, "Elizabeth is going to be my mommy."
"She hasn't agreed to marry me yet." Darcy qualified to his five year old.
"She will as long as you keep kissing her a lot." Anne Marie was confident.
"I hope you're right." Bill sighed as he walked his daughter down the hall to get her ready for bed.
Bill arrived at Elizabeth's apartment a few minutes before 12:00 the next day so that he could be with her when she met with the social worker.
Elizabeth was pale and worried so Bill pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "Everything is going to be alright." Bill said in a soothing tone, "You don't have anything to worry about."
When the social worker arrived, she introduced herself to Elizabeth, "I'm Carrie O'Neal.
Elizabeth introduced herself and turned to Bill, "This is Bill Darcy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Darcy." She said.
Elizabeth showed her around the apartment and showed her David's room. Carrie O'Neal asked Elizabeth questions as she looked around.
At the end of the interview, Carrie O'Neal said, "You would be a great guardian for David Bennet but I'm afraid that I can't recommend to the court that you be granted guardianship of the child."
Elizabeth's face drained of color as she asked, "Why not?"
The social worker sighed, "We've gotten another petition for guardianship from David's paternal grandparents, Louis and Catherine deBourgh and I will be recommending to the court that they approve the deBourgh's as guardians of the minor child."
"What?" The question exploded out of both Elizabeth and Bill Darcy.
There were tears welling up in Elizabeth's eyes, "Why would you recommend them as guardians of David?" Elizabeth took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing, "When their son, Adam impregnated my fifteen year old sister, they denied paternity until a DNA test proved that Adam was David's father. They live on the east coast and have never even met their grandson before so why would you give custody to them.
"I know all of that." There was sadness in Carrie O'Neal's eyes, "But the courts are still old-fashioned when it comes to giving guardianship to an unmarried woman."
"So this whole visit was just a waste of my time because you always knew that you would never recommend me as David's guardian." Elizabeth suddenly tilted her head to one side as her brows creased, "How did they even find out that my sister had abandoned David?"
The woman looked a little uncomfortable, "I understand that they found out from your mother who is backing their petition for guardianship of David."
"What?" Once again the breath exploded out of Bill and Elizabeth.
"How could she do that to me?" Elizabeth covered her eyes as the tears slipped silently down her face.
"I don't know." The social worker answered quietly.
Elizabeth's lip was quivering, "Let me ask you a question, if I were married, would you recommend me as David's guardian?"
Carrie sighed, "In a heartbeat." She explained, "If at all possible we like to keep the child in our jurisdiction and I can see how much you love David."
Elizabeth glanced over at Darcy, "What if I was engaged?"
"I'm afraid that wouldn't help," Carrie looked at Bill Darcy, "An engagement could be broken easily and the court would consider that to be a transient relationship until the marriage took place." She looked from Elizabeth to Bill, "Are you two engaged to be married?"
"Yes." Elizabeth said quietly and Bill breathed deeply at her words.
"You're not wearing an engagement ring." Carrie observed.
"It was a recent decision." Bill spoke for the first time, "We haven't had time to shop for the ring yet."
Carrie O'Neal looked at the couple as she saw Bill slip his arm around Elizabeth's waist and she made a decision, "If you two are going to be married, it would be my suggestion that the marriage take place as soon as possible and before the juvenile court hearing." She sighed, "I would have to make an inspection of the living situation but if that all checks out, I would be willing to recommend that you and Mr. Darcy become David's guardians."
Bill said quickly, "I would marry Elizabeth this afternoon if she would let me." His voice was full of love, "If it is convenient you may come inspect my home right now." He glanced at Elizabeth, "My daughter Anne Marie and David are there with the babysitter."
The social worker agreed and followed Bill and Elizabeth to his home.
When Bill opened the door, Anne Marie ran to the door with David at her heels.
Carrie O'Neal watched with amusement at the obvious ritual greeting of Bill Darcy and Elizabeth. "Daddy, what are you doing home during the day?"
"We've brought this nice lady to see the house." Bill answered his daughter automatically.
"Can I show her around?" Anne Marie asked as she walked up to the social worker, "I'm Anne Marie Darcy."
Carrie introduced herself to the child with a laugh as Anne Marie took her hand and led her through the house.
"This is Daddy's room." Anne Marie looked at her father and Elizabeth as she motioned for Carrie to lean down and Anne Marie whispered loudly, "Once my Daddy and Elizabeth get married, Elizabeth will be my mommy and she will sleep here too." Carrie glanced at Darcy with amusement, "Daddy told me last night that they are going to be married but it's a secret so you can't tell anyone."
"Where will David sleep?" Carrie asked Anne Marie with a wink to the others.
"He will sleep in the nursery until he is old enough to have his own room like me." Anne Marie answered as she opened the door to the nursery.
"How do you feel about having Elizabeth for a mother and David as a brother?" The social worker asked.
"I've wanted Elizabeth as my mommy ever since we first met." Anne Marie explained in her grown up tone, "I told Daddy and Elizabeth that they had to kiss a lot so that they would fall in love and get married so that Elizabeth would be my mommy."
Carrie laughed, "That was very smart of you."
"Yes it was, because if it weren't for me they might never have fallen in love." Anne Marie glanced at David, "I told David a long time ago that I wouldn't mind having him as a brother."
Carrie O'Neal laughed at the girls words and asked, "Where do you sleep?"
"This is my room." Anne Marie said with excitement as she opened the door, "This is where Elizabeth and Daddy read me books and never complain when I ask them to read more than one."
Carrie glanced at David who was very comfortable in Elizabeth's arms, "David, how do you feel about this?"
The social worker saw David glance down at Anne Marie who nodded her head; David kissed Elizabeth on the cheek and said, "Mommy." He reached for Bill, who took him from Elizabeth's arms and David said, "Daddy."
Elizabeth's heart melted as she heard David call her Mommy and Bill, Daddy. She bent to pick up Anne Marie and Bill pulled her to him in an embrace as the love he felt for his family was evident on his face.
"How could I break up this happy family?" Carrie O'Neal was moved by the scene she had just witnessed, "I've seen enough, my report will recommend that Bill and Elizabeth Darcy be given guardianship of David Bennet." She looked at Bill, "I have to turn in my report by Friday of next week so that only gives you a week to get married and send me a copy of your marriage certificate."
"We understand." Bill said as he kissed his fiancé for the first time.
Carrie O'Neal was overjoyed as she made her good-byes and walked to her car. She was so glad that she didn't have to recommend guardianship to those stuck up deBourgh's because she didn't like them at all.
After the social worker left, Barbara came to get the children to allow Bill and Elizabeth a chance to talk.
"I don't have the words to tell you how happy I was when you told her that we were engaged." Bill said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her lightly.
"I hoped that you wouldn't contradict me." Elizabeth said with a smile, "Because as you know, I hadn't given you an answer at that time."
"The thought never crossed my mind." Bill admitted, "All I could think about was that you were going to marry me."
"Bill," Elizabeth said quietly, "I need you to know that although I have feelings for you, I'm still not sure whether I love you."
"I know." Bill admitted, "But I'm willing to take that chance because I love you."
Bill leaned forward, pressed his lips to hers and felt her tongue as it began to explore his mouth. With a groan he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss and heard her intake of breath at the feelings he was arousing in her.
Bill's phone rang as Bill and Elizabeth said together, "Damn Bingley."
Bill laughed before he said, "I've been gone longer than I expected and I need to get back to work."
"I do too." Elizabeth said with regret.
"We'll continue this tonight." Bill said with a wolfish grin.
"You can count on that." Elizabeth agreed.