As Rossi pulled into his driveway that evening, he noticed that Reid's car was already parked in front of the house. When he walked into the house, Sonia was waiting for him.
"Dr. Reid just got here a couple of minutes ago," she said. "He had some flowers for Christine. You didn't say she couldn't have visitors, so I let him go up. I hope that's okay?"
"Flowers?" Rossi questioned with a smile. Maybe the young buck was learning a thing or two about courting a lady. Self-consciously he handed the flowers he had bought Christine to Sonia.
"That's okay," he confirmed. "How is dinner coming? Is there enough for one more?"
"Dr. Reid?" Sonia smiled. "Of course! He could use a good meal. He's too skinny."
"Good!" Rossi told her. "And, why don't you use these flowers for our centerpiece?"
As he turned to go up the stairs, Sonia stopped him. "Agent Hotchner also sent flowers," she told him.
When he got to the top of the stairs, Rossi paused in the door of his sitting room to watch Reid and Christine as they sat together on the couch. Reid was hesitatingly stroking Christine's stomach, and they looked like an ad for – He thought about it for a moment – Life insurance, baby furniture, something like that. They were undeniably an attractive young couple. Guiltily, he pushed his jealous feelings to the side as he knocked on the doorframe.
"U-m-m- " he cleared his throat.
Reid leapt to his feet. "You didn't say anything about my not coming over," he reminded the older agent. "However, if you want me to leave – "
"Calm down Spencer!" Rossi told him. "Sit, stay. And, I assume you're free to stay for dinner?"
"JJ told me she would take the twins for the evening," Reid reported cheerfully. "So, I'm all set."
"I see Garcia helped you pick out some flowers," Rossi looked at the colorful riot of flowers, thrust into a vase sitting on the coffee table.
"I picked them out," Reid explained. "Garcia told me to get something 'Cheerful' and bright colors are supposed to be cheerful, so I picked out the bouquet with the biggest variety of bright colors in it that I could find."
"You're right – They are very cheerful," Christine praised him.
Rossi nodded at the formal floral arrangement of pink roses, carnations, and baby's breath sitting on an end table. "And those?" he questioned.
"Aaron," Christine confirmed.
Rossi noticed yet a third grouping of flowers on the matching end table.
Christine followed his eyes. "Luis brought them in this morning from the cutting garden," she told him. "Just like he does every Monday morning."
"Cutting garden?" Rossi asked. "Monday morning? Since when?"
"He and I put it in around the beginning of August," Christine told him. "It's part of the plantings I helped him arrange outside the windows of the breakfast nook."
"Okay - Maybe I should be more observant about what is going on in my own home," Rossi admitted guiltily.
He then smiled at the young couple. "I think it's about time for dinner," he announced. "Christine, I suspect you want to go freshen up – Change your clothes, maybe?"
Christine fixed him with a look. "Are you giving me permission to leave your suite?" she asked playfully.
"Yes," Rossi assured her. "But, take it easy!"
When Christine joined the two men for dinner, Rossi's floral contribution was in the center of the table.
"Dave?" Christine questioned. "Did you bring these? They are beautiful!"
"They seemed appropriate to the season," he commented modestly.
"Fall mums in yellow and russet with autumn leaves – They certainly are! I love them!" Christine gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank You!"
After the three of them had enjoyed a quiet dinner, Garcia checked in via Skype. "Hello, Girlfriend," she cooed over the connection. "Bet you can't guess what just happened over here!"
"U- m – m, probably not. You are going to have to tell me," Christine had her suspicions but didn't want to ruin Garcia's big reveal.
"Look!" Garcia squealed as she held up her left ring finger. "My Main Man finally came through!"
"That is beautiful!" Christine told her. "I can't wait to see that sparkler in person!"
"When is the big day?" Rossi chimed in.
"We haven't even thought about that yet," Garcia told him. "I want to just enjoy being engaged for a while first."
Morgan's face appeared on the screen. "That's what she says now," he opinioned. "But, I'm waiting – "