To Pamkins1986: I appreciate your reviews and I'm glad you are enjoying this new story. I plan on updating my other SMK stories very soon (hopefully within the next few of weeks).

Chapter 6 – The Surprise and the Future

"Mother…wha…what are you doing here?"

Before Dotty could explain, Lee took a step forward to clarify why she was now here in the hospital room.

"Uh, Amanda…about that…"

"You? You called her? Wha…Lee?"

"I can explain."

Amanda's face told Lee how she was feeling about her mother being there. She looked enraged at Lee.

"You better have a good explanation."

Lee looked over at Dotty and gave her a quick smile. Dotty didn't smile back, as she knew how hot-headed Amanda could be.

"Well, remember when I came into your office in the barn and asked if you had mentioned to your mother about being pregnant?"

Amanda, eyes narrowed, still furious, nodded at Lee, as he continued his explanation.

"Well, before I came into your office…I may have made a small phone call and notified your mother about your pregnancy."

"You… You… You had no right!"

"Amanda, just hear me out, okay?"

"No, Lee! What were you thinking? That I would just agree to this? That I would just be ecstatic at my mother showing up in my hospital room? That I…"

"Hey!"

Both Lee and Amanda stopped yelling and looked over at Dotty, who had yelled to get their attention.

"I'm going to step out and get some coffee. I'll leave you two to discuss this between yourselves and give you some privacy."

"Mother, no…"

"Yes, Amanda. Now, discuss this like two level-headed adults. I'll be back after a while."

With that, Dotty left, and silence filled the room as Lee and Amanda glanced back at each other, unsure of how to begin this discussion.

Amanda took a deep breath and spoke first between them.

"Lee…why did you think it was a good idea to call my mother and tell her about my pregnancy? Did you really think I'd be so accepting at seeing her again and welcome her into my life again? I just want to ask…why?"

"Amanda, can I explain something to you? Maybe once I do, you'll understand where I'm coming from."

Amanda motioned for Lee to explain as she took another deep breath, clearly annoyed at her mother showing up unannounced.

"Well, as you know, my parents were killed in a car accident when I was five years old. I went to live with my uncle who was in the military and raised me on a military base. As I got older, I quickly realized that I wished my parents could be there for me during important moments of my life. Once I moved out on my own, I knew that I wanted to marry a woman who had parents that could be my in-laws that I would cherish and want to be my "parents". I'm not sure how to describe it. I just…I want you to get along again with your mother and enjoy having her around and in your life. Be grateful that you still have one parent with you."

As Amanda listened to Lee, it was as if a switch had flipped in her head as her mind processed the last thing he said.

Giving a somewhat confused look at Lee, she asked him to repeat what he had last said.

"I said, be grateful that you still have one parent with you."

Taking a deep breath, Amanda looked at Lee and then glanced down at their newborn daughter who was still fast asleep, despite all the loud ruckus around her. Her eyes became clouded as tears threatened to spill out. She tried to blink her eyes to stop the tears, but they came anyways.

Lee saw her crying and quickly made his way over to her, pulling her into him as she continued sobbing. He held her and didn't say a word. He just let her cry.

As Amanda broke from Lee, she continued glancing down at their newborn daughter.

"Lee, I want to apologize."

"Apologize? For what? I should be the one apologizing. Amanda, I had no right to interfere with you and your mother."

"No! No… I'm sorry I was so upset earlier when you brought her in. I…I wasn't sure how to deal with seeing her again after so long."

Amanda reached up and caressed Lee's cheek, giving him a small smile.

"Thank you, Lee."

"Thank you?"

Amanda chuckled lightly as she looked back down at her newborn daughter sleeping in her arms.

"Yes, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to see how stupid I was for pushing my mother away and out of my life. I swear, sometimes I don't know how lucky I am to have you in my life. I always pushed people away. It was my way of shielding myself from opening my heart again. But you…you broke that barrier down when we first met and I'm truly thankful I gave you another chance. I know I can be…very stubborn at times…. But, I… Thank you, Lee. Thank you for opening my eyes to see how selfish I was being. Thank you for loving me and loving this little girl now. I love you, Lee. I always will."

"I love you too, Amanda."

With that, Lee and Amanda kissed and admired their daughter as they enjoyed the silence of being together for a few moments.

After a while, Lee opened the hospital room door and glanced out in the hallway, seeing Dotty sitting in a chair in the waiting room.

As he walked down the hall towards her, Dotty glanced up and gave Lee a quick smile. Lee took a seat in the empty chair beside of her and smiled back to her.

"Amanda wants to talk to you, alone."

Dotty looked back at Lee, unsure who this man was in her daughter's life and how much he meant to her.

"Mr. Stetson, you and my daughter… How did you meet?"

Lee gave Dotty a grin and looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet, before he proceeded.

"Let's just say, it, uh… Was a surprise for both of us."

With that, Dotty shrugged her shoulders and gave Lee a smile. She stood, placed the magazine she was reading on the table by the chair, and walked towards Amanda's hospital room.

Lee jumped up and headed to the cafeteria to get some lunch for Amanda, Dotty, and himself.

Dotty slowly opened the door to Amanda's hospital room as she peeked in, unsure if the baby was asleep.

Amanda looked up and gave her mother a small smile as she continued to hold her daughter in her arms. The baby was fast asleep.

"Hello, dear. Mr. Stetson said you wanted to talk to me privately?"

"Yes, mother. Uh, have a seat."

Amanda motioned for Dotty to sit in the chair beside of her bed.

Dotty sat down and straightened out her skirt and looked back towards Amanda.

"Mother, I, um…" Amanda laughed quickly and shook her head.

Dotty continued to glance at Amanda.

"I, uh…I want to apologize."

Dotty gave Amanda a puzzled look.

"Apologize? Well, what for?"

Amanda took a deep breath before continuing.

"I want to apologize for the past. Mother, I treated you and everyone horribly. You tried your best to do everything for me and provide everything for me and I pushed you away. I am very sorry. I hope you can forgive me?"

Dotty looked into Amanda's eyes, stood, and made her way to her bed. She sat down beside Amanda in the bed and pulled her hand into hers.

"Amanda… I knew how difficult it was losing your father. You were so young. I… I didn't know what to do or how to help you. I wasn't sure how to explain to you what happened and why it happened. You're right, I tried everything and anything to get you to "love" me or open up. Truth is, I had no clue what I was doing. I guess as time went on, we both were stubborn and unwilling to compromise with each other. So…I apologize too. I hope you can forgive me."

"Oh, mother."

Amanda and Dotty hugged, trying not to squish the baby in Amanda's arms.

As they broke from their hug, Dotty gave Amanda a childish grin.

"Now, give me the details on this Mr. Stetson."

Amanda broke into a laugh and rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Mother…he's… he's perfect."

"I asked him out in the waiting room how you two met but he wouldn't spill any details."

As Amanda glanced out at the corner of her eyes, her mind drifted back to how Lee and she met. She was so rude and mean to Lee at the bar that night. He tried all he could to talk to Amanda, even though she was drunker than a skunk as the night went on. She didn't remember anything after a certain point, so Lee had to fill her in on what happened. She got upset when he drove her old Chevy truck home, she came onto him as he waited for his Uber at her house, she broke down in front of him, she woke up the next morning hungover and clearly confused on why he was in her bed with her and then they had a horrible fight and Lee stormed out of the house. Thankfully, they made up and everything worked out.

"Amanda?"

"Hmm?"

"You looked lost in thought there for a moment."

"Oh, sorry. I was just reminiscing on when Lee and I met."

"Oh, I can imagine. He's an 11 in my book."

Dotty gave Amanda a look.

"Mother!"

"Amanda, dear, you can't tell me nothing happened between you two. I mean, would you care to explain your newborn baby in your arms?"

Amanda laughed and glanced up at her mother.

"Touche… Mother, I'd like you to meet your new granddaughter."

Amanda reached out and handed her daughter to Dotty, whose eyes were on the verge of shedding tears at the sight of her new granddaughter.

"Amanda, she's beautiful."

As Dotty looked down at her new granddaughter, she noticed how similar in appearance she looked to Amanda when she was born. She had a whole head of blonde hair and blue eyes. Dotty thought back to how Amanda's eyes changed to brown, and she wondered if her granddaughter's eyes would do the same.

Before Amanda could say anything, a light knock was heard on the door and in walked Lee with lunch for all three of them.

"Lunchtime."

Lee handed out the lunches to Amanda and Dotty and then set his lunch out for himself. The cafeteria served sandwiches, chips, drinks, and candy bars for lunch. Lee decided to keep it simple and get them all turkey and ham sandwiches, some chips, some water and soda, and a couple of candy bars.

"So, does my new granddaughter have a name yet?"

"Actually, we were discussing that before Lee surprised me."

"What name did you choose?"

"We're still debating about it."

"Well, don't wait too long. This adorable little girl can't go too long being nameless."

As the day progressed along, the doctor and nurses checked in on Amanda and informed her that she would be discharged in two days and able to go home.

"Mother, I'm sure you are tired from traveling. Why don't you head to the house and get some rest? I'm sure you'd rather be at home than sitting in a hospital."

"That sounds nice. I'll head over to your house and tidy things up there for you and Lee. I'll give you some privacy and see you when you come home."

"Thanks, I greatly appreciate it."

"Goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight, Mother."

"Goodnight, Lee."

"Goodnight, Dotty."

With that, Dotty grabbed her purse and headed out the hospital room to Amanda's house.

Lee glanced up at Amanda and noticed how tired she looked. Since the nurse had taken their daughter to the nursery, sleep sounded good right now.

"Hey, why don't you get some sleep? I'm sure you are exhausted."

Amanda smiled slightly at Lee as she adjusted in the bed to get comfortable.

Lee stood and turned down the lights in the room as he began to sit back in the chair beside Amanda's bed.

"Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sure you would sleep better in a bed. Why don't you sleep here with me instead of in that uncomfortable chair?"

Amanda scooted over in the bed and held out the blanket that was over her, telling Lee she wanted him to sleep with her.

"Are you sure the bed is big enough for both of us?"

"I'm sure, now come on."

Lee smiled at Amanda and climbed into the hospital bed with her, placing his arm behind her head as she snuggled into his chest. Sleep overtook them both quickly.

The next two days passed quickly for Lee and Amanda. Amanda was discharged from the hospital. They gathered their items from the hospital as Lee wheeled Amanda out of the hospital and into his waiting Range Rover. Their daughter was placed in the car seat and secured for the drive home.

Lee jumped into the front seat and placed his seat belt on, glancing over at Amanda, who had just buckled her seat belt.

"Ready to head home?"

Amanda gave Lee a big smile.

"Home…"

Lee reached over and took Amanda's hand in hers and gently kissed her knuckles. He put the vehicle in drive and headed towards Amanda's house with their newborn daughter.

As Lee and Amanda pulled into the driveway, Dotty ran outside to greet them.

"Oh, let me see my beautiful granddaughter!"

Dotty swung open the back door to the Range Rover and glanced down at her granddaughter. Lee assisted Amanda with getting out of the vehicle and looked back at Dotty who was admiring her granddaughter.

"Let me get our daughter and I can help you in the house, okay?"

"Sounds good."

Lee walked over to where Dotty was and un-hooked the car seat, carrying his daughter inside while walking beside of Amanda, holding her tight against his chest as they walked towards the front porch.

Dotty noticed how sweet they all looked like a family and smiled. She was so happy that Amanda had found someone as sweet and loving as Lee.

As Lee placed his daughter on the couch in the living room, Dotty quickly made her way over to her and began to talk to her and admire her.

Lee told Dotty he was going to assist Amanda upstairs and get her settled in. Dotty told Lee to take their time, enamored with her granddaughter.

Lee turned back towards Amanda and smiled.

"Ready?"

Amanda took a deep breath and ran her arm through Lee's.

"Ready."

Lee helped Amanda upstairs as easily as possible. Halfway up the stairs, Lee checked in with Amanda.

"Feeling okay?"

Amanda nodded at Lee's question and gave him a quick smile. They continued until they were finally in the hallway in front of Amanda's bedroom.

They walked into Amanda's bedroom and Lee helped Amanda sit down on her bed.

"Did you want to change clothes? Or did you just want to sleep?"

"I probably should change clothes and get out of these clothes from the hospital. Do you care to help me? If not, I can get mother to help me."

"Amanda, I don't care to help you. I mean, we have…you know."

Lee quickly laughed.

Amanda laughed and rolled her eyes.

"What do you want me to get out of your closet for you to wear?"

"Just grab a pair of pajamas. They should be in the dresser in the second drawer down from the top."

"Okay, one pair of pajamas coming up."

Lee walked into Amanda's closet and opened the second drawer from the top. Amanda had a lot of pajamas to choose from. He chose a matching set of shorts and a t-shirt since it was the middle of summer.

As he walked back into Amanda's bedroom, he noticed she hadn't moved and was sitting glancing over at the wall.

She saw Lee come out of the closet and gave him a quick smile and reached out for the pajamas.

"I can help you put these on. You don't need to do it yourself."

Lee helped Amanda stand as she started to shed her clothes in front of Lee. He placed Amanda's shed clothes on the end of her bed and handed her the pajama shorts. He steadied her as she leaned against him to put the shorts on. He then handed her the pajama t-shirt, and she pulled it on over her head.

Giving Lee another quick smile, she thanked Lee for helping her.

"You're welcome. Let's get you settled in bed. I'm sure you are exhausted."

Lee helped Amanda sit back down in bed and helped her lay down and get comfortable as he pulled the comforter up around her.

"Cozy?"

Amanda laughed and nodded her head.

"Listen, I'm going to go back downstairs and visit with your mother. I want you to get some rest, okay? We'll be downstairs if you need us. Just yell or text."

"Okay, thanks Lee. I really appreciate your help."

Lee leaned in and kissed her forehead as he looked back at Amanda and gave her a quick grin.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

With that, Lee left her bedroom and turned around to shut the door, taking in a few seconds to admire Amanda as she snuggled in bed and began to rest. He smiled at thinking how lucky he was to have her in his life. He shut the door quietly as he headed downstairs.

Dotty glanced up and saw Lee coming down the stairs. She had moved to the kitchen and was fixing her a quick sandwich for lunch.

"So, Lee…Did you two decide on a name for my granddaughter yet?"

Lee laughed and walked beside of Dotty as he made his way to the fridge to grab something quick to eat for lunch.

"We did, but I want Amanda to be here with me to tell you her name."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear her name. Is Amanda asleep?"

"Yeah, she fell asleep rather quickly when I left. How's our daughter? She asleep too?"

"Oh yes, she fell asleep within seconds of bringing her inside. I think the car ride home put her to sleep."

"I need to get some items set up in our bedroom for her to sleep in. I'll probably wait until Amanda wakes up so that I don't disturb her."

"So, I assume you and my daughter are pretty close, then?"

Lee laughed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, you could say that. Can I let you in on a secret?"

"A secret? Ooh, I love secrets!"

"Now listen, you can't say a word, okay?"

Dotty nodded quickly and leaned in closer to listen to Lee.

"I'm planning on asking Amanda to marry me soon. I haven't picked a day yet but I'm trying to plan the perfect moment. Maybe since you are her mother, you'd have some ideas on what to do?"

"Oh, Lee!"

Dotty leaned in and embraced Lee, hugging him as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

"Now, you promised. We can't have you crying all over the place before the proposal even happens."

Lee laughed as he hugged Dotty.

"No, I won't say anything, trust me. Oh, I'm just so happy! My daughter is going to be engaged soon and I'll be gaining a wonderful son-in-law and I have the most beautiful granddaughter."

As silence overtook them as they began to eat their lunch, Dotty had an idea.

"You know Lee, you mentioned planning the perfect moment…"

"Yeah?"

"Why not include her horses? She adores those horses and how sweet it would be to involve them as well."

"Hmm, that is a good idea. Having the horses there will make the moment that much better. Thanks Dotty."

"You're welcome, Lee."

As Lee's mind began to churn out ideas, he began mentally listing out which horses to use for the proposal. Since Amanda owned almost 40 horses, he knew the decision was going to be tough. Maybe he could ask Amanda about which horses had the most significance to her? He'd have to make sure she didn't catch on to why he was asking about the horses.

A couple of hours had went by and the baby needed to be fed. As Lee made his way upstairs to Amanda's bedroom, he noticed she was still sound asleep. He hated to wake her up because he knew she needed her rest.

"Amanda?" Lee nudged Amanda as she slowly fidgeted in her sleep.

"Amanda…" Lee nudged her shoulder again, trying his best not to startle her awake.

Amanda's eyes fluttered open and she scrunched her face as she turned slowly around to see who was waking her up. As she glanced at Lee sitting in her bed with their crying daughter in his arms, she gave him a warm smile.

"Lee…What time is it?"

Amanda slowly began to sit up and reached out for their daughter, who clearly was hungry and not liking what was taking so long.

"Uh, it's going on about 3:00. I hated waking you up. I know you need your rest, but I think this little girl needs you more right now."

As Amanda shifted her daughter in her arms to feed her, Lee was lost in a trance at how beautiful they were together. How was he so blessed to have them both in his life? He couldn't imagine not having them in his life. He thought back to the proposal of marriage he wanted to ask Amanda… He didn't want to wait much longer. He continued to stare at them both.

Amanda glanced up, noticing Lee staring at her.

"Uh, Lee?"

Amanda's voice broke Lee's trance and he looked up at Amanda, who had an odd look on her face.

"Yeah?"

"You looked like you were in deep thought. You okay?"

Lee smiled and glanced back down at his daughter.

"I'm fantastic."

As the afternoon progressed, Dotty had informed Lee she would make lasagna and salads for dinner for all of them. She had to run to the grocery store to pick up the items to make dinner, so she told Lee she'd take her time and give them some privacy.

Lee was sitting downstairs with his daughter as he continued watching her sleep. Amanda was back asleep upstairs in her bedroom.

Unbeknownst to Amanda, she had fallen asleep rather quickly and was having a very weird dream.

She woke up in her bed and glanced around, noticing it was now dark. As she looked down at herself, she was wearing different clothes and noticed she wasn't in any pain. She thought it was odd and decided to try and get out of bed. She didn't want to bother Lee.

She pulled her legs over the bed and stood slowly, noticing no pain. She glanced down at her stomach and saw she was back to her figure before she was pregnant. Again, she thought it was weird.

She slowly walked towards the door frame and stopped as she saw the bedroom door across the hall open. Curious, she walked slowly across the hall and peeked inside the bedroom. Not hearing anything, she reached to turn on the light switch. The light illuminated the bedroom, and she caught sight of who was right in front of her. Her eyes wide, she was shocked. Here, in the bed, laid Lee with a blonde-haired woman, clearly sleeping together. They were both asleep and didn't notice Amanda standing in the doorway with her mouth gaping wide open.

"Lee!"

Lee shot up in bed and stared at Amanda, who screamed his name.

"Amanda?"

He jumped out of bed, wearing only his boxers. He made his way to Amanda, who was still clearly in shock at what she saw in front of her.

"What… what are you doing with… with her?!"

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?! You're cheating on me!"

"Cheating? We aren't dating."

"What?!"

"Amanda, we aren't together."

"Yes we are! I just gave birth to our daughter!"

"Our daughter?! Amanda, I think you need to go back to bed. We aren't dating and never have dated. Don't you remember Francine? Her and I were dating when I moved in here for work months ago."

"Francine?"

At the mention of her name, Francine shot a smile to Amanda.

Amanda rubbed her forehead, clearly confused.

"Let me get this straight. We've never dated…we haven't had a child together…you and Francine are dating…"

"Yeah, that sums it up."

"I'm so confused."

"Amanda, just go back to bed. Clearly, you had a dream that confused you. Trust me, we haven't dated and never will date."

The words "never will date" were like a knife to Amanda's heart as she glanced up at Lee who was standing in front of her, clearly annoyed she had interrupted their sleep.

"I…I just…"

"Please, can you leave? We want some privacy."

"But, I…"

"Get out of here!"

Amanda slowly began to back up out of the guest bedroom as she continued to stare into Lee's eyes. He was enraged at her for bothering them. As she exited the guest bedroom, he slammed the door in her face.

"Lee!"

Amanda screamed as she sat up quickly in her bed, looking around, confused. It was still dark as she looked around and she began to sob as she thought how she had lost Lee.

Before she realized, she heard footsteps running up the steps in the hallway. Even though she heard them, she continued to cry. Looking up, she caught sight of Lee standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

"Amanda? What's wrong?"

Lee strode to her bed, pulling the covers up as he slid in her bed beside her to console her. He pulled her in to his chest as she continued sobbing. He wasn't sure what was bothering her.

"Hey, it's okay. Whatever happened is over."

Amanda continued to cry as her mind processed what happened.

"Lee…are you cheating on me?"

Her voice was barely a whisper. Lee's ears couldn't believe what she had asked him.

Pulling her away from him to look into her eyes, he was shocked at her question.

"What are you talking about? I'm not cheating on you."

"You're not?"

"No! I never have! What brought this on?"

"I don't know… I just remember you being in the guest bedroom across the hallway, and I walked in, turned on the light, and you were asleep with some blonde-haired woman named Francine. You were upset that I had woke you up and told me to leave you alone and that we weren't dating, never had dated, never would date, and you basically pushed me out of the bedroom and slammed the door in my face without explaining anything."

"Well, I can tell you that wasn't me. You must've had a bad dream due to the pain medicine you are on. Trust me when I say, I'm not cheating on you and I never will cheat on you."

Lee pulled Amanda back into his chest as he continued rubbing her shoulders to help her calm down from her dream.

"Are you hungry? Your mother made salads and lasagna. I can bring you up a plate."

"Oh, that sounds good. If you don't mind?"

Lee stood and planted a kiss lightly across her lips.

"You just sit back, relax, and I'll bring you up some dinner."

Lee proceeded downstairs to grab a plate for him and Amanda.

Dotty saw Lee come downstairs and grab two plates and forks.

"Is Amanda okay?"

"Yeah, she had a bad dream. I think it's because of the pain medicine. I'm getting her some dinner now and I'll eat dinner upstairs with her."

"You go right ahead. I'll stay down here and spend some time with my granddaughter."

Lee smiled at Dotty.

"Thanks Dotty. I'm glad you are here."

"Me too, Lee. Me too."

Lee plated their dinners and made his way back upstairs to Amanda.

As he walked into her bedroom, he noticed the light was on and she was sitting up in bed.

"Amanda, did you get up and turn the light on?"

"Yeah, but…"

"You know what the doctor said. You need your rest."

"Lee, I can get up and turn on the light. I didn't want you to stumble and fall."

Lee shook his head and laughed as he walked towards her bed and handed her one plate.

"I'm starving."

"Your mother outdid herself. This looks delicious."

"Her lasagna was always her best."

Before they finished up their dinner, Amanda spoke.

"Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we go downstairs? I want to talk to mother."

"Yeah, let me set these dishes off to the side and I can help you downstairs."

Amanda swung her legs to the side of the bed as Lee set the dishes off to the side. He walked over and reached out to help Amanda get up off the bed. They walked together down the hallway and down the steps, taking one at a time.

Lee and Amanda walked gingerly into the living room where Dotty was sitting beside of their newborn daughter.

"Oh, Amanda, I didn't realize you were coming downstairs. Did you sleep well?"

"I did, though I had a bad dream."

Lee helped Amanda sit down on the couch beside of their daughter, who was asleep again.

"Mother, I know you've been curious about your new granddaughter's name. Lee and I wanted to tell you what it is."

Lee looked over at Amanda and smiled and then looked over to Dotty and smiled.

"Oh yes, I've been dying to know!"

"Well, we wanted her name to be a family name. Now, I know you don't know much about Lee, but we wanted her first name to be in memory of his mother, Jennifer. As for her middle name, well, Lee made me see the error of my ways and I quickly realized the mistakes I made when I was younger. We talked about it and decided her middle name would be Dorothy… In honor of her grandmother, Dotty. Mother, I'd like you to meet your granddaughter, Jennifer Dorothy Stetson."

Dotty raised her hands up to her mouth, covering them, surprised as this new surprise.

"Oh, Amanda… Lee… I'm… I'm honored. Oh! I'm just so happy! My daughter is involved with a wonderful man and now I'm a grandmother, and…"

With that last statement, Dotty quickly hushed and looked over at Lee whose eyes were wide. He realized Dotty almost spilled the beans.

"And what, mother?"

"Uh, I'm just grateful to be here with you three."

Lee released the breath he was holding. He shot Dotty a look and she smiled at Lee.

"Mother, we are happy you are here with us as well. I couldn't imagine you anywhere else."

Dotty stood and made her way over to Amanda and gave her a giant hug. Lee made his way over and gave them both a hug. Before long, Jennifer began crying and interrupted their hug. All three of them looked over at Jennifer and back at each other and began laughing.

"Jennifer must be hungry. I'll get her."

Amanda slowly stood as Lee helped her up. She made her way over to Jennifer who was screaming and crying as she removed her from the bassinet. Amanda made her way towards the guest bedroom downstairs to feed her.

Dotty waited until Amanda was in the guest bedroom before she apologized to Lee.

"Lee, I'm so sorry. I almost spilled the beans! Listen, you need to plan that proposal and quick! Please, let me know if you need any help in planning it."

"Thanks Dotty. If I need your help, I'll let you know. And trust me, I plan on making that proposal very soon."

Two weeks had passed, and Lee and Amanda had settled into a routine with Jennifer. Since they both worked from home, it was easy to be with her. Lee had decided to go back to work and take Amanda's place on the farm with the horses and the hired hands. Amanda stayed inside of the house most days as her strength increased and devoted time to Jennifer and her mother. Her mother had decided to stay at the house to assist Lee and Amanda with Jennifer. After being at Amanda's for about a week, Dotty had announced that she had decided to move back to the area to be closer to Lee, Amanda, and Jennifer.

Unknown to Amanda, Lee had been planning his marriage proposal to Amanda. It was in the works and Lee was almost ready. He planned to ask her tomorrow while her mother was in town visiting friends.

Tomorrow finally came for Lee. He was a ball of nerves. He awoke early before Amanda and went out into the barn to get his surprise ready for later in the day.

After breakfast, Dotty informed Amanda that she would be back later in the day, as she was going to visit friends in town. Amanda told her to have fun and to take her time. Dotty looked over at Lee and winked, as she knew his plans for Amanda and him.

"Mother?"

Dotty stopped and looked like a deer in headlights. She was sure Amanda noticed something different.

"Yes, dear?"

Without looking up from her paperwork strewn on the kitchen island, Amanda knew nothing was different.

"Would you care to pick up a gallon of milk before you come home? We ran out this morning and I won't be out in town today."

"Oh, sure. I don't mind. You two have fun today!"

With that, Dotty was off and out the door before what she said registered in Amanda's mind. Looking up at the front door and then back at Lee, who was standing off to the side sipping on his coffee, Amanda had a confused look come across her face.

"What did she mean by, "You two have fun today"?"

"Oh, I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. She's probably just excited to see her friends."

"Oh."

Glancing back at the front door and then back to Lee, Amanda shrugged her shoulders and went back to working on her paperwork.

Lee released the deep breath he was holding and continued drinking his coffee in silence.

Two hours later, Lee walked back into the kitchen and saw Amanda intently working on her paperwork. He walked up and began to massage her shoulders, knowing that she was trying to get caught up on what she was behind on for the farm.

"Mmm, Lee."

Amanda placed her pen down and held her head down as Lee continued massaging her shoulders.

Lee stopped massaging her shoulders and squatted down beside of her, looking at her with a grin on his face.

Amanda glanced over at Lee with a somewhat confused but curious look on her face. Before she could ask Lee what's going on, he reached out and held his hand out for her to put her hand in his.

"Walk with me."

Amanda smiles and takes Lee's hand as she stands up and they walk towards the front door.

As Lee opens the front door and turns around to walk with Amanda, she's hesitant to go.

"We can't leave Jennifer."

Lee smiles and nudges Amanda out the front door. As they stand on the front porch, Lee tells Amanda that Dotty is already home and watching Jennifer.

"Wait…She's not visiting her friends?"

Lee realizes he's guilty and laughs.

"What's the big secret?"

"Ahh, you'll see. Come on."

As Lee walks further with Amanda, they come into the horse barn and walk slowly down the stalls. As they get closer to one particular stall, Lee stops and turns around to Amanda, who walks gingerly up to the stall and gasps in surprise.

"Oh, Lee…"

Inside the stall, Lee has decorated it with candles, a hay bale with a blanket for them to sit on, two champagne glasses and numerous bouquets of red roses.

"Shall we?"

Lee holds out his arm and Amanda snakes her arm through his as he leads them to the hay bale to sit on. As they sit down on the hay bale, Lee uncorks the champagne as Amanda looks around at the stall. She then looks at Lee like she's seen a ghost.

"This stall…"

Lee looks back at her, noting her apprehension.

"What about it?"

"You chose this stall, because…"

Lee smiles and nods.

"Yeah, I did."

Amanda laughed and shook her head, unsure how to process the importance of the stall they were in.

Her mind flashed back to the memory between them. Amanda had stormed off from the house to the barn due to Lee throwing a fit on her attire and being a single, unmarried woman living by herself. He was furious at what she was wearing and wasn't letting her get the last word in. He followed her out to the barn and found her cleaning out the stall they were currently in. She continued to ignore him, not letting him break her down. But alas, he said her name the way she loved, and she couldn't deny the "pull" between them. She finally broke down and told her about how she was, how stubborn she was, and how he was able to break down the wall around her heart. Before she could say another word, the wall came back and she stormed off and jumped onto a horse, leaving Lee in the stall and unsure of what to do. He ended up chasing her down, jumping from his horse to hers, and held her down to show how much he cared about her. He wasn't letting her go without a fight. Thankfully, they made up and Amanda decided to give Lee a chance.

"Hey…"

Lee looked over at Amanda, who was on the verge of tears. He placed the two champagne flutes back down on the table and pulled her into him.

"Look, I didn't come here to rehash old memories. I brought you here because I want to make new memories with you. Now, what happened in this stall before is in the past, okay?"

Amanda nodded as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Lee, I'm sor…."

"Hey, I said it's in the past, okay? Now, let's enjoy the present."

Lee wiped her eyes and kissed her lightly across the lips. He reached for the two champagne glasses and handed one to Amanda. They both drank the champagne and enjoyed each other's company. Lee took the champagne glasses and placed them back on the table. He held his hand out to Amanda as he stood up.

As Amanda grabbed his hand, he pulled her up and walked with her out of the stall.

"Where are we going?"

Lee gave her a brief smile.

"You'll see."

They walked towards the end of the barn where two horses were standing, ready to be rode. The two horses were Storm and Onyx, the same horses they had rode chasing after each other after Amanda blew up at Lee and stormed out of the barn.

As both Lee and Amanda jumped onto the horses, they took off on horseback out into the large, expansive field together. Before long, they came to Amanda's favorite spot on the whole farm – the large oak tree.

Both dismounted from their horses and led them to the oak tree in front of them. Lee stayed back a few feet to give Amanda time to take in the sight of the beautiful oak tree.

Before Amanda could even comprehend what was going on, she turned around to see Lee down on one knee beside of Storm, holding a black velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring glistening in the bright sun.

With her breath caught in her throat, tears quickly appeared and began to fall down her cheeks. Her hand went over her mouth in surprise.

"Amanda, you are the best, the bravest, the smartest, most beautiful woman I have ever known. I know this is backwards – Having a baby and then becoming engaged, but I don't want to live another day without you. You've made me the happiest man on this earth, and I want you to be my wife. I love you so much, Amanda. Will you marry me?"

"Will I marry you? Oh, of course I'll marry you!"

Lee jumped up and slid the engagement ring on Amanda's finger and they pulled each other in for a passionate, fiery kiss.

Breaking Lee's hold, she pushed his chest back as she looked at him oddly.

"So, let me get this straight… You and mother were in on this together? She never went to visit her friends and you two had this planned out? How long have you been planning this?"

"Oh, I'd say around 2-3 weeks. That day we came home from the hospital, and you woke up frantic thinking I was cheating on you… That was my cue that I needed to quit dragging my feet and put this plan into action. Your mother was more than helpful."

Lee and Amanda sat under the large oak tree, enjoying their private time together.

Looking down at the engagement ring on her finger, Amanda was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Amanda shook her head, smiled, and tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I just…I can't believe it." Amanda glanced over at Lee and grinned.

"If this is a dream, please don't wake me up."

"This isn't a dream, Amanda. It's real."

Lee pulled her in for a tender kiss. He rested his hand on her cheek as he wiped the tears away. They left their foreheads together for a moment before they broke away.

Silence formed between them as Amanda was lost looking at her beautiful engagement ring.

"So, have you thought of a date yet?"

Lee looked over at Amanda at her question with a mischievous smile forming on his face.

"Well, I guess that depends on how long you want to be engaged."

"Well, let's see…It's mid-June now."

Silence again fell between them.

Amanda spoke, but her voice was barely a whisper.

"Is August too soon for a wedding?"

Lee pulled Amanda into his chest and smiled.

"I don't have a problem with an August wedding."

He placed a kiss on her forehead as they both sat there staring out at the expansive field before them.

As the evening drew near, Lee assisted Amanda up, planting another quick kiss on her lips, before he whistled for the two horses to come to them to head home.

"Lee, thank you for today. You've made me so happy. I love you so much."

"Amanda, I just love you so much. I can't put into words how much I love you. Thank you for saying yes."

Amanda jumped on Onyx and looked down at Lee, who was still standing beside of her and her horse. He walked over to Storm and jumped on the horse.

As the evening sunset came, Amanda took a moment to take in the view and surroundings. Lee nudged his Storm over to her and Onyx.

"What is it?"

Amanda looked back at Lee and then back towards the view of the orange sunset that was forming in the sky in front of them.

"I'm just thinking back to when our daughter decided to make her grand entrance. It was different then. Even though I loved you like I do now, I was still hesitant to drop that wall and allow you to help me. Lee, I can't thank you enough. You've proved to me how someone can come into your life when you least expect it and change it for the good. I was in such a low place in my life, unsure of where to turn or what to do and you came into my life and turned it all around. You showed me how strong I truly was. I'll never be able to thank you enough for that."

"You're welcome, Amanda."

Lee was somewhat speechless. He looked at Amanda with adoring eyes and smiled at her as they began riding back towards the house.

As they made their way back to the house, they saw the house in the distance with its lights on. They rode their horses into the barn and removed their saddles and gear and got them ready for the night. They walked back into the house hand in hand.

Dotty met them at the door when they walked in. She was so excited to hear how it went.

"Amanda, you must tell me everything!"

Amanda laughed and looked back at Lee, who was left behind at the front door as Dotty pulled Amanda into the kitchen to hear about the proposal Lee had planned. Lee went to check on Jennifer, smiling and chuckling along the way.

"An August wedding? So soon?"

"Mother, we both know we want to get married as soon as possible. This gives us time to enjoy being engaged but able to look forward to getting married."

"Have you thought of where you'll have it? Or anything like that?"

"No, we just picked the month so far. My head is still spinning at how Lee surprised me. I still can't believe it."

Amanda looked down at her engagement ring for what seemed like the millionth time that evening.

"Well, I'm sure whatever you two plan will be beautiful. I'm so happy for you two!"

Dotty pulled Amanda into an embrace as Lee made his way into the kitchen holding Jennifer in his arms.

He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Uh, I think this little girl has missed her mother."

"Oh, I'm sure. Thanks, Lee."

Amanda took Jennifer into her arms and left the room to feed her.

Dotty walked up to Lee and gave him a hug.

"Lee, thank you."

"Thank you, Dotty. I couldn't have done it without all your help."

"Oh, I just can't believe you two are engaged! And Amanda tells me you are thinking of an August wedding?"

"Yeah, I think between us both we just decided it's best to be sooner rather than later."

"Well, we need to get to planning. There's so much to do. We need to make a list."

With that, Dotty left the kitchen and went to the office to grab a pen and paper to jot down her ideas and start making a list of things to do before then.

Lee watched and laughed, noting how similar Amanda and Dotty were, especially at making lists.

Lee walked towards the fridge, opening it and got him a glass of milk. He walked back towards the kitchen island and sat down, sipping on his glass of milk. His mind drifted to the memory of the morning after they woke up in the same bed when she was hungover.

Boy, that was a rough morning. They had fought that morning due to Amanda assuming Lee had taken advantage of her the night before while she was hungover. He had stormed off but realized he couldn't leave because he didn't have a vehicle. Sitting down on the front porch, he placed his head in his hands trying to gather his thoughts. Amanda had ran out of the front door, finding him sitting there. They apologized shortly after and made up, deciding to give each other another chance. Lee decided to cook some breakfast for them. He remembered how hungry Amanda was. She had devoured her omelet within seconds. He laughed at the brief memory.

"What's so funny?"

Lee jumped at Amanda's question. She had made her way into the kitchen holding Jennifer and walked up to Lee sitting at the kitchen island.

"Oh, just thinking back to when I made us breakfast that first morning after…"

"Oh my gosh, that was a…crazy morning."

"It was…but I'm thankful we gave each other another chance."

Amanda leaned in and kissed Lee on the lips, smiling as she backed up and looked at Lee affectionately, glancing down at Jennifer in her arms.

"I'm thankful too."