Aidan and Katie Ch. 03

"Oh!" She exclaimed, "I can't eat anymore."

I had eaten about two thirds of mine, but because she had stopped, I didn't want to keep eating, so I pushed mine away, too. My heart was pounding as I anticipated what I was about to do.

Elle picked up the plates and took them to the sink and as she came back I stood and turned her chair. I kissed her and gently had her sit. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the little box as I knelt on one knee. Elle's eyes got huge and filled with tears.

"Elle," I said softly, holding the ring out in front of me. "The last six months have been the happiest of my life. You make me feel loved, you make me feel special and you make me feel wanted. I believe that everything that I have experienced in my life to this point has happened to prepare me for this moment, for you. Everything...Jeannie...Katie...everything. Those episodes in my life make me appreciate how truly special you are and how lucky I am to be with you. I cannot imagine my life without you. Elle Faith Nichols, would you do me the honor of being my bride?"

Elle was absolutely still for the longest moment of my life. The expression of shock had not left her face. I began to fear that I had rushed it and had blown it. Then the tears that had been glistening in her eyes tumbled down her cheeks and the biggest smile I had ever seen lit up her entire face.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," She cried, "Oh Aidan, I love you and I want to marry you. Yes, yes, yes..." She lunged at me, knocking into me and causing me to lose my balance. We tumbled to the floor, her hands holding my face and kissing me over and over again. She pulled back and looked at me, "Did I say yes? If I didn't, then yes, yes, yes..."

She started kissing me again and I had to start laughing. I hadn't anticipated this. "Elle, do want the ring?"

She sat up and snatched it out of my hand. I stopped her before she could put it on. She looked up at me quickly with wide eyes. "Can I put it on you for the first time?" I asked.

She grinned, handed it back to me and nodded, putting her left hand up. I put it on her finger, it was a little big. "Elle I love you." She didn't say a word. She sat there with her hand in front of her face looking at it.

"If you don't like it, we can go and get one you like better." I said.

She looked at me with fire in her eyes. "I love this, it's perfect. Don't you dare try to take it away from me."

I laughed. "I have no intention of trying to take it away. I just wanted to make sure that it was what you wanted. But you do realize that we will want it to be resized, don't you? It's too big for your finger and you don't want to lose it."

She never took her eyes off of it. "I know," she sighed.

"You need to call your mom." I said. "She's probably waiting for your call."

She turned and looked at me with wide eyes. "You talked to my mom?"

I smiled, "Of course I did. I wanted to make sure I got the ring right and I wanted to make sure your mom was OK with me asking you."

She frowned. "But, you've never met my mom."

I was still smiling, "Yes, I have."

She was staring at me now. "How?"

"One night while we were watching movies," I explained, "You went to the bathroom and I jumped up and grabbed your phone. Fortunately, like everyone else, you saved your mom's number as 'Mom', not under her name. I copied it into my phone as 'Elle's Mom'. I called her the next day and asked to meet her for lunch. We met the next day and I explained to her that I loved you very much and that I wanted to marry you, but I felt that I needed to give her my background, get her opinion and hopefully, blessing, first." I smiled again, "She actually cried that I had thought to ask her. I then took her to the jewelry store and had her help me pick out the ring. When I dropped her off, she hugged me and told me that she was very happy that you and I had found each other."

When I was done explaining myself, she sat there with her mouth open. Then she smiled, "So, this was no spur of the moment thing, was it?"

"No, it wasn't." I said. "Tonight, I worried a little when you decided to make love that you would think that I was influenced by that. I want you to know that I wasn't. I truly didn't expect that this weekend. I thought the two of us, alone in the snow would be very romantic. That's why I asked you this weekend. I planned for this setting, just not necessarily for this weekend. The snow this week was a happy coincidence."

Elle came over and hugged me. "I love you," she whispered, "and I know you weren't influenced by making love. I'm gonna call my mom, now."

She walked over and pulled her phone out of her purse. She punched her mom's number. "Hi Mom, I have some big news...Yes, he did... Yes, I'm very excited... I don't know, we haven't talked about that yet... Yes, I love him very much... Yes, I know...I love you too, bye Mom."

I grinned, "Let me guess your mom's end of the conversation. Hi honey...Big news, huh?...Did he ask you to marry him?...Are you excited?...When is the wedding?...Are you sure you love him?...He loves you very much you know?...I love you honey...Good bye."

Elle was giggling. "That's exactly right. Are you gonna call your parents?"

"Do you want me to call them?" I asked.

"Yes, I do." Elle said.

"OK." I picked up my phone and called home. My dad picked up. "Hey dad, get mom on the extension, would you?" Elle came over and put her head next to mine, so I made it easier for her to hear by putting it on speaker.

"Hi honey." My mom said.

"Dad, are you there?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm here." Dad answered.

"Elle and I have something to tell you, and I've got you on the speaker." You could hear Mom start to squeal and Elle started laughing. "We're engaged."

Mom's barely contained squeal came out in full force. "Eeeeee...Oh baby, Elle, I'm so happy for you guys. I just knew you were going to ask her this weekend."

Elle looked at me with a raised eyebrow; I shook my head and shrugged.

"How did you know, Mom?" I asked.

I could hear the smugness in her voice. "Mom's know baby."

I just rolled my eyes and Elle giggled and I said, "OK, Mom."

Dad finally spoke up, "About time, meathead. Congratulations, Elle. Are you sure you want to marry a meathead?"

"Yes, Mike, I'm sure." Elle said with a giggle. "Even though he's a meathead, I love him very much."

I just rolled my eyes again and she slugged me. "OK, Mom, Dad, we're going to go, now. See ya."

Mom said, "Wait. Have you told Katie?"

Elle looked panic stricken; I just put up my hand. "Not yet. I will."

"OK, just don't wait too long; she is your only sister." Mom said.

"Don't I know it." I said and I thought Elle's eyes were going to pop out of her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mom said.

"You tell me that all the time, that's what it means." I said, shaking my head.

"Oh." She said, "That's a good point. Good night you guys, congratulations."

"Thank you, good night." We said.

Elle was still staring at me.

"What?" I said, grinning.

"Does your mom know about you and Katie?" Elle asked, her eyes bulging.

"No," I said, "Of course not."

"Then why did she say that about Katie?" She asked.

"Because she says that every time I tell her something," I said. "Whether it's good news or bad news, she wants me to keep my sister in the loop. I'm sure she says the same thing to Katie, it's nothing to worry about."

"Oh," Elle murmured, seeming to calm down. "OK."

I set the phone on the table and wrapped Elle up in my arms. "Whatever should we do now?"

I caught Elle in the middle of a yawn. "Uhhh..."

I chuckled, "Do you want to go to bed?"

She looked up at me with tired eyes, a look of apology there. "Uhhh..." she repeated.

"To sleep?" I kissed her.

She smiled, relieved. "Hold me?"

I guided her into the master bedroom, "Try to stop me."

I started to crawl into bed, "Uh-uh." She said, pointing at my clothes. She was taking hers off. "All of it, now. We're sleeping naked."

I grinned and was naked before she was. I lay down and waited for her. She lay beside me and rolled on her right side. I snuggled in behind her and she pulled my arm to her chest, lacing her fingers in mine. It was only moments before there was a predictable rise between us. She raised her head and looked at me.

"Hey, you're the one that wanted me to hold you naked." I grinned. "I cannot control what he does when I'm holding the beautiful, naked woman that I love."

She giggled, "OK, just try not to hurt anybody with that thing."

"Yes, ma'am." I said while I tucked it up to my belly, lining up with her butt, just like a hot dog in a bun.

She wriggled around and squeezed it between her buns. "Mmmm, I like that!"