Kiss Me Cate Pt. 08

"So you've met her Da and he seems to like you, Mum too. You're decently employed, she's a smart girl to say yes then."

"Well she's a smart girl, whether or not she says yes is the question." I sighed. She handed me a menu and suggested some lunch might help.

Laura, as I eventually learned was her name, was very reassuring and kept coming back to me when she wasn't busy. I'd been playing on my phone between stops and flipped through a few pictures I had.

"Is that her?" She peeked over at the screen. I nodded and turned my phone around. Her eyes went wide. "That's Cate Murray." She said excitedly, her mouth split into a big grin. My own eyes went wide at her recognition. I just nodded dumbfounded for a moment as Laura covered her mouth. "You're asking Killer Cate to marry you?" She busted out laughing.

"Killer Cate?" I was suddenly aware of how little I knew of my soon to be fiance. "Why do you call her that?" I thought it might be a good idea to find out now rather than later.

"If you'd seen her knee Neil O'Hara in the stones and nearly kill the poor boy you'd understand." She said laughing. "We were in school together her and I, she was a quiet one, sort of surprised that Neil showed any interest in her since she was such a bookworm. Once he got into her..." Laura stopped quickly and went beet red in embarrassment. "Oh dear, I'm sorry." She covered her mouth and turned away.

"Don't worry, I've heard the story." I said chuckling.

Laura was less animated but went on. "She nearly made a eunuch of him that day. Had to see a doctor to make sure she hadn't done any permanent damage. Neil nearly went after here when he could stand straight, his mates reminded him about her Da, and he got smart and let her alone. So Cate's home then?"

I could easily picture her father putting the fear of God into a group of brash teenage boys. "Were you friends?" I asked tentatively due to the fact that Cate had never really mentioned any close friends from home.

"We weren't close, as I said, she was a quiet one. I'm not sure she'd even remember me."

"Let's find out." I switched to the camera app. "May I?" She tilted her head and nodded in consent. She turned and looked in the mirror behind the bar and checked her face and I smiled as she turned back around. "Recording." I said.

"Hi Cate! Laura Donne here, it's been a long time since school, not sure if you remember me but your young chap here just showed me your picture on his phone and I recognized you instantly. You'll have to come round and say hello some time when you're back in Dublin! Bye!" She added a little wave at the end, grinning broadly. She ran off to pour a few and collect tabs but came back saying she wanted to see the video to see how silly she looked. I let her see it, and a couple other pictures of Cate and I. "She seems... more relaxed, more... well she looks happy." Laura said looking down at a picture of us atop the battlement of Blarney Castle. Cate was making a face, her tongue sticking out.

"What was she like in school?" I asked hoping for a little more information.

Laura just stared off into the distance and shook her head slowly. "That's just it, she didn't stand out from a crowd back then." She nodded at my phone on the bar and added, "She's a rare beauty now though. A wallflower to a white rose, you're a lucky man." She added the last with a wink.

"I know, she tells me that all the time."

Laura laughed. "Some flowers just bloom later than others, it doesn't make them any less radiant."

"Oh I'm going to remember that one." I said smiling.

I walked. The sky was gray and threatened coming rain but I didn't stop. The anxiety began to creep into the recesses of my mind again and I began to do battle with them. I didn't understand why now it felt like I was unsure when I had been so absolutely positive about this, well up until I had the ring in pocket to be honest. This wasn't some far off future, it was now, and I had to gather back the strength of my suddenly wobbly conviction. I did my best to shine a bright light on each shadow as it reared up. I loved Cate like I have never loved anyone before, of that I had no doubt. The shadow dissipated in a warm glow which sat now in my chest. I knew she loved me, I'd had doubts but they've been vanquished like fairy tale dragons, and another shadow dissolved. I had no doubt that I would be able to keep us warm and safe, the money I had made was sitting in safe investments and though I knew better than to think it would last us forever, I had a multitude of plans to augment it, the first of which I would continue when we got back home and I got back to work.

I'd been thinking so hard I missed my phone ringing at first and fumbled for it quickly. I caught the tail end of the ring and answered.

"Hi." Cate's voice was bubbly.

"How's your day going so far?" I asked hearing the smile in her voice.

"Mani, pedi is done, we're headed down to see her hairdresser, who I'm told is fabulous." Cate said laughing.

"So the traditional girls day out."

"Mum says that tonight isn't good, Da has a meeting after work. Would it be okay to do it tomorrow? I told her you'd be fine with that, but I wanted to be sure."

"You were right, I'm totally fine with that."

"She said there's a place over in Malahide that she's been wanting to try and I told her that would be perfect. It sounds like a nice place, probably seafood since that's near the water."

"That sounds terrific to me."

"She's invited us over tonight though since Da will be late, she'd love to spend some more time with both of us."

"Great, should I just come there or will you come back to pick me up?"

"I'll come get you around four. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. I'll head back to the apartment in time to meet you." There was an awkward pause.

"What are you up to?" Cate asked suddenly inquisitive.

"Nothing much, just a little shopping. I thought I'd stop by the Guinness store for a couple souvenirs, get a golf shirt for my dad."

"Good idea." She said, the curiosity seemed to have been satisfied. "There's a shop in the city that sells some nice woolen goods if you're thinking of your mum, maybe a lambswool scarf or something like that." She told me the name of it and where it was. I said I'd look for it. Her mother must have looked at her bored for talking so long on the phone. "I'll see you later."

"I love you."

"I love you too Dylan. Bye." Her voice was smooth like liquid gold as she said the words. That was the last light needed to banish the shadows in my mind. It would be tonight. I'd like her parents to know before we left. The anxiety from my morning activities fled as I found renewed purpose in covering my tracks I made my way back north of the river to do as I'd said and pick up a few items for the family back home. I made my way to the nearest station to get back to the apartment ahead of Cate. I was putting the items I'd bought in my suitcase to take home with us when Cate came in.

"Hello love." She said giving me a kiss. I turned to face her and notice her hair was slightly different.

"You got it cut." I said smiling. Her hair was a glossy dark brown, with a casual fly-away look which I'm sure was painfully executed by someone over time to look like it was natural.

"Just the ends trimmed a bit. I don't think I'd be cut out for short hair, at least not in the winter." She made a little shivering motion before she ran her fingers through her hair. "I loved the shampoo, bought a bottle myself. What have you been up to?" She peeked over my shoulder into the suitcase.

"Oh the usual, golf shirts for dad and Jim, a pair of silver Irish knot earrings for Pam, I didn't get a chance to find that woolens shop you mentioned though. I figured I'd pick up a bottle of that whiskey your father recommended at the duty free shop on Saturday."

"You may not want to wait until then, you can't bring it on with your carry on bag." She reminded me. There was a pregnant pause. "Are you alright? You look a little, off."

"No I'm fine." I said smiling. She looked at me oddly for a moment. I wanted to drop to one knee and ask right now, my anxiety was mounting like an incoming tide. "When then? You're just putting it off and for no good reason." I thought. She reached out and brushed my shoulder and put her hand over my heart.

"Mum asked me to stop for some bread on the way back. She's making coddle, a healthy version, she insists." Cate said smiling. She turned to get her coat off the hook.

"Cate?" I said quickly.

"Hm?" She turned and looked over her shoulder at me, and seeing my face, her eyes widened and she turned back to me. "What is it Dylan? You've gone as pale as me." She stepped back towards me and I took her in my arms.

I let out a deep sigh. "I have something very important to ask you." I bit my lip and she looked at me inquisitively. I chuckled nervously. "I've never been happier in my life, and honestly I wonder if I could even top this, but I'd like to try, and the only way I picture that happening is to be with you, always." Her eyes went wide. "Catelyn Murray, will you marry me?" I asked, swallowing a big knot that had somehow managed to build in my throat. "Before you answer, I need to tell you that I wasn't asleep Christmas night. You said then that you would have said yes. I would be honored to know that the answer is still the same."

She stood there speechless, the only change was a wet trickle slipping down her cheek. She blinked furiously and leapt at me, her lips crushed mine as her arms nearly strangled me. She melted against me and I held her tight. The wetness on my cheek may not have been from her. She sniffled, pulling back just far enough to breathe deeply before kissing me again. "If this is no, then you're really bad at this." I finally got a chance to say.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" She kissed me between each response to drive the point home.

"I hope that's what I said in my sleep the other night or I'm going to agonize over that now." I said chuckling.

"It was, among other things. When I told you it was easier to speak to you when you were asleep. It was because I'd already said yes." She kissed me again, tears streaking down both cheeks. Her smile was absolutely brilliant. She leaned back a bit and put her hands to her cheeks, the smile not leaving as she brushed away the tears.

"Oh!" I reached down into my pocket and pulled out the little box. "I assure you it's not earrings this time." Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "If it's not the style you'd like we can stop in tomorrow and see what..." Her lips hit mine before I could finish.

"You know I kind of like this method we've developed of keeping the other from saying something foolish." She said, short of breath. "Dylan, if you chose it, then it's the only one." I stepped back and knelt on one knee and opened the box. Her eyes went round. "It's beautiful." Her smile quivered as more tears streaked down her face. She burst out laughing.

"What?" I said turning the box and seeing her little harp and heart ring tucked in behind the Claddagh ring.

"Well that explains why I couldn't find that this morning." She said as a little hiccup laugh escaped.

I grinned. "Let's see if the fit is right." I slid the ring free of the satin, she held out her hand and I checked the way it was pointing before slipping it onto her finger, with a slight resistance it slipped into place. She flexed her fingers and laid her hand flat, the diamond heart flashed brilliantly, the little sapphire accents on the wrists and crown of the ring winked in the light. "I thought about getting the emerald accents for your love of home, but all I could see when I looked at them was the blue of your eyes." She reached beneath my arm and dragged me upright with strength I hadn't expected before launching herself at me again.

"We'd better get going or your mom's going to wonder where we are."

Shock showed on her face again. "What am I going to say to my parents?"

I laughed. "Well you could start with, 'Mum, Da, Dylan and I are engaged to be married' that's just a suggestion of course." Cate rolled her eyes at me. "Then you go for the big guns, give your father those big puppy eyes and ask him if he'll give you away, at which time if he's not tearing up then we make a break for the airport and hopefully make a clean getaway."

Cate slipped out of my arms and went to the bathroom to wash her face and as she put it, 'repair the damage'. When she returned I was holding her coat. I held it open as she slipped into it. She took a moment to look at her hand again and kissed me again before zipping it up. I had to remind her to stop for bread which caused us both to laugh. We got to her folks and her mother spotted the ring like it was a beacon. A multitude of high pitched exclamations and hugs later she got a concerned look on her face.

"It's not too soon? You've only met a few months ago." This directed at Cate. There was no aversion to me in her voice, it came off more as parental concern.

"No Mum. I just know this is right, trust me." She looked at me with the warmest of smiles.

"I mean no disrespect to you Dylan." Her mother said to me. "It's just that you're so young, the both of you."

"Mum, you were twenty-two when you and Da got married, this isn't any different. I mean, you knew he was the one, right?"

"Yes, I did." She replied with a resigned smile.

"There you go then!" Cate said with a big grin. "Let's eat and you can continue to doubt me over dinner." We had dinner, and I could see tension building in her mothers questions. Where will we marry. Where would we live. Had we thought about children, among other things. Cate responded to them all as they came up.

"Is your father going to want to break out the guns now?" I said under my breath while clearing the plates. Cate just smirked and let out a chuckle. She shooed her mother away as we washed the dishes.

"Don't worry, I think he'll be more practical. He knows where we live and knows better than to foist the burden of children on us the day we announce our engagement." She leaned over and gave me a kiss as I washed a plate off in the sink. "Besides, I want you all to myself for a while. I think the toughest part will be Mum keeping quiet about it until tomorrow. She'll be bursting at the seems to tell him."

"Do you think he'll notice on his own?"

"He'll figure something is going on, it may take him a moment but he'll catch on. He's been a policeman a long time, they're trained to look for clues." She said holding her hand out in front of her with a laugh. We sat with her mother for a little while after dinner before eventually leaving for the night with the promise of seeing her the next day for dinner where we would break the news officially.

When we got back to the apartment, I watched her carefully take off her coat, sliding the sleeve over her hand carefully so as not to snag her ring. I did my best to hide my smile.

"What? I don't want to get a snag."

"Is it too big?"

"No! It's just that it may come as a surprise to you but I've never worn an engagement ring before."

"It's the only one you'll ever wear." I said kissing her.

"I wouldn't have said yes if I had plans to the contrary." Cate fiddled with the hair behind my ear. "You're getting a bit scruffy."

"Should I get it cut?"

Cate grinned and shook her head slowly. "I like having a good grip for this." She firmed her grip and pulled me to her again.

I took gulps of air, trying to catch my breath. "I like it short in the summer. Would that be okay?"

"I remember. Don't think for a moment I wasn't checking you out as well."

"I remember. When I looked back and those vivid blue eyes were watching my every move. Do you know I had to walk three blocks back because I'd forgotten take my car? I was so taken with you I'd started to walk home."

A breathy laugh escaped her lips. "You never told me."

"You left me completely unhinged."

"Yet you never made the effort to come back and ask for my number, odd."

"I'd say things worked out just the same." I lifted her left hand to my lips and gently grazed the knuckles with my lips.

Cate's eyebrows rose at that. "Yes I'd say they've worked out incredibly well for both of us." She pulled me to the sofa and kicked off her shoes, she tucked her legs up underneath her. "When did you have in mind?"

I just smiled. "So it begins. Whenever, we can go hit a Justice of the Peace on Monday at the courthouse if you like." The slightly shocked expression on her face was priceless and I couldn't keep from laughing. "I'm teasing. I would like to wait until after Pam and Jimmy's wedding if you don't mind. I don't want to steal their thunder. As for the where, I've been thinking about that too. In all honesty my side of the family will be fairly small. I was wondering if you'd like to do it here in Ireland." I saw her lip quiver. "It would give my folks the perfect reason to extend it into a vacation." Cate's mouth quirked.

"If you'd like to have it back home we'll make sure everybody that can come does." Cate didn't say a word but scrambled up onto my lap facing me and hugged me as tightly as she could.

When she spoke her voice low and rough. "Just how long have you been planning this?" She leaned back with tears in her eyes.

"End of July, last year." I said smiling.

"You were that sure of yourself that far back?" She said brushing the tears away from her broadening smile.

"Guys dream too you know."

"Where do we honeymoon?"

"That's a tough one. At first I pictured somewhere tropical, you topless on the beach basting yourself with sunscreen like a Thanksgiving turkey. Ow!" I rubbed the spot she'd half-heartedly punched me. "I also pictured us hiking a trail in the Canadian Rockies, lodging with the beavers and moose, maybe Mexico or Hawaii, Greece looks nice too." I shrugged. "The only thing I care about is that I'll be with you." A fresh tear rolled down her face.

"The other option would be just to drive over to Niagara Falls since we live right near there."

I rolled my eyes. "Even on our honeymoon you want to go the budget route."

She leaned forward, her forehead touching mine, her voice soft as a whisper. "Where we are won't matter, as long as I'm with you."

I turned her and laid her out on the couch. "I love you Mrs. Doctor, Professor Catelyn Murray."

She giggled and kissed my nose. "Not Butler?"

I shrugged. "You've worked hard to get where you are professionally and all in your own name, I just assumed you'd want to keep it. My name is yours if you want it, Mrs. Butler, or Murray-Butler."

Cate just smiled and shook her head slowly. "You have the answers before I can think of the questions."

"I told you, I've been planning this since July." I winked and kissed her.

"I think you should put me to bed, I appear to be tired." Cate attempted a fake yawn which turned into the real thing which then caused us both to laugh. I did just that, pulling her up from the couch until she stood in front of me. I took her by the shoulders and turned her towards the bath.

"Brush your teeth and I'll tell you a bedtime story."

"I can't wait." She said over her shoulder to me.

I put her to sleep with a highly fictionalized account of our meeting, a dashing prince and stunning princess, how he vanquishes her flu with chicken soup and tea, and swooped down on her enemies, before whisking her off to a foreign land to ask the king for her hand in marriage, complete with a happily ever after finish.

We boarded the early morning flight and I stowed our carry on bags in the overhead compartment. Cate sat at the window and looked out at the vehicles on the tarmac racing to and fro. Dinner with her parents hadn't gone as well as we'd hoped. The disapproval came off her father in waves. Aware of the fact we were in public he kept his voice down, but stern as he began listing off his reasons. We didn't know each other well enough, I was still in school and didn't have a career yet. Cate was still in limbo as to whether or not she would have an offer to become a tenured professor. Each item he listed we did our best to respond rationally to, up to and including my financial status. Her father looked abashed at me for a moment, then looked at Cate, the need for his approval apparent on her face.