Simon had planned out the perfect dinner for everyone. He just hoped that everything went according to plan. If it did, then tonight would be one that he remembered for a very long time. Having his mother here was the best part of the entire ordeal.

She had been staying with all three of them for a few weeks now and absolutely adored Hannah. They got on so well. Penny and Paige had also hit it off. They were able to bond over hobbies and experiences they had both shared.

He really needed to talk to his mother though. He had told her about his plans before she had visited the States, but he needed to know how she felt about the entire situation with Hannah and her mother.

He knocked lightly on the door, hoping to not disturb her.

“Enter,” she replied from the bed. She didn’t feel well again, Simon could tell. Her face was pale and she looked exhausted.

“How are you feeling, Mum?” Simon asked her.

“I’ve been better, lamb,” she said quietly.

“You know, tonight Hannah’s sister and her husband are coming for dinner. They traveled out here to spend some time with Paige before her next surgery.”

“Yes, Paige was telling me about it, the poor dear. I cannot believe what a trooper she is. She is so brave. I don’t think I would be as brave were I in her position.”

“Oh Mum, you are brave as well. But I really needed to talk to you about tonight. I already asked Paige, but I wanted to get your blessing.”

“Anything, love,” she said to him. She placed her hand on his cheek. It was icy cold. Another sign that she was ill.

“Tonight at dinner, I want to ask Hannah to marry me.” Even saying it out loud sent a thrill through him.

He watched her face carefully for her reaction. It was almost instantaneous. Her eyes lit up and a broad smile spread across her face. “Oh, that makes me so happy. I am so happy that I get to be here for it! I knew you were planning on asking her sometime, but I didn’t know it would be so soon.”

“I love her so much, Mum,” Simon said. His eyes were a bit misty as he confided in his mother.

“I can tell, lamb. And she loves you as well.”

“Yes, she does.”

“I’m happy for you, lamb. You have my blessing.”

He hugged her, being careful not to bump her arm. The worst pain came from her left side and when she wasn’t feeling well, any pressure or touch was intolerable. He left his mother to rest and hurried down to let Paige know how it had gone.

“I talked to my mum. She is very excited about tonight. So it’s a go.” Simon wanted to help so he picked up some of the laundry Paige had and started to fold it.

“I knew she would be!” Paige responded enthusiastically. “I have something I need to give you first. Follow me.”

She led Simon to her bedroom and asked him to wait at the door. Out of the top drawer she pulled out a small box and put it in Simon’s hand. Inside was a beautiful ring with a yellow gold band and a solitary diamond positioned in the center. There were small sapphires flanking the diamond in a swirling pattern.

“That was the ring that my husband, God rest his soul, gave to me when he proposed. I want you to have it. Give it to my daughter,” she said quietly.

Simon looked at her and, for a moment, didn’t know what to say. What do you say to a gesture so intimate and sweet? He gave her a big hug and patted her on the back. He was almost afraid of breaking her because of how frail she had become.

“Thank you,” he said simply.

“Hannah is so blessed to have you in her life. You have been such an amazing strength and comfort to her and also to me. I couldn’t have hand picked a better man for her to fall in love with.”

Tears began to fall out of the corners of her eyes that she swiped at with the back of her hand. Simon didn’t know how to comfort her or what to say. He took the ring box and stuck it in his front pocket.

“Now, you get out of here and go start working on dinner,” she scolded. “You volunteered to make dinner, so it better be good.”

With a grin, Simon scrambled out of the room and headed to the kitchen, eager to get the meal prepared for their dinner tonight.

He pulled out all the ingredients that he was going to use. Fortunately for him, Hannah was spending the day in town with her sister. Joshua sat in the living room and watched a game of American football while the dog sprawled out across his lap.

Dinner was going to be amazing. Simon was making maple-crusted salmon, homemade mashed potatoes and green beans. If there was one thing that calmed him down the most, it was being in the kitchen. The rhythmic cutting of vegetables and the mindless stirring allowed his mind to wander and drift aimlessly through thoughts. He was able to clear his mind while also creating something that everyone enjoyed.

He began the dinner by making the sauce and was soon lost in the preparation process. He had planned everything tonight as much as humanly possible. He just hoped it all went according to his plans.

* * *

Simon’s hands were sweltering hot and sweaty. He wiped them off on his jeans and flexed them under the table. He shouldn’t be this nervous. Annie and Joshua sat across the table from them. Neither one of them knew about the plans for the evening. Probably for the best. Simon’s mum kept staring from the end of the table and winking at him. Paige was worse. She could hardly contain her excitement. Her cheeks were flushed and she kept fidgeting with her napkin. She kept glancing up at Simon, and then avoiding eye contact altogether, which was completely out of character for her.

He ate each bite, barely tasting anything. In fact he hardly noticed anything going on around him throughout the entire meal.

“Right ,Simon?” Hannah asked, tearing Simon out of his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, what?” He hadn’t heard a word anyone had said.

She was kind enough to review. “I was telling my mom that we have maybe a few more hours left and we will be done with the paving stones in the driveway.”

Simon nodded. “Yes, of course. The paving stones. Probably three more hours of work before we are all done.”

“Simon has been helping me out around the house with all of these projects. He hasn’t complained one bit. But I’m afraid that there was just so much to do. I haven’t had the time or the energy to get them done.”

“When are you headed back to school?” Annie asked Simon politely.

“My grant is all set for January, so I will need to head back then. I’m staying here until the semester start to try and finish up the rest of these projects.”

“You have been a God-send to us,” Paige remarked.

Simon desperately wanted to get the attention off of himself, but didn’t know how. Relief passed through him when Hannah spoke up and asked if it were possible to get seconds.

“Oh yeah, there is plenty to go around,” Paige answered.

“You outdid yourself, Simon, this food is amazing,” Annie commented from across the table.

“So good,” Joshua groaned, patting his belly.

“Thank you. It’s a family recipe.” His mum beamed at the acknowledgement to her cooking abilities. “She taught me everything I know.”

“And don’t you forget it!” Penny smiled.

Everyone had seconds. Joshua even loaded up a second plate despite the fact he complained of being too full after the first round. The fish was gone by the end of the meal and only a few measly spoonfuls of mashed potatoes graced the bowl on the table.

“Does anyone want anything else before I put the food away and grab our dessert?” Simon asked, jumping up from the table.

There was a collective groan from everyone at the mention of dessert, and then they all responded with a resounding no in regards to more food.

“I don’t think I can handle dessert.” Hannah had laid her head down on the table.

Joshua was stretched out as far as possible on the chair. “Me neither.”

Simon laughed it off and ran to the kitchen. His nervousness was palpable as he thought through his plan once more. He was going to ask Hannah the most important question he would ever ask her, and he had no idea how she would respond. He hoped she would say yes, but there was a small chance she would decline.

He went back into the dining room with a tray of small glass goblets. Hannah’s was the one in the middle. “I brought everyone a port wine. It is local to College Station, so I thought you all would enjoy it.”

“Oh, thank God it isn’t more food,” Annie remarked, leaning farther back in her chair.

She declined her goblet and stood up from her chair. “I have to tell you all something— we’re pregnant.”

“I’m going to be a grandmother!” Paige burst.

Hannah was beaming at her sister as she jumped up to give Annie a big hug. “I can’t believe it! I’m so excited for you!”

Joshua looked pleased as punch.

Penny scrunched her lips and looked over at Simon with a sympathetic face.

After a reasonable amount of time, he realized that there was no chance for him to rescue his plans for the evening, so he headed back to the kitchen with the glass mean for Hannah, full of port wine and siphoned it back into the bottle. The wedding ring remained in the bottom, covered in dark purple residue. He rinsed it off, slipped the ring into his pocket and joined the rest of the family in celebrating Annie’s pregnancy.

* * *

A pang of jealousy had torn through her briefly when Annie announced the exciting news. The feeling was lost soon in the excitement of the moment, and Hannah reveled in the announcement. She was going to be an aunt. This turn of events was so unexpected. Annie had always told her that she wanted to wait to have children.

After all the kerfuffle, she was hit with feelings of insecurity. She had no real boyfriend, no husband and no prospects. She had found a quiet corner in the living room where she wasn’t bothered. The corner that held Ginny’s dog house. Her sweet puppy lolled on her back with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. Hannah was rubbing her belly while she lost herself in a book.

An hour later, everyone else had settled down at the table to play a board game, but Hannah wanted to speak to Annie in private. They usually shared everything with each other, so the news that she was pregnant had really thrown Hannah off. Part of her worried that Annie had not been confiding in Hannah. Maybe they weren’t as close as Hannah thought they were.

She pulled Annie aside and into the front room. “So, did you all mean to get pregnant? I thought you two were going to wait?”

Annie looked down at the ground, her green eyes staring at the floor while her hand absently moved to her stomach.

“Well, we didn’t really plan it, it just kind of happened.”

“Oh, I just figured you wanted to keep it to yourself,” Hannah said.

Annie looked up at her sister with a shocked expression. “Oh no! I wouldn’t keep that from you. I would never be able to! I tell you everything.”

Hannah let out a breath that she hadn’t known she’d been holding and gave her sister a hug. Knowing that she and Annie were just as close as ever made her feel a lot better.

“What does Josh think about all this?” Hannah asked her.

Annie got a misty look on her face. “He’s so excited, Hannah. I’ve never seen him this excited. He already started making a little crib for the baby. He’s been talking about it a lot too, and he will just lay in bed and talk to my stomach. It is ridiculously cute.”

Hannah couldn’t picture Josh being so tender, but she knew that he was going to be a great dad. Even in the face of three Baird women, Josh was calm and collected. There was much to be said about anyone who could maintain a mellow demeanor while surrounded by Paige, Hannah and Annie. Alone they were fireballs. Together they were an unstoppable force.

“I’m so excited for you! When are you due?”

“In the middle of June,” she answered with a grin.

The game must have ended because Paige came bustling over and whisked Annie off to the kitchen to talk to her and Penny, where they both fawned over her and told her about pregnancy and birth. Both men left immediately, choosing to act as though they hadn’t heard anything, and went in to watch television. As Simon was walking past Hannah, he put his hand on the small of her back and kissed her cheek in passing. The kiss was tender and sweet, and ended much too soon.

Hannah smiled to herself and began to hum happily. She joined the women in the kitchen while she cleaned up what was left of the dinner.

* * *

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry that you were unable to propose at dinner tonight. Although, I just want to commend you, dear. You were very wise in allowing the night to play out without the proposal. It probably would have hurt sweet Annie’s feelings had you proposed the same night she announced her bun in the oven.”

Simon sat outside with his mum and Paige on the porch swing. He had one mother on each side of him. The night was chilly, but absolutely beautiful. The full moon lit the garden with an ethereal glow that made the night-blooming jasmine even more picturesque than usual. Annie and Hannah were inside the house with Josh, discussing plans for the pregnancy and how Hannah could help Annie after the baby came.

“I am glad you approve of that decision. I wouldn’t want to take the attention off such good news.”

“Thank you, Simon.” Paige cuddled inside a large quilt. She claimed the chemo made her feel cold sometimes, but Hannah had pointed out she was always needing a blanket, even before the chemo. “Now we just need to figure out when you are going to propose for real this time.”

Simon tried to blow away the anxiety that he had felt since the dinner started. “I’m not sure.” And then followed up with, “What if she says no?”

“Well, lamb, that is just a chance you have to take,” his mum told him delicately.

Paige smiled. “I know my Hannah, and she won’t say no to you. I bet a biscuit that she has already been thinking about it, but probably doesn’t know if she is worthy of you. She always sells herself short.”

“I think that it may be prudent to just play it by ear. I’m not sure when the right moment will be, but perhaps a good time to propose will present itself.” Penny’s advice was sound and Simon found himself in agreement.

Hannah peeked out the door. “Can I join you?”

Paige cleared her throat, and she and Penny both stood at the same time. “Actually, honey, we were headed inside. You’ll have to keep Simon company.”

Of course that wasn’t too obvious.

“Mind if I sit here?” Hannah asked him after Paige and Penny had retreated inside.

He patted the bench next to him. Once she sat down she scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. For a few minutes they stared up at the full moon. Simon was awed by the beauty outside. The stars seemed to shine brighter than he had seen for a long time.

“Simon, can I talk to you about something?” Hannah asked him shyly.

“Of course you can.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. He could tell she was nervous and wondered what would cause her to feel unsure. He squeezed her tighter against his side and kissed the top of her head.

“I just wanted to ask if there was any way that we could…” she paused.

“What?”

“Well, it’s just that you keep kissing me and holding my hand and stuff,” she started.

He dropped her hand immediately and moved himself back a ways from her. Perhaps he was making her uncomfortable.

“Oh no, it’s not that,” she said, grabbing his hand again. She laid her head back down on his shoulder. “Umm, can you take me on a date?”

Simon was surprised. That wasn’t the turn he thought the conversation would take. “Yes, I can do that,” he replied. “I thought we had already been on a lot of dates?”

At this, Hannah looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. “We haven’t been on one date yet.”

“We walk together all the time and we work outside together. The other day you and I went and got some lunch,” he defended.

“But you never asked me. I think a date ought to be asked for, right?”

“I guess I never really thought about it. I just thought that you knew we were dating. I mean that’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do right? It isn’t any different here in the States, is it?” Simon asked.

Hannah got a clear look of surprise on her face and in a quiet voice said, “You think I’m your girlfriend?”

Fear shot through Simon. Was he mistaken with how Hannah felt about him? Did she just think of him as a friend that sometimes kissed her? Maybe she didn’t even want to be kissed. “You don’t have to be, I’m so sorry. I just assumed…”

“No, I do want to be your girlfriend,” Hannah interjected. The fear subsided as Simon processed what she was saying.

“Oh, good,” he finished. He didn’t really know what else to say. He had assumed they were in fact together since they were always together and were mutually interested in each other.

“I guess I just needed to hear it from you,” Hannah replied to him. “I didn’t know how you felt about me.”

Irritation flashed through Simon. She should know how he felt about her by now. He was devoted to her, staying by her side while she was sick. Taking care of her mother. This stubborn woman didn’t see how he felt about her, so he had to be clear.

“Hannah Baird, you should know how I feel about you. We have been together now for a year. I thought I had made myself clear in the hospital that I was going to show you how much I loved you. Don’t you see it yet?”

He grabbed Hannah’s hand and pulled her up with him. Simon closed the distance between the two of them. His lips moved gently on her lips and his tongue licked her bottom lip gently. She parted her lips for him like an invitation and Simon eagerly deepened the kiss. He felt his heart race and his desire to be near her deepened more than he had ever felt. He pulled away from her too soon, but looked into her eyes.

“Hannah Baird, I love you. I have been so blessed to be near you. You are a beautiful, amazing woman.”

She looked like she was going to cry. “I love you too, Simon.” A single tear escaped her eye and fell down her cheek.

He kissed her again then took one step back from her. Dropping down on one knee, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring he had been carrying.

Hannah’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“Hannah Baird…” he began.

Before he could finish, she was sobbing, “Yes, yes, yes.”

“Just wait,” he scolded with a smile. “I have to finish.”

She smiled at him and tears streamed down her face.

“Hannah, I have loved you since the day I tripped over you in class. You are the most intelligent, beautiful, infuriating and fun woman that I have ever met. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

“Yes,” she replied simply with a smile.

He felt relief and love flood through him as he jumped up to put the ring on her finger.

“Mom’s ring!” she exclaimed.

Simon smiled at her through the tears he felt in his own eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.

Then he took her face in his hands and he kissed her, a long, slow and sweet kiss that left him wanting so much more.

The door to the porch opened and Ginny came bounding out to jump up on both of them. He needed to teach her how to keep her feet on the ground. He could hear laughing and crying from inside the house. Simon turned around to see the entire family staring through the window with smiles on their faces. As they realized they had been caught watching, they began to pour out the back door and smother them with hugs and congratulations.

“I’m so happy for you, lamb,” his mother told him. “I have some exciting news to share with you as well. I was going to wait until later, but I think I will tell you now.”

“What’s that?” Simon asked.

“I am staying in the States, dear. I want to be near you, and I was finally able to retire. I came to close on a little cottage here in town. Paige has been helping me. I’m glad you told me who she was. We were able to get everything figured out before I even came over.”

“Mum, that makes me so happy,” Simon told her as he hugged her.

“I can’t wait to see how your life is together,” she told him.

She went over to where Paige and Hannah were chatting and left Simon.

“Mom told me we ruined your plans,” Annie told him with an apologetic look.

Joshua clapped him on the back, “Congrats, brother.”

“Thank you, both,” he said. “Congratulations to you as well.”

“You and Hannah are going to be so happy together,” Annie said with a squeal in her voice. The grin she had stretched as far as possible.

Simon looked around the porch. He caught Hannah’s eye and she winked at him. His heart skipped a beat and he realized that he was probably the most lucky man in the world. He had the woman of his dreams, she was excited to marry him, and he was marrying into this beautiful family. “God, thank you. Thank you for these blessings,” he said silently in his mind. God was good.