Jake was wedged into Lennon’s twin bed, her curled up into him was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

“And then the princess let down her hair, and he climbed right up! But the bad bear stood at the bottom, growling as he said, ‘I will get you!’”

He did a voice for each character and was much better at story time than I’d ever been. Case in point, Lennon only asked for him now when it was time to get in bed. She told me it was because, “Jake better at stories, Mommy,” while she’d gently patted me on the arm. I’ll admit I’d teared up then, partly because she wanted someone else besides me, but also because she seemed to be growing up in front of my eyes.

“Get away, you mongrel!” Jake made a swishing sword noise and pretended to be Prince Charming, fighting off the bear.

He looked to her for a reaction, but little miss was already yawning, her eyes closed and her hand twirling in a curl.

I stand in the doorway, watching as he puts a finger to his lips and scoots out of the bed as if he might just wake the sleeping dragon. I have to put my hand over my mouth to not let the laughter out as he crosses the room on his tiptoes as if the rug was made of hot lava. Together, we look back on her, sunken down into her pillows now, and turn off the light.

“I swear, every time I accomplish putting her to bed, I feel like I’ve run twenty-six point two miles. We will never in our life have to run a marathon, because we have a kid.”

His use of the word we made butterflies swirl in my stomach. Why was the best thing in the world a goofy leftovers dinner in my apartment with my boyfriend and daughter? There was one time in my life where expensive shoes and traveling the world would have been my biggest goals. Now? I was sublimely happy with cold Chinese and a Bloodline binge on the couch.

“Wait for Christmas season. You’ll feel like you did an Iron Man.” I sat down on the couch, stretching my legs out and trying to fight off the Sunday Scaries. “Do we have to go back to work tomorrow?”

Jake sat beside me, taking my feet in his lap and massaging them. “Yes, we do. But maybe if you’re lucky I’ll swing by with a surprise at lunchtime.”

Three times this month, Jake had swung by with lunch. I was beginning to get spoiled, and fat. I guess that wasn’t to be helped if your boyfriend was a dessert chef and had connections at all of the best restaurants in town.

He set my feet down, and was fiddling with something in his pocket that he couldn’t seem to get out.

“Do you really need to check your phone right now? Aren’t the Nationals on rain delay?” I whine, mostly because the foot rub felt good and I didn’t want him to stop.

He then got down on the floor, and I was even more annoyed thinking he dropped the damn device. He fumbled for a minute, and I laid my head back, reveling in the silence with Lennon asleep.

“Babe, can we just massage my legs more?” I kicked said legs out, whining more.

“I was going to wait until tomorrow at lunch to do this, with the truck all dressed up and ice cream spelling out the words or something. But this thing has been burning a hole in my pocket all night, and I don’t want to wait another second.”

I look back up, having no clue what this man is talking about, and my heart catches in my throat.

There, on the living room floor, kneels Jake. With a small box in his hand, opened up to reveal a sparkling diamond ring.

“Samantha, will you marry me?” His voice is so hopeful, his green eyes shining up at me.

“Are you fucking crazy?” The words pop out before I can control them.

He shakes his head, laughing. “I’ve been told at times I can be, but in all honesty, I’ve never been more sane than in this moment.”

“It’s crazy, Jake! We’ve only been dating for a few months!” My head spun as I looked at the ring.

He stayed on one knee, the sound of Lennon’s ballerina music box tinkling in the background.

“Samantha, you waited years before. You told me you never thought you were enough, that there was something wrong with you because he wouldn’t commit. Well here I am, telling you that I am so serious about you and I, and that little girl, that I want in forever. It doesn’t matter if I’ve known you five years or five minutes, you are it for me. I want to make us a family, and I’m telling you that for me, you are always enough. More than enough. So marry me. Live your life with me. Live our lives together. Give that beautiful girl a bunch of brothers and sisters. We can get a dog if you want, or gerbils. Hell, I don’t care. Just say yes.”

I can taste the saltiness of my tears as I hiccup, love and overwhelming emotion swamping my heart and mind. We may have been together only a few short months, but he was right. This was so different than any relationship I’d ever been in. He was steady, caring, committed, loved Lennon. And I was in love with him, every quirky, annoying, workaholic part of him. Jake was the first person I wanted to tell about my day, he was the one I wanted to look at across the dinner table. I’d waited so long last time for validation, that it felt insane to get it so quickly now. But … when I’d moved here I had vowed to be open to whatever life had in store for us. And it turned out, love and Jake were it.

“Yes … yes, Jake, I will marry you,” I whisper it, the words feeling too grand to be said fully.

He hops up off his knee, catching me in a hug and lifting me off my feet. The living room whirls in my vision, and I’m caught in a stir of emotions that I can’t place words to. Everything inside of me feels overwhelmingly happy … it’s akin to the first time I ever held Lennon in my arms.

Looking down my arm as Jake kisses my cheeks, I catch the flash of the ring.

And it is gorgeous. Not that that’s the most important part of this moment, but a good ring is always something to be appreciated. It’s a simple, thin silver band topped with an oval diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds. It glints even in the dim light of the living room, and my girly heart falls in love with it instantly. Even though I’d thought so much about getting engaged in the past, I’d truly never thought of what kind of ring I’d like.

“How did you pick it out? It’s perfect, baby.”

“You didn’t think Lila was just in town to hang out with you, did you?” My eyes skim down to his lips, which are parted in a mischievous smile.

“Are you kidding me?! That little sneak.” I couldn’t believe it.

We’d had a great long weekend together, and in the background, she’d known that Jake was about to ask me to marry him the whole time. Shit, I had a great best friend.

“Thank you for not doing some big thing like flying me up in a hot air balloon.”

“I was thinking of riding in on an elephant to your parking lot at work, but then thought better.” That dimple pops out.

“This was perfect, just us. How it always should be.” I look at the ring again, shocked at how beautiful it is, and that there is that significant piece of jewelry sitting on my left hand.

“Should we wake Lennon up?” His hands move up under my shirt, finding my bare skin.

I nuzzle into his neck. “That depends, did you want sex or not? Because you know that if we wake the sleeping beast, you’ll have no alone time with me tonight.”

“In that case, let me introduce you to my sleeping beast.” He takes my left hand, the one with the large rock on the fourth finger, and puts it over his sweatpants where he is growing.

“My fiancé is so corny.” I swish the word around in my mouth, testing it like every new engaged girl imagined she would.

“Say it again.” Jake moves over me, my body molding to his as he leans me back into the couch.

“Fiancé,” I whispered in my best phone sex voice.

“Oh yeah, baby …” He smiles and shakes his head as if I’m turning him on so much by uttering the word. “Now come here and let me finish that proposal. Because I can make it so much sweeter.”