I t was an unexpected surprise, but a welcome one none the less. I smiled as I opened the darkened room door for Tabitha and quickly closed it again. The whole thing made me feel a little bit like a spy, but my father had requested that I be there, I wasn’t going to tell him ‘no’ after everything he’d done. When he suggested that Tabitha come, I shot the idea down right away .

“What are you doing here?” I asked her, keeping an eye out for the guest of honor .

She grinned and looked at Gary. “Sorry to interrupt. Do you mind if I talk to Earl for a second ?”

“By all means, but your mother should be here any minute. You might not want to be around for that .”

“I don’t care if she is here or not to be honest. She is getting whatever it is that you have planned here .”

“I’m just here for moral support,” I said quickly .

“I know, this is kind of important though,” she said softly .

I nodded and took her had. The last three months together had been absolute heaven. She was perfect in every way. Even the things that would normally drive me insane about a woman, I loved about her. I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, but I wasn’t sure that she was ready for that kind of commitment .

“Is everything okay ?”

“Better than okay I think,” she said .

Before she could go any further though, her mother’s voice rang out through the stone hallway. When she made her way into the sitting room and saw the three of us she froze, her glare directed at Tabitha .

“I told you I never wanted to see you in my house again .”

“Good thing this isn’t your house,” shot my father .

Opal spun away from Tabitha and me to look at him. It was an amazing transformation to see. She went from seemingly pure evil to loving wife in less than a second. In an instant she was sitting down next to my father on the couch. He stood up, not even letting her outstretched hand touch him. The shock of his rebuke was briefly evident as she slowly rose to her feet again .

“Just what is going on here? Why are you being strange, Gary?” she stammered .

“Opal, I’m done with your games. I want you out of my house and my life .”

“What are you talking about?” she said breathlessly. She was giving the performance of her life. If only she knew it was a play we’d already seen .

My father reached down and grabbed an envelope from the table. I could see from the look on her face that she knew what was coming before he tossed the pictures carelessly onto the couch next to her. They fanned out onto the floor. Opal never looked down at them. Her gaze resting on my father .

“Well what did you expect? A woman has needs you know. It was an affair, not the end of the world. Maybe if you didn’t spend so much time at the office this wouldn’t have happened. I hope we can still part as friends,” she said, a slight grin on her face .

“Sure we can, just as soon as you get the hell out of my life .”

“I think you are being a little dramatic. It’s going to take me a few days to gather my things. There is no need for a scene now, Gary .”

She glanced over at Tabitha before looking back to my father. I saw him smile and braced myself for what was coming. Tabitha stayed quiet as I moved so I was blocking her just slightly. I didn’t think that Opal was crazy enough to actually attack anyone, but I’d been wrong before .

My father shook his head. “You aren’t taking a damn thing out of this house except the clothing on your back. And you are lucky I’m not taking that too .”

She snorted. “You don’t really think that’s going to happen, do you? We have a pre-nup, darling .”

Like a well-oiled machine, my father pulled out a second folder. This one contained an inch-thick stack of legal documents. One section in particular had been highlighted. The air was thick with anticipation as he handed it to her and she glanced down, barely skimming the document at first then taking a deeper interest in it. Her face fell, her mouth gaping open as she reread the same section over and over again .

“Like I said, get the hell out of my house,” Gary said once again .

Her eyes shot up to him. “Honey, wait .”

Gary turned away from her. It didn’t take long before she found her next victim, an easy target she’d abused before .

“You,” she hissed. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you ?”

I stepped in front of Tabitha, blocking Opal from getting any closer to her. “I suggest you leave peacefully .”

“I hope you know what a little bitch you are getting there. She would turn her back on her own mother for an easy meal ticket. That one is just like me, a gold digger. You just wait and see .”

I didn’t see her move from behind me. Before I could stop her, Tabitha had shot around me and was now standing nose to nose with her mother .

“I want you to get out of my life and Selina’s,” Tabitha told Opal. “If I ever see you again, I will make sure every socialite from one coast to the next knows who you are and what you are. You will never find a man to prey on again .”

“You bitch,” Opal stammered .

In a move so fast she would have made a boxer proud, Tabitha’s hand rose up and came crashing down. The slap made Opal stumble backwards. The look of shock was one that I would remember well .

“No, you don’t get to speak to me like that anymore. I said leave, now leave,” Tabitha asserted .

For just a second it looked like Opal was going to fight her daughter, but in a last-minute judgment call, she swooped down after her purse and fled from the room. It wasn’t until the front door could be heard slamming that we let out a collective sigh of relief .

“I must say, that didn’t go quite as I had expected,” Gary finally said. “I’m so sorry that you got pulled into that, Tabitha .”

“It’s okay,” she said as she let out her breath. “I think that it was a long time coming .”

“I’m going to give the two of you some space and I should probably start cancelling credit cards .”

Tabitha and I both laughed. When we were alone again, I wrapped her into my arms. I never wanted to let her go. Opal was the last blemish on our lives. We were finally going to have the freedom to be with each other without worrying about what everyone else was doing. I knew that my father was going to swear off women for a while and I didn’t blame him .

“Hey, I was thinking that we should go away this month. Maybe I can close the practice for a week and we can go to Spain or somewhere. The wine is amazing .”

She shrugged. “That sounds wonderful, but I can really drink alcohol .”

I cocked my head and chuckled. “Don’t be silly. I’ve seen you drink an entire bottle of silver tequila and still wake up the next morning without any problem. I’m sure you can handle some authentic wine .”

“I know that I can handle it,” she said with a pause. “But it’s not me that I’m worried about .”

I looked down at her, trying to figure out just what she was talking about. From the sound of it, she’d totally lost her mind. Then I saw the look in her eyes and the way her hand curled protectively around her stomach. My heart started to pound in my ears. I couldn’t feel my mouth, but I was pretty sure I had the same stunned look that Opal had just moments before. Her eyes lit up and I wished that I could match that same reaction, but I couldn’t move, I could barely breathe .

“Earl?” she said after a few minutes. “Are you okay? Are you having a heart attack ?”

I shook my head. “I’m just. Oh my god,” I stammered. The realization of what was happening started to dawn on me. My excitement morphed into fear before settling back on thrilled. “You’re pregnant ?”

Tabitha smiled, her eyes glowing with joy and tears. “Yeah. I wanted to wait until I was sure to tell you, but the doctor confirmed it today. You are going to be a father .”

“Father?” My voice was barely audible .

She nodded. “Yeah .”

Then, it hit me. Tabitha and I were going to have a child together. A small human that would be half her. If it was a girl she would have her beautiful hair and eyes or maybe a boy who would like sports. We could go to games and toss around a ball. All I wanted was a healthy baby, but I knew that I did want it. Without waiting another second, I scooped her carefully into my arms and spun her around the room as we laughed .

“I’m so relieved that you are happy about this. I was worried,” she admitted .

I shrugged. “Of course I am happy! The timing might be a little bit soon, but I couldn’t think of anyone else I would ever want a family with. You are the love of my life, Tabitha Morgan, any child that has a piece of you is one that I will love forever .”

“How did I get so lucky?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around my neck .

“I think I’m the one that got lucky. Tabitha,” I said carefully. My heart was starting to race again .

The timing felt right, but I was still so nervous. I kept one hand on her hip, but the other had slipped into my pocket. I fingered the small box that had been there for eight weeks now. I carried it with me wherever I went, just waiting for the perfect time to ask her a question. Now that we were having a child together, it seemed like god was sending me a message. I pulled out the box .

She gasped before I even opened it. “Earl? What is that ?”

I smiled. “I think you know what it is. I’ve had it for a while now, just waiting. Today though, knowing that we are starting our family with people we care about. With Opal gone and a new baby on the way, I feel like this is it. This is where I want to be in my life right now. I want to see us together in five, ten, fifty, even eighty years from now .”

There were tears streaming down her face as I dropped down to one knee and opened the box. The simple but large princess cut diamond was set in white gold. Her eyes lit up as I spoke. “Tabitha Morgan? Will you marry me ?”

The seconds that it took her to answer felt like an eternity. Finally, she nodded her head and held out her finger. As I slipped the ring on and stood back up, she leapt into my arms and covered my face in wet kisses .

“I love you so much! Of course I will marry you!” she said again .

I laughed, “I love you too. You are my whole world. I can’t believe that we are starting a family and that you are really going to marry me !”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked with a playful wink. “I am, after all, just a girl from the wrong side of the tracks .”

I rolled my eyes and busted into laughter. As our lips met and I closed my eyes, I knew that this was going to be a marriage to last through the ages. She was my perfection .