“Why?”  I had my theories about what he was doing.

His eyes looked to the left, betraying his untruth.  “I love being inside you after.  I love you.”

“I love you too, and I think I know what you’re trying to accomplish.”  I rested my chin carefully on his sternum so I wouldn’t hurt him.  “It’s probably not going to work though.  You know I’m on the pill.  You’ve seen me taking them.”

He sighed slightly, his expression giving up in defeat, that I had routed out his motivation for coming inside me, instead of letting me take him in my mouth.

“Well, I hope they fail at some point, because you’re the only woman who’ll ever be mother to my kids.”

When I admitted to my caveman plan to knock her up so I’d never lose her again, she smiled.  My Cherry Girl knew me so well.

“You don’t have to get me pregnant to keep me.  I’ll stay either way,” she said sweetly, before resting her cheek to my chest.

I stroked up and down her back and pictured her and me with our future children.  There should be a few, I thought.  Boys and girls that looked like her, and never had to know a life without loving parents who were there every step of the way, helping them to grow, and become good people.

“I’ll still work on it, thank you very much,” I said.  “I have a plan all sorted out, Cherry…and, as you’ve learned—” I coughed and muttered the words, “self-defense training classes” under my breath,  “—I take my plans in regards to you very seriously.”

She giggled and snaked her hand down to my ribs for a jab.

“Oh, that’s gonna get you something for sure, beautiful girl,” I to her, as I rolled her beneath me.

I kept my promise to my Cherry Girl.

Over and over again.

* * *

Six weeks later

“HAPPY NEW YEAR.”  The unanimous cries of guests rose up and then it got quiet as couples greeted each other with kisses to ring in the New Year.  I didn’t care about any others, though.  Just one person held my attention.

And my heart.

The party had everybody in high spirits, because the announcement had been made about BSI gaining the contract to secure the Royals at the London Games next summer.  And it was a momentous accomplishment for the business.  But, I had something even more momentous on my mind for that moment.  The focus of which had everything to do with my Cherry Girl, who looked mouth-watering as usual.

She wore a chocolate-brown lace dress that hugged her shape in a way that should probably be illegal.  Her sky-blue shoes and jewelry, the colour she loved so much, contrasting beautifully.  Her unique cherry-colored hair, arranged on one side, in a long wrap of curvy waves.  I’d have my hands buried deep into it later.  When I got her home and her pretty dress was nowhere in sight.

As she sat on a window seat cushion looking like a princess, she held my face in her delicate hand and returned my kiss.

“Happy New Year, Captain,” she said.

“Happy New Year to you, beautiful girl,” I answered against her lips.

My chest bones felt as though they were going to fracture from the fierce pounding of my heart.  I hadn’t believed I would ever do what I was about to do…in such a public manner.  But, I did.

I went down to the floor on one knee and took both of her hands into both of mine.

A look of surprise came over her face, and then, a quick gasp as she became aware…

“Elaina…I’m going to ask you something.  It’s a question I meant to ask you six long years ago and I did not.  Now, for the second time in our lives, I am prepared to ask the question, and this time, nothing will stop me.  You need to know something I’ve never told you about, because the time has come for you to hear it.”  I pulled her hands up to my mouth and kissed them both.  “You’ve always made me feel as though the reason I was born…was so I could find you, love you, and that you could love me in return.  I believe that with all my heart.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she listened.  Waiting on me patiently, as was her way.

I pulled out the heart-shaped, sterling-silver box I’d seen her eying in the antique’s shop in Washington D.C. and bought, just because I thought she liked it.  It reminded me of her.  Precious metal, finely wrought into a delicate design, but beautiful, bearing great strength to withstand the tests of time.

I held the box out for her, and then popped the clasp that opened it.

“Elaina Morrison, this is our second season.  Will you be my Autumn Cherry and bloom for me a second time, marry me, and be my wife?  With you, make it possible for me to be able to live a happy life, to achieve the reason for which I was born.”

I stared at what was nestled in the silver heart-shaped box.  I looked at him, into the dark eyes I’d always loved—the colour of which matched the dress I was wearing—and answered the question he’d asked me.

“Yes, Neil McManus, I will marry you.”  I reached a shaking hand out to touch his cheek, his jaw, his lips, and closed my eyes for just a moment to ground myself.  “I want to tell you something, too.”  I opened my eyes and traced over every part of his features, as beautiful now as he’d always been when he was just a boy of seventeen and winked at me over the dinner table.  “On the night Ian brought you to us, I fell in love with you and knew I’d just met the boy I would marry someday.  For me, it has only ever been…you.”

He smiled at me and took the ring out of the silver heart-shaped box.  “May I?”

“Yes, you may.”

He slipped the aquamarine-blue diamond and platinum ring onto my finger, and then kissed me thoroughly, while still kneeling on the floor.  I buried my hands into his hair and held onto my man.

My beautiful, brave, loving, caring man.

I pulled him up to his feet amid loud cheering and congratulatory catcalls, which were coming from well-wishers, who’d apparently been paying attention to what we were doing by the window.  Didn’t care.  Didn’t really notice much beyond my beautiful man and the shiny diamond in glittering blue on my finger.

Neil scooped me up and carried me out of that party in his arms.

Then, he took me home and made love to me in our bed.

“So…now that I’ve got your agreement to have me, when will you let me make this merger official?”