Page 11 of More Than Dad's Best Friend

And if there was any doubt in her mind, which I know there’s not, this is the time to remove it.

I step out of the Jeep and walk around to her side, opening her door for her.

She reaches her hand out for me to help her, but I don’t take it to help her out. No, no, no.

I drop to a knee and with my other hand I flip open a black velvet box.

“Myles!”

“I don’t want to wait another second, beautiful. This ring is for you, and the world, to know who you belong to. Me and only me. Forever. You’ve already made me the happiest man to ever walk the face of the earth. Now marry me and show the whole world how you’re taken by me and only me.”

“Yes!” she says and I slide the ring on to the sound of gasps, and then applause, from the kids behind us.

But I don’t care about what’s behind us. I only care about the future, and the future is her.

I scoop her up in my arms and plant a big kiss right on her lips in front of everyone.

Without wasting a second I carry her to the front doors of the school.

“Don’t you do this when you walk through the threshold of your home after you get married?”

“When a man loves a woman as much as I love you, he does this always. Baby, you’re my angel, and you deserve to float on a cloud always. My cloud.”

I carry her into the school and there stands Principal Peterson, this time with a smile on her face.

“Morgan is taking a sick day today, Principal.”

She just nods, and dabs her eye with a Kleenex as she looks at the token of my affection firmly seated on Morgan’s ring finger.

“Congratulations,” she says for the second time, but this time there’s more substance behind it. Good.

A few teachers clap, but I don’t stick around to soak in the applause.

“We’re outta here,” I say to my now fiancée.

“I’m sick, huh?” she winks.

“Let’s just say you’re going to be lying down a lot today.”

“Face down or up?”

“Answer D. All of the above.”

“But there were only two choices…A or B.”

“There’s the third you don’t know about yet.”

“Oh, I don’t do I?”

“Only one way to find out.”

I head out and carefully set her back in the passenger side of the Jeep and hurriedly make my way over to my side of my ride.

She’s gonna find out soon enough what I meant, but what’s more important is what’s already been discovered.

The world just found out she’s mine.

And I just found out what it really means to love a woman.

But not just a woman…my woman.

Her, and only her.

Forever.

EPILOGUE

Morgan

One year later

“I’m on diaper duty today, baby. Just kick your feet up and enjoy. I’ll be right back.”

“Are you sure?”

But before he can even think about responding he’s already out of the living room and into the nursery.

Seconds later I hear the cries of Madison and Marion, our twins, stop, and I can’t help but smile.

Myles may be a big strong guy, but he sure has a tender side…at least when it comes to “his three girls”, as he always says.

I reach across to the table and help myself to another chocolate covered strawberry, one of the many amazing things Myles planned out today for my “reward” for acing my exam.

With the pregnancy it wasn’t possible to really get started with college…at least not on campus. But of course the ever-resourceful Myles found a few really solid schools that offered online learning. He was insistent that I get my degree, and get it on time. It’s one of the things I love about him. He puts me first, and does everything he can to make sure I’m growing in all aspects of my life.

And did I ever grow when I was pregnant with M&M, as we called them. Myles barely let me lift a finger, which was nice. And to this day he’s still the one who does most of the things around the house so I can focus on my studies.

We’re really lucky that he works from his computer now so he can be at home with me and the girls full time. Then again, the idea of being away from him, even for eight or ten hours a day while he’s working, isn’t something I even want to think about, let alone consider.

The man makes this house run, and without him I wouldn’t be on course to graduate college in four years…right along with my high school graduating class.

And high school graduation was a lot easier than I expected.

Once Myles laid down the law, so to speak, that day we rolled up to the school, there were never any problems. I don’t know if Principal Peterson relayed the message to the staff, those boys said something, or the jock jerk who Myles took care of in the coffee shop served as a visual example, but everyone knew not to mess with Myles. And by extension, that meant I was under his shield of protection.

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