"Are you going to make it hard for me? Really I just want you to know that I'm not giving up on us this time. Whatever I have to do to prove it."
"I have a few conditions for our courtship," I smiled at him, "First, you'll have to actually propose with a ring and on one knee. Second, we are not having our wedding on your previous wedding date. I don't think I'm superstitious, but that feels like asking for bad luck so maybe I'm a bit superstitious. Third, we need a marriage agreement besides the vows. Fourth, I take care of my Mom. She's spent her whole life making sure I have what I need and now it's my turn to pay her back."
"I agree to those four things. Just out of curiosity, what do you see in our marriage agreement? Personally I see it saying that I have to kiss you at least once a day." Ethan winked at me.
"That might be hard if one of us is traveling."
"We're going to travel together. I don't want to be apart from you again."
"You may change your mind in the future. I can be quite stubborn sometimes, you may want to get away for a few days."
"I doubt it, because then I couldn't kiss your stubbornness away."
"You really think you could, I am pretty stubborn?" I challenged.
"Probably, but since we don't want to create a scene out here on the night we've first met. I'll refrain. But you didn't answer what you want in our agreement."
"Well, prenuptial stuff, the fact that you can't ever cheat on me. Stuff like that."
"Once I finally have you, there's no way I'd ever want to be with anyone else."
"Again, you say that now. But I find it hard to imagine you'll feel like that when I'm say nine months pregnant and grouchy."
Ethan smiled, "I love the though of you nine months pregnant with our baby." The look he gave me sent shivers down my spine and fireworks were exploding in my head.
"Bad example." I grumbled.
"I loved thinking about that example, please give me more examples of when I will find it hard to love you."
"How about when I'm a frumpy mom and haven't showered in three days, wreak of rotten milk and who knows what else."
"Holding our baby?" That look again. I need to stop before he has to scrape me up from the ground.
"Fine, I'll have to think about a better example that doesn't involve procreative results, but hopefully you get the point I was trying to make." Seriously those looks made it so I couldn't think. It would be so easy to just say I'd marry him right now.
"I will try to not ever find it hard to love you." Ethan said. "Now we're almost to those trees, and once we get there, if we walk a bit farther, there's a larger trunk and I want to lead you there and kiss you."
"Are you asking permission or telling me what you're going to do?" I honestly wasn't sure, and either way I don't think I'd put up much of a fight. Kissing him sounded perfect.
"I think telling but giving you the ability to decline, so both?"
"Good answer. I accept."
Ethan led me to the large tree and we walked around the back of it. Once there, he turned and looked down at my face. He cupped his hand on my cheek and lowered his lips to mine. I use to daydream and remember the kisses we shared at summer camp. Either my memory had faded so I wasn't remembering how amazing those kisses were, or this kiss was just that much more amazing. My knees went weak. I mean, isn't that something that just happens in books? Apparently not because if I hadn't had my arm around his neck I might have fallen. And why are there fireworks going off again, except they were everywhere now.
Ethan pulled away from the kiss. It definitely wasn't long enough, I definitely wanted to kiss him again. Instead I hugged him and breathed in his scent, it hadn't changed much, he must use the same soap or cologne or both. He ran his fingers through my hair. "I'd love to keep kissing you, but I don't want to give us away yet and we'll look like we were kissing if we keep going. It may already be too late for them not to guess, but hopefully not."
"Maybe we'll just have to take our time walking back so any signs wear off." It couldn't take that long could it, I mean it's not like we had a make out session. Just one amazing kiss that was too short and left us both wanting more.
"I knew I loved you." Ethan murmured, we shared a short kiss and then started walking again.
So we spent the next thirty minutes walking back to the house, talking about our lives from the past eight years. We also entered our contact info into each other's phones. This time I wasn't on a non-traceable phone so that is progress.
We made it back and the rest of the dinner party was on the back patio, waiting for us to return.
"It seems like you were getting along well. That was a long walk."
"Yes sir, your daughter is lovely and I look forward to getting to know her more." Ethan said in a formal tone.
"Good to hear." Charles said. "And Sera, what did you think of young Lord Maxwell?"
"He is a pleasant conversationalist." I answered. If I said anymore I might give my feelings away and I needed my father to believe I was not won yet.
"I always say that the enjoyment of speaking to one's spouse is a must." Lady Maxwell said.
"That would be pretty awkward if you didn't." Mom agreed.