"You want to propose at what cost?" he watch his mother in law to be prompt in with a hard defense against him. He stays put on her words.
"She's my only daughter I might not have been there when she needed me but it doesn't mean I don't care or will sit and watch her go through the same I went through. I can't stop her from loving you but you I can do a thing about" she push in with cold voice.
"I know how rough it was for her to cope with her father disappearance. You have to promise that she won't be hurt in any way, you'll never let her shade not a drop of tears, she'll be your top priority."
Even without asked to he is set on those task and long he has vowed himself to love and value only her. Nothing else is above her to him.
"I promise " he hands her a relief in her chest.
His mother who understands the situation, stay silence. Any mother will put forth such condition before handing her daughter to a man.
"So how do you plan to propose?" James butt in with a grin. Him wanting to chair the idea and designs of how his best friend pop the quest . It feels like it's what he's made for, his eagered face set for his replied.
"Do you have any ideas to that?"
Does he? Of course, the guy have been dying to be asked the question. With clear throat he pins his hand smoothly on his shirt and faces them with serious face.
" I ,the master of love will aid you low ranks of no love. Every girl dreams of a fairy tail wedding,so do they want their proposal to be cool and romantic with lots of audience at witness. So here's how it gonna be, you will be out there in an expensive suit ,flowers everywhere"
"Sorry to say that's not how my daughter dream of her special day" Ms Betty cuts in, scrapping his loud imaginations and ideas to the muddy ground.
"When she was three she said something about wanting her pop the quest to be infront of her dad. She wants him to be witness, and her man should ask her father acceptance to the union"
"Right who would choose a beautiful luxurious style for a simple one" he grumbles with scowled eyes. With his years of preparation all to fall in a simple plain style.
'huh!!'
"I also think that'll be the best way to go about it" his mother supports in, earning a smile of June's mom.
"Go on, have beautiful ideas scrap for plain ones. So how do you propose?"
"Propose what?" June enters in.
They soon set their lips glue with eyes turned to various positions, she crooked her brows in suspicious.
"Okay what were you talking about?" She pushed in curiosity, their silence was killing her nerves.
"Nothing, just chatting and getting along with your boyfriend and his mother" her mom said by smoothing the air.
"And him?" She asked eyeing at James that sets his lips on whistle.
"He's just a loud mouth doctor that should be seeing other patients" her mother scolds out. Without much warnings he sprint out.
"How are you feeling now?" She takes a sit next to him, taking out the bowl she brought. She uncovers it to reveal a fresh aroma of chicken soup fill with garlic.
"I cooked you chicken soup, it should help you get better soon"
"You made it?" her mother's voice hints out doubts as she gulps hard with tight eyes, in sympathy to the poor man that's about to take a spoon of what he thinks is beautifully done.
No doubt her daughter is special in every way but she knows for a fact she's no cook, truth be said her the mother is no cook either.
One thing is for sure it either the pain or her daughter's soup will cause him to see his maker early.
'poor thing'
By far not once has she witness her daughter's cooking ability, she knows nothing about cooking , and once she attempted to make a fried rice but it ended in smoky kitchen and flaming pot of oil.
"How does it taste?" She asked after a soup fed to Dave.
"Good" he complimented with a hard gulped of the second spoon. Even if it might cause havoc in his stomach later, her blushful cheeks and spreads lips are reward enough to have him go through it.
"Water" she reminds herself afte a cough from Dave, quick on her feet she walks out to get a bottle for him.
"Dear you should just trash it, I know how awful of a cook my daughter is"
"That won't be nice. She placed in efforts to cook for me so it my turn to appreciate her, even if it bad" he continued to serve himself the soup
…..
"Can we talk?"
James is bewildered by her present, he wait not second to crawl to her respond.
"Anytime, anything" his baffled sentence got him a reward of her smile.
"I was mad but am not anymore. As you said it all in the past so , I've decided to let it pass but" she icy her tone in with rock eyes.
" If it ever repeats itself, you and I are done" , she crossed her fingers with a slice of the done in his face. She doesn't need to say further, he understands the message.
"I won't I promise," he jolly vows with fingers crossed .
…..
The harsh day light spears not her face even with the hanged curtains. Lizzy crops her face with her hand, granting an aid to her eyes.
A lady enters in and hand her a glass of juice as requested, with mouthed word the lady fades out.
She settled on the bed with crossed legs, her hand pampers her lips with the sour green juice that ease her day of the troublesome thoughts.
Since the incident, her so baby's father left her alone in his house with no return of dropping his daughter. That isn't much of her problem, cause she isn't leaving this time around.
"Yes, what is it?" She scolds out on the phone that rang the second she sits the glass on the bed side table.
"I'm down stairs, let talk" the voice informed.
She raised from her comfort zone to face the one that called. In a minute or two she's at the end watching no other than her boyfriend hot ex wife in the face.
A loud scoff accompanied with scar eyes laid on Linda. She walks her way to the couch and sits on of the chairs in posture her of a crown queen, which she visions herself.
"What do you want to talk about?" She rudely asked with no hesitation.
Linda sigh, erasing her scowl eyes at her.
One hit can land her trouble not that she won't get away with it but it would be time consuming, plus there's another life existing in her. So why bother?.
" I don't know what converse between you and Thomas and I don't care but I do care about the words you told my daughter" Linda firmly states.
"Did I say wrong, am pregnant with her baby brother. The next heir of the family" she said in much pride and a bit of arrogance. With less care , she grabs a lemon from the basket on the table and plugs it open, taking a roll to her lips.
"She's no more a kid, soon her time will expire as yours did. It'll only be me, my son and Thomas, we'll be the perfect family which you couldn't give to either your daughter or husband" she spitefully said out, smiling her face at Linda gripped knuckles at her dress.
"You can have him and this family but you stay away from my daughter" Linda warns firmly twirling on her feet for the door.
"That will only happen when you stop seducing my boyfriend. " She said halting Linda on her heels, she turns to see her legs on its full length.
"You stop seeing him and stop calling him then and only will I have your daughter live in peace. As it is she has a weak heart, just one harsh words from me she'll be sent to the…"
The next she knows her cheek feels the hit of five fingers, with widened eyes she rubs her hand against the sore skin.
"How dare you?"
"Shut up, this should serve as a warning to you. Next time you say any ill words against my daughter you'll have me to deal with".
Those words leaves her speechless, standing on her nude feet as she watches Linda take her leave. The insult of her to be slapped infront of the house help grunt her heart to darkness.
…..
June and Samantha got to visit their father after his successful surgery with little complication of unable to move his legs on his own accord. But as assured by the doctor he would come to normal with time, well they hope so.
"I'm glad you two are getting along" their father barely said the words clear for their ears.
The night fall meets them chatting with their father, through the time Samantha feeds her father while June watch in ease. The food is a combined made well mostly Samantha as it known, June isn't that much of a cook.
"June, something bad happened" Dora exhaustful body takes lean on her knees, grasping breathe that ain't sufficient for the body , that has ran the stairs to reach her.
"Dave, he.. he" her voice cracks in tears..
" he, just" before she can finish her news June's feet goes racing for the section that Dave is admitted.
Her heart beats in her chest while her mind worried on what has happened. He was fine earlier on.
She should have stay with him.
The tiring stairs is nothing for her, the scrub of her shoulders on passer-by goes unnoticed by her worried mind.
"Where's Dave?" She scolds in , storming out of the ward he was admit.
"He was rushed to the fourth floor" a nurse said.
Her legs goes for the chase.
She eased her lips to spreads on seeing him, she braced his body on hers . Seizing every second to recovered the heart was out on pace.
"You're alright, nothing happen to you" her hands clutched him to the depth of him struggling to release air. He gently loose her grip on him, guiding her hands to his.
"I was so scare, I thought I'd lost you. Don't you ever try that on me again" she yells scrubbing her fingers on his hair that has changed in a new bandage.
"Wait if you ain't in any danger then why?" her mind went straight, taking recognition of the environment she was. The shadow is overcomes with the sudden lights that framed a giant boards with photos of her pinned on them, circling her in the centre . She watch the petals laid in apple shape.
Her eyes goes for the open sky that shows it beautiful moon light , with dubious eyes she stares at Dave that's loosing his steps. His fingers jitters to his pocket that holds the ring box, warming off the hit that's forming on his forehead , he drown a gulped down.
"What're you up to?" She asked as she isn't the patience type nor a fan of being left in suspense. His Shakey hands and skipping toes are putting a clip of fear in her. Some how right there she knows where it's heading but is she ready for it?.
That better not be what's cribbing in her head cause she doesn't know how to react to it.
At this point , they both stand in a slippery road with no return, both on their edges as they try to face the situation. He led his courage over the fear, grabbing out the red box to the moon light, taking it for a wild guess of unveil of the glittering ring .
Her legs stumbles on it grip, fencing them backward, she forced a saliva down the dry throat.
" I don't know if am ready but I know you're the right one. I would be lying to say am not sweating in fear" he jokes with an awkward laughter. His wrist gives a quick wipe to his forehead.
"You're the trouble I don't regret getting into" he said getting her to loosen on the tight spot she's in,
"I'm being frank here, June you bring the best and parts I didn't know exist in me. All am trying to say here is…" he stalls in with a slip of his feet , again.
"Just say the words" James mouth is shut by Dora's hands that wraps on it, while the others in cover sting him a shut up glares.
The cloud soon lost it patience on him, with no counts it brings it heaviest drops on them. The hidden crowd of only family and close one soon appears out as they rush for a better space with available shade from the automatic pouring rain.
"I , I " with that the box too gets annoy and flips out of his grasp with his fall on the slippery floor. He chases after it , searching his hands beneath the tight gaps that can barely accept his hands.
"Dave, do you want me to marry you?" She squat close to him with a pull of the ring from the tight spot. Her fear and anxiety are all gone from his trouble state, she need not be scare as she knows in her heart that he's the one and she's willing to be with him come what the circumstances are.
"Dave Ben Deen, will you marry me?" She asked taking his lips to hers, sticking her hands on his neck. She runs her hands through the neck to the smooth hair that drains in soaked fresh water.
"Do me the honor of putting my ring to it position" she said stretching her fingers forward, with a hand of the ring to him, he ringed her finger.
"Now you're tied to me forever, there's no going back here"
"I'm more than willing to be stuck with you forever"
Nothing else can go wrong, this is their happy ending but is it?.
.....
"Dave"
"Bella" he calls the familiar name of his ex that stands in high height of grace and beauty.