Old Flames

Old Flames: Chapter 32

Old Flames: Chapter 32

On the second Saturday in December, after all arrangements had been made, Lainie, the twins and Aaron boarded a plane bound for Orlando, Florida.  Aaron was a little nervous.  He didn’t particularly like to fly, but he didn’t show it.  Lainie and the kids were excited, so he tried to be as well, but the sight of all that metal sitting out there on the tarmac, and the thought of all that metal rising up into the sky...well, it gave him a bit of nausea.  He liked his feet where they belonged -- on the ground.  Not thousands of feet above the ground.

And he had other reasons for being nervous.  This was the week that would change his life forever.  This was the week he was going to propose to Lainie, and he still didn’t have a clear idea of how to do it.  He and the twins pondered many schemes -- from getting down on one knee in front of the fireworks show (Chloe’s idea after she saw a promo video from Disney world and seeing a man do just that) to screaming it out while thundering down a rollercoaster (Chris’ plan).  But in the end, Aaron figured he’d have to wing it.  There would be a perfect moment, he was sure, when her eyes met his and he’d know...he’d pull out the ring from his pocket and slide it on her finger, and ask her to love him forever in the eyes of God, Country, and Man.

And she’d say, “Yes.”

God, I hope she says yes.

If not, he’d keep asking until she did.  He planned to be married the year changed on his calendar, starting off the New Year as a family.  That didn’t give him a lot of time, and he prayed she didn’t hope for a big wedding.  Aaron wasn’t sure if he could wait that long.

Then, he had an issue at the security gate.  Lainie, Chloe and Chris had already gone through, waiting on his turn, when the metal detector went off.  Sweating like crazy, he forgot about the ring in his coat pocket and had to take it out.  But thankfully, Chloe realized what what going on, and distracted Lainie by pulling her over to a window to look at the planes taking off and landing.  Aaron explained to the security staff about the ring while Lainie’s back was turned, and they allowed him to keep it with him.  One of the women there cracked open the box, rounded out her eyes in awe and grinned at him, saying, “Hell, for a ring like this, I’d marry you.”

And yet, though he had his apprehensions during the trip, he also had his amusements.  Walking behind the kids, with Lainie leading, they found their seats on the plane, and Aaron noticed how everyone blinked and scowled at the two children with resigned bitterness.  Their faces displaying their thoughts.  Oh, great...fours hours on a plane with a bunch snot-nosed brats fussing at each other!

Aaron smirked.  Chris and Chloe weren’t the only kids on the plane, but they were the best behaved.  Four rows behind them, a two-year-old kept kicking the seat in front of her.  In the back, a baby cried almost non-stop the whole way, and in the aisle ahead of the Aaron, a pair of teenage boys rough-housed during the whole trip.

Aaron was proud to see Chloe drawing quietly in a coloring book until she fell asleep, and Chris was so fascinated by what was going on outside his window, the boy didn’t notice anything else inside the cabin.  And Lainie...her brows were puckered up adorably in a frown as she worked on a second story for her publisher.  Aaron didn’t want to disturb her much, but several times, he lifted her hand away from her notebook and kissed it.  She’d smile at him, check to make sure the kids were okay, and go back to her writing.  She promised that she wouldn’t spend a lot of time on her story while at the resort, but if Aaron knew one thing about Lainie, it was that she could never sit and not do anything for four hours.  Aaron was happy to count the grasshoppers in his stomach while the plane ascended into the sky and again, when it landed.  Well, not exactly happy, since how could he appreciate the wicked turmoil in his gut when he plainly hated to fly.

Two hours after planting his feet firmly on solid soil again, the four of them settled into their suite at the Art of Animation Resort, knowing that the kids would enjoy their stay more with all the colorful decorations, though the bright colors and quirky furniture of their Finding Nemo rooms made Aaron feel a little disoriented.  He wasn’t sure he could sleep in a bed that seemed to glow brighter than the overhead lights.  But Chris and Chloe squealed with delight, bouncing on their beds in their separate room, and Lainie laughed, her smile animating the suite more effectively than all the movie decorations.  

Pulling her into a hug, he whispered in her ear, “I love you,” and she smiled up at him, kissing him softly while the kids were occupied with exploring the rooms of the suite.  

“I love you, too,” she said softly.  The ring in his pocket seared through the fabric to his flesh, and he almost proposed right then and there.  How was he going to wait for the perfect moment, when this one was pretty damn close to perfect?

“I love you more,” he returned, running his hands up and down her back.

“Nuh uh,” she teased.  “That’s impossible.”

“Care to prove that theory?” he asked, urging her backward into their private room.  She laughed, her eyes twinkling.  The kids ran past them to gawk at the view outside the window.

“I think all experiments have to wait until the lab is vacant,” she said, pulling out of his embrace.  He hauled her back to his chest, securing her.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to figure out what to do about dinner,” she answered.  “We can’t test any theories on an empty stomach.  The results would be inconclusive.”

“I already have my dinner,” he said, bending down to nibble on her neck.  She sighed and giggled, and Chris exclaimed, “I’m hungry!”

“See?” Lainie said, grinning at him.  “The lab monkeys need to eat.”

Aaron kissed her again, murmuring against her lips, “Toss them a banana.”  She slapped him on the chest.

“They are very exceptional monkeys.  Bananas won’t satisfy them.”

Aaron grinned, loving Lainie so much, he could barely stand there and behave himself.  Over her shoulder, he asked the monkeys, “What do you guys want to eat?  Ya’ll want to go down to one of the restaurants here, or head over to Downtown Disney and eat there?”

“What’s Downtown Disney?” Chloe asked, her face screwing up in a display of trying to make an intelligent decision on the matter.

“It’s like a little town just for Disney World.  It has restaurants and stores and a few other things.”

Chloe’s eyes brightened.  “Can I get a toy?”

And Chris came to that conclusion, too.  “I want a toy, too!”

Aaron chuckled, still hanging onto their momma.  “That might be arranged.  You guys were so good on the plane and helping me and your momma out.  I think that deserves a reward.”  Aaron made a point to emphasize the me in his statement, staring right at Chloe, and she smiled in return, knowing what he meant.  Thankfully, Lainie didn’t catch on to him and Chloe’s small exchange.  Lainie just sighed and said, “We just got here, and you’re already spoiling them.”

“Can you blame me?”

“No, not really,” she laughed and withdrew from his arms.  Clapping her hand with excitement, she said to the kids, “Okay, get cleaned up and unpacked, and then we can leave.”

Chris and Chloe whooped and scurried to their room.  Aaron cocked his head to the side, listening to them through the open door.  “How long do you think that’ll take?”

“Well...Chloe will probably want to change her clothes, and Chris will probably sit there deciding what car he can take with him, so...ten minutes, I guess.”

Aaron smiled.  “Perfect.”  And he closed their bedroom door and scooped that beautiful woman up in his arms again.

*****

For the next two days, the foursome enjoyed their days in the Disney Parks, first going to the Animal Kingdom, and then Hollywood Studios, wanting to save the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center for last.  And in those two days, Aaron kept his eyes and ears open for the perfect moment to pop The Question.

It didn’t happen.  

At the Animal Kingdom, Chloe ate too much cotton candy and threw up on the Wildlife Express Train.  Chris buried his shoes in the sandbox at The Boneyard, and it took them almost an hour to find them again.  And Aaron sat on a wad of chewing gum in one of the dark theaters, promptly dashing all hopes of proposing to Lainie...especially when she took a picture of his gummy butt and posted it on Facebook immediately.

Overall, a typical family vacation experience for their first full day at the Resort, in which they all crashed into bed before ten o’clock from exhaustion.

At the Hollywood Studios theme park, Chris pulled Aaron through the Star Wars attraction five times in a row, taking up over two hours of the day while Lainie and Chloe shopped in nearby stores.  And then Chris dragged Aaron to the Cars Stunt Show, and then to the Indiana Jones shows, and then onto a few rides that a four-year-old was allowed to get on...while Lainie and Chloe enjoyed the Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, and the Disney Junior live show.  All of which pretty much and very effectively kept Aaron away from Lainie for most of the day, until they met up again for dinner and the fireworks show, during which Lainie smiled at him, dropped her head to his shoulder and began to snooze.

And that was the second day...only three more to go until they hopped an airplane back home.  Aaron was running out of time.

On the morning of the third day, Aaron rolled over in bed, propped his jaw on his elbow and looked down at Lainie.  “I have an idea,” he said.

Lainie stretched and smiled, and mirrored his position.  “So do I, but you tell me yours first.”

“How about we go to Epcot today, come back a little early, talk the kids into going to the babysitting service, and I take you to Paris for dinner, just the two of us?”

Lainie fanned her eyelids for a moment while she considered his idea.  “Paris?”

“Well, there’s China or Italy or Japan, if you prefer...pretty much the whole world,” he offered.  “Anywhere you want to go, all right there in the park.”

She smiled and rolled her eyes.  “And I thought you might actually take me to Paris.”

Aaron quickly searched her expression.  “Do you want to go to Paris?  For real?”  A proposal in Paris...he could do that.  It meant waiting for several more months, but if that’s what she’s got her heart set on...

“I’m kidding with you,” she laughed.  “I’d love to have dinner with you, but you have to convince the kids to stay here with a sitter.”

He winked at her.  “Oh, that shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Lainie sat up, narrowing her gaze.  “Why do you say that?”

“The kids and I have an understanding,” Aaron said.

She stared at him for a short while, and then smiled and said, “You’re going to bribe them again, aren’t you?”

“I like to call it negotiations,” he countered and pulled her down on top of him.  “Now...what was your idea?”

She laughed and kissed him.  “Pretty much the same as yours...only I was thinking of Morocco...maybe picking up a belly dancing costume of my own.”

Raising an eyebrow with intrigue, he asked, “And would you dance for me, wearing that belly dancing costume?”

“You know I would,” she said, sinking down into his chest, kissing the patch of fur in the middle.

Loving the feel of her lips on his skin, he closed his eyes and moaned.  “Maybe you should give me a sample of your dancing skills right now.”

Lainie’s head turned to the side, and she replied, “Or maybe we should wait until we don’t have an audience.”

Twin giggles sounded from the doorway, and Aaron’s eyes popped open.  Lainie moved over to her side of the bed, taking all her warmth and kisses with her, and the kids ran and jumped in between them, hopping on knees and grinning widely.  “Can we go see the castle today?” Chloe asked, and Chris piped up with, “No, I want to ride in the big ball!”

Lainie kissed each of their cheeks with a murmured, “Good morning, sweethearts,” and gave Aaron an “All yours” look before sliding out of bed and disappearing into the bathroom.  Immediately, the twins began bickering over what to do that day, and Aaron let them, giving himself time to grab a t-shirt from the floor and pull it over his head before getting out of the bed.  Thank goodness, he’d gotten used to wearing pajama bottoms to sleep in -- something he didn’t used to do until there were kids in his house.  He still didn’t like the things, but he tolerated them in the name of decency.

“If you guys are done arguing,” he said, grabbing both of them in an arm and carrying their squirming, giggling bodies into the living room area of their suite.  “I have a proposition for you.”

“What’s a proposition?”

“It’s when you say something the right way,” Chris informed his sister, and Aaron smiled.

“I think you mean pronunciation,” he told Chris, “but a proposition is like a plan or a suggestion.  And I need you guys to do something for me.”  He sat down on the sofa with them, hoping that Lainie could not hear them from there.

“Are you going to ask momma today?” Chloe whispered.  “We’ve been waiting, but you never do it.”

“I’m not sure if I will today,” Aaron said, frowning with angst.  “Frankly, I don’t have a clue how to ask her, but I was hoping to get a little more information on that tonight...at dinner...with your momma...alone.”

He waited and watched their little faces to see if they understood what he was trying to say.  Chloe looked at Chris, who shrugged, and Aaron sighed.  

“I want to take Lainie out to dinner tonight, and I was hoping you guys could go to one of the Activity Centers for a few hours.”

Their eyes lit up.  “What’s the Activity Center?  Is it a new park?”

“Um, no,” Aaron said.  “It’s like your preschool back home, where you can play with other kids while me and your momma go out to dinner.”

And that snuffed the lights in their eyes.  “You mean...school?”  The horror!  

Aaron chuckled and hugged them tightly.  “No, not like school...but there will be other adults there to help you, and this will give me a chance to dig around in your momma’s head so I know exactly how to make my question perfect and magical for her.”

The wheels in their heads turned at a lightening pace.  Aaron could tell they weren’t happy about it, but Chloe said, “Okay, but I want compen--compensa--”

“Compensation?” Aaron finished for her, amused at how her mind worked.  She immediately went for the bargaining chip.  

Chris screwed up his face.  “Compensation?”

“She means she wants something in return for going to the Activity Center tonight instead of with me and Lainie,” Aaron filled in, and Chris’s mind took a moment longer to catch onto the leverage they owned over him, but then he smiled, too.

“Me, too!  I want something, too!”

“Okay,” Aaron said seriously, sitting upright to begin negotiations.  “What can I get you?”

The two children glanced at each other, deciding what would be worth their while, and Chloe blinked her pretty eyes at him and said, “A new daddy.”

Aaron’s heart soared.  “You’re going to get that anyway,” he told them, his throat tight with emotion.  God, how he loved these two!  How did he ever survive without them in his life?

“And I want to meet Cinderella,” the little girl extended her request.  “And get a new toy and a Princess dress.”

“And I want to ride the Pirate ride first thing,” Chris announced, “and a new toy, too, and a pirate costume, and then go to the Haunted house, and then go through the big treehouse -- no, wait!  The treehouse first, then the pirate ride, and then the haunted house, and then--”

And Chloe sat up on her knees, bouncing on the sofa cushion, saying, “And I want to see the castle and ride the merry-go-round, and the teacups, and see the light parade, and--”

Aaron started laughing all over again.  “How many times did you guys watch that promotional video?”

“About a dozen times each,” Lainie answered from the doorway.  All three bodies on the sofa turned to her, the guilt of their conspiracy as plain as day on their faces.

How long had she been standing there? Aaron wondered, putting on an innocent, I-didn’t-do-anything smile.  Lainie eyed them thoroughly, seeing more to their expressions than was comfortable for Aaron and the kids.

“We can do all that tomorrow,” Lainie told her children, “when we go to the Magical Kingdom.  Today, we’re going to Epcot -- the big ball,” she simplified after seeing Chris’s and Chloe’s confused frowns, “and if Aaron talked you into staying at the hotel tonight in one of the playrooms, then we’ll come back early.”

The kids looked sternly at Aaron.  “Okay...but tomorrow, we get everything, okay?” Chloe stipulated.

“Everything, I promise,” he told her, and meant it.  Chloe and Chris held out their hands to him, and they shook on it.

Lainie clapped her hands.  “Okay, then...you two go get dressed and we can go down for breakfast before he leave.”

The little ones scampered into their room, and Aaron stood up from the sofa.  Lainie smiled fondly at her children.  “They’ve never had it so good,” she said softly.

“I’ve never had it so good,” he told her, pulling her against him.

Lainie laid her head on his shoulder.  “They love you.”

“And I love them...and you.”

She smiled up at him, kissing the underside of his jaw.  “Get dressed, handsome.  I’m hungry.”

“I’ll tell you what,” he said.  “Go on down ahead of me.  I need to call the kennel and check on Bowser and call the station to make sure they know I’m still the boss, and then I’ll try to get reservations for our dinner tonight.”

She tilted her head back to peer closely at him.  “Okay,” she said after a moment.  “But hurry.”  Then she kissed him full on the mouth, lingering longer than a brief kiss ought to be, and went to settle a growing dispute in the other room.  Aaron scrubbed a hand through his bedhead hair.

Tomorrow...it happens tomorrow.

*****

Lainie ushered her children out of the hotel suite and down the corridor to the bank of elevators...feeling lightheaded.  She’d seen the rings.  She hadn’t meant to, but she’d been searching in his jacket from yesterday, looking for the tube of lipgloss she asked Aaron to carry for her, and the box fell out of an inside pocket.

Oh, heavens...he’s going to ask me to marry him.

And not a moment too soon, in her reckoning.  Because Lainie Moon was “late”.  Not late-late, but a few days late, and she’d never been late.  Her cycle was as timely as a Rolex.

Pregnant.

With Aaron’s child.

The words kept cycling through her mind, making her feel terrified and giddy and pensive and joyful and crazy.  Oh, she felt the world spinning crazily.  Because she’d not been able to come up with a way to approach that subject with Aaron.  Mainly, because she didn’t want him to feel obligated to marry her.  She wanted him to marry her because he loved her, and wanted to spend their lives together.  Now, she knew that he did.  The rings proved it.  And they were a beautiful set of rings.  Lainie could barely wait to put the engagement ring on her finger.  

Was that what he meant by “tomorrow”?  The way he promised the kids they’d get everything tomorrow sounded odd when she heard it.  There was more to the words than they were letting on.  Did the kids know he was going to propose?  Was that why he said he had leverage over them?

Stop thinking about it, Lainie...you’ll  just make yourself crazy all over again.

But the thoughts would not go away.  By the time the four of them boarded the monorail for Epcot, she was having trouble keeping the smile off her face, and she knew she must have looked as crazy as she felt.  

“Are you okay?” Aaron whispered in her ear as the scenery zoomed past their window.  “You’re shaking.”

“I’m fine,” she said, adding a laugh that was considerably high-pitched.  “Epcot is my favorite of all the parks, and I’m just excited, I guess.”

“Spoken like a true female,” he laughed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, you know...the villages at Epcot, all that shopping and the restaurants.  You’re going to drain me dry today, aren’t you?”

Lainie glanced at his face.  That had been another worry of hers.  Money.  With the sale of her house from her marriage to Gary, she had enough money, but she didn’t have a steady job, only her book writing.  That meant Aaron would have to support all of them.  Could he do it alone?  Would she have to get a job to help out?  And how long could she work before taking time off for the new baby?

Then there was the fact that Aaron’s little two-bedroom house couldn’t hold anymore people.  They would have to move.  Another headache.  Would he want to move?  Aaron loved his house.  He did say that they could find a bigger one, but in their neighborhood?  Most of the houses there were World War era homes, built back in the 1930’s and 40’s for families stationed at the nearby bases.  Unless improvements had been made over the years, they were mostly cookie-cutter structures.  Two bedrooms, one bath, and small living areas.  Aaron’s house wouldn’t be big enough for a growing family.  It was barely big enough for the four of them now.  

And those were only two of her concerns.  They were starting to pile up in her head, and until that morning, she wasn’t sure if she could share them with Aaron.  She didn’t know if marriage to this wonderful man would be something in their near future.  Now she did.  Now, she could voice the ramblings of her overflowing mind and feel relieved that they could find a solution to them together.

But not today.

Today, she just had to be free and enjoy their vacation.  Today, she wanted nothing more to think about except spending time with the three people next to her.

“I promise I’ll go easy on your wallet,” she quipped, letting the tension drain out of her.

“It’s my arms I’m worried about,” Aaron said.

“Your arms?”

“Yeah,” he grinned.  “Who do you think will have to carry all those bags?”

Lainie rolled her eyes.  “I’m pretty sure we can have most of it delivered to the hotel.”

He raised his eyebrows.  “Really?  Then spend away, my love.  I’m giving you free rein to break the bank.  The world shall be your shopping mall today.”

“I would never do that,” Lainie said.  “It’s ridiculous.”

“I know,” he replied tenderly, bringing her left hand up to kiss the finger that no longer wore a wedding band.  The symbolic gesture cried out to her.  He’s going to ask me today...today...oh, please, let it be today...

But her internal pleas went unanswered.  All morning and afternoon, they traipsed through Epcot Center, kids in tow, and Lainie’s breathing stalled every time Aaron paused to gaze longingly at her.  Any minute now...

The minutes passed.  The hours passed.  The day was nearly over when they returned to the hotel without that sparkling rock on her finger.  The kids were bouncing out of their shoes from all the sugar they consumed.  Lainie was a ball of frustration and anticipation, and Aaron was his usual epitome of ease and patience, smiling and laughing as though the world was perfect just the way it was.

Lainie wanted to scream.

Okay...deep breath.  He’ll ask tonight.  That’s why he wanted to have dinner alone.  Tonight.

Then tonight came and went.  The kids went to the Activity Center -- reluctantly -- and Lainie joined Aaron for dinner at the Moroccan restaurant.  The food there was fabulous.  The bellydancers were majestic, and the conversation between her and Aaron was obnoxiously tame.  He asked her all kinds of questions -- questions about her favorite places to go, her favorite foods, her favorite memories -- questions he already knew the answers for -- all questions except the one she craved to hear.

For two hours, sitting at that little table, picking at her food, watching the dancers with delight as they shimmied around the blushing man she loved, and answering question after question...Lainie was ready to go back to the hotel.

“Something’s bothering you,” he said to her on the monorail after leaving the park.

She put on a smile.  “No...I’m fine.”

He didn’t believe her.  She could tell.  “Lainie...”

“Look at those two,” she interrupted, pointing to a couple on the other side of the train car.  “Honeymooners, you think?”

Aaron’s eyes cut across the rocking cabin to the young couple, kissing and whispering closely together.  “I guess.”

“They look happy together,” she sighed.

Aaron turned to her and gazed deeply into her eyes.  “Not as happy as we are, don’t you agree?”

The dim lights in the car caught the wedding rings on the young girl’s finger.  A yearning overcame Lainie.  She smiled at them, and then smiled at Aaron.  “I am very happy.”

“But you could be happier,” he stated, seriousness marring his handsome face.

“Everyone could be happier,” Lainie said.  “It’s what we all strive for, right?”

“Wrong,” he argued.  “I don’t strive to be happier.  I only want you to be happier.”

And with those words, that declaration, all her anxiety melted.  She reached up and kissed him softly.  He returned the kiss, not as softly -- ardently...greedily...possessively.  “I love you, Lainie,” he murmured in her ear, moving his lips across her cheek and down her neck.  “More than I can ever say or show you...I love you more than there are words in the dictionary, more than physically possible, more than you can ever believe is true...”

Lainie arched her neck, basking in the sensations his words and actions bestowed upon her.  “And I love you more than that.”

His arms went around her, gently pushing her back against a window and angling his mouth to thoroughly take possession of hers.  Thank goodness the other couple in the train car was similarly occupied, because one of Aaron’s hands found its way under her shirt, and he seduced her as suitably as he could in their semi-public position.

Lainie sighed contently.  Tomorrow, then?

*****

The kids were checked out, carried up to the hotel suite and promptly put to bed.  Aaron tucked them in while Lainie showered, and he told them how dinner went and his plans for the next day.

He was going with a proposal under the fireworks.  He wanted to see the sparks in Lainie’s eyes when she said yes.  And the twins agreed it would be perfect.

Once Lainie finished her shower, took over the bedtime story for Aaron and then crawled into bed, he headed into the bathroom for his own cleansing.  Standing in front of the foggy mirror with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he talked himself up, giving himself encouragement to say the right words, rehearsing them in his mind.

But the words kept changing.  Every time he went over them, they altered, and he had to force himself to stop thinking about it.  When the moment came, whatever he memorized would get stuck in his throat anyway.  Feeling the weight of the suspense landing on his shoulders, he braced his hands on the sink, knocking Lainie’s make-up bag to the floor.

“Crap,” he muttered, bending down to pick up the scattered objects and toss them back into the bag.  His fingers closed over the unopened box of tampons, and he froze.

There were a few things he was really good at -- Math, being one of them, and paying close attention to the woman he loved.  And in that steamy bathroom that night, the numbers, the woman, and the box didn’t add up.

The first time they made love had been back at the beginning of November.  Six -- almost seven weeks ago.  Aaron went back to those first weeks.  Lainie’s period had come a week and a half after that first time.  But not since then.  That would mean...it’s been five weeks.

Aaron knew for a fact Lainie didn’t take birth control pills.  She said the hormones in them made her act looney, and they had not always used condoms.  Actually, there had been nothing between them these past few weeks.

His fingers constricted around the cardboard box.  Pregnant?  Was Lainie...pregnant?

His mind circled that subject while his mouth formed a silly grin.  A baby...they were going to have a baby...

Why hasn’t she said anything?

Aaron quickly finished packing her bag and barrelled out of the bathroom.  Then he stopped.  No...don’t say anything.  Don’t tell her you suspect anything.  She must have a reason.  Propose, then say something.

Yes.  Pop the question first.  Let her know you want to marry her because you love her.  Not because she’s pregnant.

A baby...oh, god, a baby!

“Aaron?” Lainie asked, sleepily, blinking through the dark room at him.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said, stripping away the towel to slide between the sheets next to her.  “Absolutely nothing.”

She rolled over to cuddle against his chest...and giggled.  “You’re naked.”

“And you’re not,” he enlightened her.  Then he kissed her, unclothed her, and made love to her...slowly, leisurely, completely.

*****

Lainie sucked air into her lungs.  Sweat clung to her skin.  Her muscles were a jellified mess, and her head was still dizzy from the completion of their lovemaking.  The clock on the bedside table said it was after midnight, and Aaron had been making love to her for over an hour.  It was officially tomorrow.  

Today, I say, “Yes.”

Or dammit, I’ll propose to him myself!

Aaron groaned next to her.  “I could do that all night,” he panted quietly.

“Me, too,” she agreed, smiling into the darkness.

Then Aaron gently pulled her under him and said, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

*****

The Magical Kingdom was...well, magical.  The foursome did everything on the kids’ list, saving repeats for the next -- and last -- day of their vacation.  Lainie trailed along with her loved ones, happier than she thought possible.  Last night, Aaron had been extraordinary.  She walked through the amusement park on a high, her feet barely touching the ground, and today, he was obsessively attentive to her, constantly asking if she was okay, or if she needed to rest for a while, or buying her any treat that caught her fancy.  

The man spoiled her just as bad as he did the kids.

And Lainie loved it.

As the day came to an end, the air became chilly -- it was December, after all -- and they wrapped themselves in their jackets in front of Cinderella’s castle to wait for the Christmas Parade and the fireworks show.  

This is it, Lainie thought.  She’d been eagerly waiting all day, and now she finally figured out Aaron’s plan.

There was love in the air that day.  Lainie recalled not one, not two, but three different marriage proposal they witnessed around the park.  It seemed a lot of visitors had the same idea as Aaron, and Lainie giggled every time she saw his sour face when he saw other men asking their women to marry them in creative ways.

The first one had been at a caricature artist in the middle of Main Street.  A couple sat for the artist, and Lainie had paused to watch for a moment.  As soon as the artist turned the finished portrait around, the man dropped to his knees, proffering a ring to the woman, who gasped with surprise, and the question was asked.  The onlooking crowd got to see the picture, which was a representation of the man on his knees and the surprised look on the woman’s face, drawn before it actually happened before their eyes.  “Will you marry me?” was written across the top, and an empty balloon shape awaited the woman’s answer.

Lainie teared up at the charming scene.  “Look, Aaron...that’s so romantic.”

Aaron scowled.  “Yeah, it is.”

And Lainie laughed inside her head.

The second proposal happened as they exited the Space Mountain ride -- in which Chris begged to go on again.  There on the television screens, depicting the riders as they screamed down the dark tracks, Aaron and Lainie saw one car with a bunch of twenty-somethings in it.  A young mand and his girlfriend rode in the front, and behind them, all their buddies held up cards that said, “I hate this ride,” “But I love you,” “So, marry me, Ashley,” and finally, “Or I’m going to...,” “Throw up for no reason.”

Aaron grunted and walked away, his hand touching the pocket of his jacket.  Lainie hid her smile behind her hand and ushered the kids along behind him.

And finally, the third proposal occurred during the A Dream Come True Parade while they ate their lunch.  The honorary marshals of the parade was another pair of lovebirds, who got engaged right there in front of the castle in Cinderella carriage, with hundreds of spectators as an audience.

Aaron bit off a chunk of his corn dog and grumbled to himself.

“Mommy, what’s wrong with Daddy?” Chloe asked in a whisper as the first sounds of the lively blared at the start of the nighttime parade’s route.

“I think he’s feeling a little...average,” she whispered back.  Though all those other creative engagements could never compare to how loved she felt right then.  Lainie suspected that Aaron wanted his to be the cleverest, the most inspiring, the most visionary of all the proposals ever to commence before him, but she knew that as long as he asked her to marry him because he loved her, there was nothing else she could wish for.  

Then she could tell him about the baby.

*****

His ears drummed with every heartbeat.  I can’t top any of that, he thought mournfully.  Not the picture proposal, not the rollercoaster one, not the one from the earlier parade.  Asking her to marry me under the fireworks?  So lame.

I can wait until tomorrow...come up with something special.  The kids will understand...maybe.

His eyes traveled over the three people beside him.  Chloe and Chris were cuddled up in their mother’s lap, eyes shining as they laughed and pointed at the passing display of parade floats.  Lainie’s cheeks were bright with an inner glow.  A glow only familiar to a woman expecting a baby.

No, it has to be tonight.  It won’t be as special as those others, but he loved her.  Too much to wait any longer.

I can do this.  I don’t know how...but I can do this.

Once the last of the floats went by, the kids wanted to walk around a little before the fireworks started, but Aaron had his heart set on this spot.  They were sitting in the square, right in front of Main Street, the castle lit up behind them, and he wasn’t moving.  If he did, he might throw up like that guy from Space Mountain.

Lainie took the kids to the nearby bathrooms, and Aaron didn’t move.  Right here.  In just a little bit.  And there had better not be any other guys around with the same idea!

Though it didn’t take long for the fireoworks announcement to come over the loudspeakers, to Aaron, it felt like an eternity.  Lainie smiled at him as the settled down again to watch the show, and he swallowed the nervous lump in his throat.  He scanned the crowd.  That guy, over there...he looked nervous, too.  Aaron shot him a threatening glance.  

My turn!  This is Lainie’s time!  Don’t do it, buddy!

The crowd oohed and awed as the first sparks rose in the sky, but Aaron barely saw any of it.  His hand clenched around the ring box in his jacket pocket.  Sweat trickled down his spine in icy rivers.  His heart beat too fast.  His head swam with delirium and panic.

“Look, Daddy!” Chris yelled in his ears.  “It’s almost over!”

“Yeah,” Chloe confirmed, her eyes wide with an ultimatum.  “It’s almost over!”

Aaron trembled as he stepped in front of Lainie, pulled the jewelry out of his pocket and lowered himself to both knees -- one knee wasn’t going to support him.

*****

“Look, Daddy!” Chris yelled next to her.  “It’s almost over!”

Yeah, it’s almost over, Lainie echoed right along with her children.  What was he waiting for?  Her stomach leapt with the first burst of light, and it hadn’t settled down since.  She was nauseous.  Whether from the waiting or from the baby, she couldn’t be for sure, but Lainie told herself that if he didn’t ask her to marry him soon, she was going to yank that box out of his jacket and put the ring on her finger herself.

Then he dropped to his knees -- literally, dropped.  She could hear the bone hitting the pavement over the roar of the fireworks and the crowd around them.

But she couldn’t hear what he was saying.  His mouth moved as he cracked open the jewelry case, but whatever he said -- and it was a long speech -- was lost in the hum of noise around them.

She couldn’t stand it.  She had to know what he was saying.  Lainie forgot about the fireworks and bent down on her knees to get closer to him.  His eyes blinked as she did this, and he tugged on her arm, saying, “No!  You have to stand up!”

“But I can’t hear you up there!” she shouted back.  Chris and Chloe got down with them, crowding in close on each side.

“You have to stand up!  I want this to be perfect!”

“Oh, Aaron,” she said, cupping his face with her hands.  “It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Just ask me, and I’ll say yes.”

“You knew,” he said, his eyes shadowing with depression.  “You knew I was going to propose.”  He glanced mutely at the twins.

“I didn’t say nothing, I promise!” Chris exclaimed.  And Chloe repeated the promise.

Aaron sighed and slumped down further.  “How long have you known?”

“Since yesterday morning,” Lainie admitted, oblivious to the mash of bodies around their little circle on the ground.  “I saw the box in your jacket while looking for my lipgloss.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t want to ruin this for you.”

The firework finale blasted into the night sky behind them.  Aaron stared at Lainie through all of it.  Without another word, he removed the engagement ring, the diamond and amethysts glinting beautifully from the sparks above, and slipped it on her finger.

“I know about the baby,” he said, caressing her hand.  Lainie’s heart stopped.  When did he find out?  

“But that’s not why I want to marry you,” he continued.  “I love you, Lainie mine.  I always have.  I want our lives to be intertwined from here on out.  I want to give you fairy tales and build you a castle that reaches the sky, and I’ll forever be your Prince Charming, if you’ll be my queen.”

Chloe giggled, “Silly, Daddy...if momma’s a queen, you have to be a king.”

“And I’m the prince,” Chris said importantly.

“And I can be the princess,” his sister claimed her title.

Aaron stared at Lainie.  Lainie stared at Aaron.  The milling crowd began to break up and walk towards the gates.  But the four of them knelt down on the cold sidewalk and forgot the rest of the world for a few moments.

Then Chris jumped up.  “Wait!  What baby?”

And that’s when Aaron’s face creased into a proud, loving smile, and Lainie mirrored the expression.  She drew the twins closer to her and Aaron.  “Yes, kids...we’ll be getting a baby soon, I think.  Aaron is going to be a real daddy after all.”

Aaron stood up, pulling them with him, and he took Lainie’s cheek in his palm.  “I’m already a real daddy.”

“The best daddy!” Chloe piped up.

Chris tugged on his mother’s sleeve.  “But only if you marry him.  He can’t be a daddy unless you marry him.  Right, Chloe?”

“Right,” Chloe affirmed sternly, looking at both Lainie and Aaron.  “You have to get married.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to marry him,” Lainie sighed.  And she heard Aaron breath out a strangled, “Thank God that’s settled!”

She grinned at him as they picked their way to the monorail and back to the hotel.  “You know you worked yourself up for nothing.  You could have asked anytime.”

He nuzzled her neck as they waited in line at the monorail.  “And you could have told me about the baby when you first suspected.  It would not have made any difference in my asking you to marry me.”

She kissed him softly.  ‘I promise...the next time we have a baby, you’ll know the moment I do.”

“I’d better,” he lovingly warned, and held onto her and his kids tightly.

*****