The Dance

Chapter 177 The Contract

"We're getting married!" Bear and Rose announced the news to the family gathered around the breakfast table. The family shrieked with excitement.

"When?" Jill asked

"As soon as we can pull together the arrangements." Rose responded with a loving look to her now fiancée.

"Tomorrow if I could talk her into a quickie wedding," Bear chuckled, "but she's adamant about designing her own wedding cake."

The Browns were changing and expanding again. Most of the family thought Bear would be the last to marry given his constant attempts to find an extreme girl. Rose may not have been a tree climbing, forest running sort of girl but she had captured his heart in a way that brought a serenity to him that was most welcome.

Matt and Bam offered their congratulations to Bear and welcomed him to the future married men's club. Lila and Jill were thrilled to also welcome a new sister-in-law. Soon, they would all be reunited as one family unit once they acquired their family land. It was something to look forward to and gave everyone something to celebrate along with the pending nuptials of Bear and Rose.

Lucas tugged at Bear's jacket and motioned him to bend down. Bear obliged as Lucas whispered in his ear.
"Are you going to have kids?"

Bear laughed out loud at his blunt question. "Why don't you ask Rose that question and let me know what she tells you."

Lucas sidled up to Rose and motioned her to come closer to him. He whispered the same question to her.
Rose smiled sweetly at him and whispered back.

"Oh boy!" Lucas' little face was beaming. "She said twelve Uncle Bear."

"Twelve?" Bear asked skeptically.

"Actually, Bear, let's make it a baker's dozen." Red gave him a saucy little wink.

"Thirteen!" Bear shook his head. "We're gonna need a bigger house."

Later in the day, Bear and Rose found themselves alone on the beach walking the water's edge. "I can't believe we're doing this." The impact of their decision had finally hit them both.

"They make it look easy...my parents, Bam and Lila, Matt and Jill."

"I know. Can we do it....make it for the long term?" Red tossed a stone in the water watching the ripples from the vibrations.

"Maybe we should set some ground rules for our marriage." Bear looked at Red and asked, "What are your expectations?"

Red thought for a minute. "Never go to bed angry. Always communicate our feelings."

"Okay, I like that one." Bear thought about his next rule. "Acceptance. We accept each other as we are now and don't try to change each other."

"Trust is a big issue for me. If we can't trust each other than we don't need to be married."

"I like that one." Bear thought about his next rule. "Understanding. No problem is too big for us to share and understand."

Rose thought compromise was important. "If we can't agree on something then we need to be able to compromise."

The last rule they agreed on was respect. Mutual respect.

Red picked up a stick and wrote the six rules of their marriage in the wet sand of the beach. Trust, compromise, respect, communication, acceptance and understanding. She signed her name and handed the stick to Bear and he signed his name under hers.

"I think it's a good start." Red pulled out her cellphone and took a photo of their six rules of marriage. "For posterity."

Bear kissed her and replied, "Twenty-five years from now, we'll laugh at this contract."

Jason Derulo-Rest of My Life