Fishing For A Dream [Book Three]

Chapter 49 - Days (ii)

"So, I might have sort-of proposed to Harry last night."

Coffee exploded from Rose's lips; her hands flailing before I quickly grabbed a nearby tea towel for her to wipe herself and Harry's kitchen table. Eyes agog in disbelief, she screeched, "LAYLA!"

Giggling, I shushed her and pointed towards the living room where Non and Alfie were napping. "You'll wake the babies!"

She clamped a hand over her mouth and paused to listen for a wee voice calling or a startled cry. It was truly wild to think that we weren't meeting to discuss the business, or just hanging out with a bottle of wine and good food, but as two mothers with a baby and a toddler, who needed things like naps. However, Rose had just proven that did not mean we had grown up.

When there was no sound, she returned her focus to me and hissed, "Fuck off! Are you kidding me!? You waited forty-five minutes to tell me that you got engaged!"

"I'm not engaged, mate. I just asked if he wanted to get married when things get back to normal."

Rose frowned, and her expression changed so that she looked like she was about to go hunt Harry down. "Did he say no?"

"No, no. He was a bit stunned at first - it was the middle of the night and he'd come to sit with me while I fed the baby - but once he knew I was being serious, he said he'd wanted to ask me, and I didn't want to take that away from him. However, now he knows that I'm ready to take that step."

"Aw!" To my surprise, tears welled in Rose's eyes, and she started to cry. She shook her head at her own silliness when I reached for her hand across the kitchen table, and said, "I'm just so happy for you. You deserve this happiness after everything you've been through, and, of course, marriage and babies doesn't necessarily mean a perfect life, but you have it with a person you love, and who loves you, too."

"I have a billion hormones racing around my body at the moment, mate, please stop or you're going to make me cry."

"I know, I'm sorry," she sniffed, "but, I know what it's taken for you to get to this point, and what it means for you to feel ready to marry again. I do not doubt that you and Harry would have a wonderful life together, even if you never got married, but I know that deep down it's what you truly want. He's not always been the perfect guy, but I can't fault him since you guys decided to try again. He's kept his word about never hurting you again, and for what it's worth, I think you're right to take that next step with him."

"Does he finally have the Rose seal of approval?" I chuckled, carefully wiping tears from my eyes.

To my relief, she replied with a tearful grin, "I suppose he does. I did say that he wouldn't fit with us properly until he sorted things out with Will, and from what I've heard, they managed to do that the other night."

"At long last! I haven't asked either of them too much about it because, in a way, it's none of my business, but they were great with each other when Will came to meet the baby last night. Like I said to Harry: they don't have to be best friends, but anything's better than him just pretending Will doesn't exist."