Status: Coming Soon!!

Who Knew Then? (What We Know Now?)

I Love You Too

“Okay, you can do this, you can do this,” I repeated to myself. We’d pulled a three game comeback out of our asses to win the Stanley Cup, and tonight was our celebration dinner.

It also happened to be the night I wanted to propose to Kass.

I’d been going to do it for the past month and a half, but always managed to find an excuse to chicken out or it just wasn’t the right time. That and the fact that four-month-old Patrik liked to keep us up at night hadn’t really given us any time together that I could make romantic in the slightest sense.

So this had seemed like the best option. But now I was panicking that it would seem too pushy - asking in front of both of our families and the whole team, what if she felt pressured to answer? What if she felt trapped? That was the last thing I wanted to do to her after having been so close to losing her once already.

“Come on Jarhead, settle down and get your ass out there,” Eric hissed, walking into the bathroom.

“I’m freaking out Eric, what if asking her at this is a mistake?” I asked, and he sighed.

“Jared, you’ve been trying to ask her for a month and a half, just grow a pair and do it! She loves you, she doesn’t care how or where you do it, just do it!” he told me, and I took another deep breath.

“You’re right. I can do this,” I agreed, and made it almost out the bathroom door before feeling sick again.

“Shit I can’t do this,” I turned back into the bathroom but felt my brother grab me by the arm.

“Yes you can. Now man up and do it, because Stepan’s just waiting to jump at any chance you screw up. They’re still close friends, and he still has it bad for her Jared. He won’t have any second thoughts about stepping in,” Eric informed me, and that hot surge of desire to protect her hit me again. All anybody had to do was mention Stepan and his feelings about my girlfriend to get me fired up. Kass thought it was ridiculous, because they were still good friends, but she’d understood where I was coming from at the same time. It was something we’d both went to great lengths to make sure we were doing, to prevent any similar fights like our last one from happening.

“Okay, now get your ass out there, let’s have dinner, and then get your act together Jared,” Eric coached me, and I followed him back to the hall where we were having dinner. A smile spread across my face as soon as I saw her; she was wearing a fairly modest red dress; thick straps and a slightly tapered waist that showed off her curves in all the right places. She’d lost all but maybe five pounds of her baby weight, and Patrik was looking adorable in a little red and black Hurricanes shirt.

“Hey beautiful,” I kissed her quickly as I settled into my seat, softly smoothing out our son’s unruly strawberry blonde hair. He was lucky so far; it wasn’t carrot top orange or anything, but it was a rather nice shade, kind of closer to Marc’s than mine, but darker in a more brown-blonde way than a red way. I’d been worried for him that he’d have ridiculously orange hair, because one of Kass’s great uncles had had carrot top hair, so it ran in both of our families.

“Hey handsome – you feeling all right? You look a little pale,” she fussed, and I just smiled and shrugged.

“I’m worried I guess – Eric was teasing me that they’d make me do a speech and now I’m worried they might,” I fibbed, and she just sighed, cupping my cheek before pecking my lips once more.

“Don’t worry about it, all right?” she asked, and I nodded. Dinner went smoothly, and as we got ready to have dessert Eric shot me a look, and I cleared my throat.

“Um, if I could just say something?” I asked, and all of the guys nodded. Most of them knew about my plan for tonight, and had been waiting expectantly for it to happen all evening.

“As you all know, I’m the luckiest guy on earth; I’ve got the most amazing girlfriend, and a wonderful little guy – even if he likes to wake us up at ridiculous times of night,” most of the guys who father’s chuckled, knowing it to be true.

“And I don’t know if she knows it, but Kass, you really are the world to me. I know I don’t always say it enough, but I love you with all my heart. You and Patrik are everything to me, and nothing will ever mean more to me than the two of you do. I can’t picture my life without you, and I want to know if you feel the same way,” I asked, turning to her.

“Of course I do Jared – I love you,” she replied, and then slowly her eyes widened as I slid out of my chair and got down on one knee.

“Then Kass, I want to know if you want to make me the happiest man on earth, and if you’d do me the honor of marrying me,” I asked, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“Yes! Of course,” she replied, and the entire hall cheered and whistled as I slid the diamond ring onto her finger, and she pulled me in for a kiss by my tie, earning us a few catcalls.

“I love you Jared,”

“I love you too Kass,” I replied, knowing my life was perfect.
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Only one more chapter left!

Got a little emotional with this one, but the last one will be even better! Sadder, because it will be done, and probably a hell of a lot sappier, but you know :P Please let me know what you think!