I want to marry you because I love you, because you're already part of this family. And I want to make it official, but the timing the timing is terrible. I know. And if you want to wait, we can wait. But I needed to say it.
I needed you to know that this isn't just about convenience or strategy. It's about us. Selena stared at him. You're serious completely. We've been living together for barely a year.
I know we still fight about dishes. I know that, too. And you want to legally bind yourself to me anyway? Yeah, I really do. And she laughed and it sounded like relief and terror combined.
You're insane. Probably. And you're proposing on the porch without a ring or a plan or anything remotely romantic. I'm an English teacher, not a romance novelist. Clearly.
But she was smiling now. Ask me again properly this time. Ethan slid off the bench, got down on one knee on the porch he'd been meaning to repaint for two years, and took her hand. Selena Vaughn, you walked into my house by accident, and turned my entire life upside down. You're stubborn and impossible, and you work too much.
You still can't make pancakes without burning at least one, and I love you more than I thought I could love anyone. Will you marry me? That's only slightly better. It's the best I've got. She pulled him up, kissed him hard.
Yes, obviously. Yes. They stood there on the porch holding each other while the neighborhood settled in to sleep around them. Somewhere a dog barked. Somewhere a car door slammed.
And in this small house on Maple Ridge, two people who should never have worked just promised each other forever. We should tell Chloe. Selena said tomorrow. She's going to have opinions. She has opinions about everything.
Think she'll be okay with it. "I think she'll demand to plan the whole wedding and insist on wearing a dinosaur costume." Selena laughed. I can live with that. They told Khloe the next morning over breakfast. She stared at them for a full 10 seconds, her spoon frozen halfway to her mouth.
You're getting married? She finally asked. We are? Ethan said. Like for real married?
Not just living together married. For real married? Khloe set down her spoon. ""Does this mean Selena's going to be my mom?"" Both buzz. Selena and Ethan exchanged glances. "That's up to you," Selena said carefully. ""I'm not trying to replace your mom, but I'll be your stepmom if that's okay."" "What's the difference?" "Your mom is your mom.
Nothing changes that." But a stepmom is it's someone who chose to be part of your family. Someone who loves you even though they don't have to. Chloe thought about this. So So you're staying like permanently? Permanently?
And you're not going to leave when things get hard? Yeah, I'm not going to leave. "Promise?" "I promise." Chloe nodded slowly. Then she looked at Ethan. Can I be in the wedding?
"Obviously. Can I pick my dress?" "Within reason." Can it have dinosaurs on it? "Absolutely not," Selena said. You're no fun. I'm tons of fun.
I'm just not having dinosaurs at my wedding. Khloe grinned. We'll see. Hey. The wedding planning became a welcome distraction from the custody nightmare.
Selena wanted something small and simple. Khloe wanted something with a chocolate fountain and a DJ. Ethan just wanted to survive until the actual day. They compromised on a backyard wedding at the house where everything started. fifty people, a local caterer, and yes, a chocolate fountain because Khloe had argued her case with the determination of a future lawyer. Jennifer found out through Khloe, who mentioned it casually during one of their weekend visits.
She called Ethan that night. "You're getting married?" she asked. "I am to the billionaire. She has a name." I know her name. I looked her up.
She's kind of a big deal. She's a person who I love who loves Chloe. And you didn't think to tell me yourself? I was going to. Chloe beat me to it.
Jennifer was quiet for a moment. Is this about the custody thing? Are you trying to make your home look more stable? It's not about custody. It's about me wanting to spend my life with someone.
Right. Sure. It's just a coincidence that you're suddenly getting married right when I'm pushing for more time with Chloe. Think whatever you want, Jennifer. I can't control that.
Hey, poet. No, just don't let her replace me, okay? I know I screwed up. I know I wasn't there, but I'm trying. And I don't want Chloe to forget that I'm still her mother.
The vulnerability in her voice caught him off guard. Nobody's trying to replace you. Selena knows who she is and who she isn't. Good, because Khloe needs both of us, not just you and your new wife. She hung up before he could respond.
Ethan stood there with the phone in his hand, feeling the weight of everything pressing down. He was getting married. Jennifer wanted shared custody. Khloe was caught in the middle trying to figure out where she belonged. And somehow he had to make all of it work without anyone getting destroyed in the process.
That sounded rough, Selena said from the doorway. She thinks we're getting married to strengthen our custody case. Are we? "I proposed because I love you." The custody thing is just it's a bonus. Some bonus.
Yeah. He set down the phone. She's not wrong, though. This does make us look more stable, more committed. Is that a bad thing?
No. But it feels manipulative, like we're playing games instead of just living our lives. We can't control what Jennifer thinks. We can only control what we do. And what are we doing?
Getting married, building a family, trying our best. She crossed the room, took his hands. That's all we can do, Ethan. Try our best and hope it's enough. He pulled her close, holding on like she was the only solid thing in a world that wouldn't stop shifting.