Lauren cried as her baby was placed on her chest. He was red and wrinkly, and she fell in love with him at first sight. He opened his little mouth to yawn, and she reached down to stroke his head. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you," said Ethan, kissing her softly.
"Ethan, he's perfect."
"You both are. I love you both so much."
He smiled as he stroked the little boy's head with his finger.
"My son." Ethan grinned as he said the words. Lauren gripped his hand, squeezing it to show she was feeling the same.
When it came time for his first feed, the baby latched on and Lauren cried all over again. "Baby," Ethan murmured.
"I wish Mark was here to see him." She looked at him, feeling the tears rolling down her face. Ethan had so much love in his eyes, for her and their child.
"I'm sure he would be happy knowing you're loved and cherished."
She nodded, looking back down at the baby. "I miss him so much. Especially at times like this. Hey there, little Marcus."
Lauren stroked her baby's head, feeling the soft fuzz that covered it. He was perfect.
"Marry me," Ethan said quietly.
Lauren looked back up at him. "What?"
He broke into a grin. "I have a ring, but I left it at home. My plan was to ask you when you were home and settled. I just couldn't wait when I laid eyes on this little guy."
"I would love to marry you."
Ethan kissed her, and their son. "I can’t wait to get you two home.”
"Can you please text Cassie and let her know the baby is here? Don’t tell her about the engagement. I want to."
"Of course I can. Want me to tell her it's okay to visit?"
"Yes please."
She lay back, closing her eyes as her baby fed. This was her dream; she finally had everything she wanted.
"You're getting married?" Bethany looked shocked. Ethan had made a special visit to her house, knowing Matt wasn't there. This was something he wanted to tell his daughter in person.
The children played happily in the yard, Bethany watching them. Now they called for their grandfather's attention, but he had one purpose for his visit, and he wasn't mucking around.
"It was only ever a matter of time," Ethan said. "Lauren and I have been living together for nearly a year. We have little Marcus, and he's the last piece of the puzzle. I notice you didn't act so surprised when I told you Lauren was pregnant."
"She's only done it for the money, Dad. It's so obvious. Laura will just dump you one day, and you'll be alone and miserable again."
"For the millionth time, Bethany, it's Lauren. I'm so over this childish behaviour of yours. You're nearly thirty, and it just has to stop. I have no idea how Matt puts up with it, and if you don't stop it, I'll tell him about you and Patrick."
Bethany stared at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I know all about you two. Patrick confirmed it a while ago. This is how serious I am. Lauren’s going to be my wife, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it."
The colour drained from her face. "Dad, please don't tell Matt. I don't know what I'd do without him."
"That's your choice, Bethany. I thought I raised you better than to treat Lauren the way you have."
"I'm sorry Dad," she whispered, looking at the floor.
"Now get this straight. Nothing you do is going to change my mind. You need to accept Lauren. She's closer in age to you than she is to me, and there's no reason why you can't get along. Elise manages just fine."
"Dad," she whimpered, "please don't be angry." She looked up at him with the puppy eyes that used to work when she was younger.
"Apologise and we'll say no more about it. As long as you know I'm not going to put up with your shit, Bethany."
Now she was really surprised; she sat there gaping while he smiled. Ethan had never spoken to her this way.
Bethany nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad. I just wanted to look out for you."
"Well, do me a favour and look out for Lauren as well. She's been through a lot these past few years, and we're the only family she's got other than Patrick and Cassie."
"Really?"
"If you'd taken the time to get to know her, you would know she only had her brother when she grew up. He died nearly three years ago, and she needs us. She needs us so much."
He could see the torment on her face, as if some nice side of her was trying to get out and failing. Finally, she nodded.
"Fine. I'll do whatever it takes. Do you want a coffee or something?"
Ethan watched her go back into the house. It had been tough to threaten her that way, but it was the only way he could see to get her to accept Lauren. He'd had so many regrets over the years. Letting her get away with what she had when she was younger weighed on him heavily.
"Grandpa." One of the children called to him, and he watched as they kicked a ball between them. That would be him one day with his child. The little boy was his pride and joy; holding him for the first time had made him warm all over. His son.
Lauren had been so healthy lately. Kicking the booze habit had been hard, but rewarding, and he hoped Marcus would give her the motivation she needed to stay clean.
He stood at the door. Lauren was unaware he was watching as she sat on the couch nursing the baby. She was singing a lullaby, stroking Marcus's little feet and hands as he drifted off to sleep in her arms.
Watching them brought a smile to Ethan's face. Catherine had never been this way with the children. Seeing Lauren with Marcus made him ache for everything his girls had missed out on. It was little wonder Bethany was the way that she was.
Even from where he was standing he could see Marcus had that milk hangover look about him as he floated in that space right before sleep. Lauren stopped singing, stroking her baby's head as he slept. She planted a kiss on his face, whispering "goodnight" before looking up and seeing Ethan standing there.
"Ethan," she said warmly. He'd never seen her so serene. A calm had come over her since Marcus's birth, and he had been less stressed about her going off the rails. Now she had the ultimate distraction.
"Hey, beautiful," he said. "Want me to put him to bed?"
She shrugged. "You can if you want, or you could sit down and I'll go and make you a coffee. Dinner is in the oven. I just have to finish cooking the vegetables."
"How about I put Marcus to bed and then join you in the kitchen?”
Lauren nodded. "Sounds good."
He bent to take Marcus in his arms. It was early days, but the boy seemed to look a lot like his mother, with his father's dark hair. For a moment he wondered what it would be like if they had a girl, whether she would be blonde like her mother.
A shiver went through him. One baby at a time. He grinned at the thought.
He mounted the stairs to the bedroom, rocking the baby in his arms. Things were perfect right now, but he would still remain vigilant. Lauren had done so well keeping to the rules; he would have to find some way to reward her.
Ethan watched his son sleep for a moment, tucking him in before going to the bedside drawer in his room. He sat on the bed as he opened it, taking out the ring box he'd hidden away. Lauren had been home for a couple of days, but it felt like the right time now to show her how much he loved her.
She was in the kitchen, singing the lullaby as she put the vegetables in the steamer. Completely unaware that he was coming up behind her, she jumped as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck.
"Sorry." He laughed.
"I was on another planet. Since Marcus was born, I think I've been floating somewhere other than here," Lauren said.
"I've got something for you."
She pulled away from him, turning to face him for a kiss.
"What's that?"
"Come here," he said. Taking her by the hand, he led her into the living room, pulling her down to sit on the couch beside him.
"In the hospital, you agreed to be my wife."
Lauren nodded, stroking his face with the palm of her hand.
"So, here's the other part of the deal."
From his pocket, he pulled the ring box, watching her face intently as he opened it. Lauren's eyes grew wide as she saw what was inside.
Ethan grinned, taking the ring out of the box. "I borrowed one of the rings out of your jewellery box. I hope this fits the right finger."
Her hand shook as he took hold of it, sliding the ring onto her finger. He smiled as it slid on. "Looks like a good fit to me."
Lauren had tears in her eyes as she lifted her hand to look closer at the ring. It was a pink sapphire in white gold. She tried to smile, but the emotion of the moment caught her and she looked at him, cupping his face as she kissed him softly.
"It's perfect," she whispered.
"I knew I had to have it when I saw it. Just like you." He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as she shook.
"You know me better than anyone," she said. "I never thought I would be this happy. I never thought I'd find someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. This is perfect. I love it, Ethan. I love you."
"I don't want to waste time. As soon as you're up to it, let's get married."
His angel smiled, the grin spreading across her face as she squealed with delight. "We can get married in the backyard. Like Cassie and Patrick did. Under the big tree."
"You can have anything you want, beautiful. It's your day." He grinned. Nothing made him happier than seeing her excited.