“Justin, you’ve had my permission since I met you back in January. Deana is so happy, you’re clearly very good to her and for her. After Morgan, we worried she’d be afraid to find love again. We knew Paul wasn’t the real deal, then she tells us about a new guy she’s dating. We weren’t expecting YOU, but it didn’t change how happy she’s become these last 7 months. You absolutely have our permission, but you also didn’t need to ask it. You’re grown adults, if you want to get married, that’s your choice. I’m glad you asked, it shows the kind of man you are.  It was fun to see you squirm though. You’ll understand if you ever have a girl.”

“I need your help, I have something specific in mind for the ring…”

…

Justin beat Deana home, thankful he wouldn’t have to lie to her about where he’d been.  He looked at an open tab on his phone, the design for the ring up. 

He heard the front door open, changing to a different tab open on his browser before closing it. “How was brunch?” he asked. 

“Better than I thought.  She already figured we were living together, sleeping together, but she was totally fine. She said we’re adults, we can do what we want, and was just glad I’m happy.”

“I’m sure you’re relieved to get that out in the open,” he said, wrapping his arm around her as she sat next to him on the couch. 

“What did you do while I was gone?” Deana asked. 

“Oh, nothing much. Caught up on emails, stuff with the label, confirming stuff for Europe.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what to pack,” she said, accepting his answer.

“We still have a month before we go…” 

“I like to plan ahead. You know me, I like to be prepared.”

“I’ll help you the week before, you don’t need to start packing stuff now,” he said. “I figure we can go to Memphis for a bit before we go, so maybe a week before that…”

“Any special reason for Memphis?” Deana asked.

“See my mom before we go off for a while.  I know, I know, mama’s boy, and I am, to an extent.  We all are.  I can still do stuff in the studio if I want, without it being the busy life we have here.  I can relax, be ME.  You saw when we were there.  Europe, well, it’ll be different.  It won’t be a tour, but it will be hotel suites and fine dining and museums; but also cabins, being with nature, being with YOU.  It’ll be an adventure, with the woman I want all of my adventures with.  YOU are my best adventure, and things are just getting started.”

“You really know what to say to make a girl fall more in love with you,” Deana sighed.

“I mean every word of it.  Before we leave, I wanna do one more movie night with the boys.  I’ll take them to FAO Schwartz, spoil them with toys, and we’ll come home and do a movie night.  They like Marvel and all that?”

“Absolutely.”

“Perfect.  They can pick the movies, it’ll be great.  Maybe even have them over that Friday and Saturday, give your parents a break.  Take them out on Saturday to get toys, maybe do something together, the 4 of us.”

“I think they’d like that.”

The day wore on, and Justin’s phone rang.

“Hey man, what’s up?” he answered.

“Not much.  Hey, um, Sam and I were gonna bring the girls up to the city, figured we could see you guys, a little family vacation…” Trace said.

“We’d love to see you, you know that.  You need to stay here, we can do that.  When?”

“2 weeks from now sound good?”

“Yeah, if you want.  We’re heading down there in less than a month, but if you’re wanting to see the City…”

“The girls haven’t been before, they’re old enough now to really do things.  They could spend time with you, Deana, get to spend more time with her…”

Justin got off the couch, heading towards his studio.  Deana knew something was up, to do that in the middle of a phone call.  She also knew to let him have his secrets, as much as it ate away at her.

Safely in his studio, he sat in his chair.  “So, I had lunch with Deana’s dad today…”

“Did you finally get to ask?  I know you’ve been wanting to get him alone since her graduation.”

“Yeah, and we’re a go.  I showed him the ring idea, he’s gonna see what he can do.”

“Man, she is gonna LOVE it before you even tell her the meaning behind it.  Does your mom know, that you have the green light?”

“Not yet, Deana just got home, I need to call her, that’s not something you send in a text.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.  We’ll see you in 2 weeks?”

“See you in 2 weeks.”

He hung up, looking at his phone.  It’s not like I have to ask her permission, but why is this phone call so damn difficult?  

He tapped her picture, the phone ringing.

“Well hi, darlin’.  How are you?”  Mama Lynn answered.

“Im… I’m great, mom.  Listen, I need to tell you something, something big…”

“Grandbabies big?”

“Well, kinda.  I had lunch with Deana’s dad today, asked for his permission.  We’re a go.”

“That’s great.  Is he able to help with the ring?”

“Yeah, and thanks for your help, too.”

“It’s gonna be beautiful, baby.  Do you know how you’re gonna ask?”

“Not yet.  I don’t know if she WANTS something big, in front of everyone, or just the two of us, at dinner somewhere, candles, flowers, it’s kind of overwhelming.  I want her to have the best, but it also to feel like US.  For it to be everything she’s ever dreamed of.  I just don’t know how to do that without straight up asking her what she wants, which takes away from the surprise of it all.”

“She knows it’s coming, yes?”

“At some point, yeah…”

“You could just ask her, so when it happens, she knows that is what’s happening.  It’s really up to you.  I know things with her have kind of felt almost like a fairy tale.  You swooping in to save the girl, falling in love with her before you even met her.  Maybe she needs that again.  You have plenty of time, think it through, what you think she’d like.  Better yet, have Dani help you.  I’m sure she’s dying to help with something like this.”

“Maybe, if I can’t get some of the details quite right.  I just don’t want her to expect it, have it take her by surprise, take her breath away.  Be a moment she’ll never forget, and neither will I.”

“You’re creative, I’m sure you’ll think of something.  Don’t rush into it, think about what you really want to do.  Make it meaningful, not just do it to get it out of the way.”

“Thanks, mama.  I love you.”

“Love you too, darlin’.  Talk to you later?”

“Yeah, I need to get back to Deana before she worries too much.”

“You’ll think of something.  If you could write a song about getting an earring, you can find the perfect way to propose.”

“Thanks, mama.”

He walked back to the couch.  “Everything ok back there?” Deana asked.

“Yeah, Trace and the girls are coming up here in 2 weeks, not sure if Trace was joking about staying here or not, I do need to double check with him…”

“The boys could come during then.  I mean, start getting the bridal party together.  I know he’ll be your best man, my nephews as ring bearers, Trace’s girls could be flower girls…”

“You’re sweet to want to include them.  Can we… hold off, on talking about getting married?”

“Not getting cold feet, are you?”

“No, nothing like that.  I just don’t want to disappoint you by talking about it so much.  It’ll happen when it happens, and that’s it.”

“Justin, are you ok?”

“I’m fine.  Just a lot of stress right now…”

“I’m sorry, I didn't know…”

“I was trying to keep it from you.  It’s stuff I have to figure out, I’m just feeling drained a bit.”

“Well, sounds like going to Memphis, then a couple months in Europe might be just the thing.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.  It could also just be pressing pause, for everything to be right here waiting the second we get back.”

“If I can help, let me know, babe.  I don’t want you doing this alone.  You have people you work with that can help with ideas and stuff.”

“Yeah, I know.  I just need to not have so much in my head, and that’s really hard for me.  I want this thing to be perfect, and I just don’t know how to do it.”

“Again, I’m here if you need anything.  I’m glad you told me.  Yeah, if not talking about the wedding, especially since you haven’t even proposed, is gonna help in a way, then sure.  You got it.”

He took her hand.  “That being said, I don’t want you suffering in silence if something is wrong.  I can see you hiding in the bathroom, crying in the middle of the night, trying to hide it from me.  Don’t do that.  I never want to be the reason you cry.”

“That does sound very ME, doesn’t it?” she laughed lightly.  “Less wedding talk then, ok?”

“Thanks, babe.  I just have so many things I’m working on in my head, it’s too much right now…”

“Hey.  We’re a team.  I get it, even if I don’t actually understand.  I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.  SO much.”

“Feeling any better?”

“Kinda, not really.  Doesn’t get rid of the stress, it just opened it up to you.”

“I think someone needs to relax a bit.  I can get you a hot bath, some oils to help relax you, then I can give you a massage, see where things go.”

“I don’t know that it will help, but I’m always down for a sensual rubdown from my beautiful girl.”

…

Justin picked up Trace and the girls at the airport, bringing an SUV to fit them and their luggage.  The girls ran up to him, giving him big hugs.  He hugged Samantha and Trace, bringing them to the penthouse.

“I know we’re not actually staying with you guys, but it’ll be good to spend time with you,” Trace said.

“Actually, you’re staying with us for the weekend.  I worked things out with Sam, we’re gonna do some stuff with Deana and her nephews that are in town.”

“Sounds like a plan, especially if the wife is ok with it.”

Deana was on her way to get the boys, excited to spend a whole weekend with them.  She felt weird getting them in a private car, but also didn’t know how to drive.  The boys brought out their bags and things.  “Woah, this is for US?” JJ said, seeing the SUV.  

“Yeah.  Just for today, or maybe not, we’ll see,” she replied, having not thought about how they would get to different places.

They arrived at the penthouse, seeing Justin and the others already there.

“Hey guys,” Justin said, greeting the boys.  “These are some VERY special friends of mine.  This is my best friend, his wife, and their girls.  If it’s ok, I thought we could all do stuff together since you’re all here on vacation.  I promise, it’ll still be fun.”

“Where is everyone sleeping?” Trace asked.

“Well, I was thinking the kids can be in the movie room.  I figure that’s how we’re ending the nights, watching movies.  Maybe not. What do you think, babe?”

“I don’t know if the girls are gonna want to watch superhero movies all weekend.  You boys can hunker down in there, we’ll take over out here.  

“If you’re sure.”  He got closer to her. “I was just hoping we’d be able to cuddle on the couch. Even if we can’t DO anything, I’d still have you in my arms…” he whispered. 

“We’ll have Memphis and all of Europe for that,” she whispered back. “And then some, just us.”

“Well, let’s at least get pizza?” Justin asked. The kids all cheered. Justin put in an order.

“We brought the Switch, we could play Mario Party or something,” JJ offered. 

The girls were intrigued, wanting to learn to play. They went into the movie room and got everything set up to show it on the big screen. Justin had bought one to have around, so they looked up how to have everyone be able to play together. It was more complicated than they thought, but eventually they got it sorted. They were in the middle of playing when the pizzas arrived. 

“Pizza break, then back to the game,” Deana said.

“You’re just happy cuz you’re winning…” Justin sneered. 

“I’m just as shocked as anyone else. It just has good taste I guess,” she laughed. 

They grabbed pizza and soda, taking their time to eat. They returned to the game, Deana in the lead until JJ edged past her towards the end. 

“Alright, movie time?” Justin asked. 

“Frozen?” Deana asked the girls, the girls shouting in excitement.

“Boys?” Justin asked. 

“Jumanji!!” they yelled. 

It was already 8:30 by the time they were ready for the movies, the kids loading up on snacks to eat during the movies. 

The girls sang and danced with Deana, falling asleep as the movie was nearly over. Deana and Samantha smiled at each other. 

“If you wanna check on the boys, be in with them, I’ve got the girls,” she said quietly. 

“Thank you,” Deana said. 

She walked down the hall, quietly opening the door to the movie room. 

Justin looked up and smiled as he saw her come in. “Sam said I could come in here, be with you and the boys.”  She snuggled next to him under the blanket he had. The boys were still awake, but teetering on the edge of sleep. The boys fell asleep as the ending credits started, Trace getting up to go out with Samantha and the girls. 

Justin made pancakes the next morning, in a variety of flavors with a variety of toppings. The kids all opted for chocolate chip, putting anything from whipped cream and sprinkles to chocolate syrup and candy on top. 

“What’s the plan for today?” the boys asked. 

“You boys will do something, the girls will do something else,” Justin said. 

“Girls, we’re gonna do tea and go see Frozen on Broadway!” Deana said. “You can dress up in your best princess dresses and we’ll have so much fun!”  

“Boys, I was thinking there’s a Nintendo place to play video games, there’s the Lego store… Then I thought we could maybe go bowling, have dinner there.  It’ll be fun.”  The kids were excited, the adults already feeling drained, but they knew it would be worth it. 

“Welcome to parenthood,” Trace said. “You may never get a full night of sleep again, but it is worth it.”

The girls got ready while the boys headed out. Deana wore her green lace dress, the girls in princess costumes. They had tea at the American Girl Cafe before going to see Frozen on Broadway. The girls quietly sang along, watching the story come to life in front of them.

The boys had fun playing different video games, building at the Lego store, Justin buying each of them a set to take home. 

They stopped back at the penthouse, the boys to play with Legos, the girls to change out of their dresses for bowling. They took two SUVs to Bowlmor Times Square, getting lots of food to eat as they played. The kids got their own lane with bumpers up, the adults their own lane. The kids had fun, Deana was trying not to be competitive. 

After they ate and finished their games, Justin had one last surprise. “I think we need a movie everyone will like. I know it’s not exactly new, but what about going to see Toy Story 4?”

The kids cheered, giving them their answer. For a Saturday night and a Disney movie, the theater wasn’t as full as they expected. The kids got more snacks before the movie started. 

By the time they got back to the penthouse, the kids were asleep, each needing to be carried in. “I’d say tonight was a success,” Deana whispered, having put the kids down on the couches. Deana and Justin went to their room, Samantha and Trace in the nearest guest room just in case. 

Deana left their door open to keep an ear out, but no one woke up until the next morning.