Cade woke and turned over on his side. Meg slept spread eagle on her belly, but the bed was big enough. He loved having her in his home — their home. Although he didn't ask her to pay anything, she bought groceries. Together they planned meals for the week and cooked. They had settled into an amazing routine.

Confetti whined in the crate. So Cade threw back the covers on his side. After getting dressed, he let the dog out. Glancing out the window, Cade saw a dusting of white powder on the grass. Winter hadn't officially started, but it had been cold.

It was also too cold to run after work, so Cade bought a treadmill for the spare room. Unfortunately, they couldn't run together. Meg ran a few evenings a week, and they tried to run together outside on the weekends.

The minute he snapped on the leash, Confetti pulled him. "Heel." The dog obeyed for a moment, but ran when he saw the white powder. Cade wasn't prepared, and he slipped on the slick, wet walkway. Confetti kept running as the leash slipped through his fingers.

He called, "Heel. Stay. Sit." But the dog ran across the street to his favorite hydrant. As Cade tried to stand, his knee and his ankle hurt. Worried his dog wouldn't come back, he called to him.

A door slammed, and Sanjay and Nikhil ran out of their house. Confetti barked and ran to them. Nikhil yelled, "I got him. Are you okay?"

He nodded and limped towards the street. "I'm coming."

The door slammed again. "Stay there. I'll bring him over and check on your injury."

Cade listened to Bodhi, glad he was home. The doctor walked across the street with Confetti, who greeted Cade with a wagging tail. "You should not have run off," he scowled. "I was afraid he would run. The boys..."

"Saw you and ran out to help before we could stop them."

"At least they stay in their yard."

"They follow the rules. What hurts?"

"My knee and ankle."

"Let's get you in. Is your friend here?"

Cade sighed happily. "Meg was asleep when I took him out."

Bodhi kicked off his boots. Cade had on old running shoes which was his first mistake. The traction had worn off. Cade had never invited his neighbors inside before, but he wasn't about to turn the doctor away.

"I'll change from these wet jeans." The wet spots felt like ice against his skin.

As he limped into the bedroom, Meg said, "Did I hear voices?"

"The doc from across the street. I fell outside."

She sat up. "You fell? Are you alright?"

"He's going to check me out."

He pulled on a pair of running shorts and limped out at the same time Meg jumped out of bed.

"Sit down. Your knee is skinned."

"It hurts."

Bodhi nodded. "As adults, we forget. Kids skin them all the time, but they always cry." Bodhi sat next to him on the L-shaped sofa. "Put your ankle up."

He poked it and Cade hissed. Meg appeared wearing flannel pants and a sweatshirt. Her hair was messed up and if Cade's ankle wasn't being prodded, he would notice she was braless.

"I doubt it's broken, but I'm not an x-ray. My guess is it's sprained. You don't want to waste your Saturday in the ED. Wrap it, ice it, elevate it, and if it gets worse call me."

"I don't have your number."

Meg grabbed a pen and paper from the kitchen. "Here. Thanks for looking at it."

"Bodhi, this is Meg. Hun, can you feed the dog?"

She laughed. "The dog."

"He pulled me. It's his fault."

"You're in trouble." She petted Confetti with affection.

Bodhi cleared his throat. "Do you have an ace bandage?"

He nodded. "I've had sprains before."

"Amita wants to invite you to dinner, but we don't have your number."

Meg stepped forward. "Do you have your phone or should I write it down?"

"Write it down. I left my phone at home. Good thing it wasn't an emergency."

Cade laughed. The pain wasn't so bad when it wasn't being poked. "I bet she would have run out."

"She watched from the window. I'll check on you later."

"Thanks, doc."

"Nice meeting you."

As soon as Bohdi left, Meg rushed forward. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"He pulled, and it was slippery. It happened fast. I was on the ground and he was loose."

"How did you get him?"

"The boys. He ran right to them."

"We owe them a big thank you. If we invite them over to play games, we can feed them ice cream. It would be a break for their parents."

"You want to entertain two boys."

She smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fun. Do you have an ice pack?"

"In the freezer. The bandage is in a drawer in the bathroom, unless you moved it." The bathroom was the one place that changed after she moved it.

She returned and put the cold on his ankle. "Do you want a cover? It will make you cold."

"I feel like an invalid. I'm not running today."

"You won't be running for a few days. I can use the treadmill or hang with you."

Cade smiled. "I'm just sitting here, so..." He wanted to influence her, but it wasn't his place to decide for her.

She bit her lip. "So go run or come cuddle?"

"The choice is yours, but before you do either I really need a cup of coffee."

She smiled. "I'll run later after our coffee."

Being with her helped ease his pain. She handed him a steaming mug and sat so his elevated foot could rest on her lap. Her hand rested above his sore ankle and warmed him. He expected the ice pad to thaw instantly.

"You never told me details about your interview."

"I'm not sure it was an interview. The woman talked more than she asked questions. There are different editors with room for advancement. Editors edit. I'm not sure it will be much different except it's for a book and not an article. Only the most senior editors choose what books to publish and negotiate contracts. I'm not sure I'm even interested in that."

"So would it be better or worse?"

She shrugged. "I guess it depends."

"On what?"

"Title, money. Am I vain to want a job that sounds important?"

"No. You want to feel valued and rewarded."

"You know me better than myself. That's what I want. I'm not even sure I'll have a decision to make."

"I'll listen to you as you weigh your options. Either way, you'll be fine. I'll always support your career. In time, I might look for a challenge, but what I'm doing works."

"You don't have to work." She chuckled.

"No, but I like to. I could say the same about you but I know it's important to you."

"I always wanted to be more than my father's daughter."

"You are so much more."

Meg put the ice pack back in the freezer, and Cade wrapped the elastic bandage around his ankle. They cuddled together for a while, before Meg stood to use the treadmill and plop the cold gel on his ankle again.

"It's cold. You took your warmth with you."

"I can get you a sweatshirt."

"I hate for you to play maid. I need to get up and use the bathroom."

"I don't mind helping. Go. I'll get you warmer clothes."

When he finished in the bathroom, he hobbled into the bedroom to find Meg staring into an open drawer. His heart pounded because he knew what she found.

"See something interesting?"

"Um." She turned wide-eyed.

"You have a decision to make. Pretend this didn't happen or if you want it..."

"Are you mad at me?"

He chuckled. "No, if you want it, I won't have to come up with an elaborate scene. If you want the scene, I will, but only if your answer is yes."

"Of course, my answer is yes."

His heart released tension and soared. "If you don't want it now, I'll hide it again."

She stood biting her lip. It was like putting chocolate in front of her and telling her not to eat it. Cade was proud of the platinum and three-carat diamond ring. Aside from paying Liz and buying his house, it was the most important thing he spent his money on.

"You can't even get down on one knee."

"I will if you help me back up."

She laughed. "You need to get off your foot."

"It's not that bad." He looked at her pleading to say something.

When he tucked the ring away, he knew he needed to plan a moment she could tell her mother, friends and their children about. Unfortunately, he hated public attention and an at home proposal was lame. Instead of planning, he pushed his dilemma aside. Meg finding the ring was a blessing in disguise.

"I'm, um, going to run." She threw a sweatshirt at him to catch.

Cade turned around to go elevate his ankle which hurt from standing too long. He flipped through the streaming services and debated calling Leigh. Complaining about his injury was too whiny, especially after she put up with him for months.

His life had changed since he stopped being a suspect. Finding Meg. Giving her a chance when he trusted no one. Finding Confetti. Falling in love. Fate might not always be good, but little Cade kissed Meg in a frilly dress. He had seen pictures of her at the same age. For a toddler, he knew a pretty thing. Maybe they would have a daughter just like her. Cade settled on an old Will Ferrell comedy.

Meg appeared with a towel wrapped around her. He smiled. "What are you wearing?"

She smiled. "This." She held out her left hand. "I couldn't forget about it. I had to look. It's amazing. You're amazing."

He pulled on her towel. "Does this mean you want to get hitched?"

The towel fell off, and she climbed onto him. "Hitched? It sounds like we'll have a chain connecting us."

He shook his head as his hand caressed her exposed breasts. "Nope. Just our love, but I know how we can connect right now." She giggled. He patted her butt cheeks. "Help me up."

"Is this part of our engagement story?"

He laughed. "What story? You found the ring."

"I know, but maybe you sent me in your drawer on purpose."

He laughed. "You're crazy, but I'll go with however you tell it. I would never have made it through a public proposal."

She kissed him. "I know." He believed her. "We are unique. Our first kiss was practically thirty years ago."

"I know It was fate."

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