Aubrey sucks in a breath as time seems to stand still. His words ring in her mind as she can't help but only stare at him. He just asked me to marry him? She knew that she wants to marry him, but it never really crossed her mind that he would want to marry her too.

"Aubrey?" His voice cracks and she can tell that her silence is hurting him.

She looks into his eyes and a smile spreads across her face. "Yes, I would love to marry you."

After the short seconds it takes for the shock to wear off he quickly places his lips on hers in what turns into a heated kiss. He rests his forehead against hers and stares into her eyes. "I have a ring, but I'll have to get it out my pickup."

She smiles and kisses his lips lightly. "No rush, handsome Jedi, no one is going to be taking me away from you."

"Good and even if they try they are going to have a bigger fight than what they bargained for." There is a pause before he speaks up again. "I really am sorry that it wasn't like I planned it. I sure did not plan to ask you to marry me when you were in tears and sitting a tiny, very dirty bathroom."

She giggles slightly. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you have planned?"

He takes a deep breath. "Well I was going to use Ken's horse drawn carriage and take you to a little clearing not far behind the house and have lights on the trees."

An amazed tear slips down her cheek as she kisses his cheek first, then his lips. "That's so sweet!" 

While looking into her soft green eyes he can still see the pain, but he also sees true happiness, joy and contentment. He doesn't mind that there is still pain in her eyes. Sure, it makes him mad at the people who caused it, but he knows he can't go back and fix it. He finds peace in knowing that he makes her happy and promises himself, and on their wedding day her, that he will do everything in his power to keep from being the one to cause pain in her eyes.

"Do you think we should join the rest of them?"

Her hand reaches up to touch her hair. "Uh, yeah. Just let me make myself presentable again."

He laughs. "Oh sweetheart! You can't look bad if you try."
***

"Do you think my momma is okay?" Cole asks Clay as the little boy strokes a soft velvety nose of the mare Jedediah has up in pens.

Clay smiles softly. "Well bud, I think she just needs a minute to be held and calm down a little bit. Kind of like when you hurt yourself and she holds you until you stop crying."

"So momma hurt herself?"

"Kind of, just not like when you fall down and your leg hurts."

The little boy cocks his head to the side and strokes the sorrel mare's face again. It is silent, except for the sound of Clay's boots on the concrete floor as he walks from stall to stall with the little boy resting in his arms.

Just then the sound of more feet on the floor makes both of their heads turn to the entrance of the big red barn.

Cole's face lights up and he scrambles from Clay's arms. "Momma!"

She smiles and lifts him into her arms as he runs to her. "You have fun with Clay?"

He nods his head rapidly. "Yeah! He likes horses just like me." He moves his little lips to her ear where he whispers, "And he used to scare his momma with them like I do you sometimes."

She laughs. "Well I will just have to get used to it won't I?"

He nods vigorously and hugs her neck tightly.

Jedediah smiles at Aubrey and Cole before moving over closer to his brother. "How many times did he tell you their names and all that?" he asks with a chuckle.

Clay smiles brightly. "Not too many times. He was quite worried about his momma."

"Well I think everything is sorted out and back to a new normal now."

Clay raises a questioning eyebrow at his big brother.

A giant smile rests on Jedediah's face. "You will officially have a nephew in not too long."

Clays lips pull back into a deep grin and he sticks his hand out for a brotherly hand shake. "Congrats bro! They are both amazing!"

"Thanks, they are that. What do you say you walk back up to the house with Aubrey? I have something I need to talk to Cole about."

Clay smiles brightly. "I don't think that little boy is going to have a problem with it, but okay."

Jedediah tells Aubrey that he is going to show Cole the kittens in the loft before he comes in and that she should go with Clay to the house. Almost instantly she tenses up and it hadn't crossed his mind how uncomfortable she might feel. "Never mind I didn't think that through-"

She stops him short. "No it's fine. That sounds like a good idea."

He wraps her in his arms. "Are you sure?"

She kisses his cheek lightly. "Yes I am."

He watches as she walks along side his brother as they seem to get into a comfortable conversation. The sight makes him smile brightly. She is his. Not that he ever really thought about it, but now there is no questioning if she is going to find someone better. Sure, she could have found someone much better than a cowboy with a dusty house, but instead she chose him. His heart swells inside of him, not out of pride because she chose him, but out of love for her and for Christ Jesus.

Cole's gentle tug to his hand brings him back from his daydream. "Can we go see the kittens, now?"

Jedediah smiles. "Yes, of course."

As Cole holds a grey kitten in his lap Jedediah takes a deep breath. "Cole."

"Yes sir?"

"Is it okay with you if your momma and I get married?"

Cole looks up from the kitten and cocks his head to the side in thought. "What does getting married mean?"

A slight grin graces Jedediah's lips. "Well its when a grown up boy and a grown up girl love each and when they get married they move into live together."

A look of pure fright settles on Cole's face. "Momma is going to leave me?" He whispers as tears stream down his cheeks like a flood.

"What? No no no! Cole that's not what I meant at all. You and your momma would come to live at my house. Both of you. He wouldn't leave for anything and I wouldn't want her to."

Cole's eyes brighten a little. "You mean I get to live with you? And- and I can call you daddy all the time?"

That makes tears build in Jedediah's eyes. "Yes, yes you can."

"Yay!" Cole cries as he leaves the kitten on the hay bail and throws himself into Jedediah's arms.

A/N

Thanks for reading!

So how do we feel about Jedediah and Cole's conversation?

Is anyone ready for the wedding?

Do y'all want me to write past when they get married?