their partners and careers, and were having children of their own. It was important for Kate to have a life too, and Scott was an essential part of it. It had been startling to her children at first that he and Kate were living together, but they had gotten used to it, and so had Scott and Kate. Everyone had their place, and there was room for all of them in Kate’s life, her children, and her man.
* * *
—
As the sounds of the wedding revelers in the rest of the house began to diminish, Scott turned to Kate in bed with a question.
“Your mother says you’re going to India with her, to visit Anthony.” Kate hadn’t told him yet, and he seemed surprised.
“I might. I haven’t decided. It’s a big trip. She’s desperate to go, and I don’t think she should travel alone, but I’d like to stick around here until Tammy and Stacey have their babies. Maybe we could go after that, later in the year.” She had a thought then. “Would you want to come with us?”
“I’d love it, if I don’t have any big cases then, scheduled for trial. Actually, I’d like to go with you,” he said cautiously, not wanting to offend Margaret. He loved her but wanted time alone with Kate to travel. He’d never been to India. “Maybe we could go with your mom and leave her with Anthony for a while, and go off on our own for a week or two. I hear parts of India are incredibly romantic.” He hesitated, and she could see that he had something else on his mind. “It would make an incredible honeymoon,” he said softly, afraid of what she’d say, and she turned to smile at him.
“Would you ever want to make it legal with us? I’m kind of a traditional guy.” It was something he had discovered about himself recently, that marriage was important to him. More than he had thought it would be. But with Kate in his life now, it mattered a great deal, and seemed like the right thing to do.
“I never thought about it. I didn’t think it was an option,” Kate answered. “Do we need it?” she asked with a startled look.
“Need it? No. I don’t need a green card,” he said and she laughed. “You told me a while ago, when we talked about Claire, that you believe in marriage profoundly. I do too. I think it’s a statement of how much you love someone and how much they mean to you. It’s a way of showing the world that you believe in that person and the life you share with them, which was why it seemed wrong to me for Claire to have Reed’s baby and not marry him. That’s like saying I believe in you enough to have your child, but not to stand beside you or tell the world that I love you. It’s why what Tammy and Stacey did was so meaningful, because that’s exactly what they were saying, whatever their sexual preference.”
“Do you believe in me enough to do that?” Kate asked him, looking deeply touched and a little amazed.
“Yes, I do,” he said seriously. “It’s how I feel about you, Kate, and I’d like the world to know it. I’m proud to be with you. We belong to each other. Do you believe in me enough to marry me?” he asked her. “Maybe that’s the more important question.”
“Yes, I do,” she said quietly. “I haven’t believed in marriage for myself in a long time, ever since Tom. But I love you and I’m proud to be a part of your life.” She hadn’t thought they needed to be married but now she realized that maybe he was right. And the seven year age difference between them had proved to be insignificant.
“Then let’s get married and go to India for our honeymoon,” he said, smiling at her.
“Just like that? That easy?” she asked him.
“It’s always been easy with us. We were meant to be together.” He kissed her. “I knew it when I met you, and when you fell in the street.”
“Does this mean we’re engaged?” She smiled at him.
“If you want to be.” He was smiling broadly. “Maybe we should make love to seal the deal,” he said as he pulled her closer and she laughed.
“That seems like a very good idea,” she said and then he took off her nightgown and proved it to her.
After they made