Do me this honor

[very_sharpe]

Thomas planned a day. It isn't exactly their anniversary - that has come and gone - but he still wants to give Greta a lovely time. Brunch at a place they both like, followed by a matinee of a ballet performance and a walk through the park and maybe a little bit of leisurely but last minute Christmas shopping. Tea at the little cafe they had their first date.

All of it is to give Greta a day off, and more than that, to simply enjoy themselves together, not as parents or as people that needed to work. Sure, he's decided to make plans to take Saoire to see The Nutcracker now, especially since Greta thinks she'll enjoy it. But beyond that, it's rather lovely to be free of any obligation for the day.

It's easy enough to decide to walk home - it's an unseasonably nice evening and there's no rush, they can be leisurely.

"I had a lovely day. Thank you for indulging me," he says to Greta as the house comes into view.

Comments

[andhiswife]

"Likewise," Greta says, giving his arm a light squeeze as they approach the driveway. He needed the day off more than she did, she thinks. The holidays are a busy time at the shop no matter how much he might have prepared beforehand. Even as she tried to focus on simply enjoying herself, part of her had wondered if he could really afford this much time away, or if he was going to pay for it over the next few days. "It feels like getting away with something. Especially this time of year."

She glances up at him, unwilling to ask him outright if this shouldn't have been more of a half-day off, but still a little concerned on that point.

[very_sharpe]

"Oh, don't look at me like that," he says with a little grin. "I'll be alright. I've bent over backward to get plenty of stock done, and if there are any special orders today, they've already been notified that they'll have to wait until after the holidays."

Rowan and Blue are manning the shop admirably, along with a local girl who's-- well. Thomas likes her well enough, even if she's odd in the way that all Darrow locals are odd. No one's attempted to get in touch with him, which means there hasn't been any emergencies.

As they head down the little path toward the front door, Thomas gently catches Greta's hand.

"Not just yet," he says gently. "Honestly, I'm not quite ready for the day to end yet."

[andhiswife]

Her eyebrows lift -- so much for her attempts at subtlety -- but she does relax a little at his reassurance. She can't imagine last-minute shoppers will be happy to hear he won't be whipping up anything unique over the next few days, but she also doesn't think they have much right to their hypothetical disappointment. It's not his fault if his would-be customers have abysmal time management skills.

With a soft sigh of resignation, she prepares herself to head back inside. There'll be a sitter to deal with, and dogs to let out, and a daughter who will want to hear everything before she consents to being tucked in. But Thomas catches her hand, and she turns back to him with a faintly quizzical smile.

"The day won't end just because we go in," she points out. But it has been a lovely evening, and she's inclined to be indulgent. So she steps back toward him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

[very_sharpe]

"I really can't put into words the change you've made in my life, Greta," he says gently. "I couldn't have imagined this happiness and contentment a year ago. You and Saoirse have given me a family that I never imagined myself having, but always desperately wanted."

He pauses long enough to press a gentle kiss to Greta's hand.

"You are beautiful, Greta Baker. You are fierce, and clever, and every day I wonder how on earth you've found yourself with me. And I thank God for it."

Thomas just looks at her for a moment. He's never done this before, not quite like this. Nothing so genuine. Without another word, Thomas sinks down to one knee, because if he's going to do this, he'll do it all the way.

He lets go of Greta's hand so he can produce the ring box from his coat pocket. He pops it open to reveal the emerald engagement ring nestled inside.

"Before I met you, I was merely existing here. You've brought life back into mine. And I would like to spend the rest of it with you. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

[andhiswife]

For an embarrassingly long beat, she's just bewildered by what seems like a complete non-sequitur. Then the earnestness sinks in, and her cheeks flush, and then she notes how purposeful it all sounds -- like lyrics missing a melody. Like something he's been planning for some time.

But the pieces are too slow to assemble themselves, and when he drops to one knee, it manages to shock her. She makes a strangled little sound, eyes widening as he pulls out a ring. Dear god, that's an emerald. She never would've presumed to wear one, but she knows what they bloody well look like, and he's just--just offering it to her.

He's actually proposing.

Maybe it shouldn't surprise her. The idea was out there, for all that it was a bit nebulous and undiscussed. It makes sense. They probably ought to, for purely practical reasons involving ownership of the cottage and Saoirse's guardianship. Unromantic reasons, but still compelling. Maybe part of her had just assumed that's how it would be, in the end: a sensible decision they settled on for sensible reasons. Because he wouldn't be bold enough to do what he's doing now. Because he's always been so careful not to overstep his bounds, even when she wished he would.

She never dared to wish for this. And for a heart-stopping moment, she imagines herself refusing. Not cruelly, but gently, because they're fine as they are, aren't they? Theirs is a happy and functional partnership, if not an official one. And it's a stupid distinction to make, when she knows losing him would break her heart regardless, but she has lost one husband already and the thought of losing another is almost enough to bring her to her knees on the walkway beside him.

But it's not just about her. It's about Thomas, who has lost more wives than she has husbands, but who has never had a real marriage. Not one intended to last, or built on honesty, or driven by anything more profound than economic necessity and a guilty, furtive sort of fondness. Not one like hers -- or the one she could give him.

And it's that realization that finally jolts her out of her slack-jawed stupor: that if he's ever to have a proper, normal marriage, it can only be with her, and that it would be selfish and pointless and stupid to deny him over a fear that just boils down to semantics.

"I--yes." She gives her head a brief shake to clear it, though it doesn't do much good. Somehow, she finds herself on her knees as well, reaching for him as if to confirm their collective solidity, her hands moving over his arms, shoulders, chest, not knowing where to land. "I will, I--of course I will."

[very_sharpe]

Somehow, he manages not to panic in the silence. He lets her digest it, lets her work through it, and the silence really isn't as long as he thinks it is, he's sure of that. Still, a smile breaks across his face like dawn when she says yes. He laughs and rises to his feet so that he can kiss her, tender and unable to stop smiling even against her lips.

"Wonderful," he murmurs, finally drawing back enough so that he can actually take the ring out of its box and slip it onto her finger. Of course he knew her size.

"I hope you like it," he says quietly, still smiling. "I know diamond is traditional these days, but I thought-- like I said, you brought life back into mine. Green seemed rather appropriate."

Of course, the emerald is flanked by two diamonds.

"Saoirse thought the stone should be much bigger, of course."

[andhiswife]

If she had any lingering reservations, they're swept away by the smile he gives her. Anything that would earn her a smile like that can't be a mistake. She lets the kiss ground her, her hands curling around the lapels of his jacket as she tries to will her heart to stop pounding. God, she still feels like a stiff breeze might just knock her over, or waft her away.

The sight of the ring on her finger doesn't do much for how unreal this all feels. Maybe it's the lack of music, for all that she should be used to that by now; part of her thinks it would do her good if she could tromp off for five minutes and sing through all this to herself until she was on more solid ground. But the ring is beautiful, and fits more perfectly than any gemstone ought to on the hand of a peasant. Is this how Cinderella had felt, when the Prince put the slipper on her foot?

"It's beautiful," she says, giving him a look that starts out appreciative and then slides into fondly exasperated when he starts going on about diamonds being traditional, as if she'd been sitting around and waiting for him to pour diamonds into her lap in the first place. She hadn't expected any ring, let alone one tailored to certain specifications.

Before she can tell him not to be silly, he mentions Saoirse, and a startled laugh escapes her. "Saoirse knew?" Well, she knew the lass had broached the subject, but she never would have guessed that Thomas had taken her ring shopping, and she's surprised the secret was so well kept. "What a pair of sneaks," she says, too impressed to really sound scolding. She lifts her newly adorned hand to Thomas's cheek, her thumb caressing his skin as she leans up to kiss him, languid and lingering.

After a few long moments, she pulls back just enough to mutter a faintly exasperated, "Now I don't want to go in." They probably shouldn't make Saoirse wait too much longer, but she wants to keep basking in the moment, letting herself acclimate to this new (if not drastically different) path onto which they've stepped. She can feel a host of new questions and concerns queueing up a little ways off, but she turns her back on them, content just to wrap her arms around Thomas and nestle close.

[very_sharpe]

Thomas can't help the laugh that escapes him when Greta realizes Saoirse was, at least in part, in on it. He holds Greta close, wanting to draw out this moment as long as they can before they inevitably have to return to the house.

"Oh, she's been after me to get you a ring since the fall festival," he says with a sly little grin. "She thought I might do well to present it to you on a seal stuffy."

He leans in to meet the kiss, still smiling - he doesn't think he'll be able to stop for quite some time. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, there's a little surprise for her, too."

[andhiswife]

"On a stuffy?" she echoes, eyebrows raised. For a moment or two, she appears to mull the idea over. "I have to say, that would have really taken things to new heights. No woman can resist a toy seal." A slow smile spreads across her face, and she adds, "But then, you're rather hard to resist, too."

It's a compliment that could be misconstrued, though she certainly doesn't meant to reference the less savory uses his charm has been put to in the past. The unpleasant connotation only occurs to her afterward, and -- hopefully before it can occur to him -- she swiftly changes the subject to this apparent surprise for Saoirse.

"Oh, really? Do tell. It'd even the score a bit." Granted, Saoirse has been keeping Thomas's secret for months, and Greta will only have a few minutes to anticipate her surprise. But it's something, and she is genuinely curious.

[very_sharpe]

"On a stuff," he confirms, trying not to smile too brightly. He strokes the back of his fingers over Greta's cheek and kisses her again.

"I've a little bracelet for it, something to match your ring, and I've every intention of asking her if it's alright that I officially join the family."

He wants Saoirse to be involved, to feel like she has a hand in the decisions that adults are making all around her. Greta's approval is paramount, of course, but it would be a shame to leave Saoirse out of it entirely, especially at her age. Especially when she was so keen to have him get Greta a ring in the first place.

[andhiswife]

Greta hums into the kiss -- an intrigued little glissando -- and resists the urge to chase after him when he pulls away, though she still sways in a fraction of an inch before settling back on her heels.

"Really?" Saoirse is going to love that, and Greta lights up at the thought of how surprised she'll be (which, given the lass's other insider information, seems like fair play). "Do you have it with you now?" She bites down on her lower lip and gives his lapel a playful little tug. "May I see it?"

In the interest of fairness, of course. And also because she doesn't want to ask outright if he bought her something with diamonds and emeralds on it. It's not that she thinks the lass doesn't deserve it, or wouldn't take good care of such a thing, but she is starting to wonder just how much money Thomas has dropped on this whole venture. The combining of their households hasn't yet extended to their finances, and while she knows they're both doing well enough for themselves, it's hard to get past the knee-jerk concern that this is Too Much (for his pocketbook, if not her station).

[very_sharpe]

Thomas resists the urge to lift an eyebrow when Greta, as casually as she can, asks to see what he's gotten for Saoirse. But he slips his hand into his other pocket and produces a box bigger than the ring box, but considerably thinner.

Inside is a jade and pearl bracelet.

"I wanted it to match yours, at least in color," he says. "But I thought something a bit more... practical would be better for a girl her age. The green stones are jade and the white are pearls - I thought she might like that, being a little seal and all."

He really has thought about the gifts for his ladies, beyond merely choosing something that he thinks will look nice or that is expensive. And Thomas knows that Greta worries about expenses more than he does, but he's careful with keeping the books and these expenses felt important. He's had them worked into his budget for more than a month.

[andhiswife]

He pauses just long enough before fishing out the box that she's fairly certain he's guessed at her concern. Still, she's getting her way, and she doesn't have to pretend to be pleased (though she does try to mask her relief) when he reveals a much more modest bracelet than she'd feared. The way he says 'practical' earns him a shrewdly amused glance -- yes, yes -- but the thought he's clearly put into it makes her smile.

"Oh, she's going to love it," Greta assures him. "Not least of all because it'll probably blindside her." There's an undercurrent of irony, there -- blindsiding people with unexpected jewelry and romantic proposals is rather the theme of the evening, it seems -- but she does think Saoirse will be thrilled.

It does make the prospect of going in a little more enticing, though she pulls him in for another sweet, lingering kiss before asking, "Shall we go in, then?"

[very_sharpe]

"Yes, I suppose she must know we're home by now."

He's certain the dogs have alerted Saoirse and the babysitter to their presence, though eh does appreciate the effort to keep everyone inside so that they might have some privacy. Thomas tucks the bracelet away again and leans close to meet the kiss, lingering for as long as either of them can stand.

"I love you," he murmurs. He makes sure they have their bags before heading toward the door. He thinks he should go first, on the off chance there are dogs and a child trying to rush them.

[andhiswife]

Honestly, she's a little surprised they've been left alone as long as they have. It's not a kindness she wants to abuse by lingering just for the sake of it, though part of her does think the spell of time between now and when she gets him alone again is going to be just a little bit trying.

"And I you," she says, lifting her hand to his cheek for a moment before reluctantly stepping back.

They regather their things, and she has just enough time to hoist her bags out of easy snout-reach as both dogs burst out the door, circling them both enthusiastically and sniffing at their coats for news of where they've been. "Yes, yes, good dogs," Greta says, shifting her bags so she can pat Sadie with her right hand. This new ring is definitely going to take some getting used to, and though she knows she's being absurd, she doesn't want it catching in anyone's fur.

[selkiesaoirse]

Saoirse is the last to join them, because she'd been peering out the window, watching the whole thing. From her angle, she hadn't seen the second box, and she hadn't been able to hear a thing, of course. But she'd wanted to see Greta's face, and her reaction, because although she hadn't known for certain that today was the day Thomas would ask her, she'd suspected it. As soon as Cú had let her know they were back, she'd rushed to the window and pressed her face against it to watch.

It isn't the way she'd wanted to see it done, but it's the best she's got, because even if the sitter hadn't said, Saoirse wanted to give them proper privacy.

So, she's the last to arrive to the door, and her eyes are absolutely alight, and she's got a big smile on her face.

"Let me see, let me see!" she insists.

[very_sharpe]

Thomas manages to set his bags down safely as Greta is swarmed by a very eager Saoirse. He makes brief eye contact with his fiance and gives her a wink as he goes to talk to the babysitter so that he can be on his way.

As Gabriel heads out the door, Thomas returns to the scene to save Greta's bags and to shoo the dogs out of the way.

"It's not quite the ring you envisioned," Thomas warns Saoirse, a smile on his face.

[andhiswife]

Greta gives Gabriel's shoulder a fond pat in passing, then lets Thomas divest her of her bags as she steps (or wades, rather, through the still-circling dogs) inside.

"I thought you'd already seen it," Greta says, arching an eyebrow at her daughter. She certainly doesn't seem the least bit surprised, and it belatedly occurs to her that she could have been watching from the window. But she relents a moment later, holding out her hand so Saoirse can see the ring clearly. "What do you think? Does it look better on me than it would on a seal stuffy?" She glances up to shoot Thomas a grin.

[selkiesaoirse]

She holds Greta's fingers so she can study the new piece properly. It's lovelier than she remembers, probably because it's on Greta's finger now.

She's going to have a proper family, soon, just like all the kids at school and on TV.

"Dad!" Saoirse squeals when Greta mentions the stuffy. "You aren't supposed to tell anyone our plans!" Just because they didn't use them yet means they never will, after all.

[very_sharpe]

"Forgive me, slip of the tongue," he says with a hidden smile. Thomas takes a moment to shoo the dogs into the back yard.

When he comes back, Thomas takes off his coat and hangs it by the door.

"Saoirse, while this is all very exciting, I was wondering if I might borrow you for a moment."

Thomas waits until he has the girl's attention and retrieves the box from his coat pocket. Once again, he's down on one knee - though this time it's to put himself more at eye level with Saoirse.

"I know that you and I already discussed me speaking to Greta, and it means so very much to me that you would want to be involved at all. But, I never really asked you, not properly, if it would be alright with you if I joined the family officially. So I'd like to ask you now."

He opens the box to reveal the pearl and jade bracelet.

"I've asked Greta to be my wife, and you've so kindly asked if I'll be your father. Will you be my daughter, Saoirse?"

[andhiswife]

As soon as Thomas asks for Saoirse's attention, Greta presses her lips together so she won't distract. Moving carefully, she fishes her phone out of her pocket and discreetly starts to film the proceedings. This is going to be so cute.

Not to mention terribly touching. It won't be the steadiest video she's ever taken, and she has to blink rather a lot to keep her vision from blurring. It takes a good deal of self restraint to remain in the background, not prompting Saoirse for her answer.

[selkiesaoirse]

This part is the surprise. The kneeling, and the sweet look on his face, and the beautiful bracelet that looks so much like Greta's ring.

Saoirse can't quite believe it.

She doesn't even realize she's crying until she tries to answer and her voice catches. It startles a wet giggle from her throat, and she pounces on him in a tight hug.

"Yes!" she crows.

[very_sharpe]

Thomas wraps Saoirse in a tight little hug, careful not to squish her too much. "Wonderful," he murmurs against her hair. "Thank you, Saoirse."

He kisses the top of her head, then gently guides her back. He puts the bracelet on her wrist.

"It's sized for you now, but we can have it made bigger as you grow, if you'd like."

He'd thought it was important to get a piece that would be easy to adjust as Saoirse grew. She's just a little girl now, but she won't be forever. He looks up at Greta, catching her with the camera and he can't even bring himself to try to give her a look. All he can do is smile, fond and warm.

[andhiswife]

Greta stops recording, then sniffs conspicuously before tucking the device away. Then, there's really nothing to do but join them on the floor, wrapping one arm around Thomas and stroking back Saoirse's hair with her other hand. "Now we're both all decked out," she says, her grin only a little watery as she takes Saoirse's hand, the ring and the bracelet both gleaming in the light. Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial stage whisper, she adds, "We'll have to get Thomas some sort of finery for Christmas, won't we? If we haven't, already."

Well. The scarf she's made is rather fine by her own standards, but it's hardly on the same level as jewelry. Besides, she hadn't thought to match it with emerald or pearl, color-wise. Surely they can come up with something fitting over the next few days.

[selkiesaoirse]

She nods, cheeks still damp, and snuggles into her family.

Her family. It's always been real to her, but now it feels official, like a stamp or a sticker, or the papers that Thomas makes for his one-of-a-kind trinkets that people special buy.

"Thank you, Dad," she says, voice a little wobbly.