Mr.Pelton and His Five Children

Memories &The Engagement

They all arrived back home beaten up and exhausted from a fun day in town. Margot even began crying at the last bit of the evening because of how tired her feet were, but luckily, she slept throughout the entire car ride back.

"I'll help you with the kids." Richard groggily mumbled.

"Mm, thanks." Annabel said, picking up Tam who was giving her grabby hands. Richard picked up Margot from the back seat and George tugged on a stumbling Sam.

"Come on almost there, lad." George heavily sighed and then decided to pick him up to save time.

"Night." Maggie groaned and pulled herself up the stairs and into her room.

"Sweet dreams Gigi." Annabel called out and they trudged into the younger kids room. "Thanks for helping George."

"Sure, night." He placed a kiss on her head and dragged his limbs to his room. 

"Sleep tight." Annabel replied.

"Where do I sleep?" Eric stumbled into the room.

"I'm still wondering what you're doing here." Annabel groaned.

Eric hadn't gotten in the car with them, but still managed to arrive at their house ten minutes before them. They found him sleeping on the doorstep.

"Even I don't know. I just found myself here." He mumbled and laid down on the carpet, immediately falling asleep.

"Should we get him a bed?" Richard peered at his friend and nudged him with his foot, but he didn't move.

"No, leave him to suffer back pain in the morning." Annabel tugged at Eric's hair but he still didn't budge. "Dead as a horse."

"I feel dead." Richard groaned as he put Maggie in her bed without changing her, they didn't want to wake her up so they just took her socks and shoes off.

"Same."

Annabel changed a half sleeping Tam that barely had enough energy to keep standing and was heavily leaning on her.

Richard was trying to change Sam who made the floor his bed, next to Eric.

"You're finished?" He asked when he was done and was standing at the doorway waiting for Annabel so he could shut the door.

"Just a moment." Annabel kissed the kids heads, was kind enough to get Eric a blanket and then walked out the door and to her room.

"Are you...?" She began to ask but just let it drop.

"Yeah." He said and followed her into her room.

"Do you have...?" He began to ask but let his voice trail off. Both of their eye lids were nearly shut.

"Yeah, in that drawer."

"Thanks." He pulled out a pajama set from the drawer with an new underwear and went to change in the bathroom while she changed in the room.

They both finished changing at the same time, Annabel turned the lights off and they both flopped onto the bed on their respective sides. Their heads missing the pillows by a few centimeters, but they didn't feel like moving.

"My feet, they feel like bricks." Richard groaned his face was half mushed into the comforter.

"And mine like cement blocks." Hers too was half mushed into the comforter.

"Isn't that just bricks?"

"Are bricks made out of cement?"

"I don't know, do you?"

"Would I have asked you if I knew?"

"Fair enough. Hey, so like, when did you fall in love with me?"

"Hmm, I don't know. I've always liked you. And my feelings continued to grow, I only recognized it as love a little over a while ago. How about you?" She asked.

"Mm, I think that time you got the kids covered in whip cream. I started falling in love there."

"That's a long time ago."

"That is, now that I think about it."

"You, you have the capacity to think?"

He lightly shoved her and she broke out in giggles which caused him to smile and turn his entire face into the comforter, because her giggling got butterflies in his stomach.

They lapsed into a moment of silence before Richard broke it.

"So I've been thinking-"

Annabel gasped.

"He can think!" And then she burst out in giggles again. "I'm sorry! I'll stop I promise. It's just when I get really tired I act like a drunk for some reason." Then she burst out into giggles again and rolled around until she was on top of Richard. Her back over his, and they just laid there.

"So what have you been thinking?" She said and held in another burst of giggles.

"Do you want to get married?"

She blinked.

"Sure, but not now. How about when summer break starts, before George leaves for university."

He blinked.

Just like that? She agreed that easily? He expected her to brush him off. They did just say their I love you's today. Why would she agree?

"Why did you agree?"

"Didn't you get the answer you wanted?" She rolled off him so she was laying beside him. 

"I mean yes, I just didn't expect you to actually agree."

"Don't be silly. We've both loved each other for a while now, and we already act like we're married. It's no brainer I'll agree, really. Or did you want me to say no?"

"No! I wanted you to say yes, I just-"

"Then there, you don't need to think about it any longer. I love you, and I wouldn't mind getting married right now, but it's not very ideal to do it now."

Richard brought an arm around her and pulled her to his chest. He curled up in a ball around her body and breathed her in.

"I love you Annabel."

"I love you too Richard."

"Just so we're clear, we're engaged now right?" He mumbled into her hair.

"I guess so."

"Oh my word, I can't believe we're getting married." He said and then burst out in a fit of laughter.

"I know right. Us? Getting married? Who would have thought?" 

She turned her head to look at him and then they both burst out in another fit of giggles.