Here And Now

EPILOGUE: PART 1

* 2 years later *

JACKSON

Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes.

"So, that's a pretty ring." She peers down at the ring in my hand, and continues to swing her legs from her position on the swing.

A bead of sweat begins to form on my eyebrow.

"Do I get to keep the ring even if mom says no?"

"What? You think she'll say no? Why? Did she say something? Was it because of the prank that me and Dex pulled on her last week? I swear I washed all the flour out of her hair myself!"

"Eww, gross. I don't want to hear that Jackson!"

"I'm sorry Kay-Kay. But...but, I got the flour out of her ears too, why is she still angry?" I look down at the grass that I am kneeling on, searching for answers.

"That's your problem, thanks for the ring! Bye!" Kayla climbs down from the swing, pluck the ring box from my hand and starts to run away.

"Kayla, wait! I asked you if I can marry your mom! You didn't even answer!"

That girl is quick, even though she's only seven, her little legs are fast.

She stops in her tracks and walks back towards me.

"That depends on a few things."

"Okay, tell me."

"First, take me to get some ice-cream, this heat is fricking killing me."

"Language, young lady." I give her a stern look and she smiles sheepishly at me.

I look around the public park that we are in, I brought her here after picking her up from school.

"Come on then."

We climb into my Jeep.

I had originally planned on asking Kayla if I could marry her mom on our Disneyland trip last month, but she got sick, so we had to cut the trip short. Since then I've been carrying both of these rings around with me looking for the right opportunity.

And today was my turn to pick her up from school so I decided today was as good a day as it could get.

I spot a Baskin-Robbins and park my car in the lot.

Soon, we are sitting inside the air conditioned café and Kayla slurps away at her choco-chip ice-cream.

"So?" I interwine my fingers and rest my elbows on the table.

"Oh, yeah, wait." She licks her ice-cream one last time before leveling a look at me.

"I'll say yes, if you agree to my conditions."

"Shoot."

"I get to be the only flower girl, got it? I don't want to share it with, Rhea or Dex."

"Doable, Rhea can't even walk yet, and Dex will me one of my groomsmen."

"Even if she can't walk yet, you know how dramatic uncle Mattie is, he will stop at nothing to get his daughter to be the flower girl at his best friend's wedding." She rolls her eyes.

"Two, you have to convince mom about Fluffy."

Fluffy is a stray cat that has acquired Kayla's adoration. She roams around the backyard of my house and Kayla always makes sure that she gets milk and some leftover meat.

"She's allergic to cats."

"Oh please, I'm not a child anymore."

"You're seven."