Tutoring

They were sitting on the couch watching another Disney movie when Libby said, "Would you maybe be okay with meeting my parents this weekend?"

He looked at her and said, "Of course. I was wondering when you'd ask. Alexandra knows enough words to at least get by now and I think it would great."

Shane asked the girl on his lap if she wanted to meet her бабушка and дедушка. "Can you say 'grandma' and 'grandpa'?"

Libby's parents were not only thrilled to have their daughter home, but even more so to meet their adopted granddaughter. "She is so beautiful, Libby!" he mother said. "I think we're going to be driving to Cheyenne a lot more often! And she can already say so many words. It's truly amazing."

"We have this guy to thank for that," she said nodding to Shane whose hand she was holding.

Her father was initially concerned about the age difference but having met Shane and found they had so much in common, he changed his tune by the time they left Sunday afternoon.

"So Alexandra starts school tomorrow and you start you new job. Are you excited about it?" Shane asked on the way home.

"I guess," she said. "I love flowers and Angie and I get along really well so it'll be okay."

"You'd rather stay home though, right?"

"Is it that obvious?" she asked trying not to sound too disappointed.

"Yeah, pretty much," Shane told her.

"I can make the insurance money last another year if I work and don't get crazy spending money, but it'll all be gone in six months if I don't so this is kind of a necessity. I have Alexandra to think of now, too."

They rode in silence the rest of the way back to Libby's then got Alexandra in the bathtub as Libby put her things together for the first day of school.

"I have tomorrow off and I'd like to go with you to take her to school if that's okay," Shane told her as Alexandra played in the tub.

She put her arms around him and said, "You are the most amazing man, Shane. Of course you can come with us. After all, we both love you." She kissed him and smiled as Shane smiled back.

"Speaking of love," he said. "Come over here with me and sit down, okay?"

"O-kaaay," she said as he led her to the couch.

"This is the place where I first I first kissed you," he began.

"Oh, I remember," she said. "It was a very memorable moment in my life."

"So because I love you too, and because I also love Alexandra, it only makes sense to do this right here."

He reached into his pocket and Libby said, "Shane? What are you doing? What is that?"

He knelt down and said, "Libby Grant, I have never been in love before and I only ever dreamed I could feel this way about any woman. I often wondered whether I ever would. But I am so totally and completely in love with you I don't ever want to be without you again."

Libby was covering her mouth with her hands which were trembling like nobody's business as he opened the small, blue box. "I noticed you took off your wedding ring the day after we first made love and although I'm sure that was very hard for you, it made think there might just be room in your heart to love again; room enough for...me. Libby Grant? I love you more than anything on earth. Will you marry me?"

Libby was crying and shaking as she held out her hand. "Yes! Of course I will marry you, Shane. I'm totally and completely in love with you, too!"

He slipped the ring on her finger and she shrieked so loud Alexandra called out, "Mommy sad?"

Shane helped her stand up, kissed her, then walked quickly to the bathroom. She knelt by the tub as Shane translated. "No, mommy's not sad, honey. Mommy is very, very happy. Shane just asked mommy to marry him so he's going to be your new daddy."

Alexandra's eyes opened as wide as they could as she sucked in a big breath and said, "Shane my daddy? I love Daddy! Libby my mommy. I love Mommy!"

Shane knelt next to Libby and put his arm around her. "I love you, Alexandra and I love your mommy." He said it in English and her answer made them both laugh.

"I know!" She had no idea why they were laughing but no one cared.

Libby's heart was so full of love she thought it would burst. And that was before Shane said, "Honey, I don't want you to go to work unless it's something you really want to do. I'm not rich but I make decent money; more than enough to support us. So if you need to work a few days because Angie is depending on, that's fine. If you want to keep working, that's fine, too. But you can stay and raise your...our...daughter if you want."

"Yes, she is our daughter, Shane, and yes, I would love to stay home with her. I'll let Angie know things have changed and I'm sure we can work this out rather quickly." She looked at him and tried not cry.

She leaned over and kissed him causing Alexandra to call out, "Kiss, kiss!" again.

Three months later they were married in her parents' home with her mother serving as her maid of honor and Shane's dad who flew in with his mother to be his best man.

Libby had never really thought of leaving Wyoming, but when Shane received permanent change of station or PCS orders the next summer, she found herself very excited at the prospect of traveling to new places. By the time they arrived at their new duty station, Libby learned she was pregnant with their first biological child. Biological or not, they knew they would never love either child more or less than Alexandra who was now speaking English almost at grade level.

Looking back, Libby Fields could never have imagined that the tragedy of losing her beloved husband would bring so much future love and happiness to her life. And had it not been for fate bringing along a tutor at the right place and time...