"You gonna propose to this Haley girl?" Michael asks Morgan as they sit on his couch. "You've been datin' her for a while now."

"Me? What about you and Liz?" Morgan shoots back, kicking his sneakers off. "Y'all've been datin' for like three years, man."

"We're not really in a rush, y'know? We're just enjoyin' each other's company."

"You don't want to marry her?"

"Yeah, I do." He nods. "But right now, we're both busy, too busy to even think about a fuckin weddin'."

"You're gonna be busy until the day you croak, man."

They've talked about getting married before. Liz said she's fine with it but she's just not in a rush for kids. He's in the same boat. They're not against having kids, they just don't want them just yet.

"You're right." He says as he stands.

Morgan presses his lips together as he watches his best friend pick up his wallet and keys. "Hey, I'm sorry, man."

"For what?" He asks, looking over at him. "I just realized that I want to spend the rest of my life with Liz." He can't help the smile that graces his lips. "So I'm gonna go down to Plano and ask for her family's permission."

"Hell yeah!" He stands and wraps him in a huge bro hug. "What're your gonna tell her?"

"That we're on a writing retreat." He says. "I told her there's one comin' up, that one with Ern, me and Cliff. So it's not technically a lie."

"Good luck!" He shouts after him, chuckling to himself.

+++

Michael nervously parks his truck in Walt and Stan's driveway next to Lyn's car. He takes a deep breath as he adjusts his ball cap. He hops out of his truck then heads to the front door where he knocks three times.

"Hey, Michael. What're you doin' here?" Lyn asks, stepping aside for him to come in. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Is your Dad and Papaw here?"

"Mhm." She nods before her face splits into a huge grin. "Oh my god." She clasps her hands together. "Oh my god!"

Michael smiles back at her, heading to the back deck. "Michael, my boy!" Walt says, reaching over to shake his hand as he sits in the chair next to him. "What're you doin' here? My daughter okay?"

"Yessir." He nods, taking a deep breath. "I actually wanted to, uh, ask y'all somethin'."

Papaw turns in his chair, giving him a hard look that matches Walt's. "It better not be what I think it is."

"Uh..." Michael laughs nervously. "I wanted to ask y'all's permission to marry Liz." Papaw gives him the most fatherly glare he's ever seen. It gives Walt's a run for its money. "We've been together for over three years now and I thought that it'd be a good time to finally solidify our relationship, y'know."

He hears a soft squeal from the open kitchen window and smiles to himself. "You got the ring yet?" Papaw asks.

"No sir. I wanted to ask y'all's permission before I did anything."

"Good." Papaw nods to Walt.

"Can you just give us a second, son?"

"Sure, yeah. Absolutely." He awkwardly stands and heads back into the house where Lyn's waiting for him with a glass of lemonade. "Shit."

"Would you just relax? They're just bustin' your balls. They're gonna say it's okay." He nods and takes a few gulps from the glass in his hand. She glances through the glass of the door then nudges him towards it. "Good luck! Don't look nervous!"

Michael sits back down in his chair, his glass tight in his clammy hand. "We've talked about it."

"Okay." Michael nods, wiping his hands off on his jeans.

"We'd be honored to give you our blessin'." Papaw says with a straight face. "That Liz is a great girl. Her and her sister are the lights of our lives. You gotta take care of her, bend over backwards for her, y'know, drop everything to help her if she needs it."

"I understand." He nods again. "Thanks. Thank you." He reaches his hand out for Walt to shake which he and Papaw both do. "Thank you so much." He grins, taking a deep breath. "I feel like if Mamaw and her Mama were here, I'd probably be shittin bricks."

Papaw laughs. "You would've been more worried 'bout askin' them than us. Those women were stubborn as hell. Liz definitely got that from them."

"You stayin' for supper?" Walt asks.

"I'd love to, really, but I gotta get home to the soon-to-be missus."

"Well, let me wrap up some leftovers for y'all, okay?" Lyn says from out of no where, giving him a shoulder squeeze.

+++

It's been a few weeks since Michael's trip to Plano and he's been trying to find the right time to pop the question.

Right now, Liz is is wrist deep in a soapy water filled sink, washing dishes from their small dinner they had with Morgan and his girlfriend Haley. She's busy putting away leftovers while the guys are sitting in the living room watching some game.

"You and Morgan gettin' serious?" She asks, rising a plate off.

"Kinda, I guess. I mean, he met my brothers and folks so I guess that's kinda serious?"

"When I met Michael's dad for the first time, he caught us fuckin'."

"No way."

"Yes way, it was so embarrassin' but he said he was willin' to forget about it if I helped him make supper." Haley laughs, sliding a container into the fridge. "Brothers?"

"Two. Sam and Wes, both older."

"How'd that go?"

"They gave him shit for washing his hands in the sink." Liz pulls a face. "Called him a 'city boy' for usin' soap 'stead of the spigot off the side of the house." She laughs. "But they love him, they won't admit it though."

"My sister and brother in law love him. It was my Papaw and Mamaw I worried about the most but I think Mamaw loved him more than I do."

"Aw! You piece of shit, Ref!" Morgan shouts from the living room.

"Hey!" Haley shouts back earning a quiet 'sorry' in response. "He's definitely wrapped around my little finger."

"Yeah, he's such a great guy. Both of 'em are."

"For sure." She smiles back. "What time is it?" Liz nods to the clock on the wall next to the kitchen door way. "Hey babe, you 'bout ready?"

"Uh, yeah."

Haley gives Liz a hug before she joins Morgan by the door. "See y'all later."

"See ya!" Liz and Michael shout back then the door closes.

"Baby, you 'bout ready for bed?" Michael yawns, clicking the TV.

"I'm upstairs." She responds. When he gets to their bedroom, he sees her digging through her drawers. "I'm gonna take a quick shower."

Michael nods and closes the bathroom door for her. She wasn't kidding about a quick shower. Not even ten minutes later, the bathroom door opens revealing her wearing one of her own shirts and a cheeky pair of striped boycut panties.

Liz has her hair wrapped in a towel while she's standing at the sink, brushing her teeth. "I like Haley." She garbles through her mouthful of toothpaste. "She's a good fit for him."

"Yeah, I think she's better for him than his ex, Maggie Wilson."

"The Maggie Wilson? The top female songwriter in Nashville?"

"Uh, yeah." He nods as he watches her rinse her mouth then toss the towel over the curtain rod. She picks up her comb and sits on the edge of the bed, carefully picking at her tangles. "You get more and more beautiful every time I see you."

She laughs, looking down at the piece of hair she's working on. Michael grabs the small leather box from his nightstand and makes his way to her. He crouches in front of her, his hands on her knee. "What's up?" She asks, leaning back on her palms with her comb still in her hand.

"Liz," Michael says, looking up at her bare face and wet hair. His eyes fill with love as he gazes up at her. "You're so... wow."

"C'mon now." She blushes.

"Liz, I don't wanna be your boyfriend anymore."

Her face drops. "Excuse me?"

"Not- not like that, fuck." He runs his hand through his hair. "Listen, I wanna grow old with you. I wanna start a family with you and I wanna-"

"Michael..."

"I know there are better ways I could do this and I didn't prepare nothin' but," He sinks down onto his knee. "Liz, will you marry me?"

She rolls her lips into her mouth as she glances between her boyfriend and the ring he's holding. She doesn't know. She's loving the relationship they have and she's worried that getting married will change everything.

But she loves him.

There's no doubt about that.

"Yeah, I'll marry you."