Tariq's bouncing knee is driving me nuts.

Nuts!

He's trying his hand at Zelda Ocarina of Time. If anyone doubted my love for him they sure wouldn't now... I had to erase one of my perfect games for him.

That's true love right there.

I'm ready to pull my hair out though because he sucks. He can't get through the Deku Tree... who can't get through the Deku Tree?! I just don't understand!

"No, Tariq. That way... that way."

"Blue, you're not helping by micromanaging me here."

"But you're so bad."

"Well excuse me, but not all of us have played this game a gazillion times."

I roll my eyes. "Does that make you feel better?"

He checks his watch then saves the game, turning it off and my mouth drops. "You didn't finish! You can't just end it there without finishing it out."

He walks to the counter, swiping up his keys, grabbing his jacket. "It was too hard."

My eyes widen and I shake my hands in the air. "It's literally the easiest level."

His mouth twitches in the corner. "You're bruising my ego, Blue."

"It deserves to be bruised if you can't beat the Deku Tree."

I snatch the controller up, pointing it at him. "Now finish."

He stalks over, grabs the controller then horrifies me by pulling it out of the N64's socket.

I gasp. "How could you?!"

His arm wraps around me, pulling me up until I'm standing. "Because I have a reservation for us and I don't want to miss it. This sexy dress isn't meant for video game night."

I huff, crossing my arms over my swollen chest, making Tariq's eyes glance down, darkening, a smirk dancing across his face. "I'm huge in this thing. It was tiny on me when I wasn't pregnant."

"Nope, you're very sexy in it. Red is your color and velvet is my new favorite fabric."

I don't believe him for a second. "I wore this a lot better at the scholarship dinner."

I glance down and despite my love for my baby, he or she has made me into a hippo monster and I still have a ways to go. My face is swollen, my ankles pudgy, my butt massive, and it hurts to wear anything tight.

Like this dress.

I'm a monster, wrapped in velvet red, that makes me sweat. While my boyfriend is sin draped in a black jacket, black button-down shirt, dark denim jeans, with his hair styled in a sexy messy way. He's long, muscular, and too beautiful for me.

Tariq's calloused pad gliding over my collarbone gets my attention. "You wear it better now."

"Stop lying to me."

He chuckles, kissing me. "I'm not. I love that belly because I did that to you and it's my baby in there, it's the sexiest thing."

His mouth and taste are too addicting so I cave, just a smidge. "Fine, I'll believe you for now."

Strong fingers lace in mine. "Come on, let's go have a proper date for once that took me way too long to convince you to do."

I walk upstairs with him. 'We have finals coming up, it's not entirely my fault."

We get to his jeep and he helps me in it. As we drive I bicker and he smirks as if he loves how brutal I've become. I hate how I'm all over the place, yet he seems to thoroughly enjoy it, which makes me mad, yet love him at the same time.

Pregnancy hormones are no joke.

He pulls up to the restaurant and my eyes widen. "Are you serious?! We were kicked out of here."

Not saying a word, he turns the Jeep off and gets out, opening my door for me, my hand falls into his as he wraps his arm around me, bringing me safely to the concrete.

"I can't believe you're making me do this. Chinese and video games would've been a perfect night."

He laughs as we walk closer to the restaurant. "You said last week how you missed dressing up and putting on lipstick."

"I was delusional, why would you listen to a delusional woman." His broad smile makes all my irritation die away. "Thank you for taking me out."

He lowers his head, his lips pressing against my forehead. "You're welcome my little temperamental hedgehog."

As soon as his warm lips leave my forehead, Tariq stiffens. "You've got to be kidding me."

I look up at him confused then glance back to see Tariq's ex-girlfriend and a guy with his arm thrown over her shoulder. He's good-looking, blonde, clean-cut, pretty brown eyes. Golden-boy kind of handsome, not even close to Tariq's exotic boldness or sexiness.

Cass licks her lips, beautifully pointed jaw tensing, her high cheekbones turning a little pink. "Tariq." Her eyes slide to me and immediately go to my round belly. "Are you two going in or leaving?"

Tariq's hand goes to my side, gripping it protectively and Cass's green cat eyes don't miss it. "In."

She's so beautiful. Dark golden tan, black hair sleek and shiny, green eyes vivid. popping against her smokey eyes. Her skin glows and every inch of her is perfectly sculpted in an hourglass figure. What hurts the most for some dumb reason is how her waist dips in evenly on both sides.

Tears prick my eyes but I hold them back.

I look absolutely ridiculous.

The guy with Cass laughs suddenly, making me jump. Tariq glares at him. "What's so funny, Donovan?"

Brown eyes roll down every inch of me, examining me with unkind judgmental eyes. Tariq steps in front of me as Donovan's gaze snaps to him. "Nothing. Hope that knee is treating you well. Sucks not making it into the NHL."

"Yeah, well it wasn't from lack of talent unlike you."

Donovan's nostrils flare and Cass puts her hand on his chest. "Let's get inside, babe."

Her eyes flicker back to me and then at Tariq. "See you around, Tariq."

Donovan opens the door for her and before following her inside, he mutters under his breath, "Definitely a downgrade."

Tariq doesn't hear him, because if he did, I know he'd be throwing a punch at him. Instead, he sighs and I turn away not wanting him to see my tears. Tariq loves me, I know that, but will there come a day when he'll wish he would've stayed with Cass or had someone more... pretty?

"That was awkward," he breathes out. "Come on, Blue, I've got..." his words die as he turns me around, seeing my crying face and the dam breaks open.

"I'm not nearly as pretty as her. I am a downgrade." I cry out hysterically.

Tariq's eyes widen and then his face tightens, his expression turning dark. "Is that what he said? I'm going to kill him."

I walk away from Tariq, throwing my arms in the air. "Why? It's true."

Tariq is momentarily stunned by my outburst. "No, it's not."

"Oh my gosh, Tariq," I bellow out. "She's a pageant queen and I'm nothing but a fat hippo."

"You're not a hippo."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

He sucks in a sharp irritated breath, looking so gorgeously frumpled as his fingers dig into his hair, the top buttons of his shirt undone, exposing his beautiful throat that's constricting in frustration. "This is not how this was supposed to go."

"I'm sorry our date is ruined." I cry, turning away from him. "But can we please go back to your place? I look enormous and my mascara is probably smeared all over my face from crying and--"

Tariq wraps himself around me from behind. "Blue, please stop. You are so much more beautiful than her. You just don't see it like I do."

He nuzzles the crook of my neck, breathing me in. "When I look at you, I know there's a God because He designed you for me. All your weird quirks are my heaven. The video games, constant random singing, your weird humor, and epic Nerf gun wars."

I sniffle. "They are pretty epic."

He whispers into my neck, kissing it. "You were handcrafted, molded for me and I don't know what I did to deserve it."

"I have crooked lips."

"And I get drunk off them. Do you remember how badly I wanted to kiss you? It was because of your sexy crooked lips."

"My side goes in because I have scoliosis."

His hand trails down said side, blazing me to life. "I'm obsessed with it, it's like it was shaped for me and my hand only."

"But it gives me a weird side muffin top."

His fingers dig into that plump of fat and I breathe in a shaky breath. "It's my favorite part to grab when I'm kissing you," he whispers huskily into my ear, his voice calming me.

"My butt's enormous."

He chuckles, "You mean this one I can't keep my hands off of and checked out shamelessly that first day in your dorm."

I gasp. "So you were checking it out."

"Of course I was, I meant it when I said you have a cute rear."

"But... what's that?" I ask, looking down as Tariq's other hand holds a little odd hedgehog beanie baby in it. I pick it up and open the tag.

My eyes go to the other side.

My breathing stops and my heart is in my throat. I turn in Tariq's arms as he pulls out Paul's cross necklace with a ring on it. He lifts it over his head, unlatching it and taking the ring off the chain. "I've had this around my neck for a while now, trying to figure out the best way to ask you. You saved me that night you can barreling into me, knocking my bad knee on your singing spree. I'm so lucky that night happened, Blue. I had been broken, my faith shaken after everything but you came along and filled all my pain and brokenness with your love."

He's down on his knee and I'm crying. "And as painful as my life has been these past few years, I'm also grateful because they brought me to you." He pauses holding the ring out. "Blue, I'm going to be incredibly selfish right now and ask you to give me your undeserving love permanently."

I suck in a sob, staring at this beautiful man who's had my heart probably from day one. All of our times together play out in my mind. When he came to my dorm room with yogurt, smiled when he saw me at our first night class together, kissed me after cheating in GoldenEye, our kiss in the library that got us kicked out. Some good, some painful.

I nod my head like a lunatic. "Yes, yes please."

Tariq's dimples come out in full display as he slides the ring on my finger I have yet to actually look at. His hands grip my head and he kisses me hard, passionately. Our tongues meet and I melt into my fiance, breathing him in, his gingery scent. My fingers dig into his hair and I let out a small sigh into our kiss, making him moan.

"God, you're delectable," he rumbles on my lips, then opens my mouth with his tongue filling me with his taste.

His fingers push back some of my hair, dipping down to my ears and gliding to my neck until they're threading through the roots of my hair. His kiss is infinitely tender, slow, and purposeful, yet hungry.

We finally pull away and I softly whisper to him, "I love you."

He gives me that smirk that will always make my heart stutter. "I love you, Blue." His mouth hovers over mine, his deep voice tickling my lips. "Now time to go inside and celebrate with everyone waiting for us."

"What?" I ask, amusement quivering in my lips.

"I mean, it sucks for Cass to see but everyone is in there waiting on us. I had planned to propose to you in the back where it's more romantic but my little hedgehog was being temperamental."

I smack his arm and he pulls me in, staring down at me with a heated gaze. "I want a fast wedding. I don't know how much longer I can last, Blue. I only have so much restraint."

I stretch to my tiptoes, my mouth gliding to his ear just how he likes it, kissing that spot and whispering, "Fast sounds perfect."

Tariq wraps his arms around me, his lips latching onto mine. "Thank God."

Surprise! Double update! He proposed!!! I hope you all enjoyed it. There' s only one chapter left and I will be posting it tomorrow along with an author's note and an announcement.

I honestly am so blessed by all of you readers who have continued reading this story. I hope I haven't disappointed and that you all love these two as much as I do.

If you all liked Tairq's proposal hit that start button for me ;)

Much love,

LivingRed