"I think we should tell them as soon as we get home." Shea gripped Ryan's hand. She felt as if it had always been there, strong and dependable. And hers to rely on. She could only hope he felt the same way about her. She smiled. The way he was holding on to her, she believed he did.

Ryan peered out the window of the plane as it taxied toward the terminal. "They probably figured it out when we stayed in Chicago through the weekend."

Shea didn't fight the wicked grin that curved her lips. The past three days had been the best of her life. And it was only the beginning. She and Ryan had fit together in every way possible. He made her laugh, he made her heart sing...and her body had never been so incredibly content. And this morning, in the shower, he'd impatiently demanded that she marry him.

She'd delightedly said yes, thinking that would make an interesting story to tell their children, when they asked how daddy had proposed.

"I didn't exactly explain why we were staying. I'm sure they assumed we were doing more publicity." She tugged at his hand until he turned to look at her. "They're going to be thrilled for us, Ry. Stop worrying. My mom will have a wedding to plan, she'll be over the moon. And Casey ?"

Ryan groaned. "Will kill me for what I've done to his little sister."

"Hey, you're making an honest woman of me." She pulled him close, kissed him gently and smiled up into his eyes. "And now you'll be brothers for real."

"I didn't think about it like that," he said, then dropped another kiss on her lips. Then another. "You're amazing, you know that. Why did we take so long to figure this out?"

"I think we needed to be ready."

He laughed. "I guess I should be glad you took the initiative. I might have been taking cold showers every morning for the rest of my life."

She nudged him. "About those dreams...any others I should know about? Any we haven't made come true yet?"

He flashed her a wicked grin of his own. "We still have the honeymoon."

"Oh, I imagine we won't run out of things to do to each other for, say, another 50 or 60 years."

"Only 50 or 60? Shoot, and here I had such high hopes for my 90s."

She laughed. "By then we'll have forgotten half the stuff we've done and have to start over."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

They were still smiling as they left the plane, hand in hand. It took them a moment to realize the cheering section standing at the gate was for them.

"Um, Ryan?"

He stopped nuzzling her neck long enough to look at her. "What?"

She just nudged and pointed.

"Oh my God."

There stood both Shea's mother and father, along with Casey, several of Ryan's firefighter buddies, and about half the regulars from Flanagan's Pub. All holding signs that spelled out some variation of "Congratulations Ryan & Shea!"

"No way could they know," he whispered.

"Maybe they mean congratulations on the television program." She squeezed his hand. "Although I'm pretty sure since you had your lips locked to my neck a moment ago, they've realized there might be a bit more to celebrate."

Ryan looked up in time to see Casey charging at him. He instinctively pulled Shea behind him and put his hands out. "I love her, Casey. I'm going to marry her."

Casey didn't stop coming...until he'd wrapped Ryan up in a big, Irish bear hug. "Damn straight you are! It's about time you figured out what was right in front of your face."

"What?"But before Casey could explain, they were enveloped by Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan, who were laughing and crying and hugging them both. "Did I hear something about a wedding?" Mrs. Flanagan gasped.

Ryan managed to nod, while simultaneously being swallowed up against her more than ample bosom.

"Oh," she sniffed, "this is the most wonderful news I've ever had. I've been hoping for this moment for as long as I can remember."

Shea and Ryan managed to disentangle themselves, both looking a bit shell-shocked. "You have?" Shea said. "But you've never once given even a hint you thought we should be together."

Her mother arched a finely shaped brow. "Now, would you have listened to me if I'd pushed you together then? Of course not. I could only sit back and hope you'd find each other before I went completely gray."

Shea laughed, but still looked a bit stunned. Her father stepped forward and took Ryan's hand in his. "Welcome to the family, son. Again."

Ryan's eyes burned as Jim Flanagan pulled him close and clapped him on the back. "I'll take good care of her, sir. The best."

Jim stepped back, the same blue-eyed smile of his children twinkling in his eyes. "Oh, I've no doubt of that, boy-o." He pulled his wife and Casey close. "We'll be watching your every step."

Ryan swallowed hard, but nodded confidently. "I won't let you down."

Mrs. Flanagan pulled away from her husband, batting at his hands. "Oh, now don't go and scare the boy." She patted Ryan's cheek. "You never have let us down. We just want the best for both of you."

Ryan pulled Shea into his arms. "You've given the best to me. And for that I'll be forever grateful."

Shouts of "Kiss her! Kiss her!" came from the peanut gallery. Never one to disappoint, Ryan swung a laughing Shea into a dip and planted one on her. But the hoots and whistles rapidly faded the instant he had his lips on hers.

When they finally straightened, neither's knees were steady. He traced her cheeks with his fingertips. "I love you, Shea."

"I love you, Ryan." She took his hand in hers, her eyes bright and shining. "Don't let my family make you crazy. We're going to be great."

"Your family made you, didn't they? And they're my family, too."

"Did I mention how much I love you?"

He kissed her again, then holding hands, they turned as the rest of the throng descended on them, surrounding them with well wishes and congratulations.

* * *

Several hours and more than a few celebratory pints at Flanagan's later, Shea and Ryan escaped back to Shea's apartment. Ryan had her up against the wall before the door was kicked completely closed.

"Thank God. I've been dying to taste you again."

Shea was already pushing his shirt off his shoulders. "Me, too. I love my family, but I never thought they'd let us leave."

"Maybe we should elope," Ryan murmured as he nibbled her collarbone.

"Yeah, that'll happen. My mother would disown us both." She stepped out of her skirt and finished unbuckling Ryan's pants. "But there's nothing to say we can't get a jump start on the honeymoon."

"Amazing," he said, cupping her breasts, leaning down to capture one tight nipple in his mouth. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Shea pulled away before she ended up naked on her own foyer floor. She danced past him and grabbed her camera as she raced to her bedroom. Ryan caught up with her at the door.

"What is that for?"

She aimed the lens at him. "You're not the only one with hot dreams."

"Shea ?"

"Just for me." She snapped one before he snatched the camera away.

"Okay hot flash, fair's fair." He aimed the camera at her.

She squealed and grabbed a pillow to cover herself. Ryan laughed and tackled her on the bed. "We'll make our old dreams come true later. Right now I'm more interested in building some new ones."

And they did.

The End



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