Episode 441: Mrs. Right

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I love having you here. I wish you were always here with me."

"Me too," she sighed again, her eyes misting as they looked around the small living room. "It won’t be much longer though. Then Tansy and I will be living with you permanently. No more Batman masks. No more scrambling out windows."

"It can’t end soon enough for me."

"I’m sorry," Adria apologized, laying her script against her chest and gazing at Ryley. They sat side by side in front of the electric hearth, their legs stretched out, the firelight dancing across his handsome redheaded complexion. "This isn’t the sexiest Valentine’s night so far but I promise it will be later."

She just had to make sure she had these lines down pat for her next class or she wouldn’t be able to concentrate the way she wanted to on Ryley. The doubts about her ability persisted, but his sweet constant support was a big confidence booster. She longed to thank him in a deliciously commensurate way. "If it’s any consolation you are, by far, my favorite leading man."

He grinned, and picked up on the guy’s next line in the script, a marriage proposal. Boy, she thought, listening to his heartfelt delivery, he could act if he wanted to.

When Adria lifted her head to deliver the girl’s response she saw a diamond ring glinting in his palm. "Props?"

"Yours," he replied. "I wasn’t acting there. Those words may as well have been mine. I truly meant them. Will you marry me, Adria?"

"Of course," she squealed and pressed a kiss to his lips as he slid the ring on her finger. "I’ve wanted this forever, but you didn’t."

"I did. I do," the words stretched his grin wider. "I just wanted the time to be right for you. You’ve got more than just me in your life now. And, though it’s nowhere near my primary reason, at least this means you won’t by lying to your parents about us being engaged, just about how you’re using their money, maybe one truth will help."

Adria kissed him, then as she always did when he expressed his concern on the subject, she thanked him, and told him there was no reason to worry, everything would work out, his parents would finally see how wrong they were.

Episode 442: Taking Chances