"Thank you for agreeing to see me out of the house." Lindsey said, looking from Amber to Dylan. "There's something I'd like to ask you."
"It sounded pretty important." Amber cocked her head to one side, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Would you like to look at the menu first?" Lindsey suggested, feeling himself getting more nervous by the minute. He had asked both of Stevie's older children to meet with him for lunch, without considering that it would raise suspicion, which it did, and Stevie made sure to question all three as they left the house one by one.
A few minutes later, a waiter had approached the table and took their order. Amber and Dylan's eyes settled on Lindsey once again.
"So, uh..." Lindsey faked a cough, scratching the back of his neck. "The thing is... well... oh, screw it." He cursed and pulled something out of his pocket. "What do you think?"
"Are- are you going to propose?" Amber asked, eyes wide.
"I am if you're okay with that." Lindsey half-smiled, shifting his gaze over to Dylan, who sat very quietly. "I'm not trying to replace your father or anything like that, I'm not about to start ordering you around. It's not about that. It's about the love I have for your mother. She's made me so happy and I want to do everything in my power to make her happy, too."
"Say something." Amber nudged her brother, unable to fight back a huge grin.
"Well, what's there to say?" Dylan shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "Seems like it's decided."
"It would mean a lot to me if I knew, you were okay with this. After all, this is a massive decision, which in one way or another will affect you as well." Lindsey almost sounded like he was pleading for approval. "Is there a problem?" He asked somewhat carefully, unsure if he wanted that question to be answered.
Dylan sighed heavily and shook his head. "No, I don't have a problem, just... My own father had promised mom the world, then he cheated on her and broke up our family. I'm not an idiot, I know that there wasn't much love there, but... it still hurt her, it still took a long time for her to get over it."
"I completely understand." Lindsey emphasized by laying a hand over his heart. "I know that you want the best for her, but so do I. You have to also understand that she's the woman I have loved my whole entire life. Due to my own stupidity, I lost her. We've been given a second chance and I couldn't be more grateful. I want to do things right this time. I want to be able to call her my wife and do it proudly. I just- I don't want to or plan to cause her any more heartache than I've already have. I don't want to be the reason behind her tears. All I really want is to just see that beautiful smile on her face for the rest of my life."
Amber was sold. She turned to Dylan, who seemed to be processing, what had just been said. She placed her hand on his shoulder to catch his attention.
After a long pause, Dylan looked over at Lindsey. "I'm sure, she's gonna love the ring."
