Chapter 17
      Both girls were asleep by the time Noah ate dinner with Allie. There was food on the table and a lady feeding swans from a boat on tv when Jared walked in. He saw the girls asleep on the floor and walked to the linen closet down the hall to grab a blanket. He walked back to the living room and unfolded the blanket to spread it over both of the girls. His original intention was to take the girls to dinner but he could see that they had already eaten. So instead he walked to Lila’s room and opened her closet door to find one of his cameras he kept there. He walked back into the living room and snapped a photo of Lila looking like sleeping beauty. The flash woke Megan up and she came close to hurling her luke warm soup at Jared before she realized he wasn’t an intruder. “You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here?” Megan hit the pause button on the remote control, “I didn’t mean to scare you. I came by to take you two to dinner but I can see that you’ve already eaten.” Picking up some of the containers of rice and walking to the kitchen Megan calls over her shoulder “wake up Lila, you’ve got company.”
      Lila didn’t budge until Jared kissed her on the cheek. She slowly opened her eyes adjusting to reality. “Hey sweetie,” She barely whispered. Standing up slowly, Lila looks around at the mess and says “where’s Megan?” Hearing the kitchen faucet “oh, when did you get here?”
Noting his outfit of dark blue jeans and a gray turtle neck, Lila realizes he must have come by to take her out. “Did I forget we had a date? I am so sorry!” Jared just kissed her “no we didn’t have plans; maybe you should rest for a minute.” Not surprised by her lack of communication skills just yet, Jared pulled out a stool from the kitchen bar and put her can of Pepsi in front of her. “Thanks. You’re way too good to me.”
Megan rolls her eyes “you better not start all that Jared, she’ll expect it every second of everyday.” Jared laughed his smooth deep laugh “I see that Lila told you about how dinner went.”
“yeah because the boulder on her finger wasn’t obvious enough.” Megan looked at the ring and made a face like she was totally jealous. What female wouldn’t be? Lila, never missing a thing says “it’s just a ring Megan, just be happy Zeke lit candles for you.” Picking up her Pepsi Lila looked over at Jared and knew he had something to say to her that he didn’t want Megan to hear.  

      Lila turned her stool around and grabbed Jared’s hand and pulled him towards her bedroom. “What’s up?” Jared leaned down to kiss Lila’s forehead. “You don’t know do you?” With a smile Lila says “know what?” “How much I love you.” Lila reaches up and pulls Jared’s head down to her level and kisses him “Of course I do. But you’re totally clueless.” Then Lila pulls Jared’s left hand up to her mouth and kisses the heart tattoo he got just below his pointer finger after he proposed. Lila has the same tattoo on her right hand in the same spot. “What’s on your mind Jared?” Lila could tell that Jared was a little nervous so she sat down on her bed and patted the spot next to her.

“I’ve been thinking about…” Lila lifts his chin so that she could see his gorgeous blue eyes “yeah?”
“I’ve been thinking about opening up an art gallery, here. I need help getting started and keeping everything under control, but it would give me a chance to get my art out there and so would other artist in the area.”

Smiling Lila says “I think that’s a great idea. I can help you with the book keeping and appointments. I’m so proud of you sweetheart. You’ve accomplished a lot.”
“Thanks. We’ll talk more about it a little later; I just wanted to run the idea by you to see what you thought.” Lila leans forward and kisses Jared before getting up to walk back into the kitchen.

      Megan was wiping the coffee table off when Lila walked into the living room. “Thanks for cleaning up for me.” Megan looked up, “of course, but don’t get used to it.” Lila laughed and said “trust me, I don’t plan to.” Jared walked into the living room with a huge grin on his face “who wants donuts?” Both of the girls look up trying not to bust out laughing “you’re such a dork babe, but you know I never pass up donuts.” Lila says before walking over to put on her shoes.
      
      The girls put on their coats and Jared waits for them in the car so it would be warm when they got in. Megan buttons up her last button and heads on down to hop in the backseat of Jared’s blue BMW while Lila locks up and heads down herself. Lila opens the passenger side door and plops down onto the toasty black leather seat, “it’s impossible to function properly in this weather.”
Megan hands Lila a tissue for her now running nose “yet you make it seem so easy and effortless.” Rolling her eyes, Lila leans her head back on the headrest and enjoys the heat blowing on her face.


      Sitting down at the table with a dozen donuts and a cup of coffee, the three of them chow down on some glazed donuts. Lila is on her third before even sitting down. “I bet you never knew she’d be able to take out a whole dozen on her own, did you Jared?” Megan asks. “I’ve seen her eat half a dozen before. I’ll admit I was a bit shocked, until I realized she eats like that all the time.”
Laughing at that Megan replies “I don’t get how she can eat so much without gaining an ounce.”
Licking the glaze off her fingers Lila argues “like you have any room to talk. Two of you could fit into my jeans any day. And those are my ‘skinny day’ jeans too!”
Jared opens the box and pulls out another donut for himself while laughing “lets not talk about my skinny jeans.” Jared has the best sense of humor; he could make Lila laugh no matter what’s going on in her life. That’s going to be put to the test while planning their wedding.