(Untitled)

[nothingtomiss]

He doesn't even take the time to shower, so he's still greasy from the engine. There's still a fluttering in his stomach, utterly unfamiliar, and he's pretty sure he's thoroughly happy, but it's all so strange. And he needs to talk to Terry. He's pretty sure that if anybody understands the fierce impulse to do not harm to the woman that he loves

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[faithanbegorrah]

It feels like all Terry ever does lately is hang out doing nothing, but some days she goes with it, enjoying the peace. Though she'd be a mite more peaceful if she didn't have to turn a page in a magazine just to see Monet smirking up at her.

She looks up from where she's sprawled out on her stomach on the bed, and gives Brad a smile. "Hey. Would ye believe I've got half a dozen magazines, and they've all got Monet in them>? It's enough to drive me mad."

[nothingtomiss]

Having seen Monet, Brad would absolutely believe that, but he's not about to say as much to Terry. Instead, he settles for dragging his t-shirt over his head and using it to wipe his face before he drops it into the dirty laundry hamper and goes to sit on the bed beside her.

"I love you," he says, and leans down to press a kiss against her hairline. "Nate asked me to marry him."

He'd intended to build up to it better than that but, there it is, out. He shoves down the sudden nervous rush in his chest and watches her face.

[faithanbegorrah]

"I love you too," Terry replies almost automatically, even as she's processing the string of words that've just come out of Brad's mouth.

Some days just don't turn out the way you think they might when you wake up. It's a principle Terry's familiar with, but that tended to involve her professional life, not her personal.

She sits up, legs crossed, buying herself a few seconds to figure out what she wants to say. Everything she thinks up just sounds stupider than the next, and she finally settles on her initial reaction. "What did you say?"

[nothingtomiss]

"I said 'yes'," he says, and his eyes stay on her, looking for reaction, for some clue as to how this is going to go. "But then I said I couldn't if there was even the slightest chance of losing you." He swallows and glances down at his hands. "I'm not about to fuck this up, Terry."

[faithanbegorrah]

"I know," she says, looking away. "If there's one thing in all of this I'm sure of, it's that, Brad."

To think, there'd been a time in her life where Terry hadn't had much of a love life to speak of at all-- and what little she did have, she ruined. Now there's more than she ever imagined she could handle, and she's not even the one in Brad's position.

[nothingtomiss]

He reaches out and snags her hand, ducking his head until he can graze his lips against her knuckles. He sighs and stays low, his nose brushing against her thigh.

"Could you live with it?"

[faithanbegorrah]

"That's not something someone just lives with, love," she replies, knowing were their roles reversed, she wouldn't want Brad to have to just live with anything. "But I can try, for a start. So long as Nate doesn't go askin' me next."

[nothingtomiss]

He settles with his head in her lap and shifts until he can look up at her. Heshakes his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Nobody's asking you to marry them exceptme," he says, firmly. "But...Terry, I..."

Hesistation is not characteristic but, for now, Brad can forget about this proud warrior spirit.

[faithanbegorrah]

Terry's eyes widen, and it figures that she finds that more alarming than anything else so far.

"No," she says, before Brad can go on. "If you're going to ask just because of this, the answer's no."

[nothingtomiss]

He shakes his head, bringing her hand up to his mouth again, kissing each of her fingers in turn. He brings it down to rest over his hart.

"I was about to say that I can't, Terry. Not yet. Not...It's Jenni, you know?" He swallows and doesn't smile at himself. "I just...need for you to know that if there was anyone, at all, itd be you."

[faithanbegorrah]

"Okay," Terry says after a moment, and she leans over to kiss Brad. The reason she's just given is only the first of many, and she knows Brad's got a host of his own issues as well. "I can handle that much."

[nothingtomiss]

"Okay, good," he says, his fingers stirring through the tumble of her long red hair. "Nothing's going to change with us, you know? That isn't what's happening here."