Mia was waiting for the moment to feel right to ask Charlotte to marry her. Everyday that passed she was even more sure she'd never want to be without her. Being with Charlotte felt like freedom for Mia and she never wanted to give that up. But it wasn't just Charlotte that Mia had fallen for, she now had two daughters she could never let go of.
At this point Mia had consulted many friends of Charlottes, trying to find the perfect timing. Her 11 year anniversary of working for the nursery was coming up soon and many had said that would be the best time. Everyone could go out with them for a celebratory dinner and she could ask her there. Charlotte was deeply loved by so many at the nursery and they all wanted to be there for the moment it went down.
She talked with Renee and Ellie about what she should do and they agreed it should be done with all of her friends. They would stay with Michelle for the weekend so that it could be a proper celebration and they could have a special moment together. Mia pauses for a moment thinking about how long it had been since her and Charlotte had been intimate. The last time was several months ago when they decided she would move in.
Most people might be upset or think something was wrong, but Mia knew if she had gone through what Charlotte had? The last thing on her mind would be sex. Of course she thinks Charlotte is the most ethereal, gorgeous and amazing girl on earth and it drove her a little wild knowing she couldn't have a taste yet. She didn't want to push Charlotte before she wasn't ready and she definitely didn't want to make her feel badly about it. Mia would wait a lifetime for Charlotte if it meant it was spent together.
Charlotte watched as Mia seemed lost in thought. She had been calling her name for a few moments and no response. She wonders what could be going on in that pretty little head of hers. She walks over to her and sits down onto her lap which effectively caught Mia's attention. She wraps her arms around her neck and lays her head onto her shoulder.
"What are you thinking about, lovie?" Charlotte presses a kiss onto her jaw as she awaits the answer.
"Honestly sweetheart so much is on my mind that I can't really pinpoint any other thoughts except for-" She runs her hand through Charlotte's hair,"How absolutely beautiful you looked yesterday, today and I have a feeling tomorrow too."
They looked into each other's eyes and Charlotte could feel her cheeks burning. "Thank you Mia. I miss being so close with you."
Mia pulled her as close as she could get,"This better, sweetheart?"
Charlotte nuzzles her face against Mia's and sighs," Not close enough… let me in your skin." She pretends to fumble around with her fingers on her chest,"You've got to have a zipper around here somewhere."
Mia can't help but laugh as she playfully slaps Charlotte's hands away,"Hey! You have to be careful or else the tickle monster is gonna have to come out and get you."
"I've not been afraid of the tickle monster since I was 7 years old so go ahead and give me your wor-"
Mia cuts her off by tickling her tummy and sides which causes Charlotte to squirm and giggle. "Careful! Careful I'm gonna pee my pants if you don't stop!" She can't stop herself from laughing and has to run to the bathroom.
Even if it was just a minute without her, Mia missed her. She was going to tell her about the dinner for her work anniversary but wanted to keep the fact everyone would be there a secret too. She wanted her sweetheart to feel even just a fourth of how special she really is. But when Charlotte rounded the corner yawning and snuggled in her lap again, she decided to just surprise her all together. She didn't dare disturb such a sleepy Charlotte.

Mia nervously watched as time went by so slowly on the day of Charlotte's special dinner. She made sure she made a reservation for Charlotte's favorite restaurant for 7pm that night. Reece, Marjorie, Autumn, Winter, Carly, and Sorscha all were coming to help celebrate and surprise Charlotte. When she got home from work, Mia told her she wanted to take her out and helped her get dressed into a cute little sundress. Mia loved taking claim of Charlotte in these small ways.
"Ready to go, Char?"
Charlotte looks around the room and taps her chin,"I think I'm missing something very important."
Mia's eyebrows furrow as she tries to figure it out,"And what could that be?"
Charlotte gets a mischievous smile on her face," A kiss."
"Your wish is my command." Mia gives her quite a big kiss before bringing her out to the car. She takes a moment outside before getting in to think about what she's about to do. Her phone begins to buzz and she sees that everyone is at the restaurant waiting for them. "Guess that's my cue to go."
Mia's thoughts were running a thousand mph and she couldn't shake them. She hoped she wasn't making Charlotte nervous and looks over to her with a smile. Charlotte was just watching out the window with no cares in the world. "Alright sweetheart, let me call them to make sure our table is ready, okay?" She gives her a kiss before getting out of the car.
She quickly dials on her phone, "Marjorie we just pulled up. Is everyone ready? Does Reece still have the ring box?"
"Yep he's got it! I made him double check like five times before we ever left the house. Let me have everyone sit down and we will be ready!"
"Oh thank you Marjorie. She's gonna be really surprised." The phone call ended and she walks over to open the door for Charlotte. "Come on sweetheart, they said they're ready for us."
Hand in hand, they walk together towards the restaurant. Charlotte was so happy Mia remembered her work anniversary again. Mia knew Char like that back of her hand and that made her fall more and more in love with her. She got a little lost in her thoughts as they walked in and Mia talked with the host. They were being taken to their table but there was a huge group of people sitting there. Charlotte was very confused until she could recognize their faces. She lit up like a lightning bug.
Mia watched Charlotte get excited with her first surprise of the night and she knew she'd made the right choice. She seemed like she had a case of the zoomies as she went from person to person chatting, hugging and laughing. Mia lives for the moments she sees Charlotte being herself in front of others.
The excitement finally settled down as everyone orders their drinks and meals. Charlotte hadn't stopped smiling once from the moment she walked in. This was becoming such a great memory and she couldn't believe her ears when she found out Mia had planned it. Mia shrugged her off and gave a mischievous wink when Charlotte tried to ask about it. "Just enjoy it, princess. Don't worry about how it got planned."
Reece pulls Mia out of the room to pass over the ring box. He looks at it for a moment before handing it over,"You know, I never expected us to really be on speaking terms again after everything." He sighs,"But I'm really glad that we are and I'm proud of how far you've come in the last year. Charlotte is very special and deserves someone who treats her like gold."
"Thanks Reece. I'm glad we are on good terms too." There's a brief moment of hesitation before they just say fuck it and hug each other. It was a little awkward but it felt like when they were kids. It was so healing.
They walk into the restaurant and Mia's nervousness really starts to act up. She raises her glass and begins to speak up.
"I'd like to propose a toast for my beautiful Charlotte. She is one of the most hardworking, kind and deserving individuals I've ever met. While many of the people in this room have been blessed with knowing her longer than me, I'm sure they all will agree with that statement." She pauses and breaths, suddenly no longer feeling nervous. "Charlotte, in the last year I've known you and been so proud to get to love you, my life has changed so much. I've always thought I was difficult to love and a truly bad person. You showed me that I've never been hard to love at all and in fact that loving me was so easy you want to do it for the rest of our lives. I know I did bad things but you showed me the potential I had to do good and I'll never stop using myself to that full potential, Char."
At this point Charlotte is tearing up and so is Marjorie and Carly as they watch. Mia grabs the ring box and gets down on one knee in front of her,"I'm not sure I can go another day without being able to call you my wife. I promise to love you unconditionally, to protect you from any harm, and always find the positive in the situation like you've shown me to do. Sweetheart, if there's a life after this, I will find you so much quicker because even if we spend the rest of our forever together… It's not enough time for me to express my love and gratitude for you. Charlotte, will you marry me?" Mia found a lump in her throat as she opened the ring box. In it was a white gold ring with a sapphire gem and small moissanite surrounding it.
Charlotte gently grabbed Mia's cheeks and kissed her with such a passion and helped her stand up,"Yes!! yes!! A thousand times yes!!"
Everyone around them cheered and congratulated them. Carly had to come and tell Charlotte the whole story of the planning, surprise dinner and the proposal. Char was very surprised to hear this had been in the works since her first day back at work. She couldn't believe how well that secret was kept just so she could have a special moment.
Once everyone was finished eating, the bill was taken care of and Mia leaned down to kiss Charlotte's temple,"Hi baby, are you ready to go home and relax?" She could see she was getting tired. She helped her stand up and walk out to the car.
The car ride home Charlotte couldn't stop talking about the whole night. She kept asking Mia questions about the whole thing and was getting a huge kick out of it all. Once they were home, Mia began to change into her pajamas and helped her do the same.
It had been such a perfect night. Mia couldn't stop thinking about the look on charlotte's face when she brought out the ring, "Come here, sweetheart. Let me snuggle you." Didn't have to ask her twice. She quickly came over and laid down on her chest.
"Mia, I love you so much. I hope we spend so many lifetimes together."
"I love you Charlotte and I've got a funny feeling that we will."

Authors note-
Hi guys' hope you like the longer chapter. We are coming from our honeymoon today so I won't be able to update for a few days probably. My little brother is graduating high school so I'll be busy for the night.

If you have any questions for me, let me know' I'm hoping you love this very special chapter. Mia and Charlotte remind me of my wife and I so in Mia's speech, I used part of my own vows I wrote to my Ash.

Love you guys!!