The weeks passed quickly and both Emily and Parker knew they had never been happier. Parker was relieved to see that every day Emily became more and more relaxed and laid back. She no longer panicked if the house wasn't spotless when he came in from work or if dinner wasn't ready.

Ed was at their house every morning when Emily left for work so he could spend the day with his grandson. He was more proud than Parker had ever seen him and already carried a picture of Wyatt in his wallet to show off to anyone who would stand still long enough for him to pull it out.

Two months after Emily had moved in with Parker and the weather was finally starting to become more spring like. Parker woke up one Saturday morning to find that he was alone in bed.

He groaned and threw the covers off of himself. He had never been much of a morning person. He could smell bacon frying in the kitchen. He could hear cartoons playing on the tv and the familiar sound of the baby swing.

It was still hard for him to believe that his life had turned out this way. That little boy in there that he could hear cooing and squealing at his favorite cartoon was officially his son and that woman cooking breakfast was his girlfriend… Parker shook his head at that thought. Girlfriend just didn't seem like a good word to describe Emily. He stood and opened his dresser door, digging under the many pairs of boxers and socks to find the small velvet box. He opened it and the tiny diamond sparkled.

If she would accept him then someday very soon he would be calling her his wife. He put the box back in the drawer and shut it.

Parker walked out to the kitchen. Emily had her back to him and didn't hear him as he walked up behind her. She had her long blond hair up in a messy ponytail… She was wearing a black tank top and a pair of plaid pajama pants. Parker was happy to see that that tank top showed just how well she was filling back out.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. It made him happy to feel that she didn't tense against him and when she turned her head to kiss him he couldn't see any of the fear or panic in her eyes that had been there the first few weeks. Everyday she was more and more like the old Emily and less like the Emily that John had turned her into.

"Good morning, beautiful." Parker said. Emily turned in his arms so that the front of her body was pressed against his.

"Good morning." She replied. He kissed her and then Wyatt let out an especially loud squeal from the living room. Parker grinned and he turned to look at the boy who was looking out into the kitchen and reaching a hand out for Parker.

"What is it, daddies boy?" Parker asked walking into the living room and lifting Wyatt into his arms.

"I think he was wondering when you were going to wake up. Daddy was being lazy this morning." Emily replied turning back to the stove. Parker laughed.

"Tell mommy if she'd quit keeping me up half the night I might get up earlier in the morning." he said. Emily blushed.

"Don't talk to him about that." she scolded. Parker just laughed and sat down on the couch with Wyatt in his lap. Emily looked over her shoulder at them and smiled. She was so thankful that Wyatt had a real dad now.  Someone that would sit in his pajama's on Saturday morning and just watch cartoons with the boy.

Emily finished cooking breakfast and once she and Parker were done eating, Parker picked up the phone.

"Gotta call dad. Tell him we'll be bringing Wyatt over in a minute." he said. Emily looked at him.

"Did your dad want us to come visit today?" she asked while loading the dishwasher.

"Nope.. Just Wyatt. You and I are going out." Parker replied. Emily smiled. She and Parker had not been out alone since getting back together.

"Where are we going?" she asked. Parker shrugged.

"I thought maybe we could go do a little fishing.. You still love doing the whole picnic thing don't you? We'll just spend the day at the lake together."

888

Two hours later and Ed was begging them to leave his house.

"Go on… Me and the boy got things to do." he said matter-of-factly.

"We'll be back this evening." Emily promised. Ed shook his head.

"If you come back any sooner than tomorrow morning, I'll have to blow some dust off my old shotgun." Ed replied. Parker laughed and grabbed Emily by the shoulders.

"Come on, Em. The old man is threatening violence." he said. Emily gave her son and Ed both a kiss on the cheek and let Parker lead her to the truck.

They drove down an old back road to a small lake that had been left by the coal mining company that had long since abandoned the land. Emily looked around at the spring landscape.

The trees were starting to bloom again and their brown and gray branches were becoming full of bright green. Wildflowers were growing in the long grasses and the water of the lake was still and clear.

Emily could see fish swimming beneath the surface and she could also see a beaver dam at the end of the lake. She was surprised to see how big the dam had gotten since the last time she'd been here with Parker.

"They're still hard at it I see." she said as she pulled their fishing poles out of the bed of the truck. Parker followed her gaze and nodded.

"Yea, I guess they are." he replied. He grabbed a big tackle box and cooler from the truck and carried them over to the edge of the lake. He walked back to the truck and pulled out the folding chairs and set them up next to the cooler and tackle box. Emily sat down and closed her eyes listening to the sounds around them.

She could hear birds chirping and the sound of bees buzzing as they woke up from their long winter hibernation. She had forgotten how much she missed it here in her small hometown. How much she had missed the peace and the quiet of nature.

"Are we fishing or napping?" Parker asked teasingly. She opened her eyes and looked over at him.

"Maybe a little of both." she replied. He nodded.

"Sounds good to me." he said and laid his head back closing his eyes as well. Emily laughed lightly. She reached into the cooler, pulled out several cubes of ice off the bottom and walked over to Parker.

Parker didn't open his eyes but raised a brow and grinned when he felt her small hands on the waistband of his jeans. If she was feeling frisky he sure wasn't going to stop her.

Any ideas of great sex were quickly erased from his mind when he felt the ice cubes fall into his boxers. He jumped up with a curse and reached into his pants to remove them.

He looked over at Emily with a grin that clearly said he was planning revenge. Emily squealed and took off running when he jumped towards her. He laughed and chased her through the field next to the lake. He knew he could have easily caught her but it was too much fun to watch her run in front of him.

Her laughter was floating on the breeze like a song and her long blond hair was loose and flowing behind her. Finally she stopped running and turned to face him. She was panting and her face was flushed. He couldn't help but watch the rise and fall of her chest in her tight shirt for several seconds.

"I give up." she said. Parker held up his hands to show her they were empty. He had dropped the ice cubes before he'd taken off after her.

"You look beautiful." he said but Emily shook her head.

"Are you trying to sweet talk me into trusting you so that you can spring something on me when I least expect it?" she asked. Parker laughed.

"When did you get so suspicious of me?" he asked. "You've known me a long time, Em… Do I ever sweet talk you?" She grinned and shook her head.

"Hell no. You're the grouchiest, meanest man I know." she said teasingly. He nodded.

"Exactly." he said. "Now get the hell over here and let me kiss you." Emily walked to him slowly knowing it was driving him crazy. Parker growled and closed the distance between them more quickly. He wrapped his arms around her tight and she threw her arms around his neck burying her fingers in his dark hair.

"I was going to say something romantic about how your green eyes look a lot like emeralds but seeing as how I'm the grouchiest, meanest man you know it didn't seem like something I would say." She shook her head.

"No that doesn't sound like something you'd say at all." she replied trying to sound serious but Parker could hear the breathless quality in her voice and knew that she was just as turned on by being pressed against him as he was by being pressed against her.

"If I kiss you will that be seen as a sneak attack?" Parker asked. Emily shook her head.

"No… I believe a truce could be called." she replied. He grinned and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was soft and gentle at first but quickly turned more hungry and passionate. Emily pulled away her face flushed and her lips red.

"Are we fishing or playing?" she asked with a wink. Parker grinned.

"A little bit of both." he replied and she nodded.

"Sounds good to me." she said and pressed her lips back against his.

They walked back to the lakeside a while later and Parker grinned as Emily readjusted her twisted shirt. He reached out and pulled a wildflower out of her tangled hair.

"Are you ready to fish now or do you want to stuff another ice cube down my pants?" he asked. Emily blushed suddenly feeling shy as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No we can fish now." she replied. They sat down in their chairs and as Parker fished Emily looked around at the beauty surrounding them and then buried her nose in a book that she had brought along. Parker smiled.

Emily really didn't care much for fishing or hunting or going to the races at the local dirt track in the summer the way Parker loved to, but she always came along with him and she never complained about being bored.. She just always made sure she brought a book along.

They sat there a long time in silence before Parker reeled in his first fish.

"This is gonna be a big one." he said fighting with the pole. Emily put her book down to watch him reel it in. When the fish finally came out of the water Emily covered her laugh with her hand.

"Oh yes. He's a monster." she teased. Parker looked at the bluegill. Really it was good size for a blue gill but Parker felt a moment of embarrassment at how hard it had been to reel in.

"I think you're getting a bite." he said pointing to her pole. Emily's eyes flew to the pole in front of her.. Sure enough her line was running away. She grabbed the pole and starting reeling.

"This really is a big one." she said with wide eyes. Parker chuckled and walked up to the truck to grab the cooler he'd brought for the fish. When he walked back over Emily was still wrestling with the line.

"Need some help?" he asked as he unhooked his fish and tossed it on the ice in the cooler. Emily stuck her tongue out at him and shook her head.

"Nope." she replied. He laughed at the way she bit her tongue in concentration as she continued reeling in the fish. When it finally broke the surface of the water Parker damn near crapped himself. It was one of the biggest catfish he'd ever seen.

"I can't get it in!" Emily shouted in frustration. Parker had no idea how the line was even holding against such a big fish. He reached for the pole.

"Let me help." he said. She shook her head again and he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "Well then what do you plan on doing?"

Emily began to walk backwards up the bank and Parker laughed loudly. When finally the catfish was on the bank Parker walked over and picked up the line holding all two and a half feet of the fish in the air.

"I believe we'll be having one heck of a fish fry tomorrow." he said. Emily was smiling proudly with her hand on her hip.

"You gonna tell everybody how much bigger mine was than yours?" she asked. Parker shook his head.

"Nope.. Coz I know you will." he replied. Emily nodded.

"Fair enough." she said. Parker unhooked the huge catfish and put it in the cooler. They both baited their hooks and cast them before sitting back down. In minutes Emily had her nose buried back in her book and Parker reached out his free hand and wrapped his fingers gently around hers. She looked over at him with a pure simple smile and he thought about the ring in his pocket.

He wanted to make sure it was on her finger before they left this lake and went home but he wasn't sure how to go about asking her. When he had proposed to her the last time he hadn't said much… He had been sweating and nervous and had just kind of grabbed her hand and put the ring on her finger with an awkward 'I love you' and prayed that she wouldn't take it back off…..

He was hoping to say something slightly more poetic and a little less sweaty this time but had never been real good with words. Emily must have noticed the look on his face because she narrowed her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and gave her a smile.

"Nothing. Everything is perfect at the moment." he replied. She smiled and looked back out at the water.

They sat in silence for a long time catching a couple more fish and Emily was happy to rub it in when none of his fish were anywhere near the size of her first catch.

"Let's go for a walk." Parker said after they'd taken a break to eat lunch. Emily looked at the watch on his wrist and saw that it was nearly two in the afternoon. It had been a long time since she had been this relaxed and at ease. The fear that John would come back and get revenge on them was finally starting to fade. She rarely thought about him anymore and found entire days passing now and then without a single thought given to John or his anger.

"A walk sounds nice." she replied. Parker took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers and they started walking down the path through the woods.

"I never thought this would happen." Parker said after several minutes of comfortable silence.

"That what would happen?" Emily asked. Parker reached out and picked a wildflower and handed it to her. She smiled as she pressed her nose against it.

"That I would end up here with you." he replied. "Do you have any idea how lost I was all those years without you?" Emily nodded.

"Yes I do." she replied.

"Em, I know I messed things up back then." he said. Emily shook her head.

"Parker, what happened back then was neither of our faults… We were just too young to deal with what we were put through." she said. She was surprised that he had mentioned the past. They had been together a while now and this was the first time he'd brought it up.

"No, I was an ass." he said. "I mean we were supposed to get married. I had already vowed to stand beside you forever, no matter what, and at the first test of that vow I let you down."

"Parker, I love you. None of that matters now."

"I love you too, Emily. And the fact that you still want to be with me just shows me how stupid I was back then to let you go." Emily knew that whatever was on Parker's mind was serious because he never called her Emily unless there was something very serious on his mind.

"Parker, why are you talking about this now? It's in the past."

"I know it's the past but I hurt you, Emily, and I want to make sure you know I'll never hurt you again. After you walked out that day I realized what a mistake I had made but I didn't know how to make it better. I joined the military in hopes that they would finish me off…."

"Parker, you should not have wished for something like that." Emily scolded. Parker shrugged.

"It was what I wanted at the time. Obviously I didn't get my way. Seems every time I was at deaths doorstep Tyler was around and I had to save his sorry ass. Or he would save mine."

"Remind me to thank Tyler when we see him again." Emily said hurting inside to know just how deeply Parker had been hurting back then. Parker squeezed her hand a little tighter before continuing.

"Then I came back here and I knew what I wanted. I wanted you. I had kept your ring. I had worn it with my dog tags in Iraq. I came back home and asked my dad about you and that's when I found out you were getting married.

"I knew I'd missed my chance. I wasn't about to interfere with the happiness that I thought you'd found. Not after I had taken so much from you." Emily wondered why Parker was telling her all of this but she didn't interrupt him. She simply laid her head on his arm while they walked, and listened.

"After you all drove off in your limo I drove down to the river and I pulled your ring from my pocket. I had wondered for four years whether or not I would ever have a chance to give it back to you and I knew then that I didn't have to wonder anymore. I threw it with all my might and watched the river carry it away…."

Emily raised her head from his arm as he let go of her hand and stopped walking. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a tiny velvet box. Emily felt her heart stop beating in her chest.

"I thought about getting you a different ring this time but when I saw the same ring I had given you sitting there… Your ring.. I knew it was the one I needed to get." Parker opened the box and dropped to one knee and Emily felt the tears fill her eyes.

"I know I screwed things up last time, Em, but you are still the only woman for me and you are still the only person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you give me a second chance to get this right, Emily? Will you marry me?" Emily couldn't seem to speak.. She opened her mouth but no words would come out so she just laughed and nodded. Parker blinked the tears from his own eyes and pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger, his hands shaking.

He stood up and pulled her into his arms spinning her around and kissing her passionately.