Nova and Jake were finally at peace. They had worked things out, discussed the future, moved past the hardships they faced and made amends with those that stood in the way to happiness. 

Now it was time to take the next step, not that Nova was expecting it. (Okay, she was, they had discussed it after all. She just didn't know when or how.)

Jake had done it all. Gotten Maverick's Blessing, which hadn't been hard, surprisingly. Gotten Bradley and JJ's blessings, even if theirs were needed. Hell, he ever talked to Amelia, knowing how important the teen was to Nova. 

Everything was ready. He just needed the right time. And he was just about to have it. 

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

The night he proposed happened to be date night. The couple had established one night a week as a “date night” even if it was just dinner and a show at home. 

Tonight just so happened to be an at-home date. Jake had gotten home before Nova and made her favorite. Their kitchen table was set nicely, with two candles lit and a bottle of wine waiting to be opened. 

Nova walked in, saw the set up and promptly turned to her boyfriend. “I love you,” she practically sighed into his lips, as she leaned up to kiss the man. Jake wrapped his arms around her waist, returning the kiss with equal fervor. 

“Go change into something comfortable. Dinner will be ready soon,” Jake tells Nova after letting her go. She begins to walk to the stairs, but pauses for a moment before continuing. 

“Stop giving me that look.” 

He simply smirks. “Never gonna happen, darling.” 

Dinner was ready by the time Nova was changed and back downstairs, so the two ate their candlelit dinner, filling the other in on their days. Jake, while still actively flying, had taken up an instructor position at Top Gun for the time being, wanting a somewhat stable work life while he and Nova settled. 

Not like it was a problem, the Navy had been trying to solidify Dagger Squad as a permanent team for a while and had all but begged the team to stay local or teach. 

But the night wasn't done yet. Jake had kept Nova out of the living room for a reason. He had moved the furniture around to make a space for some dancing. 

This was something they did often, just slow dancing in their living room. Sometimes Jake would teach Nova some dances they did in Texas. Other times, Nova would show Jake some of the slow dances she and Amelia would learn for fun. 

Either way, they would just hold each other and dance. Just loving the feeling of being so close to the person they love most in the world. 

It was a feeling they couldn't even begin to describe. All they knew is that they wanted to keep feeling. They never wanted it to stop. 

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

It's the next morning and it's one of those rare days where both Nova and Jake have off. So of course, that calls for sleeping in. 

Now, with both of their schedules, they still tend to be up early, but when it comes to sleeping in, Nova tends to last longer than Jake. 

In this case, that works to Jake's advantage. 

When he woke up, he just laid there looking at Nova sleeping. The light from the rising sun illuminated the woman in a way that made her look like an angel. 

After a while of just watching her, Jake reaches out and lightly traces the features of her face before slipping his hand around her back. 

Nova had begun to wake up, but she simply buried her head into Jake's chest, feeling his fingers lightly run along her spine. 

“Go back to sleep,” she groaned into his chest. She wasn't ready to get up yet, but Jake was slowly doing just that. 

Jake let out a laugh, his chest vibrating. “It's time to get up, darling. We've got a long day of nothing to get to.” 

Nova lets out a moan (not like that, get your minds out of the gutter) before opening her eyes. She looks at Jake and you can see the love in her eyes. 

“Hi,” she whispered to him. He smiled lightly, whispering back. They didn't want to break the peace and quiet of the morning just yet. 

They stayed in bed for a little while longer, whispering nonsense back and forth. Making plans for the day they knew wouldn't happen. Deciding on about five different things to make for dinner. Things like that. 

But what Jake said next made Nova do a double take. 

“Marry me.” 

Jake doesn't even phrase it as a question. They've discussed their futures so both knew it was inevitable, but she wasn't expecting it now. Not so early in the morning and not in bed. 

“What?” She needed clarification, sure she heard wrong. 

“Marry me, Nova,” Jake whispered again, the same easy smile on his face. Nova somehow managed to launch herself onto Jake while still laying down. 

Jake laughed, holding her tightly. “I still need an answer darling.” 

Nova pulled her face up, to look at him. “Yes, of course, a million times yes!” Before pressing an almost bruising kiss to his lips. 

While Jake would have gladly stayed in the position for the rest of the morning, there was one matter that needed to be fixed before that could happen. 

Sitting up with Nova still in his lap, Jake reached into his nightstand and grabbed a box. Nova knew what it was, how could she not. 

Opening the box, the ring shined in the early morning light. Nova was mesmerized before looking more closely at the ring. 

“Is this…” she trailed off, looking at Jake with tears welling in her eyes. 

He nodded his head, pulling the ring out. Taking her left hand, he gently slid the ring onto Nova’s finger. “Yes, this was my grandmother’s ring. When I rang my parents to tell them what I was planning, Grandma sent the ring immediately.” 

Nova couldn't keep the tears in any longer. “I had it modified a bit to fit your likes more, but it's still the same ring. We can get a different one if you want.” 

She shook her head, eyes not leaving the ring on her finger. “It's perfect.” 

The rest of the day was spent doing nothing, as originally planned. But now it was done in the pure bliss that was a newly engaged couple. 

This was the start of the rest of their lives, and they were gonna live it to the fullest. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Word Count: 1,116

OUR BABIES ARE ENGAGED!!! IT FINALLY HAPPENED!! 

Now I realize this is kinda short, but I really wasn't sure where else to go with this. 

I've had the idea that the proposal was always gonna be private as that's the type of people they are in their relationship, but I loved the idea of a simple morning question. 

And I personally love when someone gets a family ring as an engagement ring. Any adjustments or changes make sense to fit the person's vibes. My grandfather had my grandmother's engagement and wedding band rearranged into a single ring that is absolutely beautiful, that my mom now has. I think it's just a beautiful idea, especially if someone had become close with the family they are marrying into. 

But that's about it for now yall. Next chapter. THE WEDDING!!! 

See you all soon, bye!!