Round One

Question Time

Where did you and your fiancé meet for the first time? I think the very first time was when one of my ex's kids brought him home when they were teens... yes, there's quite an age difference between us. We bumped into each other a few times after he graduated from Uni, and became friends after that.


What is your favourite part of your fiancé, & Why? His heart - he's very gentle, warm, loving... just like my ex used to be before he changed. In fact it took Marco for me to realise how big the cracks in my existing marriage were, seems daft now...

What is your fiancé’s favourite part of you, & Why? Funnily enough the same thing - he's often told me similar about myself.

Do you want children? Erm, bit late for that... ;) We may want more later on... it's not like we have any rush!

What's your favourite feature on your fiancé? He doesn't like his mouth, but I love the smile it gives him.

What would he say is your best feature? He loves my eyes - he's always admiring them.

Was it love at first sight? Now that would just be wrong wouldn't it?! ;) No, shortly before that happened he thought at first he loved one of my daughters Jeanette... it's a long story, but even Luca (my ex) and I were trying to warn him away from her, together with his Uncles - sounds bad I know, but she really isn't the commitment type. He found that out the hard way after asking me to bite him, then using his new gift of telepathy to find out for certain how she felt... and promptly turned to me when his suspicions were confirmed. Although it was also then he admitted he'd been pointing the love he'd been feeling in the wrong direction - that's how we ended up together. We couldn't do much about it until Luca and I had split, but since then...

Have you ever split-up? If so why? No; we'd both been going through a bad enough time, in a sense each other was all that kept us going. Me more than him it has to be said, which he knows...

What does you fiancé do that drives you crazy? He has a very cheeky sense of humour, which although fun for the most part gets a bit much sometimes.

Do you get along with his family? His parents were friends of mine while he was younger. He gets his good nature mostly from his father Manuel - he's a wonderful guy.

The Proposal

I had just got back from visiting my youngest son Evan, who at the tender age of sixteen is already raising a family of his own with his girlfriend. However there was something different when I stepped through the front door. The smell hit me first; the scent of rose wafted past my nostrils, tantalising my senses - I've always enjoyed the smell of roses, even if it's the artificial kind produced by candles.

It was then I noticed a trail of rose petals forming a path up the stairs. Approaching it intrigued, out of the corner of my eye I noticed candles burning on various surfaces, but as my eye returned to the petal trail I couldn't help but smile. I knew exactly where it would lead, and chuckled to myself as I climbed the staircase and headed for the master bedroom, noting that indeed that was where the petals lead to.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I entered. There he was, stretched out on the bed without a care in the world... and dressed in clothes completely out of character for him. I began to suspect he was wearing them for a reason - he knows I have a soft spot for that kind of attire, and not only because I wear it myself.

"Very subtle," I mused, after letting the temperature die down a little.
"Welcome home honey," he replied with a cheeky grin.
I crouched down by the bed. "There's still no need to shout," I told him.
With that he clutched my hand and pulled me on top of him. "Oh yes there is," came the reply. I just chuckled.
"What're you like?" I remarked, and he was quiet for a moment before suddenly shifting his weight from under me, the fire between the two of us burning fiercely as we embraced.

After cuddling up to each other for a while, my mind drifted back to the rose petals and the candles, some of which burning softly in the room, and began to giggle.
"What?" he quizzed.
"I can think of more subtle ways to tell me you're in the mood..." I began, but again he fell silent for a moment.
"Believe it or not, that wasn't my intention," he smiled in reply, "Well, not at first..."
I frowned as I sat up. "I didn't think it was like you," I remarked, "Mind you, the outfit was pretty misleading if that's not what you had in mind."
"Caught your attention didn't it?" he said with a sparkle in his eye.
I allowed myself a brief chuckle before turning serious. "Come on, what's going on?"
In reply he slid off the bed, a hand gripping mine as he gestured to me to do the same. He never even stopped to dress before sinking to the ground on one knee...

"Sarah..." he began as he clutched my hands, but I could feel them shaking. He softly bit his lip before continuing, "I can honestly say there is no one else I would rather spend an eternity with than with you... It would be a great honour if you would become my wife."
A sharp expulsion of air left my lungs as I felt my knees weaken. It had been a long time since I'd experienced romance anywhere near this level, and as he produced the box and presented the ring, I felt tears well at my eyes as it slowly dawned on me that this was for real.

He stood up and brushed away the tears now trickling down my cheeks as I was barely able to utter my reply, triggering his own tears as we tightly embraced.

After all the pain I've suffered so far, however unintentional, this was the start of a new life for me.