I WAIT IN MY APARTMENT WITH RESTLESS LEGS in a casual long-sleeved white dress with sandals. Every date I went on I wished to be in shorts and a t-shirt. What I didn't know at that time was that I didn't want to dress up because I didn't care. With Owen. I care. I really care. A white dress was not my opinion of "best" but Am insisted I look the best in white.

I beg to agree.

White makes my hair stick out like a sore thumb but she vehemently told me to own my bright red hair and work it. She styled it with loose curls and did my makeup before I left for school this morning.

I sit in my apartment now waiting not so patiently for Owen. He should be here by now.

A knock at the door makes me jump up but now I don't feel as ready anymore. I check myself in our hallway mirror making sure I look perfect.

I open the door to Owen standing tall, proud and gloriously sexy. He's wearing a nicely tight white V-neck shirt tucked into dark denim with a rugged jacket over it. The shirt shows off the definition of his chest and his hair perfectly captures a guy who doesn't have to do anything to it and it still looks amazing.

Not fair.

His honest hazel eyes land on me and they widen. "Wow, I didn't think you'd be getting dressed up for this."

"Changing now."

He snatches my wrist and yanks me over to him. His lips press down on mine and I melt into him as my hands trail up his broad, masculine shoulders. It's sweet, perfect, unexpected and splendidly tasty. Everything a kiss should be. He pulls away and a small amount of bitterness flows in my heart, making me whimper which earns a satisfied smirk from him.

"Don't. I just didn't expect it." He gives a playful look. "It about killed me when I pulled you over in that little black dress so this makes up for it."

His smile is fast and entrancing, making me forget all about... well everything. My mind is mush. He skillfully slides his fingers between mine pulling me out of the apartment.

I finally find my tongue. "Wait, my purse."

"You won't need it."

He's patient with me as we walk down the stairs. Most people would probably feel shame or embarrassed but after our night at the baseball field, not once, have I felt ugly because of my leg. Owen's made it clear on multiple occasions now, that to him I am the most beautiful woman. Not just with his words either, but how he waits for me, how he's patient with me and how he looks at me. How we fight and he sits their smiling like it's the most fun he's ever had in his life.

It's like I had allergies or something and took some Clearasil curing my blurry, itchy eyes. I see exactly how he looks at me now. Patty told me many times and I wish I could've seen it then but I was in denial.

Not anymore though.

We get to the last step and he smiles at me as I jump down on my good leg like I'm seven. We get to the car and the ride is filled with teasing, perfect hand holding and him leaning over at every stop light or sign to kiss me.

Each kiss becomes more and more perfect. I've always wondered if it would get boring. It did with my other boyfriends but now I know that with the right person it never does, not as long as the feelings are there.

He pulls up to his house and I give him a weird look. "What are we doing here?"

He puts the car in park and grins slyly at me. "Giving you a date you'll actually enjoy."

That's it... he's too perfect.

Owen helps me out of the car and guides me to the backyard of his newly built house. We head into the woods and I see a clearing with wooden easel looking things that have targets on them. My eyes widen in excitement and I grab his arm. "Seriously? You're going to teach me?"

He gives the raspy hypnotic chuckle of his. "Just promise you'll keep that temper at bay and I will."

I'm not even insulted... Finally, a date I can get onboard with.

"This is a shooting range I made for training. A bunch of my colleagues come here for practice now." His finger points over to picnic table. "Sit there while I get everything."

"Bossy much?"

He raises a brow and in one moment he's half turned away from me and the next he's capturing my lips with his, setting me on fire. I cling him to me by sliding my fingers into his hair. He flushes my body against his and there is no safer place in the world. His lips are warm and firm, experienced. My skin tickles and my heart beats faster and faster with each small touch of his. My butt hits the table...

Wait a second...

He pulls away and I'm only a little breathless...

"Now stay here like a good girl and off that leg."

I huff but the corners of my lips rising give me away. He smirks pushing back some of my hair and skimming his calloused fingers along my collarbone making me close my eyes. It's electric and I kiss his fingers in retaliation.

His gives a nice low grumble but the cool wind hitting my face tells me he's gone. I open my eyes to see it's true and sit, listening to the sound of the birds chirping for a few minutes. I hear footsteps approach and turn around to see Owen lifting his eyebrows in surprise.

"I thought for sure you would've moved."

"After that kiss... I was yours to control." I wink at him.

He busts out laughing as it ripples around me, like it's coating me in his happiness and I'm getting drunk from it. I smile and he collects himself grinning at me as we walk to the targets. He puts down two boxes and drops a bag next to us taking out two protection ear muffs and eye gear. He puts the ear muffs around my neck and another set around his. Then he slides the eye protection perfectly on my face and brushes my cheek when he's done.

I watch his every movement like I'm an addict and he is my drug, every flex of the muscles in his arms makes my mouth go dry. He opens one of the boxes pulling out a black firearm. "This is a Glock 19, it has 15 rounds with .9mm bullets. It's like the gun I use for work."

I marvel at how cute, yet serious he is as he explains everything to me. "You're taking this very seriously."

His eyes pierce mine. "I want to make sure I give you sound instruction. It's important. I'm also a certified firearms instructor so it's my job."

I give him a firm nod.

"First lesson Firecracker, safety first. Respect the gun and always treat it like it's loaded. Do not point it at anything but the target." He puts his hand on my hips turning me to a target. He gives me the gun and it feels heavy in my hand. He kicks my feet to a proper stance and I marvel at how he's still being careful with my leg in each movement he makes me do.

His hands slide along my arms making me shiver delightfully as they cover mine. "Grab the gun between your thumb and index finger and make sure it's lined with your elbow. Your grip should be as high as possible." He fixes my grip as he speaks.

I love how simple instructions are feeling so intimate with his breath on my ear, arms wrapped around me and chest pressed against my back.

Dear God Owen, you're going to burn me to ash.

"You want to support the gun as much as you can. Take your other hand, the support hand, and tilt it at a forty-five-degree angle to fill in that gap, okay?"

I do as he says while he continues with his commands. "Wrap it around and when you extend your arms out, you'll pull a little bit with your support hand and push with the dominate. You'll also aim your thumbs at the target as you stretch out your arms." As he says the last portion he stretches my arms out along with his.

I've always considered myself a fairly tall and solid girl but being in Owen's arms and seeing his easily outstretch mine, makes me feel incredibly girly... and I like it.

"Now, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot." He leans his head in closer to me with his lips right on my ear. "Use your dominate eye to aim at your target."

Crap, which one is my dominate eye?

One eye closes then the next as I check.

Ha! My right.

"This here is your circle, using both eyes look through the circle and make sure the target is at the center."

I laugh, "I never knew there were so many instructions to fire a gun."

He chuckles as he steps away from me and grabs the gun out of my hands. "Think you can remember all that?"

I cock a hip to the side placing my fist on it. "I'm a fast learner, remember? Or do we have to relive the bowling alley fiasco. By the end of this, I'll be better than you."

He smirks. "This one I'm doubtful on babe." He flips the safety off then hands it to me. "But I don't mind humoring you. Let me see what you've got."

I take it and do exactly as he said and let my chest rise and fall with deep even breaths. I pull the trigger and take my first shot. It zooms pass... way off target....

Great, I suck.

I frown as Owen laughs. I drop my elbows in defeat and he comes back over to me. "Want to know what you did wrong?"

I frown. "I was lined up, pulled the trigger and anticipated the shot... tell me oh masterful gunmen, what did I do wrong?"

His smirk transforms into a massive fox like grin. "You don't pull the trigger, you press. You give the front of the trigger continuous pressure until it fires. And you don't anticipate the shot you want to surprise yourself. Keep your concentration on the mark."

I give him a Sesame Street Beaker impression and he just smiles smugly at me. He cocks his head towards the target in a cocky manner and I huff. The next hour or so is filled with loud gunshots, arguing, teasing... on Owen's part, and me hitting the target on rare occasions. I take my last shot and growl in anger when I hit the bottom of the leg in the paper person. Owen haughtily takes the gun for me, loads it, cocks it back beautifully and unloads all the rounds straight into the heart, head and groin of our target.

He makes sure all the contents are empty, cocks the gun back in the sexiest way possible and sets it in the well-secured box on the ground. He leans his butt on the picnic table next to us looking at me with all the confidence in the world. "At this pace you'll never become a sharp shooter like me."

I glare at him. "Show off."

I take my stance and point my fingers like a gun to the target. "Boom, there, I'm a sharp shooter."

I didn't even realize that he had come over to me, until his hand pushes my make believe gun down and plants his lips on mine. My head swirls... with drunken magic.

How does he do this to me?

Every dang time!

My hands cup his jaw as his scruff tickles my palms. I want to stop time, stop the world from spinning around. He lifts me into his arms then brings me to the picnic table pinning me between him and it, like he knows my legs were about to give out. I feel alive... so very and beautifully alive.

Owen teasingly rocks away, dragging his lips away from mine while bringing me back up to a sitting position. I whisper to him, "You have anything else planned?"

The smile he gives me is not earth shattering... but universal. My heart races like a cheetah as he holds his hand out for me to take. "I have one more thing."

My lips purse in the happiest way. He let's go of my hand and grabs the bag and the gun box we used. "Before that mind grabbing me my other one."

I limp over to it. "What was in this one?"

He chuckles, "My favorite a 1911. Open it up and see."

"What about the lock?" I ask.

"Key codes 1015."

I laugh and crouch down. "That's today's date which makes this easy to break into dummy. You better change it to something harder or get a fingerprint one. Oh! You can use my birthday, which reminds me it's soon. Prepare yourself Samuels, I expect a new Cat in the Hat coffee mug."

I key it in and it opens, but there's no gun inside...

My birthstone stares at me. An opal in the shape of a tear drop surrounded by little diamonds with two gold thin bands that continue with the little diamonds. I hear leaves crunch in front of me but I continue to gawk at what's before me. A gust of cool wind blows Owen's manly coffee sent around me and my brain starts to tinker.

I need to say something... anything.

"Umm... Owen... someone stole your 1911."

There's only the sounds of birds and the leaves rustling in the wind as my eyes keep staring at that soft opal that's like the sun shining down on a summer rainbow. I finally glance up and see him staring at me in a way every girl wishes for a man to look at her.

"Harp..."

"Yes." I rudely interrupt but then pause as doubt creeps in... What if this isn't a proposal? My face heats up. "This better be a proposal or I just utterly humiliated myself Owen."

He gives that cocky smile of his. "Well, if you would've listened to what I was about to say then you would've known it is. So, are you going to listen now?"

The dread falls away and I give a coy grin. "No, but you are going to put this ring on my finger before you change your mind."

A/N: Oh man as I edited this piece I forgot how much I loved this chapter. It may still need some editing but I am happy with the outcome. So how do you guys like the big date and proposal? My favorite part was Harp's reaction :D Don't forget to vote and comment! Only two more chapters left! I can't believe it!