Blane glanced over at him before turning his attention back to the road."You planning to marry her?"
Emmett shook his head slowly."Not yet.If ever.I don't know if she'd even want to."
"Yeah, but do you?"
"I don't know how the girls would feel about that.It's something for down the line, anyway."
Blane turned and glared at him for a moment."I didn't ask about Harper.I didn't ask about the girls.I asked about you."
Emmett wiped his palms on his jeans."I know, bud.And I think I'm avoiding answering myself even more than I'm avoiding answering you.But… yeah, I think I would like that.Someday, somewhere down the line, you know?"
"It's what I expected," said Blane.
"You did?"
"Yeah, it's who you are.You and Emily were great.But it's more than just Emily.You… You're a good dad, a great dad—but more than that, you were a good husband—it suited you.You should marry her if that's what you want."
Emmett chuckled."Thanks, bud.But like I said, there's a lot more to it than how I feel.I don't even know if Harper would want to.And there's the girls."
"I know," said Blane."So you're just gonna move her in and that's it?"
Emmett thought about it for a few moments."I've been toying with an idea."
"What's that?"
"You know how when the guys met their women and they wanted to propose or whatever, they went to buy a ring in town?"
Blane grunted."Yeah, they all go shopping like a bunch of women."
Emmett laughed out loud."Yeah, that."
"What, so you're saying you want to go shopping?You want to buy Harper…?What?Oh, wait—are you going to do what Trip did and buy one of those eternity rings?So it's not an engagement, but she still gets a ring?"
Emmett shook his head slowly."I might have done that if Trip hadn't landed on the idea first."He chuckled."The girls helped him with it, you know.They taught him about different rings and different cuts of diamonds."
"Yeah, they told me all about it.So, what do you want to go shopping for?"
Emmett wasn't sure he wanted to admit it, but when Blane turned to him again, he blurted out on a laugh, "I want to buy her a teddy bear."
"What the fuck, Emmett, a teddy bear?The rest of them get diamonds and you want to buy Harper a teddy bear?Even I know that's not…"
Emmett laughed out loud."It's not about a competition, it's about what it means."
"Oh shit, right, yeah, the whole Mama Bear thing, yeah."
"Exactly," said Emmett.
"Well, in that case, I'll round the guys up.Figure out when everyone can make time for this shopping expedition, okay?"
"Thanks, bud."
"Hey, it's my pleasure.In fact, it'll be a real pleasure.I'll get a kick out of telling them that we're not buying diamonds, we're buying a teddy bear."
Emmett just smiled."You know me—I do things my own way."
Blane shot him a quick look."I do know.It's one of the many things I love about you."
~ ~ ~
