He observed her with Vivi as they both fell to the ground in a pile of high-pitched giggles. Janine didn’t care if others looked at her. She was content with being joyful and having a good time, even if it meant laying on her back, kicking her legs in the air to copy what Vivi was doing.

Suddenly, William felt an overwhelming urge to grab her by the hand and walk her to the justice of the peace. She’d be the best wife and mother. They’d talked about possibly adopting at some point, and William was filled with excitement about having that future with her.

What was he waiting for? Was his mother right? Should he make the jump and propose to her?

She deserved a grandiose proposal, but he wasn’t exactly the most creative guy in the world when it came to planning romantic dates. What if he disappointed her?

“William?”

Lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed Julie walk up behind him. “Oh. Hey there,” he said, stammering.

“Are you hiding behind a tree?” she asked, smiling.

“Maybe.”

“Why are you hiding from Janine?”

He looked back at the two of them who were now chasing each other and playing some form of tag. “I wasn’t exactly hiding. I just saw her and Vivi playing and wanted to watch them for a few minutes.”

Julie smiled. “Why do I find this whole scene so incredibly cute?”

He turned around and looked at her, his back against the tree trunk. “I don’t know because I’m definitely not cute. I am a strong, confident man,” he said, sticking out his chest and smiling.

“Well, confident man, why are you hiding behind this tree where your girlfriend can’t see you?”

He looked down at his feet. “It seems that my mother overheard your conversation with Dawson the other day.”

Julie furrowed her eyebrows, obviously trying to recollect one of many conversations she had probably had with her husband in recent days. “What did she overhear exactly?”

“That Janine wants to get married.”

William watched her face for some kind of reaction, but she held it in well. She pursed her lips tightly and then laughed under her breath. “I’m going to have to have a word with Miss Dixie when I see her next.”

“Don’t be mad at her. She wasn’t trying to overhear on purpose, but when she did, she ran with it.”

“Look, this is your and Janine’s business. Nobody else’s. And I shouldn’t have even been talking about it with Dawson.”

“He’s your husband. You can talk to him about anything.”

“Everybody’s relationship has its own course, William. You shouldn’t feel pressured just because of what your mother said.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “Is what she said true? Does Janine really want to get married?”

Julie shook her head. “Oh no. I’m not getting in the middle of this. I shouldn’t have been talking so openly about it so Dixie could overhear me.”

She started to walk away but William lightly pulled on her arm. “Please. Just tell me. I don’t want to propose and look like a complete idiot when she says no.”