“I hope you know that I am listening, should you ever change your mind.”

“I love you with everything I am, everything I've been, and everything I hope to be. I love you with my past, and I love you for my future. I love you for the children we'll have and for the years we'll have together. I love you for every one of my smiles and even more, for every one of your smiles.”

“You should do that more often,” he said. “Laugh, I mean.”“I know.” But that sounded sad, and she didn’t want to be sad, so she added, “I don’t often get to torture grown men, though.”“Really?” he murmured. “I would think you do it all the time.”She looked at him.“When you walk into a room,” he said softly, “the air changes.”

“I am asking you to marry me because I love you,” he said, “because I cannot imagine living my life without you. I want to see your face in the morning, and then at night, and a hundred times in between. I want to grow old with you, I want to laugh with you, and I want to sigh to my friends about how managing you are, all the while secretly knowing I am the luckiest man in town.”“What?” she demanded.He shrugged. “A man’s got to keep up appearances. I’ll be universally detested if everyone realizes how perfect you are.”

“I don‟t know what to say,” she whispered.“Normally, I‟d advise „thank you,‟ but as I am the one thanking you, a mere „You are a princeamong men‟ would suffice.”

“Gregory,” she said, “you cannot leave me here. What if someone finds you and removes you from the house? Who will know I am here? And what if…and what if…and then what if…”He smiled, enjoying her officiousness too much to actually listen to her words. She was definitely herself again.“When this is all over,” he said, “I shall bring you a sandwich.”That stopped her short. “A sandwich? A sandwich?”

“There is so much I hope to teach you, little one. I hope that I may do so by example, but I feel the needto put the words topaper as well. It is a quirk of mine, one which I expect you will recognize and find amusing by the timeyou read this letter.Be strong.Be diligent.Be conscientious. There is never anything to be gained by taking the easy road. (Unless, of course, theroad is an easy one to begin with. Roads sometimes are. If that should be the case, do not forge a new,more difficult one. Only martyrs go outlooking for trouble.)Love your siblings. You have two already, and God willing, there will be more. Love them well, for theyare your blood,and when you are unsure, or times are difficult, they will be the ones to stand by your side.Laugh. Laugh out loud, and laugh often. And when circumstances call for silence, turn your laugh into asmile.Don't settle. Know what you want and reach for it. And if you don't know what you want, be patient.The answers willcome to you in time, and you may find that your heart s desire has been right under your nose all thewhile.And remember, always remember that you have a mother and a father who love each other and loveyou.I feel you growing restless. Your father is making strange gasping sounds and will surely lose his temperaltogether if Ido not move from my escritoire to my bed.Welcome to the world, little one. We are all so delighted to make your acquaintance.”