Not A Single Dog

Once she calmed down and wiped her face, he held her hands and clasped them with his. "You're not selfish. You just loved me too much to hurt me. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been on you when we spoke about our future with the numerous times that I've mentioned about having children. Yes, I do want to be a father and have kids running around. Yes, I do want a wife whom I'd love and spoil. I want everything you've mentioned, but I am also a selfish man."

"The person whom I want to marry and have kids with is only you. If my wife isn't you, then there is no point in having kids. I want to be the father of our children, but if we can't have any then so be it. I only want one person to be the mother of my kids, and that person is you. Celinda Hui, not being fertile isn't your fault in any way. It only means that it wasn't meant to be. No matter if it is me or another lucky man you might encounter, the results would be the same."

Throughout his speech, he locked his eyes with hers to make sure she understood his sincerity. "However, I want to tell you one thing. I don't care if I could have a big house or a nice car in the future. I don't care if I have seven kids and a wife at home. If you are not the one walking with me till I die on my deathbed, then I don't need that kind of dream."

"My future is only complete if you are in it. Whether we have children or not, it doesn't matter to me. We could always adopt children or animals to fill in the void. Plus, you won't have to go through with labor pain! So don't even think about leaving me because I won't let that chance ever come."

As soon as he finished speaking, he helped her down the sink counter and brought her to the living room. He slapped his forehead when he realized what he had forgotten about earlier. He forgot about the most important tool of a proposal - the ring! As he scratched his head frustratedly, the doorbell rang. He heard the staff clearly speaking from the other end of the door and walked over to answer it.

"Room service! Sir, I believe this is something you need." The staff stood in front of the door with a smile on his face. Before dry-cleaning clothes for customers, the staff had a habit of searching through pockets to make sure it was empty. Fortunately, he found the ring and decided to bring it back once the clothes were ready.

Seeing the square jewelry box inside the staff's hands, a delightful smile curved on Bryan's lips. He took the box and removed the ring from the inside. "Thank you so much! I really needed this right now!"

Hurriedly pacing into the suite, Bryan bent down on one knee and held Celinda's hand. "Celinda, will you marry me? This isn't a rushed decision nor am I joking with you. I can never be as serious as I am now. I know what I want, and I was clear-minded when I said everything. I love you and want you to be my wife. I planned this proposal and of course, it was in a way more romantic setting than right now. But one after another, incidents happened, which led us to where we are right now."

"Even though there isn't a starry sky, romantic music, fancy clothes nor a steamy atmosphere, as long as there are us, the proposal could always happen. I cared too much about the details earlier, but now that I see it... this is the best way to propose to you. I mean what's sexier than a confession while having wet hair and a robe on? Right? So? What do you say? Will you give me the honor to fulfill our future together?"

He took her hand and rubbed her ring finger. When he looked up, he realized she was too shocked to give him an answer. However, her head was bobbing continuously while tears flowed nonstop from her eyes. Her cheeks were red from crying and her lips mouthed "yes."

Giving her all the time in the world, he patiently waited for her to calm down. As soon as her voice came back, she nodded once more. "Yes! Of course, I am willing!"

Carefully, he slid the ring onto her engagement finger and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Meanwhile, the staff stood cheerfully by the door until he witnessed their kiss and decided to leave the couple alone. Before leaving, he hooked the cleaned clothes on the rack and quietly closed the door for them.

Minutes later, the couple broke the kiss when both of them gasped for fresh air. Still, their arms continued embracing one another. Bryan bumped his forehead lightly against Celinda's head while his eyes wandered to the ring on her finger. At last, they were engaged.

A silly laugh escaped his lips when he thought about how others would react when they announce the news. Just a few hours ago, Jessica and Alfred waved their red booklets in their faces. This time, it was his turn to brag about his accomplishment. Of course, he had to wait until Celinda was ready to tell everyone. How could he tell others about their engagement without his fiancée to show off their engagement ring?

His lips brushed against her forehead gently, giving her a small peck. He stroked her back for a few minutes before bringing up the main topic he wanted to discuss. "Say...We should give the others a call about this. Engagement is a big deal. We have to inform them, so they could start saving money for our wedding gifts." He shamelessly suggested with his fingers scrolling down his contacts list.

"Hah. Bryan, you aren't worried about our future wedding gifts. You just want to brag about it to them." She exposed his lie on the spot, not leaving any gaps or holes for him to hide in.

"Oh, come on! Baby, why are you so smart? Now that we're engaged, I'm no longer a single dog! Tch. They can't laugh at me being single now!" He ranted jokingly. In fact, he really did want to share such auspicious news with the group.

"Hehe~ But darling, you're technically still a single dog because we aren't married yet. They aren't wrong about it when they teased you." She drew circles on his chest as she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Hah! I am just this-" He raised his hand demonstrating a mini gap between two fingers. "Just this tiny step from marrying you. I don't care anyway. I've longed to make you my wife, so I won't admit to being a single dog. Tch. Watch me shove dog food to their faces and interrupt their couple time. Hehehe, I'll make them full before they could eat their breakfast! Hahahaha!" Bryan laughed evilly with a grin on his lip. The expression on his face was priceless to the point Celinda had to snap a photo of him and send it to her ladies group chat.

"Anyway, are we going to do a group video call? Should you call them or should I call?" Celinda took out her phone with a smirk on her face. Though she called Bryan shameless, she wasn't any better than him. She had many thoughts in her mind since her girls already made a list of activities of how they should play the groom and best men for future weddings.

Bryan opened his mouth but didn't respond to her inquiry. Instead, he placed his palms on her shoulders and pushed her back to the bathroom. Taking the blow dryer off the shelves, he plugged it back in and held a section of her damp hair. "The video call will be made later. First, we'll have to dry your hair first. I should've helped you dry your hair first before dragging you out. Are you cold? I'll try drying it as quickly as possible."

"Hehe. I'm not cold." She giggled, closing her eye in the following seconds.

"Then, let's finish this task first and bother the crew before we sleep." He turned on the blow dryer and continued drying her hair.