The guys were pleased with how things went at the arena. They were taking limos to the party. Lance and Elaine had one to themselves. The moment they were inside, he took her in his arms and held her close to him. She felt so good in his arms and he found himself wanting her desperately. He knew he couldn't push for that, yet, but it didn't make him want her any less. His lips found her ear and he whispered "I love you, Baby. I love you. I need you so much. I need you to hold me and never let go. Oh Sugar, you are so beautiful tonight," he gasped as he kissed her ear and his tongue quickly darted out and into her ear.
The tingling sensation that caused in Elaine was both heavenly and frightening. These new feelings she was having were so awesome. Everywhere he touched, she felt as though her skin was on fire. His mouth found hers and she suddenly felt swept away by the emotions that came to the surface. Suddenly, it seemed that all reasoning was gone. Her hands touched his face and cupped his cheek. She pulled him closer to her and she could feel the heat from his body as their tongues sought one another. After some intense making out, they finally pulled apart. Lance looked at her with such longing. "Sugar, I love you so much. You are a vision of beauty tonight."
"Well, thank you very much. You ain't lookin' so bad yourself there. Let me straighten your tie." She leaned forward and her fragrance made him feel dizzy.
She was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He looked at her as in a drunken state. Drunk on her beauty, her smile, her fragrance, but most of all, drunk on her pure and honest love. He touched her face and when he did, her eyes closed as in a state of pure ecstasy. When she opened them, he was there in front of her flooding her with the most awesome look in his eyes.
"Elaine, I need to say some things to you while we are alone and have the chance."
"Sweetheart, what is wrong? Are you okay with this relationship or are you having second thoughts?" Elaine asked tentatively.
"Oh Baby, this relationship is so okay with me. I just want us to be honest with each other about whatever we are feeling. I want to tell you my dreams."
"Baby doll, I want to share your dreams. I want to be a part of those dreams and I want you to be a part of mine. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy and realizing your dreams." She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.
"Sugar, I fought for so long to not fall in love again. I tried to deny my feelings for you, but JC and Chris, all the guys, saw it. They saw your love for me. I tried to come up with every excuse imaginable not to fall in love with you. I tried the 'I'm too old' bit and kept getting 'age isn't the important thing when it comes to love' speech. I know I'm older, but in some ways, I'm a kid at heart. There are things that I have experienced that you haven't. There are a LOT of things I wish I could change. Like not listening to you when you tried to warn me about people. If I had listened to you, I would be able to bring more of myself to you in this relationship. For that, I am so sorry. I wish I could bring a whole me to you." Lance looked down as if embarrassed.
Elaine reached out and took his hand in hers and brought it up and held it over her heart. He could feel her heart pounding against his hand as she gazed into his eyes. "You, Lance Bass, are all that I need. Baby, you forget, I know it wasn't your fault. You were taken and abused by that woman. Don't you apologize to me again for what SHE did. You are all that I want or need. I trust you Lance with my heart and soul."
Lance looked into her eyes and shook his head as if in disbelief. "I am a truly blessed man to have you in my life. You know that Justin believes all of us being together is a miracle of God. He feels God led us to come to your graduation to set our lives in motion toward one another. I have to believe him on that one."
"Justin has done a lot of growing himself in the last couple of months. But, getting back to our dreams. Do you want to know what I want for us?"
"Baby, you know I do. I want to know your every dream down to the smallest detail," Lance smiled from ear to ear.
"I told you before that when I fell in love with you years ago, I prayed for God to save you for me. I prayed that if it was His will for my life that you be a part of my life, that you would be free when I turned 18. Every time I have asked for a sign from God to show me that this is what He wants for me, He has never failed me. I have prayed everyday that God will help me to love you the way you deserve to be loved, that He will help me to love your hurt away.
Lance, I have never cared for anyone the way that I care about you. There has never been anyone else for me. You're my heart and soul. You have made me feel new and wonderful things. I want you to teach me. I want to experience EVERYTHING with you."
Elaine touched his face as if touching a priceless porcelain doll. She slipped her hand behind his head and pulled him to her. When he was just inches from her face she continued. "In essence Lancelot, my dream is that I want to walk by your side every day for the rest of our lives. I want to share the good and the bad with you. I want to be your helpmate to be your shelter from the storm. I want to have your children. I want to grow old with you. I want the privilege of spending the rest of my life with you and loving you always. In short, I want to be your wife, if you'll have me."
Lance looked at Elaine and looked at her lips and she suddenly looked down as though embarrassed. He lifted her chin to him and inquired, "Why are you looking down?"
"I can't believe I just said those things to you. It's the first time I've ever said my dreams OUT LOUD. Now I've probably scarred you away." She lowered her gaze again.
He pulled her to him in a hug of sheer joy. "DON'T EVER apologize for your dreams. And it seems we have been having the same dreams." Then to lighten things up a little, he interjected, "Except, I don't what to have your children, but, I do want YOU to have mine." He leaned in and gave her the most passionate kiss yet. He pulled her into him so close she could feel his heart beating against her chest. He could feel her every curve and it took tremendous willpower NOT to touch her, even though he wanted to so bad.
Elaine felt as though her toes would curl around the front seat of the limo. His tongue sought hers out in a passionate battle that sent her senses reeling. He pulled her into his lap, never breaking the kiss and held her as though she were the most prized possession he had, and she was. When he finally ended the kiss, he looked deep down into her eyes as if to reach her very soul.
"You, Sugar Bear, are the most important person in my life. You are my heart and soul. You are the air that I breathe. You complete me in all the ways that count, for now. I look at you sometimes and my heart hurts from all the love I have for you in it. It's like it overwhelms me. Oh, if you only knew what I wanted right now."
Elaine looked at him and played coy, "What do you want, Lancelot?"
He thought for a moment, he had said he wanted them to be honest with one another and now he had to live up to his own requirements. "Baby, I want to take you in my arms and make mad passionate love to you and never stop. To hell with the party and everyone else, I just want to hold you and love you all night long. Now, have I scared you off?"
Elaine smiled a wicked smile. Then she blew his mind with the next comment, "I wondered if that was it, just from sitting in your lap. It's flattering, I guess, to know that I can affect you in that way. It's either love or it's lust."
"Well then, it must be love because I don't want to push you to do something you don't want to do, no matter how much I want to. I respect you too much to do that."
"Lance, you don't know how much that means to me knowing you feel that way. When I took the TRUE LOVE WAITS course at school, I pledged to save myself for the man that God placed me with in marriage and I was making that pledge to you, Lance. I want to bring the greatest gift I have to give, to you, my womanhood."
As her words sunk into his mind and heart, Lance realized that he was truly blessed to have a woman of strong convictions want to be in his life. His heart felt as though it would explode with the love that doubled in that moment.
He eased her over onto the seat, never losing contact with her eyes, and then knelt on the floor of the limo. He took her left hand in his and removed the heart-shaped ring there. "This will have to do until I can get a hold of Armando, again, but, Elaine Wodrich, would you please do me the honor of spending the rest of your days with me as my wife?"
Elaine's hand trembled in his as she looked deep into his eyes. She could see the love there and there was no doubt that he was hers. She softly touched his face and he closed his eyes at the touch. She thought what compassion this man has, Lord, he will make a wonderful father someday and a marvelous husband, too. "Lance, I love you so much. I would be honored to be your wife. YES, YES, I'll marry You!"
Lance slipped the ring back onto her finger and then reached up to kiss her deeply. He lost himself in her and they kissed and held each other until they arrived at the party.
Meanwhile, the fan from the third row, front and center, was driving to her hotel room like a mad woman. She pounded the stirring wheel and cursed as she darted in and out of traffic. "How dare he take up with that little goody two shoes. She can't love him like I can. She can't give him what he really needs."
She swerved into the parking spot in front of her room. She got out and slammed the door shut. She fumbled with the keys to get the door to her room open. The door almost came off the hinges when she slammed it shut. The keys and her purse were slung across the room. She walked like she was on a power walk back and forth at the foot of the bed.
Finally, She stopped, turned on the TV and VCR and slipped a tape in. She sat and watched the couple on the screen in various states of love making. A glazed look came over her face as she continued to watch the various episodes. Then, to herself, she spoke, "I can make Lance Bass feel like a man, she can't. She never will, he's mine and no one else's. He will never belong to anyone else. It's time to go to a birthday party and I must remember to bring a gift," she said in a strange monotone as she slipped another video from the drawer into her purse. Then she went to change for the party.
When Lance and Elaine got to the private party, they decided to wait until the end of the party to make the announcement that they were engaged. But, they both agreed to get the guys and girls and their parents together before and let them know and ask that they keep it on the down low until the end of the party.
When they got inside, everyone turned and broke into applause for the birthday girl. They stood in the doorway and looked at each other as if they wanted to eat each other up. "Do you think they will be able to guess what's going on?" asked Elaine.
"Hopefully, we can keep it under wraps until the end. But, if we don't, oh well. Have I told you lately that I love you? Cause, if I haven't, I just did and I'll do it again. I love you, Sugar Bear, with all my heart and soul." Then he pulled her to him and kissed her long and hard. The rest of the room was lost to them.
The guys came up and grabbed them both and pulled them apart. Elaine started laughing as Chris tickled her and they started giving her hugs and wishing her Happy Birthday. Lance asked Justin if his folks were there yet and he said they had just arrived a little while ago. "I need to speak to my Dad and Mom a minute. You guys watch out for Elaine and stay close together because we need to talk to you guys."
"What's up Bro?" asked Justin.
"You'll find out, now I have to find my Dad to get things squared about her present from all of us. Stay close, okay?"
"You got it, Lance. I think your folks are at your table up front."
Lance went to find his folks. He spotted his Dad first and motioned for him to meet him away from his Mom. They headed to the side door of the room that opened onto the parking lot.
"Dad, how is everything going? Is everything set with the surprise?" Lance asked of his Dad.
"Son, everything is in order. All you have to do is present her with her gift."
"Thank you so much Dad. You have been a life saver tonight. I need you and Mom and Elaine's Mom to get with us and the guys for a few minutes before the party starts. Can you get Mom and, is Stacy here?"
"Yes, she said she wouldn't miss it for anything and Ford made it in, too."
"Wonderful. The whole family. Oh Dad, this night is going to be heaven. I am so happy. I'm happier than I have ever been."
Jim Bass stood and looked at his son as he rambled on about Elaine and how much he loved her. He knew then, he had made the right decision in bringing the surprise he had for his son.
"Lance, I need to share something with you. I took it upon myself to do something a few days ago. You know your Granny Bass' wedding rings? Well, I had them resized for Elaine for when you're ready to take that step. I had Armando do them and here they are." Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out the rings that Lance knew so well. He placed them in Lance's hand. Lance looked down at the rings and the diamonds glistened in the light. As he raised his head to look at his father, tears ran down his face. He grabbed Jim and hugged him close.
"Dad, how did you get so smart? You know somethin', Elaine has said that God has provided signs that our relationship is right and you just proved it to me." Lance decided to go ahead and tell his Dad the news. "It's a sign Dad, your giving me Granny's rings because I just asked Elaine to marry me tonight."
Lance waited for his Dad's reaction. Jim looked at his son and reached for him and held him close in a hug that meant the world to Lance. "Thanks Dad for not freaking out. Think you can keep Mom from doing it?" They laughed together. Lance explained what they wanted to do and his Dad offered to help round everyone up discreetly.
