The screen door creaked, but Megan refused to turn around. "Don't ever do anything like this again," she said, staring into the dark. Her body shook uncontrollably as tears soaked her cheeks.
"Okay," he whispered, touching her shoulder.
She turned and fell against him. "I can't lose you, Brett."
After a few minutes, he started laughing. Megan stepped away, her menacing glare proving more formidable than any fire.
"Whoa, Megan. Calm down."
"Calm down? You almost died out there and you want me to calm down?"
The gleam in his blue eyes angered her until she realized the absurdity of the situation. "Ooh." With thoughts of revenge running rampant, Megan gripped the porch railing, her knuckles turning white. She glanced at Brett, not showing any one emotion. After pursing her lips and then exhaling, she said, "You're quite a storyteller."
"Guilty." His arms flew to his face to protect from Megan's lethal punches. When she did not strike, he lowered his arms. "The kids wanted intrigue and adventure," he said, "not a boring story on how we took shelter in a cave. We got soaked coming home in the rain."
With fingers uncurling, Megan sighed. "Fine. I can't blame you, I guess. One day, I may, find humor in your story." A strange gleam in Brett's eyes offered a new direction for their conversation. "What did you do while waiting for the rain to stop?" she asked.
"Not much," he said with a shrug. "I proposed."
"You proposed?" Megan asked as if she had not heard him correctly. "What did she say?"
His smile lit the dark night. "Can you believe she said yes?"
"Congratulations," she said throwing her arms around him and giving him a hug. "I want details."
"Faith will tell you tomorrow."
"I'll tell you now," Faith said, joining them, looking wide-awake and very alert.
Despite the anguish of the day, Megan chuckled. "You're in on this," she said, pointing a finger at Faith. "You two are made for each other."
Faith put her arm around Brett's waist. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Do you mind that I'm marrying him?" she asked.
"Why would I mind? This is awesome. I am happy for you." Megan stepped closer to Faith. "Between you and me," she said to Faith while glancing at her cousin, "he needs someone to watch over him, take care of him, and keep him out of trouble. I'm here for the summer but the boss man keeps me busy. Little time left for keeping you-know-who out of trouble." Seeing Brett squirm and fidget brought happiness. "Let me ask you one question, Faith. Are you sure you want to get involved in this family?"