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She feels like she’s bubbling over.
She needs to burst, to tell someone.
Usually, it’d be Lisa.
Any good news, whether it be a deal she’s landed with a new client or how much progress Betsy’s making at work, is shared with Lisa before anyone else.
Sometimes she doesn’t even need to speak, the blonde can just sense the giddiness within her as soon as she walks through the door, gives her that fond smile and says ‘ go on then, tell me ’.
Thankfully, her girlfriend’s at work which means she’s left to bubble alone at the kitchen island, refreshing her phone for tracking updates every five seconds.
“What are you smiling about?” Ryan’s voice pulls her head from her phone as he comes downstairs and moves through the kitchen with ease, pulling a box of cereal from the cupboard and making himself a bowl.
It warms her heart, to see him so at home already.
It’s like he’s been here, like they’ve all been here, forever.
“Oh Ry, I’m so glad you’re up,” she grins, sliding her phone across to him.
“What? You ordered a new pair of shoes or summat?” He frowns, head tilted like a lost puppy as he tries to make sense of it.
“No, you idiot,” she says with a fond roll of her eyes. “I’ve ordered a ring. For Lisa. It’s nearly here.”
“What? A ring ring?”
She nods her head, desperately biting back the smile that threatens to break out across her face.
“Oh my god!”
The cereal is long forgotten as he makes his way around to her and wraps her up into a tight hug, the smile on his face just as big as hers.
“How long have you been planning this for? How are you going to ask her? Does Betsy know?” He asks, not stopping for breath.
Carla chuckles and shakes her head.
“She asked me… After Craig. We decided it wasn’t the right time, that it needed to be out of love and not grief… And Ryan, I’ve never loved her more than I do now.”
She knows she’s opening herself up for a lifetime of teasing but she doesn’t care, not when she’s this happy — happier than she thinks she’s ever been.
No, than she knows she’s ever been.
“I don’t— I don’t even know how I’m going to ask her, I just need to ask her. I’m half tempted to burst into the station and get down on one knee,” she continues, shaking her head at herself. “But I need to talk to Betsy first, see how she feels.”
Ryan nods his head in understanding as he returns to his abandoned cereal bowl, wearing a dopey smile before he shoves a huge spoonful of cornflakes into his gob.
“Well, if you need any tips, I’ve seen every romcom there is,” he offers.
“I might hold you to that actua—”
She’s cut off by the knock on the door and she practically flies out of her seat to go and answer it, as if the delivery bloke will disappear if she doesn’t answer it within two seconds.
Ryan listens fondly to her muffled voice, the excitement still obvious through every word she speaks.
“Carla Connor. Yep. Yep. Great. Thank you. Bye!”
She doesn’t wait until she returns to him to open it up; she tears the box open as soon as the door closes, leaving cardboard and brown paper long forgotten about on the doormat.
She holds the black velvet box in her palms, up against her chest, and takes a deep breath before she pulls it apart, her heart racing at the satisfying click it makes once it’s opened.
“Gorgeous…” She breathes out to herself, feeling all of her emotions rush to the surface as her eyes grow glassy.
Pull yourself together, she tells herself, how are you going to get through the proposal if you can barely even look at the ring without blubbering?
//
As tempting as it is to spend the day picking Ryan’s brain about his top ten favourite romcom proposals, there’s something she needs to do first.
To anyone peering into her office, she looks hard at work, scribbling in her diary, undoubtedly scheduling important client meetings.
If they got a look over her shoulder though, they’d see the same thing scrawled across each page:
Mrs. Swain-Connor
Mrs. Connor-Swain
Mrs. Swain?
Carla Swain-Connor
Carla Connor-Swain
Mrs. Carla…
“You summoned me, stepmother dearest?” Betsy calls out as she strolls into her office with not even a sliver of the nervousness that any of her colleagues would feel in the same situation.
“Ha! Funny you should say that,” Carla says, closing her diary and shoving it in her top drawer to lie beside the black velvet box.
Betsy quirks a curious brow as she plops herself down in the chair opposite her.
“I… Um. I need to… Gosh, this is harder than I thought,” Carla chuckles nervously, pushing her fingers through her hair as she tries to gather her thoughts. “I need to ask you—”
“Carla,” Betsy interrupts with a knowing smile as she rests her elbows on her desk. “You have my blessing or permission or whatever.”
“Wha—? How did you—?”
“I was buying concert tickets the other day and I needed all the devices I could get my hands on… You really need to start closing your tabs.”
She doesn’t know why she’s surprised really, she doesn’t miss a trick.
Carla shakes her head and lets out a fond laugh before Betsy’s words really sink in. “Do I really? Have your blessing?”
“Yeah,” the teenager shrugs as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, as if once over she wouldn’t have moved heaven and earth to keep Carla away from her mother. “It’s the only thing left really, isn’t it? We have a house that’s all ours… We’re family already, this just makes it official, doesn’t it?”
She feels herself choking up again.
She makes it all sound so easy.
And it is easy. Now.
But it wasn’t once.
She never thought they’d get here, but here they are.
A family.
“Right, you,” Carla says, clearing her throat as she stands up. “You’re clocking off early, we’ve got plans to make.”
“Will I still get—?”
“Yes Betsy, you’ll still get paid. Let’s call it working from home.”
//
That’s how they (Carla, Betsy and Ryan) find themselves huddled around a laptop, scrolling through Vogue’s 50 Creative Proposal Ideas for Every Type of Couple.
“Ooo, look at that one. Make it a word game,” Ryan suggests.
“Well, she does love a crossword…” Betsy hums. “But that’s boring.”
“Some of these are ridiculous,” Carla scoffs as she scrolls through. “Book a bloomin’ seaplane?”
“I say keep it simple,” Ryan says. “Just the two of you, a bit of romantic music in the background… I could make you a playlist if you want?”
“I don’t know… I want it to be special,” she sighs, returning to the search to see if there are any better ideas out there.
“Ha! Why don’t you wear that, Ryan?” Betsy giggles, pointing to a picture of a toddler wearing a top that says ‘ Will you marry my mummy?’. “Just change it to ‘auntie’ and we’re good to go.”
“Not a bad idea,” he grins, poking her shoulder. “She couldn’t say no to this face.”
“Pack it in the pair of you,” she laughs, clutching at the ring box in her pocket as if it’ll suddenly give her some inspiration. “Serious suggestions only.”
“What about that?” Ryan says, reading from the never-ending list. “Ask at the place you first said ‘I love you’.”
She thinks back to that night, remembers how she felt it so deeply she couldn’t hold it in.
She remembers how her heart sank when it wasn’t reciprocated.
But little did she know, it was.
“Technically it was two places…” Carla hums. “And the hospital isn’t the most romantic place so… Rovers it is.”
“The Rovers?” Betsy scoffs, earning an elbow to the ribs from Ryan. “Ow!”
“Look, it just slipped out, alright? I’d had quite a bit to drink…” Carla says. “And I just so happen to own the pub, so I can make sure she doesn’t have to stare at some old bloke falling asleep into his pint while I ask her.”
“Well, we’re going to need to give the place a full revamp,” Betsy decides with a nod. “Rose petals, flowers, champagne.”
“I’ll sort all that. You two just make sure she’s there at lunchtime, okay?”
“Yes, boss!” They say in unison, unable to hold back their giggles as Ryan gives her a salute.
//
Given she’s only had a couple of hours to turn it around, it doesn’t look half bad.
She and Betsy decided to brave the trip to Preston’s Petals, where Tracy massively overcharged them, to get as many rose petals and bunches of flowers as they could carry, while Ryan took himself on what he decided to call ‘Lisa Duty’.
“You don’t think it’s tacky, do you? Too cheesy?” Carla hums as her eyes follow the trail of rose petals from the door to the end of the bar and finds herself suddenly rethinking it all.
“A bit,” Betsy shrugs. “But you two are dead cheesy anyway.”
“Don’t be cheeky.”
Glenda has a bottle of champagne at the ready on the end of the bar with two glasses lined up beside it for when Lisa eventually arrives.
“Eh! Don’t I get a glass?” Betsy frowns. “This was basically all my idea.”
“Depends if she says yes,” Carla teases. “Then you can have all the champagne you want. If not, lemonade.”
“She’ll say yes,” Betsy says, her expression softening as she notices the nerves that are clearly running through Carla, as much as she tries to hide them. “She will.”
“I hope so… Where the hell is she?”
//
“Oh come on, Auntie Lisa,” Ryan groans, hands held together as he pleads over the front desk. “You’ve got to come for a pint with me, it’s family bonding.”
Lisa gives him a fond roll of her eyes, choosing to ignore the obvious attempt at buttering her up and instead focusing on the fact that he considers her family just as much as she does him.
“I can’t drink on duty,” She says loudly before she leans over the counter. “I don’t really have time, Ryan. I mean, I was supposed to meet Carla for lunch but she’s got a meeting now.”
Ryan can tell she’s trying not to look too disheartened but it’s written all over her face; she may as well be pouting.
“So what you’re saying is, you’d say yes if it was Carla asking?” He gasps, putting a hand over his chest and feigning upset.
“No— I didn’t mean that— I just—”
“That hurts,” he sighs. “But all will be forgiven if you join me at the Rovers.”
“I’m off tomorrow. We could go for a pint then?” She tries. “Then at least we can have more than one.”
“But—”
“Sarge, have you got a sec? I’ve got an update on the Murphy case.”
“I’ve got to go,” she says, giving him an apologetic smile. “Tomorrow though, yeah?”
“Yeah… Yeah, sure.”
He doesn’t have time to dwell on the plan going awry before his phone starts vibrating once again in his pocket.
“Oh, he answers! Where are you?” Carla sighs, pinning her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she polishes the ring for what Betsy swears is the thousandth time that hour.
“We’ve got a problem,” Ryan sighs. “She can’t get out of work… Well, she probably would have done if she still had her lunch date with you but she got an update on some case and had to go.”
“Oh, brilliant. What am I going to do? We can’t shut the pub all day…” She groans out, looking between Betsy and Glenda as if either of them holds the answer.
“Why didn’t you say she’s off tomorrow? Why don’t you just ask her then?”
“We’re joined at the hip when she’s off work… She’d know something’s going on if I started sneaking around. Anyway, I can’t wait until then. I just… I need to ask her now.”
“Well, we need a plan B then and fast.”
//
The flowers are packed away, the champagne is put back in the fridge and the rose petals are picked up one by one by a complaining Ryan.
“It’s your punishment for not getting her here,” Betsy teases from her spot on the barstool, where she sips at her lemonade.
“‘Ey, it’s not my fault I’m not a fifty-year-old woman with—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Carla scolds from where she sits beside Betsy in a sulk.
“It’s all a bit last minute, isn’t it?” Glenda asks as she tops up a pint for a customer, now that they’ve decided to let them back in. “Why don’t you take your time with it, then you can have more time to prepare and actually get her to where you want her?”
“Because she knows me too well. There’s no way I’m going to be able to look her in the eye when I know I’ve got a ring hidden somewhere.”
“Where did you have your first date?” Glenda hums.
Carla thinks back, wondering what they would actually classify as their first date. There were so many drinks in the Rovers and the Bistro, but she’s not sure any of them actually counted.
“We went to the Chariot Square, we had a spa day,” Carla tells her.
“There you go!” She says. “Give Debbie a ring, get her to book you a table for tonight.”
“That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Ryan says, still on all fours picking up stray rose petals. “It’ll be quiet tonight, you could have one of those nice tables in the corner.”
“Yeah… Yeah, that could work.”
//
“Oh, I don’t know, darling,” Lisa sighs down the other end of the phone. “It’s been a bit of a day here. I just wanted to come home and relax with you.”
“Well, a meal out is relaxing,” Carla tries, struggling to zip herself into her dress without making it obvious to Lisa what she’s up to. “I’ll get you a nice bottle of wine… And they’ve got that sticky toffee pudding you love.”
“I do love that pudding…” Lisa says and Carla can hear her smiling through her words.
“Right, it’s a date then,” Carla giggles. “I’ll have to meet you there though, is that alright? I’m in town on some business so I can just come straight there afterwards.”
“Yeah, that’s fine love.”
“Perfect. It’s under my name. Eight o'clock. Loveyoubye.”
“Love you—”
But Carla hangs up, knowing she can’t speak to her for any longer without giving it all away.
She also knows she doesn’t have much time to finish getting ready and leave the house before Lisa returns home to do the same.
“Bets!” Carla calls out, patting her face down to stop her from sweating her makeup off.
“What’s up? You’re not still stressing are you?” She hums as she strolls into their bedroom.
“No. Well yeah, but it’s not that,” she groans, turning around. “Can you zip my dress up please?”
“‘Course I can,” the teenager chuckles, making quick work of zipping up the dress. “You look lovely, she’s going to love it.”
“My outfit has your seal of approval?” Carla smiles, teasing to hide how much the compliment means to her. “Well, thank you.”
“Where’s the ring?” Betsy asks.
“In here, zip compartment,” She nods, grabbing her handbag and putting it over her shoulder, though not before checking, once again, that the ring is still there.
“Don’t overthink it, yeah?” Betsy smiles softly, brushing her hands over Carla’s shoulders.
“I won’t,” She says and they’re both laughing then because they know it’s definitely a lie. “Well, I’ll try not to!”
They look at each other for a moment and it all starts to sink in.
How far they’ve come.
They family they’ve blended into.
The future that awaits them all.
“Go on, before she gets back.”
She’s shooed away quickly with Betsy wishing her luck as she goes.
And she knows she’s definitely going to need it.
//
Carla arrives early.
Obviously.
And despite their war over the house, Debbie has made it perfect for them.
There’s a rose on the table, lit up by candlelight.
The table is tucked away in the corner, giving the illusion of privacy amongst the restaurant.
Carla gives the waiter the ring, deciding to go for the classic ‘ring in the champagne’ idea that Ryan had suggested earlier in the day.
All she needs to do is give him the nod when the time is right.
“Sorry I’m late, darling. I didn’t get out of— Wow… You look gorgeous,” Lisa breathes out, cutting herself off when she sets eyes on Carla’s appearance.
“Hiya, babe!” She says, a little too loudly, as she stands up to greet her, almost knocking a fork off the table as she does. “You look... Really nice, as well. Beautiful, I mean.”
Lisa chuckles at her rambling as she presses a soft kiss to her lips. She pulls away again to get a good look at her, eyes raking over her outfit with a look of complete awe, before she sits down opposite her.
“What’s the occasion?” Lisa grins, already reaching across to table for Carla’s hand. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Occasion? There’s no occasion…” Carla chuckles, shaking her head. “Well, I suppose it’s to celebrate us moving in, really.”
“So, there is an occasion?” Lisa teases, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Shut up. Tell me about your day.”
And Lisa does. She tells her as much as she can about the latest case she’s working on, describes in detail the many, many times Kit wound her up and complains about the broken coffee machine.
Carla hangs onto her every word.
She always does; she could watch her talk for hours on end and never get bored.
She’s relieved that Lisa carries most of the conversation throughout their meal; it allows her a chance to breathe. She also knows that if her mouth opens for too long, she’ll start rambling.
“Was yours nice, love?” Lisa asks once their plates are cleared away, but before she can get a chance to answer, a round of applause echoes through the restaurant.
Both of their heads snap around to find a man on his knees, a diamond ring held out in shaky hands and a crying woman, who Carla can’t hear but who is definitely nodding and saying ‘yes’.
It’s the word she’s longing to hear, has been longing to hear for the entire day, and someone’s beaten her to it.
“Aw, look Carla,” Lisa whispers, giving her hand a squeeze over the table. “He was so nervous.”
“Ha… Yeah,” She hums, finding herself sweating all of a sudden.
“I’d hate that, though.”
“What? You’d hate what?” Carla asks, trying not to sound too panicked.
“Being proposed to in public, everyone looking at me and clapping,” she chuckles.
“Oh... Yeah. Me too.”
The waiter catches her eye from across the room, his eyes full of hope.
Carla shakes her head, subtly calling it off.
//
“Do you want to do something this weekend?” Carla asks after they return home and start to get themselves ready for bed.
She’d sent a text to Ryan and Betsy from the toilets, explaining the situation. She even sent one to Glenda too, knowing as soon as she saw Lisa next she’d be grinning like a Cheshire cat and asking to see her hand.
“What did you have in mind?” Lisa hums as she brushes through her hair, eyeing Carla through the mirror with a gentle smile.
“I was thinking we could have a night away somewhere, maybe one of those log cabin things with the hot tubs.”
It’s a good backup plan, she thinks.
Just the two of them, somewhere romantic.
With nothing around them that could throw a spanner in the works.
Hopefully.
“Oh, that sounds amazing,” Lisa grins. “Betsy showed me one of those TikTok things of one not too far from here and it looked gorgeous.”
“Yeah? Shall I dig my bikini out then?” Carla hums, making her way over to her and sliding her arms around her neck.
“You better.”
//
The group chat Betsy had set up for them the previous day pings as soon as Lisa gets into the shower.
SWAIN-CONNORS -1
Betsy: Team meeting. Kitchen. Now.
Ryan: Roger that.
Carla: 🙄
“So, we’ve got two failed proposal attempts. What’s our next move?” Ryan asks, sipping his coffee.
“Keep your voice down, will ya?” Carla scolds. “And it wasn’t two failed attempts. She said she hated public proposals, I could exactly ask her after that, could I?”
“So, what are you going to do now?” Betsy yawns.
“I need your help actually. She said you showed her one of those log cabin things? Do you have the link?”
“Only if you promise to let me book it another time.”
“Deal.”
Carla gives her a fond roll of her eyes and slides her phone over to her, deciding to let her take charge of the booking.
“So, how are you going to ask her?” Ryan hums.
“I was thinking…” Carla says. “I could bake her a cake and put the ring in it.”
That earns a roar of laughter from the pair of them.
“What?! It’s not that bad, is it?”
“No, no,” Ryan says, trying to catch his breath. “Just… You… Baking!”
That sets them both off again, laughing so loudly that Carla doesn’t hear the footsteps coming down the stairs.
“What are you lot giggling about?” Lisa asks, clad in her dressing gown with her hair wrapped up in a towel.
Carla’s wide-eyed, looking between Betsy and Ryan, silently begging them to save her.
“Funny video,” Betsy lies easily.
“Yeah,” Ryan backs her up, standing up straight beside her. “This bodybuilder was lifting too much weight and he ended up sh—”
“I don’t wanna know!” Lisa laughs, greeting Carla with a soft kiss to her cheek. “Do you want a coffee, darling?”
“Yes please… Hey, the cabin’s booked for tonight so we can get packed and head straight off if you like?”
“Oh, really? Yeah, that sounds amazing,” Lisa replies, turning to look at Ryan. “Make sure she doesn’t throw a house party, will you?”
“You got it,” he nods. “And don’t worry, you can buy me a pint another day.”
//
Lisa drives them to the cabin while Carla gazes out of the window, pretending to admire the views of the Peak District, though she’s really just wrapped up in her thoughts.
They’d made a quick stop to Frescos on the way, and Lisa had the exact same reaction as Ryan and Betsy when Carla suggested baking.
She’d managed to convince her that they could do it together, so the ingredients (that Roy had instructed her to get) now sit in the shopping bags in the boot.
“Nearly there now,” Lisa hums softly, pulling Carla from her thoughts.
“It’s gorgeous out here, isn’t it?” She replies, reaching over to place her hand on Lisa’s thigh.
“Yeah… I do feel like I’m at the start of a horror film though.”
“Lisa!”
“What? It always starts with people driving to a cabin in the middle of nowhere!”
That’d be just her luck. Another failed proposal attempt, this time because of a ghost or axe murderer on the loose.
As they pull onto the pebbled driveway, Carla feels both excitement and nerves bubbling in her chest.
She looks over at Lisa and her heart feels like it’s about to burst.
She almost asks her right there, before they even set foot out of the car.
But she manages to stop herself, just.
“Never mind staring at me,” Lisa teases her as she turns the engine off. “You’ve got all those shopping bags to carry in.”
“What? You always carry the bags!” Carla argues through a grin.
“Yeah but you’ve also packed enough clothes to last you two weeks, so I’ll have my hands full, won’t I?”
“You’re not getting any cake now for that.”
“Oh no,” Lisa giggles as she climbs out of the car. “How will I cope?”
//
It doesn’t take them long to get settled and Carla manages to mask her nerves enough so that Lisa doesn’t grow suspicious.
“What do you want to do first?” Lisa hums, an arm thrown lazily around Carla’s shoulders as she presses her lips against the spot beside her ear. “Hot tub?”
“Can we bake first?” Carla hums innocently, fluttering her eyes closed as Lisa begins to trail her kisses down to her jaw.
“Whatever you want,” the blonde whispers, a hand sliding up to rest on the side of Carla’s neck to keep her close. “Although… I was thinking we could go and see what the bedroom’s like.”
It’s not often she has to exercise her self-restraint with Lisa, but it’s as painfully difficult as she remembers.
“Lise…” She whines out, slowly prying herself away. “We’ve got plenty of time for that.”
“You really want to bake this cake, don’t you?” Lisa chuckles fondly, blowing out a breath. “Come on then, Nigella.”
//
“Okay… I need two hundred and ten grams of plain flour,” Carla hums, scanning her eyes over the recipe she’s unfolded, trying to make sense of Roy’s instructions.
“Carla…”
“And ninety grams of cocoa powder.”
“Carla!”
“What?”
“We don’t have any weighing scales…”
“Can’t you just eyeball it?”
“Eyeball it?!”
“Yeah, you know, just throw in what looks about right.”
“I don’t know what two hundred and ten grams looks like… We should have just got a shop-bought one if you’re craving cake that badly.”
“No, no. This will be fine,” Carla sighs, gathering her hair up in her hands and tying it into a tight ponytail. “Right, why don’t you go see if the hot tub’s warmed up and get yourself ready? I’ll finish up here.”
Lisa quirks a brow, an amused smile appearing on her lips. “Are you sure?”
“Are you doubting me, Swain?”
“No, no! I just don’t want to leave you stranded, elbow deep in cake mixture.”
“I’ll survive. Go on, get lost.”
“Oh, that’s charming that is.”
So, she’s left on her own in the kitchen of the cabin, with only Roy’s recipe and a myriad of ingredients for company.
She looks over them and they suddenly look much more intimidating now that Lisa isn’t by her side.
She pulls herself together and rolls up her sleeves and does her best at ‘eyeballing’ the measurements.
She’s not sure how it’s going to turn out, but a quick taste of the mixture from the back of the spoon gives her all the reassurance she needs.
Once it’s safely in the oven, she glances over her shoulder, making sure Lisa isn’t anywhere near before she goes over to her bag to check on the ring.
She breathes a soft sigh of relief after she casts her eyes on it, finding it hasn’t moved since she last checked about an hour ago.
It seems a shame to shove something so beautiful into a slice of cake, but she tells herself it’ll be worth it when Lisa digs in and finds it.
Or—
Oh god.
What if she chokes on it?
“Carla?”
Shit.
Thankfully, her back is to her, shielding the ring from view as she shoves it back into her bag and zips it up.
“Yeah? Wow…” She swallows thickly as she turns around and casts her eyes over Lisa who looks like she’s floating down the stairs.
She’s opted for a bikini rather than a swimming costume — sky blue and leaving very little to the imagination, hugging her body like it’s been painted on.
She’s paired it with a black, silk robe which she’s left open so it flows around her body with every step she takes.
She looks ethereal.
“What are you up to?” Lisa asks with a fond smile, practically gliding through the room as she makes her way over to her.
She’s quick to stand to her feet, darting over to her so she can slip her arms around her waist.
She tells herself it’s to distract her but she knows she wouldn’t be able to keep her hands off her either way.
“Right now, I’m wondering how you managed to keep this quiet,” she smirks as she lets her eyes flicker down to her chest, nipping the strap of her bikini top between her thumb and index finger before she drags it between them.
“You like it?” Lisa giggles as she winds her arms around Carla’s neck and presses her body flush against hers.
“God, yeah…” Carla breathes out, slipping her hands beneath the robe so she can stroke her fingers along the small of her back.
“Does that mean you’re going to come and join me in the hot tub?” Lisa whispers, her gaze fixated on her lips as she leans in, ghosting her own over Carla’s.
And how can she refuse her?
She nods pathetically, eyes closing as she closes the gap between them.
“Right then,” Lisa grins, pulling away just as quickly. “Go get your kit off then.”
And Carla’s left dumbfounded, jaw hanging open as she watches her walk away, her hips swaying with each step.
//
“How is it?” Carla smirks after exiting the cabin and making her way over to the hot tub.
Lisa’s laid with both arms stretched out along the sides, head tilted back with a light sheen of sweat across her face, looking more peaceful than she has in a long time.
“Gorgeous…” Lisa says when her eyes open, and from the way she’s eyeing Carla, she knows she’s not talking about the water. “Get in here, you.”
Her own robe pools at her feet, left beside Lisa’s on the decking — though the blonde had taken her time to actually fold hers.
“Oh… This is perfect,” Carla hums out as she sinks into the bubbles.
Immediately, Lisa’s arms are scooping her up, lifting her with more ease than usual thanks to the water, and pulling her into her lap.
“Hi,” she giggles, pressing a soft peck against her lips.
“Hi yourself.”
She should have known just how easily Lisa would distract her.
She should have prepared.
She should have waited until the cake was safely out of the oven and cooling on the side before she’d climbed in.
But now, Lisa’s lips are trailing down to her neck and her fingertips are sliding into the back of her bikini bottoms and she’s no longer thinking of cakes or proposals.
Her mind (and body) is completely consumed by her.
Her legs spread across her lap so she’s straddling her thighs.
Her hands are in her hair, pushing her impossibly closer against her neck as she laps up every kiss and bite Lisa graces her with.
It’s heavenly, especially with the way the bubbles envelop them.
Lisa’s hand slides between her legs, teasing at the hem of her bikini bottoms before she pushes them aside, the desperation she feels evident through her touch.
“Lisa…” Carla whimpers, clinging tightly to her neck when her fingertips brush against her centre, stroking through her folds with a low moan.
“So ready for me,” the blonde husks against her ear before sinking her teeth into her lobe.
Two fingers slide into her.
Her middle and ring.
And she realises, she’s using her left hand.
(Her fingers are bare, though hopefully not for much longer.)
So Carla sinks down.
Rides them.
Claims them.
Tightens around them with each roll of her hips.
And prays that the next time they’re inside her, she feels a gold band pushing into her too.
The thought alone almost pushes her over—
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
“Mm, what’s that?” Lisa groans against Carla’s pulse point.
“Shit! It’s the cake!” Carla cries out, prying and lifting herself away from her before she practically jumps out of the hot tub to run back inside.
She chooses to ignore the giggles that echo behind her.
//
They crack every door and window open.
Lisa moves around the kitchen, wafting a tea towel around in an attempt to get rid of the smoke that surrounds them.
She’s still giggling.
“It’s not funny!” Carla huffs as she places the cremated cake onto the counter, her heart sinking at the sight of it.
God, why is this so hard?
She just wants to marry this woman.
“Hey, it’s alright, darling,” Lisa says softly, seeing the disappointment that’s written all over Carla’s face. “It’s just a cake, isn’t it?”
She feels like she could cry.
But she knows Lisa would know something’s off immediately.
It’s not like her burning things in the kitchen is a rare occurrence; it’s never brought her to tears before.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s silly,” Carla nods, avoiding her gaze.
“Come here.” Lisa’s arms wind around her, pulling her in against her as she strokes a hand lovingly over her back. “We’ve still got the ingredients… Shall we have another go?”
She almost drops to her knee right there.
She doesn’t need the ring, she just needs her.
But she wants it to be special.
She wants to do it right.
Even though the universe or whoever apparently has other plans.
“It’s okay,” Carla whispers, nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck. “I’m just being daft.”
“No, you’re not… I know you wanted to do something nice for me, love, but look where you’ve brought me,” Lisa says, gesturing to the cabin they’re standing in. “This is already perfect.”
“Yeah?” Carla whispers, lifting her head to look at her.
“Yeah,” Lisa breathes.
And in that moment, she knows she’s right.
This is perfect.
She doesn’t need an over-the-top gesture, champagne or cake.
She just needs her.
“Li—”
“Come on then,” Lisa says as soon as Carla opens her mouth, taking a hold of her hand and giving it a gentle tug. “Let’s finish what we started in that hot tub.”
“Yeah… Yeah, let’s go.”
//
SWAIN-CONNORS -1
Betsy: Have you asked her yet?!
Ryan: You promised updates woman!
Carla replies with a picture of the burnt cake and turns her phone off.
//
After taking full advantage of the hot tub until the sun started to set behind them, they settle in together on the couch. They’re wrapped up in their dressing gowns, champagne glasses in hand, with their damp hair cascading around their shoulders.
Carla was planning on popping it open after Lisa had (hopefully) said yes, but it doesn’t look like she’s going to get the chance to ask her now.
It’s completely frustrating but she tries to take her mind off the ring that sits hidden away in the corner of the room.
Instead, she focuses on the woman beside her, who has her bare legs draped over her lap and lets out louder giggles with each sip of champagne she swallows.
God, she adores her.
“I think that’s going to your head, darling,” Carla giggles, leaning in to press a couple of sweet kisses against her pink cheeks.
“No it isn’t!” Lisa grins. “I’m just… Happy, that’s all.”
“Come here,” Carla whispers, nudging her nose against hers before connecting their lips.
She breathes a soft sigh into her mouth and lets her eyes flutter closed as she kisses her slowly.
Lisa deepens it almost instantly, dragging her tongue across Carla’s bottom lip with a low moan.
It’s a perfect moment.
The perfect moment.
“Lisa—” She breathes against her lips.
“We’re definitely staying for more than one night next time,” Lisa smirks before she slides herself onto Carla’s lap, letting the question die on her tongue.
//
They decide to nip into Roy’s for some lunch when they arrive home the following day, both of them already hungry again even after the full English Lisa had prepared for them that morning.
As soon as they walk through the door, Roy’s straight out from behind the counter and all smiles, eager to greet them.
With the look on Lisa’s face, he might as well have just done a cartwheel in between the tables.
“You alright, Roy?” Lisa smiles while, unbeknownst to her, Carla stands behind her wide-eyed, shaking her head furiously.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” he says.
Carla’s practically waving her arms behind Lisa’s head now, clearing her throat and pleading for him to look at her.
“Bit late eh, Roy?” Carla chuckles. “We’ve already been living there a week.”
Thankfully, Roy catches on immediately, nodding his head as he opens and closes his mouth, attempting to conjure up a response that won’t make Lisa suspicious.
“Yes, of course. Well, I realised I hadn’t offered my congratulations vocally, which was rude of me and I do apologise.”
“Don’t be daft,” Lisa shakes her head as she takes a seat. “You got us those lovely flowers.”
“Yeah, don’t be daft,” Carla echoes, giving him an apologetic smile, knowing how much he hates having to lie.
He takes their orders and hurries off to busy himself with making them, and thankful Lisa doesn’t show any signs of suspicion once he’s gone.
SWAIN-CONNORS -1
Ryan: Are you going to ask her today or what??? We could try the Rovers again?
Carla: I’ve got something else up my sleeve. X
Betsy: Tell us then!!
Betsy: We’ve run out of milk btw
Carla: You know where the shop is x
“Who’s that?” Lisa hums as she sips at her brew, a fond smile on her face as she watches Carla’s concentration face.
“Hm? Oh, just Betsy. Letting me know we’ve run out of milk.”
“How thoughtful.”
//
She decides to keep it simple.
Simple and private.
Dinner at home, just the two of them.
Ryan’s going to drag her out for the pint she promised him and Betsy’s going to help her cook up three courses.
“Do you really think cooking is the way to go after yesterday?” Ryan hums.
“Yeah, might not be your best idea,” Betsy agrees. “And I can’t do much to help, I can barely make a pot noodle.”
Carla lets out a groan and she buries her face against her palms, wracking her brain to think of a solution.
“I can’t propose to her over a bloody takeaway, can I?”
“She won’t care, just ask her!” Betsy says.
“Just ask who what?” Lisa chuckles as she joins them in the living room and plops herself down on the sofa, not catching the daggers that Carla shoots Betsy from beside her.
“We were going to ask you if we could get a Chinese for tea,” Ryan lies quickly. “But Carla said you’d prefer a kebab.”
“Yeah,” Betsy nods. “And I was just saying how you won’t care what we order because you love us.”
“Is that so?” Lisa chuckles, raising an eyebrow.
Carla’s heart sinks wondering if she’s caught on.
“Well, you’re right. I don’t care, order whatever you want. My treat.”
“We’re still going for our pint though, right?” Ryan hums, sitting up excitedly.
“Ah,” Lisa groans, stretching her arm out lazily to drape around Carla’s shoulders. “Why don’t we just have a night in? I’ve got some lagers in the fridge.”
“You should go,” Carla says, a little bit too quickly. “Come on, look at his face… He’s been looking forward to it, haven’t you Ry?”
“Yeah, come on Auntie Lisa,” he pouts, causing the three of them to scoff in unison.
“Stop creeping,” Betsy laughs, chucking a pillow at him.
“Alright, alright,” he laughs, holding his hands up in defence. “Come on though, we’ll just have one.”
Carla shoots him a look.
“Or two! Or three, even,” he tries.
“Fine. Are you coming love?” Lisa says softly to Carla.
“She said she’ll do my eyebrows,” Betsy answers for her.
“Yeah, I did,” Carla says apologetically. “You and Ry go. We’ll order the food while you’re out so it’s here when you get back.”
Lisa tries not to look too disappointed, but all of them catch the subtle pout on her lips.
“You can survive without her for a couple of hours,” Betsy giggles.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Ryan says. “It’ll be like losing a limb.”
“Shut up,” Lisa groans, a fond smile on her lips as she stands to her feet and grabs her wallet from the table. “Come on then.”
//
“Do you want another bag of crisps?” Ryan hums, about to shuffle out of the booth to go to the bar.
“Shouldn’t we be getting back? I bet our tea’s getting cold now,” Lisa says, throwing back the remnants of her second pint.
“We can have one more,” Ryan says, darting off before Lisa has the chance to argue.
She grabs her phone from her pocket to send Carla a quick text.
Lisa: Shouldn’t be too much longer babe. Ryan is forcing me into another one. X
//
“For fuck sake!” Carla groans as she stirs the sauce, which is actually looking less like a sauce with each moment that passes.
It’s closer to a burnt, orange pancake at this point.
“Language,” Betsy mocks in the same tone Carla and her mum scold her with as she puts the pasta on to boil.
“It’s pasta! Who fucks up pasta?”
“I told you to get a takeaway,” Betsy singsongs, earning a groan from Carla.
“Oh, sod it,” she sighs, taking the pan off the hob and letting the heap of burnt sauce plop into the bin. “We’ll get a Chinese but I’m not asking her tonight.”
“Oh, come on, Carla,” Betsy tries. “I told you, she won’t care how you ask her.”
“I care, though. I want it to be special for her… She’s been through an awful time and she deserves it,” she breathes, clenching her eyes shut as she feels herself becoming emotional.
To her surprise, she’s pulled into the teenager’s arms and wrapped up in a tight embrace, one that immediately makes her feel better. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Always am,” Betsy chuckles.
“Go on then, get the menu,” Carla says through a watery chuckle.
//
It’s gone ten o’clock when Lisa and Ryan come stumbling through the door.
Their arms are wrapped around each other’s shoulders and they’re singing what sounds like their own rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’.
“Are they taking the piss?” Carla scoffs, nodding her head towards the door.
“Oh god,” Betsy groans. “Mother! Look at the state of you!”
“Whaaat?” Lisa giggles as she’s practically dropped into the chair by Ryan. “Oop! Aw, we had so much fun, didn’t we Ry?”
Carla’s head snaps to her drunken nephew, and the daggers she shoots him don’t seem to work as well in the state he’s in.
“We did a duet on the karaoke,” he nods proudly.
“Not to brag but I think we sounded really good,” Lisa hiccups. “We sang Sweet—”
“Sweet Caroline, yeah,” Carla says. “We heard you on the way in. You were supposed to come home after a couple.”
“It was his fault!” “It was her fault!”
They’re both laughing then.
Hysterically.
And as pissed off as Carla is, her lips twitch into a hint of a smile.
“Aww, I knew you couldn’t be mad at me for too long,” Lisa slurs as she attempts to move from the chair to the sofa, but she ends up tumbling into Carla’s lap. “Ooo! Hello.”
“Errrr,” Betsy scrunches her face up at the pair of them. “That’s my cue to go to bed. Have fun getting her up the stairs, Carla.”
They all say their goodnights, and Carla does her best to get Lisa up the stairs without her falling back down them.
“Night Auntie Koala!” Ryan calls out with a cheeky grin.
“You’re dead,” she mouths back.
“Sweeeet Caroline,” Lisa sings.
“Oh for f— Come on! Bedtime.”
//
SWAIN-CONNORS -1
Carla: Care to explain?
Ryan: Uhhhh
Ryan: Lisa made me stay out?
Betsy: 😭
Betsy: Ew is she throwing up?
Ryan: …..That was me. Soz
Carla: Nice
Betsy: So what now?
Carla: Now she’s hungover. She won’t want to move all day so I can’t ask her x
Ryan: Sorry :(
Carla: It’s alright kid. I’ve already messed up three and a half proposals all by myself. X
Betsy: Three and a half?
Carla: Don’t ask x
//
As expected, Sunday was a complete write-off.
She knew not to bother planning anything, but she and Betsy had plenty of fun winding up a very hungover Ryan and Lisa all day.
After they made them a greasy breakfast, of course.
Annoyingly, it was the first thing Carla hadn’t burnt in two days.
Maybe she should have slipped the ring into her beans.
Either way, Monday comes and Lisa’s back at work.
So, herself, Ryan and Betsy can have a ‘team meeting’.
“I say just come out with it now, this is getting ridiculous,” Betsy says.
“You’re telling me. I’ve been trying to propose to the woman for three flamin’ days!”
“As soon as she walks through the door tonight, just go for it,” Ryan nods.
“Will you two make yourselves scarce then?” She hums and they both nod. “Right… As soon as she comes home tonight, I’m asking her.”
“You’re not going to—?”
“No, I’m not going to cook,” Carla says with a roll of her eyes.
They both breathe a sigh of relief.
//
It doesn’t go to plan.
She doesn’t plan anything.
And somehow, it still doesn’t go to plan.
She doesn’t do anything over the top, simply buys her a bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne to (hopefully) celebrate with.
(She's practically paying Tracy’s wages at this point).
She doesn’t cook.
She doesn’t bake.
She lights a couple of candles for the table, collects them a takeout from Speed Daal and places the bottle of Moët into the fridge to chill.
And then the text message comes.
Lisa: Sorry darling. Big case. Looking like an all nighter :( xx
She wants to scream.
She very nearly replies: Okay love. Oh by the way will you marry me? No worries if not. Xx
Instead, she sends her a message that won’t make her sound like a crazy person and eats her curry all by herself.
//
Betsy and Ryan creep in a little bit later, wide-eyed and giggly. Carla can feel the excitement bubbling through the house as soon as they enter it.
“She’s still at work!” Carla calls out from the kitchen.
They groan in unison.
“You owe me a fiver,” Betsy says, attempting to whisper.
“Please don’t tell me you’re betting on my failed attempts now?” Carla huffs when they both join her at the kitchen counter, helping themselves to her popadoms.
“Gives us something to do when we get exiled,” Ryan shrugs with his mouth full.
“You did not get exiled!”
“We did,” Betsy shrugs. “It’s alright though, we had a kebab.”
“And you still come home and pinch mine?” Carla hums.
“It’s payment for putting up with all of this engagement stuff,” she grins at her.
“Do you think you’re forcing it too much?” Ryan asks.
“How’d you mean?”
“Well, maybe it’s not working because you really want it to. If you forget about it, keep the ring handy just in case, the perfect opportunity might come along.”
Betsy scoffs. “You sound like the inside of a fortune cookie.”
“Maybe you’re right…” Carla sighs. “Maybe the timing’s just off.”
She feels defeated.
It’s a far cry from how excited she was only a few days ago when the ring had turned up.
She still wants to marry her just as much.
But each failed attempt has only made her lose hope.
She’s starting to second-guess herself.
Will Lisa even say yes?
When she’d asked her before, did she truly mean it?
Or was it really a heat-of-the-moment question?
Maybe she’ll think she’s mad.
They’ve only just bought the house…
“No, no. I didn’t mean that,” Ryan says, throwing an arm around her shoulder when he senses her spiralling. “Just… Stop stressing. It’ll work out.”
//
The following day, she decides this is it.
She’s determined now.
When Lisa gets home from work, she’s just going to ask her.
At this point, she’s tempted to just chuck the ring box at her and ask if she fancies spending the rest of her life with her.
Maybe she’s exaggerating, but she’s definitely not far off.
Lisa barely even gets past the threshold of the living room before Carla’s lips are on hers and she’s pressed against the door.
“Oo, hello,” Lisa giggles against her lips. “That’s quite a welcome.”
“I need to ask you something.”
“Ohh, what have you done now?” Lisa chuckles, pulling away from her as she moves through the house, unbuttoning her shirt with one hand and dropping her laptop bag down with the other.
“Nothing! I just… Well—”
Her phone rings.
Echoes through the living room and Lisa’s hand immediately fishes into her pocket.
Seriously?
She doesn’t believe in fate.
But surely, the universe must be out to get her now.
“Ignore it,” Carla sighs, her irritation growing by the second.
“It’s work, babe, won’t be a second… Swain.”
She fishes into her own pocket, wraps her fingers around the ring box and strokes them over the velvet.
Her mind goes blank.
You’d think, after attempting to propose… (she’s not sure how many times she’s tried now) so much, that she’d have some elaborate speech prepared.
Something that could have been pulled straight from a romcom and recited in the rain.
But as Lisa looks at her now, with that apologetic smile on her face, her hair silently loose and messy in her ponytail, she realises she has no clue what she’s going to say.
“Mhm, yeah. I’ll fill you in tomorrow but the files are on my desk. Yeah. Mhm. Okay. Okay. Right. Bye.” Lisa rolls her eyes as she hangs up and tosses her phone onto the sofa, ready to give Carla her complete, undivided attention.
“Right you,” she grins at her as she glides over, sliding her arms tightly around her waist. “What have you been up to?”
“Okay, I’m just—”
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
“For fuck sake!” Carla groans out, letting her head fall back as she looks to the ceiling, silently cursing whoever’s up there sabotaging her.
Lisa’s brows raise in surprise at the outburst, letting out a laugh as she releases her grip.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” she teases.
“If it’s Sally, tell her to p—”
“Hello Sally!” Lisa answers, far too brightly and far too loudly, obviously attempting to get Carla to shut her gob.
“Oh, Detective— I mean Lisa! I’m still getting used to that,” she chuckles. “Is Carla in? I have a few work-related concerns I’d like to discuss with her.”
Carla’s just about to tell her to piss off herself but Lisa beats her to it, in her own polite way.
“She’s literally just gotten in the bath,” Lisa sighs apologetically. “But I’ll let her know you popped round and she can talk to you about it tomorrow. At work. See you later.”
“Oh. Okay then, bye—”
The door slams.
And Lisa returns to her, chuckling to herself.
“I knew she’d be a pain but I really didn’t think—”
“Marry me.”
“What?”
“Shit. I mean—” She lets out a groan, shaking her head.
This is it.
She’s finally getting her opportunity.
It’s not perfect.
It’s nowhere near.
But she’s got the ring in her pocket.
And she’s said the words.
And Lisa’s looking at her.
With an expression she can’t quite read.
“I tried to make it special,” Carla begins, not really knowing where she’s going, but she rambles on nevertheless. “So many times, you have no idea… Grand gestures, a trip away, something simple. None of that matters though. You don’t care about that, you care about me… More than anyone else ever has. You make me happier than anyone else ever has and I want that… I want this. Us. You. Forever.”
Her shaky hand retrieves the ring box from her pocket and she drops down to her knee on the carpet.
She’s not dressed for the occasion.
Neither is Lisa.
But it doesn’t matter.
None of it matters anymore.
Because Carla’s holding out the box in her trembling palms, just about ready to beg this woman to become her wife.
To spend the rest of her life loving her and being loved in return.
But she doesn’t need to.
Because Lisa’s nodding.
Her eyes are brimming with tears.
She’s holding out her left hand.
“I didn’t even—”
“Get on with it then!” Lisa laughs through her tears, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her right hand.
“Will you marry me—?”
She just about manages to get the question out before Lisa’s down on the carpet with her, on her knees.
“Of course I will,” she breathes, cupping her cheek with her right hand.
The left one hangs in the air, outstretched.
Waiting.
“You’re shaking,” she whispers, watching as Carla pulls the ring from the box with trembling fingers.
“You would be too,” Carla says through a watery laugh as she slides the ring onto her finger. “I’ve tried to do this a thousand times.”
They both look down at it, overwhelmed in the best way.
It’s a perfect fit.
“I know it’s not massive. I just knew you couldn’t have a big stone at work and—”
She’s cut off by Lisa’s lips pressing against hers, stealing all the breath from her lungs.
“I love it,” she mumbles in between kisses. “I love you .”
“I love you,” Carla says through a shaky breath, resting her forehead against Lisa’s.
The light reflects off their tear-stained cheeks as they giggle together at nothing in particular; the happiness within them both just bubbling over into laughter.
“You’re going to be my wife…”
“And you’re going to be mine.”
The moment is broken.
But Carla doesn’t care this time.
Because the sound of Betsy and Ryan laughing as they walk through the door only adds to the happiness that overwhelms her.
“What’s all this then?” Ryan smirks as he walks in, both he and Betsy pausing at the door with a knowing look.
Lisa chuckles and holds her hand up to show them the ring, words failing her as more tears spill down her cheeks.
“Finally!” Betsy grins.
“What, you knew?” Lisa asks as she stands to her feet, holding out a hand to pull Carla up too.
“Yeah!” Ryan and Betsy reply in unison.
Carla’s arms wrap around Lisa’s from behind and she rests her chin on her shoulder. “I needed a bit of help along the way,” she chuckles softly against her ear.
“Oh come here, I’m so happy for you both,” Ryan grins, pulling Betsy along with him before wrapping them all up into a big hug.
“Me too… Congratulations,” Betsy beams, locking eyes with Lisa, the look on her face giving her all the assurance she needs.
She’s completely enveloped by love.
Love from her family.
Her nephew.
The daughter she always wanted.
And her soon-to-be wife.
And whether they end up being the Swain-Connors or the Connor-Swains…
She doesn’t care.
As long as she has them.