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I laugh "I’ll stay I have an hour before I have to be somewhere"

He takes another batch of cupcakes out of the oven I’ve honestly never seen so many cupcakes in one place before They’re everywhere

"So what brought you here?" E down, because it’s nice to have so "I wanted to talk to you about Peck"

"What about her?"

"I wanted to see if you’d have any objections toher to marry me"

I hear a whoop from the other room Emilio rolls his eyes

"Why do you want to marry her?"

Why do I want to marry her? She’s just Peck And I feel like she was made for me "Um…"

"The answer is no, if that’s the best you can do" He points to the cupcakes "Ice theather ive up quite so easily," he suddenly says

I look up "Oh, I’"

"You about done with that?"

I shake "

Suddenly, Marta strolls into the rooainst the wall, because I’oes for Emilio, but he must be used to this He runs around the corner of the center island and she chases hi pin and runs, but he runs a little bit faster Suddenly, she stops and blows a stray lock of hair fro the poor boy," she says She shakes the rolling pin at hi fun with it!" He grins Then he sobers completely "Did Peck tell you about the day we met?"

"Yes, sir," I tell him

"What she didn’t tell you was my side of it" He rubs at the back of his hand "I had been hanging out in the boys’ ward at the home, and one of the little assholes bit me on the back of the hand, so I was in a bad et out of there I walked around the corner, trying to find Marta, and I saw her sitting beside a little girl I took one look at that kid and I said to hter" He takes a deep breath "I know it sounds stupid, and I suppose it should But she was sitting there on the edge of the bed and she wouldn’t speak But when she looked at me, she said a million words with her eyes"

Marta wipes a tear froirl froed to us, and neither did she"

He waits a beat

"The first time she spoke to me hen she had a set of drumsticks in her hand" He looks at me "Do you knohat she said?"

I shake my head, and s past the lulad you’restutter, and I loved every syllable She er atperfect, so if you so much as make her cry, I will find you and jam her drumsticks so far up your ass that you’ll taste them ten years froain