Norman managed to suppress his nervous excitement. He had waited six months just to make sure he wasn’t jumping the gun on this decision. To some that might still seem like a short time to get to know someone, but he had known Kalia for nearly a year at this point. Most of his previous relationships hadn’t even lasted that long, let alone six months.

The fact that they hadn’t grown apart during that time said a lot. In fact, their relationship had only deepened during that time. And he wanted it to continue.

Kalia and he strolled through the park that surrounded the Ministry, their hands intertwined as they enjoyed the beautiful weather and scents of spring. The paths that crisscrossed through the gardens were one of their favorite spots to go to just get away for a bit. And he couldn’t think of a better place to propose.

It had taken him considerable effort and months of planning to make this day happen but it had all been worth it.

He never once regretted his choice to embark on this journey so many months ago. The only thing they hadn’t shared was a bed. Not that he didn’t want to. He did, he really, really did. And each day of holding back was harder than the last.

He did hold back though, because Norman wanted their first time to be special. He had specifically avoided any possibility of it happening so far. Something he was sure must be frustrating Kalia.

She had been subtly hinting at taking that next step for over a month. But if Norman was going to do it, he wanted it to be with someone willing to be in it for the long haul. Norman was done with short-term relationships or just being with a woman because she was hot and the sex was fantastic. Those are words he never imagined uttering and if his younger self could hear him, he would probably be cursing. But Norman had grown.

Not that he thought Kalia wasn’t beautiful or that she would dump him after they took that next step. But they had both been lied to and betrayed by those they thought loved them. A show of actual commitment would put both their minds at ease.

The pair rounded one of the large fountains only for Kalia to stop and stare. “Wha- What is everyone doing here?”

Norman had invited all of Kalia’s colleagues and friends as well as all of his advisors to witness this moment. He really hoped it went well. Otherwise, he might be better off burying himself in some far-off land to avoid the embarrassment of rejection.

As Kalia was momentarily distracted, Norman slipped his hand out of hers and reached into his pocket for a small black box.

Before she could turn to ask him what was going on, Norman got down on one knee and extended his hand, holding the box.

As she turned back to him, the enchanter's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with her hands.

“Kalia, will you marry me?” He wanted to make a whole speech but nothing he came up with seemed to be enough. So he stuck with these time-honored words.

As Norman waited, he could see Kalia’s eyes starting to tear up. After what felt like an eternity, she started to nod her head. Then the tears started to flow and she finally spoke the words Norman had been hoping to hear. “Yes! Oh my god, yes!”

She tackled him in a hug and Norman barely managed not to fall over. He lifted his new fiancé off the ground and spun her around, earning a delighted laugh from the woman before setting her back on the ground and opening the ring box for her.

“I made it myself, what do you think?” This wasn’t the final ring. That one wasn’t ready yet, but this was a good placeholder.

She didn’t grab the ring, but she did grab his head and place a deep kiss on his lips before pulling away. “It’s beautiful, but I would have been fine with just you asking. Is this why you’ve been ignoring me lately?”

Norman just smirked. “Go ahead, put it on,” he pulled the milky white ring from the box and held it out for her.

With a shaking hand, she slipped her finger into the ring and it adjusted, earning a startled squeak from her. “What?”

Norman smiled before leaning in and whispering to her about the ring. She looked slightly surprised before her eyes started glowing. The telltale sign that she was inspecting something.

As she finished, everyone came over and congratulated the pair.

“I don’t know what the big deal is” Grobert grumped. “We could all see you were smitten with each other months ago.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Well, I suppose if he’s the best you can do, I guess I will have to accept it,” Saliu remarked. Nalia just slapped her life mate on the arm and congratulated Kalia by hugging her.

Which was huge. Jorik didn’t do much physical contact outside of their family.

There were a host of other well-wishers and congratulations before someone finally asked. “So, when’s the big date?” Of course, that person was Eugene.

That sparked off a round of lively debate and conversation as all of his advisors chimed in to make the wedding a huge event.

He had to reassure Kalia as her face started going pale at the realization that she was now going to be in the spotlight.

It would be an adjustment for the shy woman, but he had no doubts that she could handle it.

Now that Norman knew Kalia wished to spend the rest of her life with him, there was no need to hold back anymore.

Their night was filled with passionate lovemaking. Norman finally understood the difference between sex and love. There was a connection that run-of-the-mill everyday sex simply lacked. Sure he could have waited until they were actually married, but he doubted the two of them would have been able to hold out that long.

That morning he woke up early and made coffee. He was almost afraid to wake Kalia as she looked positively lovely, sleeping in his bed. But soon the smell of the coffee betrayed him and her eyes fluttered open. He smiled, “Morning, Lovely.”

“Mmm, got a cup for me?”

He tapped a steaming cup on the table next to him with his cup. “Just gotta come get it,” He teased.

The woman huffed slightly before tossing off the blanket and walking over to the table. “How scandalous!” He remarked as her nudity was on full display.

She rolled her eyes before sitting on his lap and grabbing the coffee. She took the cup and inhaled the aroma before taking a sip. Then she gave him a peck on the cheek. “A girl could get used to this.”

“Well, shall this be our morning routine?”

She laughed lightly before responding. “Slow down, cowboy. If we did that every night, I doubt I would be able to concentrate during the day.”

Norman waggled his eyebrows suggestively and she swatted him on the arm.

“We should get ready, I imagine rumors are already starting to fly across town about our engagement.”

“A few minutes longer won’t kill anyone. Let's enjoy this last bit of calm before the craziness that is going to be our wedding.”

“I still can’t believe we are getting married.”

“Were you disappointed?”

“Disappointed?”

“When I kept turning you down before?”

“No. I was more afraid I was pushing you too fast. After you told me what your ex did, I didn’t want to force you to do something you weren’t ready for.”

Norman laughed. “I guess I sort of felt the same way. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to have sex with me. I wanted it to be based on mutual love.”

Kalia shook her head. “God, we are two very broken individuals aren’t we?”

“Maybe together we can fix that?” He leaned in and gave the woman a deep kiss which she returned. “Now, let's see about getting cleaned up.” With a squeal of delight, he lifted the woman and carried her into the bathroom.

It would be another hour before they exited the shower.

***

Kalia still couldn’t believe it was real. After her disastrous relationships in the past, she never thought she would find someone who could truly care about her. She always thought someone would just want to use her and throw her away. Or treat her like some prize to be locked up in a cage. But then Norman had come along.

She wasn’t sure about him at first. The man was a bit wacky and some of the stuff he did made her second-guess her feelings for him. What slowly changed her mind was how much he cared for those around him. He was powerful, like some of the men she had dated. But those men lacked what Norman had, empathy. He was kind, he was caring, but he was also very protective. It also helped that he didn’t treat her like a trophy. He treated her like a person, a woman. Norman respected her work and what she had accomplished.

Marriage was still a frightening prospect for her. Not because she didn’t love Norman, or want to spend the rest of her life with him. But every time she thought of marriage, the only thing she had to compare it to was her parents. The thought of becoming like them terrified her. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t some scared little housewife like her mother, and Norman wasn’t some overbearing and domineering jackass like her father.

The reminder did little for her nerves, but it did let her concentrate on the project she was currently completing. She carefully set the matrix of enchantments into the triangular slot and pushed it in until she heard a click. Then she slid the access panel back into place and shimmied out from under the enormous generator.

“It’s in place,” she said as she dusted her hands off.

“Everyone clear!” Saliu shouted.

“Clear!” came a chorus of replies from the other techs who were assisting with this project.

It had taken far longer to build a full-scale version of the enchantment matrix than it had for the initial tests. But she was still glad for the tests. If it wasn’t for those tests, they never would have been able to optimize the enchantments. They never did get down to a one-to-one ratio in the conversion process but they got close enough to make this project a reality.

To make up for the shortfall and to keep the generator running full-time, they simply doubled the matrices they installed. When one ran out of mana, in approximately eight hours, the system simply switched to the other one, allowing the first to recharge using the ambient mana.

This turned out to be a benefit since they could hot-swap damaged or worn-out matrices without disrupting power. Sure this was only an emergency generator used to power a few services in a small section of Ashvale. But it would be proof of concept for a full-scale power plant in the near future.

“Would the lady like to do the honors?” Saliu asked her.

She shook her head at the jorik’s antics, long used to it by now. “I’m gonna tell Nolia to cut your funding if you keep teasing me like this.”

The man pantomimed a shocked look, but the twinkle in his eye said he didn’t believe one word of her threat. She snorted before smacking the button on the console.

There was a loud clunk sound before the generator started to slowly spin up. As a group, they all celebrated the first generator to be converted from diesel to magic. She couldn’t wait to tell Norman.