She stared at the ring, trying to figure out if she was dreaming or not. The ring was gorgeous and big. It sparkled in the light coming off of the candle that was on the nightstand by his bed, making it even more dazzling. She could not believe that he was really asking her this. It wasn't until he repeated the question that she realized she was awake.

"Peyton Sawyer," he repeated, making her eyes flick up form the ring to meet his. "Will you marry me?"

"Lucas," she began, still unsure of what to say.

"As I said before, this is sudden-"

"My father would never approve," she interrupted. "He doesn't even know we're together..."

"I know, but none of that will matter if you say yes."

"I don't know-"

"If your father is fine with us being together and getting married, then great," he told her. "But if he isn't, then we don't need anyone who isn't happy for us around."

"Lucas, he isn't just anyone to me. He's my father. He's the only family I have left," she said.

"I'm your family. We can start building our own family."

She looked into his eyes, knowing that there was no way she could say no. She was more in love with him than she could ever imagine being. He was the one she had wanted as her husband since the day they had met. Plus, she wanted to do exactly as he had just said and start a family. And, more than anything, she wanted him to be the one that she did that with. She placed a hand on his cheek, a single tear sliding down her face.

"OK," she whispered.

"OK?" he repeated, making sure he had heard her correctly.

"OK," she confirmed. "I'll marry you, Lucas Roe."

She laughed as he kissed her happily. He pulled away, sliding the ring onto her finger. She looked at him lovingly, bringing him in for another kiss.

"So, when do you want to tell your father?" he asked, snapping them back to reality.

"Let's tell him tonight," she suggested, looking at her ring.

"Are you sure? We don't have to rush things."

" Oh, I'm the one rushing things?" she teased.

"That's not what I meant," he grinned. "I just want you to have enough time to prepare yourself in case he isn't happy about it."

"If he isn't happy for me tonight, then he never will be."

"If he isn't happy for you tonight, then we'll be exchanging words," he said, not willing to let Larry break Peyton's heart without saying a word.

"Lucas, I know you don't want him to upset me, but I don't want you to make him even more angry."

He shook his head, obviously disagreeing with those instructions.

"I'm not sure if I can do that."

"How about this? If he makes me really upset, I'll let you know that it's OK to tell him something."

"How will I know when it's OK?"

"I'll hold your hand," she began, trailing her fingers lightly down his strong arm. Her fingers entwined with his and he ran his thumb over her ring. "Like this."

"Ok. We'll do it tonight then," he agreed.

He kissed her forehead, watching her stand up. She began to get back into her dress, making him groan.

"Why are you getting dressed?"

"I kind of have a party waiting for me downstairs," she reminded him.

"But we just got engaged," he pointed out. "We should be celebrating that."

"We can celebrate tonight," she promised. "Now, hurry up and get dressed."

"You just want to go tell Brooke."

"I love how you know me so well," she smiled, checking her hair in the mirror.

He got dressed quickly, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She leaned back against him, feeling comforted with him so close. They stared at each other through the mirror.

"We make a good-looking couple," he observed, kissing her neck.

"Lucas, don't start," she warned, knowing that if he kept doing things like that they would never leave the room.

"Fine," he said, turning her around to face him.

He smoothed over her hair, kissing her forehead once again.

"I love you, Peyton Sawyer."

"I love you, too, Lucas Roe," she replied, smiling up at him. "I will see you down there."

She fixed his tie, lightly touching his chest. He smiled gratefully, watching her leave the room. He went over to the candle, blowing out the tiny flame before leaving the now darkened room.

"Did my father ask for me?" Peyton questioned Brooke, rushing up to her and standing at her side.

"Yes. He asked for you about ten minutes after you left," Brooke informed her. "I told him you went to the ladies' room and he seemed to believe it. Where have you been?"

"With Lucas," she said simply.

"I know that!" Brooke rolled her eyes. "But what took you so long?"

"Nothing really," she shrugged. "We just kind of sort of got engaged!"

"Are you serious?!" Brooke screamed in joy, hugging her best friend.

A few people looked, wondering what the screaming was about. Brooke shot them mean looks, causing them to turn away and go back to their conversations. Peyton lifted her hand, allowing Brooke to see the beautiful diamond. Brooke grabbed Peyton's hand bringing it closer to her face. She released it, jumping a little into the air.

"I cannot believe this!" Brooke exclaimed.

"I wasn't expecting it either."

"What are you going to tell your father?" Brooke asked, still looking at Peyton's ring.

"I'm going to tell him the truth. Tonight," she added.

"Well, good luck," Brooke said. "That ring is gorgeous. Lucas must have took out a loan or something to get it."

"Actually..." Peyton trailed off, thinking Brooke should know the truth. "There are some things you should know about Lucas."

"Welcome everyone," Larry greeted, stepping onto the stage and speaking into the microphone. "I hope you have all been enjoying yourselves so far."

"I know I have," Lucas mumbled into Peyton's ear, coming up from behind her.

"Shh," she laughed, swatting his arm.

He moved away from her, smiling. He put his hands in his pockets, turning his attention onto the stage.

"Tell me later," Brooke instructed, Peyton nodding her head in agreement.

"As you all know, my baby is now 18. I suppose that means she is no longer a baby," he sighed, gesturing towards Peyton's direction. "Peyton, would you join me on stage please?"

Peyton swiftly took off her ring, subtlety placing it in Lucas' awaiting hand. He put it in his pocket, eyes not leaving the stage once. Peyton nervously made her way up to the stage. She looked around the crowd, hugging her father tightly.

"I am very proud of the woman she has become and I know she will continue to make me proud," her father continued.

"Thank you, father," she responded, feeling her eyes water by the kind words he was saying about her.

"Well, enough of the emotional talk," her father began, trying to lighten the mood again. "Let's open your presents."

She turned around and saw all of her presents on a table on the stage. Henry picked one up and handed it to her. Larry gave her the microphone as she began unwrapping the present.

"This one is from Brooke," she informed everyone. "And it's... a new dress."

"Handmade," Brooke called out, earning some laughs.

Peyton opened all of the presents one by one, thanking everyone after each gift. There was now only one present left on the table, and Peyton raised her eyebrows at Henry. He just winked at her, handing it over gently.

"I saved the best one for last, Ms. Sawyer," he murmured, loud enough for only her to hear.

"I see that you did," Peyton replied, taking the wrapped object from him. "This one is from Lucas."

Peyton and Lucas locked eyes, smiling widely. Peyton struggled with unwrapping the gift due to how heavy it was. She was extremely curious as to what was underneath all of the paper. She decided to walk over to the table so she could open it easier. She set the present onto the table along with the microphone. It didn't take her long after that to get all of the wrapping paper off. Now, in front of her was a plain box. Tape sealed it shut at the top.

She glanced over to Lucas, finding his eyes focused intently on her. She turned back to her task, using her nails to peel off the tape. She turned the box onto its side so that she could just slide out the gift. A bunch of Styrofoam chips spilled onto the table, telling her that there was something fragile inside. She reached her fingers into the box, blindly pulling out the large object. When it was fully out and on the table, she could not believe her eyes.

A small gasp escaped from her throat. Peyton noticed that another gasp was coming from her father who was across the stage from her. People were trying hard to see what the gift was, Peyton blocking their view. Larry walked up to his daughter, placing a hand on her back. He looked closer at the gift, still in disbelief.

"This couldn't be the same one," Larry told her, doubtful.

"It is," Lucas assured them, stepping onto the stage and making them both jump. "That is the exact record player that was broken in the attic. I took it to get fixed. It works now."

"Lucas, why would you do this?" Larry asked, unaware that Lucas knew what this record player really meant to them.

"Because it's the only thing that Peyton has left to remind her of her mother," he answered.

"How... How do you know about that?" Larry questioned.

He suddenly looked very old. His face looked sunken and wrinkled. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were trembling. Lucas could barely hear him, so he moved closer. The room was completely silent as people struggled to hear the hushed conversation on the stage.

"I said," Larry repeated, his voice a little more steady. "How do you know about that?"

"I told him," Peyton whispered, looking up at her father. "I told him about mother. I told him about everything."

"W...Why would you do that?"

"Because I love him."

"You...You what?" Larry stuttered, accidentally knocking the microphone off the table.

A loud screech came from the microphone making everyone wince. Larry seemed unfazed by the noise, waiting for Peyton to answer his question.

"What did she say?!" someone from the crowd yelled, wondering what had made Larry do that.

"She said that she loves him!" Henry yelled back, earning a glare from the people on stage.

There was a sudden wave of chatter as the words settled over the crowd. However, Lucas, Peyton, and Larry seemed to be drowning all of that out, now in their own little bubble. Lucas' hands were motionless at his side, his jaw clenched. Larry was still looking at Peyton, their eye contact unfaltering.

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, what did you just say?" Larry repeated, voice surprisingly steady.

"I said that I love him," she answered, a little scared.

Then, as if to prove it to him, she turned around and brought Lucas' lips against her own. Their eyes fluttered closed, the kiss slow and gentle. He could feel how much she loved him with just that small kiss, and she could feel how much he loved her as well. Suddenly, any fear that she had was gone. She knew that whatever happened next, she would still be with Lucas afterwards.

She pulled away, giving him a small smile. Her hand reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring that she already missed having on her finger. She slid it on, turning back around to face her father. His eyes immediately moved to her hand, face red with rage.

"And we're getting married as well," she added.

So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. You may have to look back to understand the importance of Lucas' gift. I love the feedback. It really inspires me to keep writing. So, please, please, please review! Thank you.