The diamond and emerald engagement ring sparkled brightly on Liadan's finger. She was still ecstatic about the way it felt to have her hand weighted down by the sizeable stones, and enjoyed showing it off to friends, family, and even strangers who commented. Their engagement had been splashed across the front page of the Prophet early in January and she'd received many notes of congratulations. Plans for the wedding were rushed. She was determined to have things ready as soon as possible, and was currently working toward being wed on the first day of spring. Their anniversary would be a symbol of a fresh start on life, and would take place prior to her birthday- so she could be a younger bridge. Oscar had been very cooperative, letting her plan the wedding to her liking with little interference.

Liadan had been so consumed by her wedding plans that she had nearly forgotten all about Valentine's Day. Oh, what an important holiday! She wanted to make sure the evening was pleasant for Oscar, and had enlisted the help of the new friendship she'd found with Dolly St. James to help her pick out a dress to wear along with a nice gift. Liadan worried about what to buy for Oscar. The dog she had given him at Christmas had gone over better than expected, and she would even dare to say he was attached to the pup by now, but that would not work for Valentine's day. She had settled on a nice matching set of cuff links and tie pin- it had been the lost cuff link, after all, which had reunited the two that day in Oscar's office when he'd kissed her until her knees went weak. The dress was not her usual tastes, but Dolly had assured her that Oscar wanted a wife he could show off- not a wife hiding beneath five layers of petticoats.

The evening had started out quite lovely. Oscar had come to retrieve her from her home in Ireland, where Liadan had presented him with his gift. Oscar's choice in jewelry for her was as impeccable as always, sparkling diamond earrings in the shape of a snake. She had beamed brightly at the crowds outside of Signature and even more brightly at the patrons within as they were ushered away to a private table for the evening. Oscar had ordered a very lovely bottle of wine, and Liadan was currently resisting the urge to drink too much of it too fast. Wine always had been one of her weaknesses. He had been the perfect gentleman, and it was obvious he had taken great care in planning a comfortable, private evening for the two of them. It was nice to relax and not worry about the rush of the wedding.

"Oscar, darling, you really have outdone yourself," she told him as she sipped slowly at the wine in her glass. "This has already been a perfect evening! I cannot wait for us to be able to spend every evening together." Of course not every evening would be spent out for fine dining, but she knew lots of them would be, and being the pretty little thing on Oscar Whitman's arm seemed the perfect fate to her. "You really do spoil me." And it was good that he did. Liadan was a very high maintenance kind of woman (despite the airs she put on to the contrary), and if he did not wine and dine her sufficiently she would move on. Though Oscar was her favorite suitor, she'd had others who would fit the bill for a suitable husband should he prove to be lackluster.

"I am so very glad that you and I are here together instead of speed dating for charity over at Pudifoots. Could you imagine, not having a date for the most romantic night of the year? I'd rather stay home and be mortified in private than put myself out as a public spectacle for other's enjoyment, not knowing what would happen next. Speed dating, pah, how absolutely barbaric. I would be a spinster before I would ever participate in such a horrid little event." Liadan reached across the table, patting his hand, "Thank Merlin you've saved me from such a terrible fate!"

Oscar Whitman was a happy man.

He had put his love demons behind him and was actually celebrating Valentine's day with joy in his heart. A miracle if there ever was one! And that miracle's name was Liadan O'Morain. And because of the gift she had bestowed upon him, Oscar was determined to shower her with whatever she wanted so that she could be as happy as he was.

So far, he seemed to be doing a well enough job. The engagement ring had been the start of it and the earrings and tonight's dinner was meant to compliment and further his efforts.

And who would not be proud to have the lovely Liadan on their arm in public? He was somewhat surprised by her choice in attire, mostly given her penchant for more reserved ensembles, but Oscar was not going to complain.

He smiled across from his bride-to-be and sipped from his wine when she lightly scolded him for going overboard. Swallowing, he held it up in toast to their romance. "Nothing is too much. And I cannot wait to come home to you every night. So here's to us, my dear. And many happy memories to come."

He took another long sip and chuckled at her next comments about the Valentine's Day speed dating event. "A year ago I would have been a terrible choice for such a function. And this year I am off the market. Indeed, you are the one who saved me from a terrible fate, Liadan. So I am forever in your debt."

Liadan was practically bursting at the seams with pride and joy as Oscar stated that he couldn't wait to come home to her every night. She knew that he meant it, and she was thrilled to have been the one to thaw his heart and prove to him that romance was worth it. She was lucky to have him- but he was equally lucky to have her. A divorced man had fewer options, and Liadan could have her pick of the litter when it came to pureblood matches. But in her mind Oscar was the best option out there for her. He had been a complete gentleman since their affair began almost a year ago.

It was curious, really, that he had proposed so soon. Liadan had realized, while getting ready for the evening, how little time she had actually spent with him. Melanthe had set them up on their first blind date in February of 2009. After that date, she did not hear from him again until he started flooding he home with flowers in May- and at the time she had been dating Vedir Prideaux, pondering the possibility of marrying him. They did not see one another again until June- and that had been under the worst circumstance. She'd been incarcerated at the time, and he had been her only visitor- bringing her great comfort. After her eventual release she did not see him again for another couple of months, and found herself spending quite a bit of time with him throughout the month of August. Then she had gotten the idea in her head that she was nothing but a clone of Aileen and he was attempting to replace his wife with her. September, October, and half of November she had refused to acknowledge his existence due to her imagined slight. And then that fateful day she had returned his cuff link...

Liadan could still see the way he crossed the room, feel the tight grip on her arm, and her face flushed across the table from him as she remembered the way he had kissed her. Her knees had literally gone weak, and it was the first, proper kiss she'd ever had in her entire life. From that moment on, their romance was born anew and Liadan was convinced she would have Oscar for herself- no matter what it took.

And here she sat, across from him, engaged to him, him thanking her for saving him- claiming that he was forever in her debt. She smiled sweetly at him, and wished for a moment they were in the privacy of one of their homes so she could show him with little kisses for saying something so incredibly sweet to her. Here he sat, his heart on his sleeve, and all because of her. Flaws and all, he wanted her. "You flatter me, darling. I don't wish to argue with you about it- because it is so silly, really- but you are the one who saved me. You have inspired me to be a better witch. My life has improved greatly thanks to your being in it." And it was true. Liadan wanted to be a better person for him. She would do anything to prevent herself from ever hurting him, or sullying his reputation because of her bad decisions. She was running her business one hundred percent within the realms of law. It was the first time since the inception of O Morain Farms that could be said. All because she wanted to make sure their lives together would be spotless.

"Everyone will be so jealous of us once we are married," she told him. "We will be the perfect couple and have the most adorable family some day. People will see us out on the street and they will wish to have a fraction of the happiness that we will have. My mother always told me I would never be lucky enough to genuinely enjoy my husband and be truly happy with him... I am very, very glad that she was wrong. I cannot even begin to describe the joy you fill me with, Oscar. I just wish we could be wed sooner... Of course, I am rushing it enough as it is. I am very glad you are indulging me on that. I should hate to be engaged for a year before getting married, it seems so silly to wait for so long once the decision has been made."

Oscar watched Lia with a curious gaze, wondering what his bride-to-be was thinking about. Was she worrying about wedding planning? He hoped he had eased her mind about all that in giving her full control over what their nuptials would entail. Seeing as he had been through a wedding and a marriage before, he did not wish to spoil her first (and he hoped only) time going through the affair. If she had wanted a big, extravagant wedding, he would have done it. If she had wanted to elope, he would have done that too. Although since his brother had done so with his muggleborn trash of a witch wife, he had silently hoped Lia would choose something slightly less spontaneous. And lucky for Oz, she had chosen something in the middle.

But he hoped that was what she wanted, as he did not want her to compare what her wedding would be to what his wedding to Aileen Reid had been. Enough people would be doing that already.

Oz caught Lia blushing and raised a brow. "What?" But his inquiry melted away when Lia flashed him her sweet smile. He was still amazed at how her sweet smile could make his worries in life go away. His social climbing in the Wizengamot or his long term ambitions to become Minister of Magic were funnily secondary to his desire to make Liadan happy and begin a family with her.

"Flatter you?" he teased, shaking his head, "Don't be silly. I am only stating the truth." But her other claims made him think that they should spend the night celebrating how they would make each other happy and encourage each other to be better than who they were. He motioned for someone waiting on them to bring the finest wine available for a toast.

With their glasses full, Oz raised his. "Here's to our perfect life together. Our perfect Whitman life." He grinned and waved off her worries about the timeline of the wedding. "I've waited a long time to find my perfect Mrs. Whitman. Waiting a little longer to make it official is no problem at all."

When he asked What? Liadan felt her flush deepen. "I was just... thinking. About that day I barged into your office and..." Liadan trailed off, twirling her hand a bit dismissively, dropping her gaze down to the table. It was hard to look Oscar in the face when she was thinking about things like that. Liadan had never been the sort to think about things like that. She had never acknowledged or truly believed that physical affection could be something enjoyable until that moment. And as ashamed as Liadan was to admit it, she thought on that day often. It had been that specific moment that she knew she had a real future with Oscar Whitman.

He waved away her protestations of flattery, claiming he was only speaking the truth. Liadan was soaking up the attention. She beamed. "Yes, the perfect Whitman life. Never could I have imagined that I should be so lucky as to be your Mrs. Whitman some day." And that some day was so very, very soon. Less than a month away and she would be a happily married woman. Liadan hoped that she would be pregnant by Autumn. She was eager to start a family, to give Oz the heirs and heiresses he deserved. Beautiful, perfect little pureblood children. As many as he wanted... Or as few, she supposed, though Liadan hoped to have three at the very least.

"I just wish my mother and father were still alive. They would be so very proud, and I know that they would approve of you. It will be so nice to have a family again. You know I worry so much that your mother will not like me long-term. I really do hope that your family welcomes me in. I know it's not an easy thing... But I do hope so. I know that my French relatives will be relieved to see me married. They think of themselves as obligated to marry me off with my parents gone. You would not believe some of the men they have tried to set me up with in the past, acting as though I am so old, hopeless spinster." Liadan sighed a little and sipped her wine. The days of visiting France only to be expected to play nice with a bunch of middle aged, thick around the middle men were going to be over- it was a relief.

"But we needn't talk about me all evening. Tell me, Oscar darling, how are things with the Wizengamot? I do hope you are bettering the wizarding world one small step at a time. The state of our world these days is simply pitiful. But with men like you in politics, there has to be some hope that things will get better. Of course, I try not to worry much about it. There is very little I can do about things. You will keep me in the know though, won't you dear? I do like knowing what is going on behind the scenes in our world."