Brittany and Lewis were the perfect couple, except they weren't married yet. After listening in on a conversation, Brittany learned that Lewis wanted children but was waiting for her. Then he started sneaking off with her sister, and Brittany had to know what was going on.

Brittany greeted her mother, who walked into her home with her younger sister, Carla. She had invited them over for dinner at the house she shared with her boyfriend, Lewis.

Brittany and Lewis had been together for five years and moved in together after just six months of dating. Their relationship seemed perfect, except for one thing: Lewis hadn’t proposed yet. While Brittany wasn’t in a rush to get married, she couldn’t help but wonder if he ever thought about it. They often told people that they didn’t need a wedding or paperwork to prove their love since they already lived like husband and wife. Brittany often reassured herself that this was enough.

But deep down, Brittany dreamed of wearing a white dress and walking down the aisle to him. She wanted to build a family with him. However, she didn’t want to pressure him into marriage.

Her mother, who had been nagging her about getting married, suggested the dinner to try and ease her concerns. Brittany hoped her mother would see how strong their relationship was without the need for a wedding.

During the dinner, Lewis was cooking and chatting with Carla, but her mother couldn’t hide her frown. After dinner, Brittany started cleaning up. At one point, Lewis and her mother disappeared while Carla was on the porch on her phone.

Brittany didn’t want her mother pressuring Lewis, so she decided to go find them. She found them in the bedroom, talking privately. She couldn’t resist listening for a while.

“When are you getting married?” she overheard her mother asking.

“In time. When we’re ready,” Lewis replied.

“That’s not enough. You’re getting all the benefits of a wife without putting a ring on her finger. What about children?” her mother pushed, making Brittany flinch from her hidden spot outside the door.

“I want kids, Mrs. Madsen. But I don’t think Brittany is ready for that,” Lewis replied, and Brittany’s heart sank. She felt as if the air had been knocked out of her. Was that why he hadn’t proposed? Did he think she wasn’t ready for kids?

Brittany tried to hold back her tears as she continued to clean the dishes. After a few minutes, Lewis and her mother reappeared, and her mother seemed in a good mood. Brittany wasn’t sure what had been said, and perhaps it was better not to know.

Carla decided to stay with them for a while and took the guest bedroom. Brittany thought nothing of it since Carla had stayed before. However, over the next few days, Brittany noticed that Lewis spent a lot of time in the guest room with Carla. They would laugh together, and Brittany, not wanting to intrude, tried to stay out of their way.

The following day, after work, Lewis and Carla went out for coffee without telling her anything. Brittany convinced herself it was fine, but deep down, she felt uneasy. She had overheard the conversation between Lewis and her mother and now had a gut feeling something was off, though she couldn’t pinpoint it.

On the fifth day of Carla’s stay, Brittany decided to follow them. She stayed outside their local Starbucks, peeking through the window while staying far enough to avoid being noticed. She saw Lewis and Carla laughing together. What was so funny? Brittany wondered, feeling a pang of jealousy.

Then, Lewis pulled something out of his pocket—a small box. It was that special box every girl dreams of. Brittany’s heart raced. Why did he have that box? Was he giving it to Carla? Was he lying to her? Was Carla the woman he wanted to marry?

Brittany felt overwhelmed with emotions as she watched Carla’s excited reaction, jumping out of her seat to hug Lewis.

“Oh, that’s it!” Brittany exclaimed as she stormed into the cafe. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”

Her scream caught everyone’s attention, including Lewis, who stopped hugging Carla and looked panicked as he tried to hide the box.

“Why are you hiding that from me? Are you cheating on me with my own sister? What’s going on?” Brittany shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Lewis quickly looked around and then dropped to one knee. “Brittany, this isn’t how I wanted to do this, but will you marry me?” he asked earnestly.

Brittany stood frozen, stunned. Did she completely misunderstand the situation? Were they planning a surprise for her all along?

“Yes,” she whispered after a moment of stunned silence, and the cafe erupted in applause. Brittany hugged Lewis when he stood up, though she was still in shock. “I think I need to sit down.”

Carla explained the situation to Brittany as they sat down with coffee. “Lewis invited me to stay at your house because he wanted help picking out a ring. That’s what we’ve been doing all these days, and we were also planning the proposal before I had to leave.”

Brittany could hardly believe it. “Thank you so much for helping him, Carla,” she said, placing her hand on the table. She looked at Lewis. “I’m sorry for the outburst. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Lewis smiled. “A few days ago, when your mom came, she implied that you might not want kids with me because I hadn’t asked you to marry me. So I decided to do it as soon as possible.”

Brittany almost kicked herself for letting her paranoia get the best of her. She should have listened to the entire conversation between Lewis and her mother.

“That’s amazing. I love you so much, honey,” Brittany said, and they kissed lightly, while Carla smiled. Four months later, Carla became the maid of honor at their wedding.