Twelve Days of Quartet

https://link.tospotify.com/lkL4kAqyPbb

"Is she asleep?" Reg asked quietly as he balanced a tray with two glasses into the living room. Jean looked up.
"Soundly. Like a little angel."
"Our baby's first Christmas." Reg said wistfully and gave Jean one of the glasses. "Don't worry. It's just juice but I thought you might enjoy having it this way."
"You're not wrong." Jean raised her glass. "Cheers. And Merry Christmas, my love."
They drank and Reg sat down with Jean.
"What a year, huh?"
"I know. But... It went all so well."
She cuddled up to him. Right now, this was perfect. Jean Horton had everything she'd never wanted. A loving partner and a beautiful little baby daughter. This truly hadn't been her plan but straying from the usual path had brought her an amount of happiness she hadn't thought was possible. And Reggie was hers. He was the father of her child, they were forever connected. She felt calm, there was such a peaceful atmosphere in the house with the baby sleeping upstairs, the lights gleaming on the tree, the fire roaring and Reg holding her. In this moment, everything was perfect.
"Pheli received so many lovely gifts." Reg said quietly. "It's moving to see how many people think of our daughter."
"Hmmm. Even though she preferred the wrapping paper. But who can blame her, she loves everything crinkly." They both laughed and Reg pulled her closer. Jean had never felt so safe in someone's arms.
"We should probably put out a short statement to thank our fans for their kindness towards our family."
"I agree. Maybe add a photo of Pheli too? My agent could take care of it, she's really good." Reg grinned.
"Dearest, your agent is more than good. That press release about privacy was a masterpiece and it worked." Jean nodded in agreement.
Her agent was worth her weight in gold and more.
"Lucille does know her stuff. I'd be lost without her."
"Hmmm. And I'd be lost without you, Horton." This made Jean giggle.
"You're silly. We both know you'd be just fine without me."
"Physically, maybe. But the thing is, I don't want to be without you. I'd actually hate not being with you, Jean. You make me happy. You make my life so much better."
"Not always. We both know I'm a drama queen."
"I never said that our relationship isn't hard work. It is. But it's worth it. It's worth every discussion, every compromise. You are worth the effort, Jean. Our love is a love that's worth fighting for." Jean had turned bright red. Usually she wasn't someone for over the top gestures or speeches but this moved her. Maybe because she was hormonal or maybe because Reg actually meant something to her. No, not something. Everything. She loved Reginald in a way she'd never loved a man.
More importantly, he also loved her just right. He gave her space when she needed space, he always found the right words and he knew when there was no need for words at all. He knew her inside out. Loving him was simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing for Jean. Easy, because how could she not love him? Everything about him was perfect to her. Hard, because she knew that sometimes she wasn't the partner he deserved. She was difficult, she came with baggage and sometimes she felt like she didn't love him the way he deserved to be loved. In the quiet hours of the night when she lay awake, Reg peacefully sleeping next to her, she wondered whether he deserved better and pondered about the possibility of him ever leaving her, should the opportunity arise. For the first time in her life, Jean was scared of losing someone, which was quite ironic. Usually she didn't care, instead people would do anything to keep her in their lives.

"Reggie... I don't know what to say. I'm... I just don't know, you deserve all the kind, gentle, loving words in the world right now but I'm stunned. I can't even form a proper sentence." Her face was still red and she felt hot. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him but opening up had never been her strong suit, so she just stuttered and couldn't even look at him. This never happened to her.
"Jean, dear. It's okay. You had my baby, I mean that's... A strong statement." His smile made Jean's heart beat even faster. He looked so in love with her and once again she just didn't feel adequate. Or well, the things she did and said just didn't feel adequate. She wanted him to know, she wanted him to understand that she felt the same, possibly even more. So she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.
"Reggie, I don't want to live a single day without you. I don't just want to be the mother of your child, I want to be your partner in life. For better and for worse. I want to wake up next to you, I want to fall asleep next to you. Til..."
"Jean, dear, are you... proposing to me?" Reg interrupted her, gently, yet firmly enough to stop her in her tracks. She looked up, gathered her thoughts but then it all became clear to her.
"I...I think I am." Jean stuttered. "Yes. Yes, Reggie, I think I am proposing to you." She tried very hard not to freak out.
"But you can't." Reg replied which made Jean's heart sink but he quickly continued to speak. "That was what I was about to do, I haven't forgotten about your gift." He got down on one knee, pulling a little box out of his pocket. "Jean Horton, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Again her mind was empty. That traitor. So much to say but apparently her vocabulary was suddenly limited to a few small words, why would her usually brilliant mind abandon her when she needed it most? Grand, just grand.
"Yes. Oh my goodness, yes, a thousand times yes." Reg carefully put a beautiful gold ring with a small diamond on top on Jean's finger. Her hands were shaking. "Reggie, it's beautiful."
"Family heirloom. Five generations of Horton women have worn this ring and... If you don't mind having something old, you will be the sixth." He threw her a rather shy smile, knowing very well that Jean usually preferred bespoke pieces of jewelry, custom made according to her wishes or at least coming in a teal blue box from a certain jewelry brand. Hopefully, she would like the Paget ring regardless.
"Mind? Reggie, this is so meaningful..." To Jean, the ring was just perfect. Sparkly, but not over the top. Not old fashioned, but a classic piece. She just kissed him, her heart was still beating way too fast. Wow. So many wonderful things were happening to her. Their first Christmas as a family. They were engaged now. This was right. This was perfect. This was all her wishes coming true. An immense sense of gratefulness filled Jean's heart.