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looked down at the ground.
    â€œBabe, don’t cry. Come here. Shania, come here.”
    When she didn’t budge, he went to her and pulled her into his arms. He knew that Shania had taken her parents’ death hard, and even though ten years had helped heal the wound, she still struggled with their death at times. He could only imagine what she had gone through; a twenty-two-year-old woman, in her senior year in college, looking forward to walking across that stage, and suddenly being slapped with the news that a drunk driver had slammed into her parents’ vehicle, killing them instantly. As if that wasn’t bad enough, to have to take a leave from college to go home and raise her ten-year-old sister. Although she didn’t get to walk across the stage, she took her finals the following semester and received her degree in the mail a few weeks later.
    Greg felt a tinge of sadness as he mulled over the demise of his in-laws. He wished that he could’ve met them just one time so that he could thank them for the exceptional job they’d done raising Shania. He appreciated the spiritual foundation Shania’s parents had given her. She had proven to be a woman of strong character, integrity, and faith by the way she stepped up to the plate and took on a stage of motherhood that she hadn’t asked for or expected. He didn’t know of many young women who would’ve taken on that responsibility. That made him respect her even more.
    â€œBaby, listen,” he said and kissed her forehead, then used the hem of his shirt to wipe her tears. “I should’ve talked with you first, I know, and I apologize for not doing so. It’s just that owning a motorcycle has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I didn’t want you to try to talk me out of it. You know you would’ve done everything in your power to talk me out of it.”
    Shania softened her tone and smiled. “You’re right,” she said and nodded. “You should’ve talked to me first, and I would’ve talked you out of it.” She unfolded her arms and placed them at her sides. “After you told me that your brother had gotten a motorcycle, I sensed in my spirit that something was going on with you. So I’m not completely surprised, but . . .”
    He took her hands in his. “But?”
    She sighed deeply. “Marriages work because couples learn how to compromise. And . . . even though I want to demand you to go take that bike right back where you got it from . . .”
    Greg lifted his eyebrows in optimistic anticipation as he waited for her to finish.
    â€œI guess it’s okay.”
    Greg felt like doing a backflip, and if his spine hadn’t already seen thirty-five years, he probably would’ve. “So I can keep it?”
    She gave him a begrudging smile. “But if you have an accident and hurt yourself really bad, I will kill you.”
    Greg laughed at her concern. “Nothing will happen to me, baby.” He stepped to the side so that he could look her in the face. Though she wore a hint of a smile, her eyes were filled with sadness. He held her chin and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I appreciate your worry. I understand your worry—but you do too much of it. God’ll take care of me. And I promise you, I’ll be careful.”
    She bit her bottom lip and lowered her head.
    Just the thought of causing Shania pain hurt his heart. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. With her head resting on his chest, he stroked her straight, shoulder-length hair.
    Trying to lighten the mood, Greg said, “Wanna go for a ride?”
    She gasped. “I said compromise. I didn’t say I was crazy.”
    He nuzzled her neck, then sucked on her earlobe. “Wanna go for a different kind of ride?”
    Her naughty smile matched his, and he pumped his hands in the air as she hooked a finger through his belt loop and pulled him into the