William barely noticed the departure of Edward and the soldier, for his attention was focused on the future he'd fucked up and thoughts of how he could fix it. 

[color=tan]"You'll come back, right?"[/color]

At the feel of Keziah wrapping her arms around his torso and her face pressing against his shirt -- tears quickly flooding through the light work shirt he'd been wearing despite the cool weather -- William's entire consciousness shifted direction as taking an off ramp in a speeding car.

[color=tan]"Can't leave me a widow again and Rose Anne needs her father." [/color]

William clutched Keziah tightly into his body, almost to the point of smothering her.  He'd come to the conclusion that he'd probably never be returning to the 21st century, and -- more importantly -- he had come to not only accept that for a truth but had come to realize he preferred it.  William no longer yearned to get back to the life he'd lived for nearly three decades.  He wanted to stay here, in 18th Century Massachusetts ... with Keziah.

"I'm not your husband," William said when Keziah's words fully reached his consciousness.  Was her concern about being a widow again a hint as to what she wanted from him, here and now?  She'd been spilling her heart in the barn before Edward called to them, before the Sergeant appeared, before the uniform was handed over.  Had she been about to tell him she was ready?  William took hold of Keziah's shoulders, moved her out away from him, studied her for a moment, then dropped to one knee before her.  "I can't remember if this is the way it was -- [i]is[/i] -- done in this time ... but--"

As he'd been talking, William had been working to try to get his High School class ring off his finger.  He felt he needed something [i]tangible[/i] to offer Keziah, and after it finally slipped over the knuckle swollen by hard work, he held it out before her, asking, Keziah ... will you marry me...?  Here and now ... today."