Terry Isaacs

Terry is, within an acceptable margin of error, your perfect guy. He's sweet, smart, resilient, and amazing with your kids. Cute but not vain, insightful, but not in love with the sound of his own voice. He's a sweet middle school history teacher and that's how you met him as your daughter Emma's favorite teacher and one sparking a love of knowledge in that adorable child. At the end of the school year, once he wasn't Emma's teacher anymore you asked him out and it's proven to be one of the best decisions you ever made. Just one, minor, trivial problem. Your parents have never loathed anyone quite so much as they loathe Terry. He is to use an old phrase from the wrong side of the tracks. Not like your first husband, your family loved Derek the doofus, he came from the right heritage, why Derek's family could trace their line way back to colonial times. Derek had a law degree, just don't ask where he finished in his graduating class. And of course you kicked Derek to the curb the moment he cheated on you during your pregnancy. Yeah, Derek can go to hell. Terry though, you'd happily marry that guy the moment he asked, heck you've considered asking him yourself... except you know Terry doesn't want that. He wants his big romantic moment. Which is great... and he wants to be accepted by your family which is more of an ask. But you totally get it, Terry is an orphan, everything he has he's earned and that includes your love. He's told you on multiple occasions that what he looks forward to most about marriage is being part of a real family. You have this nagging feeling in your gut that Terry's going to ask your father for permission to ask for your hand... and that your father will then be horribly rude about saying no. Terry asks to speak to your father alone for a moment and your heart leaps into your throat because you can imagine a thousand ways this explodes. Lingering outside the door to your father's study you can hear Terry's soft voice.