“We can go today and get a ring. Make it official.” He ignored her words completely and pushed on.
“I don’t think it will work.” She was now pacing the room, turning every few feet because the room wasn’t very big.
“We can visit my parents while we’re in Grand Forks.” Again, he didn’t actually answer the question and pushed more.
Her feet were still moving across the room, back and forth, back and forth. But they were slowing. “They won’t like me,” she insisted, running her fingers through her short hair.
“I wish I could see what you see when you look at yourself. They’re going to love you and John Henry.”
“What will people say?” she asked, stopping completely.
“That we’re excited to get married. I think two weeks from Saturday.” It wasn’t that far away, but the less time she had to think about it, the better.
“What?”
“One week from Saturday? This needs to happen fast, or nobody will believe it,” he lied, knowing they could be engaged for years, and nobody would say anything. Except she wouldn’t marry him if she knew they could put it off for months.
“No, that’s too soon. Three weeks,” she argued, pulling out her phone to look at the calendar.
“Three weeks from last Saturday.” He pulled her onto his lap. “You will be mine.”
She shook her head at the phone. “What? That’s only two and a half weeks. How am I going to do that?”
“That’s what God gave you a book club for.”
“Book club is for murder only.” She pushed off his lap and out of his arms with a frown.
Getting up, he followed her as she walked out of the kitchen. “They’re your best friends. Now go put on something you haven’t owned since high school, and I’ll see if my parents want to meet you today.”
“Don’t you work?” she asked, stopping in the doorway.
“Day off.”
She shrugged before leaving the room and heading upstairs. He listened to her footsteps go up the stairs again and smiled at the sound. Bullying works. He would be more bothered by it if she hadn’t just agreed to marry him in less than a month’s time. And he promised himself to never do it again.
Glancing in the living room, he saw John Henry playing quietly, so he went out onto the porch and dialed his mom. After she greeted him in her usual warm manner he said, “Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“Great, my favorite son is calling me.”
Ruston laughed at the running joke that all her kids were her favorite as long as they were the ones talking to her. “I didn’t realize Jack was even there.”
His mom laughed. “You know me so well. Why are you calling me on your day off?”
“I was wondering if you and Dad would be home this afternoon?” His dad was a minister who had the day off as well. It was the day he usually went to visit them since they were both home.
“As far as I know. I’ll make your father stay home. Is there a special reason you want to see us?” she pressed.
“Do you want me to tell you now or wait so I can say it in person?”
She paused and pondered the question. “Tell me now, and I won’t tell your dad. You can surprise him. Have you met someone?”
“Yes, Mom, and we’re getting married in around three weeks. I want you to meet her and her son,” he said, knowing his mom was not going to be able to hide the information from his father, even for a few hours. His mom would have to tell someone, and that someone was his dad.
“Why so soon? Love?” his mom questioned with interest.
“I don’t want to give her time to think about it,” he said, not answering the love question.
“What’s her name? Do I know her?” his mom asked.