One Year Later
Icradled baby Nick in my arms as his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing became deeper and longer.
Finally, he was asleep. Nick wasn’t usually a fussy baby, but for some reason that night he really didn’t seem to want to go to sleep. It seemed to me he just wanted to be a part of the action. His dad and big sister were downstairs decorating the tree and eating cookies, and when I went to take him up to bed, he wailed with injustice. I got him to settle, however, like I always did, and now that he was out, I was able to gently place him in the crib.
I waited a few seconds to make sure he wasn’t going to wake up again, then I whispered that I loved him, and slipped out of the nursery as quietly as possible. Jonah was walking up the stairs as I walked by, and he slid his arms around me and kissed me on the lips.
“Vic put her headphones on,” he said. “Is Nick asleep?”
“Yes,” I said, putting my finger to my lips to indicate that he needed to talk a little quieter.
“Good,” he said softly. “Then I think we have just enough time.”
“Enough time for what?”
In lieu of answering me, he scooped me up in his arms fireman style and carried me to the bedroom. There, he laid me down on the bed and began to kiss me.
“Shut the door!” I said. “Vic could walk up at any second.”
“Right.” He ran over, closed the door and locked it, then jumped back in bed with me, and soon all our clothes were off, and we were in the throws. Our sex life had only improved since we committed to one another, and we took every chance we got to give and take some of the pleasure, the feelings of desire, that brought us together in the first place.
When we were done, Jonah got dressed quickly and went to check on Vic and see how the tree was coming along. I said I would meet him downstairs in a few, I had a couple texts to answer. This was half true. I did have a text from Becca that I hadn’t answered, but mostly I just wanted some time to myself.
I needed to think.
I did respond to Becca’s text first, however. She was asking me what I thought Calvin might want for Christmas, and I told her I had no idea. “He’s impossible to shop for,” I said. “Sorry. Good luck.”
“Oh great,” she texted back. “You could’ve told me that before I decided to date the guy.”
I laughed to myself but left my phone on the bed and got up. Cal and Becca had only just told me they were dating about a month ago, and I was still getting used to the idea. Still, I was happy for them. They seemed good together.
Speaking of two people who were good together, I had been thinking a lot about Jonah and myself the last few months. He was so understanding when we got back together last year, and he was clearly telling the truth when he said he didn’t care if we ever got married or not. He hadn’t brought marriage up a single time since then, and the fact that he wasn’t pressuring me meant so much.
Then, a week ago, we were sitting by the fire, as a snowstorm raged outside, and I looked over at him and I thought,look, it’s my husband.
That’s when I knew I wanted to marry him, and I didn’t want to wait any longer. I went out that day and I bought him a gift certificate to the burger place where we first went to lunch together over a year ago, and now it was hiding at the bottom of the dresser’s top drawer. It was going to be my version of a ring, and I was going to ask him to marry metonight.
As I went to the dresser, I noticed the photograph of Erin that Jonah had sitting next to a picture of him, Erin, and Victoria when she was a baby. I picked up the photo of his late wife and smiled. “You were, and will always be his first love,” I said. “And I promise, I will take very good care of him.”
“Hey babe, you coming?” Jonah called from downstairs.
“Be right there!” I called back. I grabbed the gift certificate, folded it up so that it would fit in the empty ring box I found online, and hurried down the steps, a lightness in my step.
I felt like I was flying.
Jonah and Vic were by the tree, Jonah stretching on his tiptoes to get the star on the highest branch. Since his back was turned to me, I seized the moment. I looked at Vic and nodded, so she knew it was time. I told her I was planning on doing this earlier that day. She grinned, then walked out of the room to give us some privacy, being so quiet, Jonah didn’t even notice her leaving.
“Okay, I’ve almost got it… there!” Jonah said a few seconds later. He stepped back and admired his hard work. “I think that looks pretty good, don’t you?” He looked to his right and frowned when he realized his daughter was no longer standing next to him. “Vic, where did you—”
He spun around and saw me.
Bent down on one knee, holding out the little, blue velvet box.
“Hey honey,” I said. “I’ve got something to ask you.”
He smiled but said nothing.
“Really, it’s not so much a question, as it is an ultimatum,” I said with a smirk. “You see, you either say yes to marrying me right now, or so help me, I will go into the kitchen and eat the rest of the leftover cheesecake without you.”