“The weirdest thing happened,” she says, leaning into my side. “I woke up when you left, and I felt these rings on my fingers, and I remembered…”
I face her, unable to control my grin.
“We’re engaged, Holden.”
“We are…” I laugh out.
“And then I just…” She shrugs, facing the wall again. “I had this need to draw, so I thought… I hope it’s okay I drew on your wall.”
“Our wall,” I remind her, my gaze dropping to the marker in her hand. God, I missed watching how her hands moved when she drew—fluid, expert, hot.
“Maybe I can do a mural or something in here,” she ponders. “Daisies and dahlias…”
I take her hand in my mine, move it toward the wall, and guide her into doing what speaks to my heart. She starts drawing, the tiny bones in her hands shifting the muscles there, and with every movement, every stroke, I feel the weight of the past twenty-four hours lift from my shoulders until the only thoughts in my head are the ones of the girl beside me. She starts with the stem first and then the leaves of a dahlia. For minutes, she works on a single leaf, perfecting it, so focused on her task while I focus on her. “Do you think your mom would’ve liked me?” I ask.
She falters a moment before moving to another leaf. “She would’ve loved you.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because you’re twenty-three years old and sitting in a blanket fort with me right now.” She drops her hand and turns to me. “And you’re not doing it just because you love me. Or because you want to make me happy. You’re doing it because you know what these little childish acts mean to me, and not only do you support me, but you encourage me to take back what’s owed to me… to Younger Me.” Her voice cracks, and she looks away, returns to drawing. “She would recognize that in you, Holden, and she would appreciate it.”
I sit back and settle in, trying to fight back a prideful smile. Minutes pass before she speaks. “Did you know about the barn?”
“What about the barn?”
“I went looking for you last night, and I saw the light on in there,” she says, finishing another leaf before facing me. “So I went in, and your dad was there.”
“That’s weird for him to be up so late.”
“He was there cleaning the place. For me.”
“For you?” I ask, my eyebrows rising.
Jamie nods. “Yeah, he fixed the pottery wheel, and he and your grandma went out and got supplies so I could use it.” With each second that passes, her smile grows wider. “And he brought a desk in there for me to work so that I could be closer to you.”
“He did that, huh?” I ask, and she nods again. “Well, that’s not a surprise. He and Mags love you, Jamie.”
“So… can we go?” she asks, but it’s not really a question because she’s already halfway out of the fort.
I’m so fucking exhausted, and all I wanted to do when I came home was get back into bed and sleep. But for Jamie… “Of course, we can go.”
Jamie stands in front of Mags and Dad with both her hands raised between them, showing off the dozen rings on her fingers. She says she can’t pick just one, so for now, she’s going to wear them all.
Dad and Mags look from Jamie’s hands to her eyes, to me, then to each other, their look of confusion undeniable. We’re standing in the middle of the barn, and I have my arm around Jamie’s shoulders, and honestly, I don’t know how long I can stand here without—
“You’re engaged?” Maggie gasps as if just now realizing.
“What?!” Dad’s eyes are enormous as he looks between Jamie and me. I internally grimace because maybe I should’ve talked to him about this first.
“You’re engaged!” Maggie repeats, and I don’t know what happens next. There’s just a whole lot of screaming and shouting, which, yeah, I expected from the girls, but it’s Dad who seems to be doing the most.
“Oh my God, congratulations!” Maggie’s already crying when she wraps me in her arms, and Jamie… Jamie’s being held in the air by my dad… kind of like a trophy after winning a championship.
He does know that I’m the one who won, right? I’m the one who gets to keep Jamie forever.
Forever...
Holy shit! “I get to keep Jamie forever!” I say it out loud, like a fool, because I think it’s just hit me. And now Maggie and I are holding hands and jumping like twelve-year-old girls. Cool.
I should probably just hand Jamie my balls now—it makes the most sense.
Maggie releases me when Dad puts Jamie back on her feet, and then I’m engulfed in a hug so strong it knocks the wind out of me. “Oh, son! I couldn’t be prouder,” Dad says, squeezing me tighter. When he pulls back, I catch him covering his mouth to hide his smile. “You picked a good one.”
I heave out a breath, trying to push aside the sudden emotions taking over me. “I’m glad you see that, Dad.”
“Of course,” he says, eyeing me suspiciously. “Why wouldn’t I?” he laughs, but it’s a nervous laugh, and now I’m wondering if he knows.
Oh, shit…
Before I can immerse myself in that thought, the pottery wheel behind me comes to life. “I’m so excited!” Jamie practically squeals, removing her rings and pocketing them all. “I can’t believe you did this for me!” She’s looking at Dad, and Dad’s looking at her, and for seconds they just stare at each other.
“Come on,” Maggie says, tugging on my arm.
“What?” I look from her touch to her eyes.
She motions to the barn door. “Just give them a minute.”
I follow her outside, across the driveway, and through the parking lot. “Why are we giving them a minute?” I ask her back.
She shrugs, then says over her shoulder, “Your dad said they had a moment last night, so I think he just wants to check in on her.”
Huh. Jamie mentioned that she’d seen my dad in the barn, and he’d shown her the changes he’d made, but that’s as much as I know. Obviously, there’s more to it because whatever he said had her coming back home and finally opening up to me.
Maggie sits on the curb and stretches her legs. As soon as I sit down beside her, she links our elbows and leans into me. “I’m so happy for you, Holden.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I’m pretty fucking stoked myself.”
Maggie giggles. “You should be. You’re punching way above your weight.”
I bust out a laugh. “I can say the same for my dad.”
“Your dad’s a fucking stallion, Hold—”
“Mags!” I cover my ears. “Stop it!”
“Sorry,” she laughs out. “That’s an inside joke between Jamie and me.”
“I—” I shake my head. “I don’t want to know.”
She settles her laugh to a simmering giggle before asking, “Have y’all made wedding plans yet?”
“Nah,” I answer, looking toward the barn. “It just happened a few hours ago, so…”