With each pull-up and every deadlift, he endeavored to erase all the signs of his former self and took on a hypermasculine edge to mask the bullied boy within. Instead of honoring the creative and introspective kid he used to be, he began equating bravery with brawn and toughness with physical tenacity. When he’d come up with the idea for the Marks Perfect Ten Mindset blog, he did want to help people reach their personal best. But he also used it to create another layer between himself and that skinny kid from the Colorado plains.
Thanks to Georgie, he could be both the ripped fitness trainer as well as the comic-loving, literature-reading man who wasn’t defined by a number.
He glanced over his shoulder and nodded to Becca. She gave him a thumbs-up then unhooked Mr. Tuesday’s collar.
This was really happening.
Black and white with one ear cocked up while the other drooped down, the dog he’d come to love bounded toward them with a ribbon tied around his neck.
“Jordan is this what I think it is?” Georgie asked as she scratched between the dog’s ears.
“Well, it’s not a segment on selecting the perfect pet for your lifestyle,” he answered, untying the ribbon and sliding an engagement ring off the strip of satin.
“How did you arrange all this?” she asked wide-eyed.
“We can answer that!” Hector exclaimed, taking Bobby’s hand and joining them on set.
Something he was absolutely not expecting as the couple took a seat, one on each side of Georgie.
“Jordan came to us and asked about how we got engaged, and then it snowballed from there,” Hector, the more outspoken of the power couple, explained.
“We shared with Jordan how I had brought Hector to our favorite bench, hidden away in the Denver Botanic Gardens, and asked him to be my husband and partner for life, surrounded by tulips and the buzz of bees,” Bobby answered softly.
“It was so romantic. So intimate,” Hector gushed.
Jordan caught Georgie’s gaze. “This is kind of the opposite of intimate.”
Georgie leaned to the side as a cameraman pushed in and entered their personal space. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“But a proposal on morning TV is completely apropos for CityBeat’s most-watched and adored couple,” Hector answered.
“That’s Wake-Up Denver,” the host injected with a grin so wide she looked as if she belonged in a scary clown movie.
Shit! This whole idea sounded perfect when he’d spoken with Bobby and Hector. Now, with the cameras and the lights, he couldn’t help wondering if he’d made the wrong call.
He glanced between the men. “Do you guys mind if I,” he began, then held up the ring.
Hector nodded. “The engagement ring! We can’t forget that!”
“Yes, it’s a vintage piece, dating back to the forties,” Bobby added.
Inches from his hand, the cameraman angled in to get a better shot.
“We were there with Jordan when he picked it out, Georgie,” Hector said, fanning his face, as the man grew emotional.
“We knew with your love of all things vintage, like those old, dusty Jane Austen volumes you adore, that a ring with history would be right up your alley,” Bobby added softly as the TV host handed Hector a tissue.
The man blew his nose. “Georgie and Jordan, you two are like the children we never had,” Hector blubbered.
Georgie patted the emotional man’s back. “Hector, you’re only like ten years older than me.”
“You know what I mean. Our little wet T-shirt contest winner and our big strong man who overcame his goat phobia are getting engaged,” the man replied, blotting tears.
Bobby, the more reserved of the two, pushed up his glasses. “You both are very important to the CityBeat family and to us.”
“Without the Battle of the Blogs contest, you two may have never met. Bobby, we’re like Georgie and Jordan’s virtual fairy godfathers,” Hector added while accepting another tissue from the Wake-Up Denver host.
Mr. Tuesday curled up on the floor, uninterested in the melee, then released a dog fart.
Everyone stilled as the pup, unbothered, yawned, then proceeded to fall asleep.
Georgie bit her lip, clearly holding back laughter as her cheeks grew pink.
This marriage proposal had not only gotten sidetracked. It had become an all-out circus.
He held up the ring. “Um, guys, would you mind if I proposed?”
“Let’s ask the world!” Hector answered, waving Barry over.
“Our producer has been live streaming right to the CityBeat main page and monitoring the comments,” Bobby added.
The male host perked up. “Let’s get that up on the big screen for our Wake-Up Denver viewers at home.”
A second later, there they were.
“Wow! We’re on live TV while watching ourselves on live TV,” Georgie murmured, craning her head toward the giant screen.
“Very trippy, right?” Hector replied with a nod.
Trippy.
That was an excellent description of their current situation. And bam, bam, bam! The screen flooded with comment bubbles, likes, and heart emojis as pandemonium exploded on CityBeat’s main page.
“We’re getting messages from all over. All across the US, India, Denmark, Tunisia, France, Canada, and more by the second. Jordan’s proposal has ignited an outpouring of excitement from CityBeat subscribers across the globe,” Barry offered.
Jordan’s gaze bounced between the men. “Guys, I haven’t proposed yet.”
“And Georgie, look at that!” Barry exclaimed. “A Belgian princess posted that she wished you and Jordan a happy life together.”
“A Belgian princess?” Georgie repeated.
Barry shook his head. “Oops, my bad! That’s the Belgian Waffle Princess. She’s got an amazing blog on all things waffles.”
“I don’t know about you, but I love a good Belgian waffle,” the female host said, grinning into the camera.
“With some cut up strawberries, powdered sugar, and a drizzling of real maple syrup. That’s the definition of delicious,” the male host chimed as Bobby, Hector, and Barry began sharing their favorite ways to dress up a waffle.
Georgie pressed her hand to her lips.
They were way past shitshow at this point. The proposal he’d pictured in his head had turned into one hell of a waffle-house sized cluster.
“Hold on, everyone! The CityBeat subscriber Passion for Ponies commented that Jordan and Georgie aren’t officially engaged yet.”
Hector cocked his head to the side and frowned. “Well, what are you waiting for, Jordan? Are you going to make Passion for Ponies wait for a second longer?”
What was he waiting for?
A moment of sanity with his girl?
A waffle-free zone to propose?
A little less pressure from pony enthusiasts?
He turned to Georgie, and all the craziness melted away when he looked into her eyes. She smiled down at him, and all thoughts of ponies or waffles or baby goats—that he no longer feared—vanished. He glanced at the ring. It was perfect. Delicate and beautiful while also strong and enduring, he’d known this was the ring for Georgie even before Hector and Bobby had uttered a word about the sparkling gem.
He traced his thumb down her ring finger. “Georgiana Jensen, messy bun girl and the woman who owns my heart, will you marry me?”