“Soon?” Dad asks.
“Soon.” Dad grabs my hand and squeezes it, and Mom hugs me. I smile, fighting back emotion. “Thanks for being awesome about it. I wasn’t sure if it would be weird for you.”
“We love you, son,” Dad says. “And to your point, we live in Miami. We’re certainly exposed to a diverse array of people. Sexuality, in my opinion, is a spectrum. Yours shifted when you fell in love with Briar. We just want you to be happy whoever it’s with.”
“I agree, but I’m glad it’s Briar,” Mom says. “I love him.”
I laugh. “He loves you guys too. I’ll let you know when I ask him and what he says.”
“You’d better,” Mom says. “Big wedding or small?”
“I’ll have to ask my groom what he wants.” A feeling of warmth settles over me. I know I’m making the right decision.
I’m gonna marry Briar.
Briar
“I’m home.” I enter the apartment, looking around for Jude. I know he’s here. I saw his car in the lot. That’s when I notice the lights are dimmer than usual. “Jude?”
He comes out of my bedroom. “Hey.” He smiles. “You’re home. Change clothes. I made reservations to go out.”
“Why?”
“Why not? It’s been a week since we got home from Ron’s wedding. I figured we could have a little anniversary of sorts.”
I tilt my head. “You better be careful. If you’re this romantic this early on, you’re setting the bar kind of high for the rest of the relationship.”
“I can live with that. Come on.”
I enter the room, glancing around. We decided my room was slightly bigger, so we made it our room until we find a house with a true master. Jude made up the bed with the new bedding we bought on our shopping trip yesterday.
“The room looks nice.”
Jude kisses my cheek. “Thanks.” He smacks my butt. “Change.”
“Where are we going?”
“Rosa’s.”
“Okay.”
Jude leaves the room, and I change out of my dingy work clothes and put on a pair of shorts and a white polo with some flip flops. Rosa’s is a casual spot on South Beach. We’ve had quite a few amazing meals there, so it’s perfect.
I come out to the living room to find Jude scrolling on his phone. “I’m ready.”
He looks up. “You look great. Let’s go.”
Sitting at the restaurant, I gaze out at the people walking by. It’s a beautiful night made even better by the person across the table.
“I love you, Bri.”
I smile. “Love you too.” I take a sip of my amazing drink. It’s so fruity and—
“Marry me.”
My eyes shoot wide, glancing up from my cocktail. “What?”
“Marry me, Briar.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “Are you proposing to me?”
“Yes. Let’s be real fiancés. I want that with you.”
“I think you’re just, um, coming off this major high, and—”
“I just spent three months of my life learning how to be a guy you would marry. I fell in love with you and discovered a person I want to marry. Anything that was holding me back before is completely obliterated after last weekend.” He reaches for my hand and I give it to him. “Briar, you’re my best friend, and now you’ve become something I didn’t think existed for me. Suddenly I see a life I didn’t think I was allowed to want. I see buying a house and having dinner parties with our friends, and helping you bake amazing things for them. I see holidays with our friends and family. I see Christmases with you and making our own traditions. I see a future that I want so badly, and I want it with you. We can do this, Bri. We’re already doing this. Just say yes. Say yes, and I’ll be happier than I knew was possible. Will you marry me?”
My mouth hangs open, watching a tear slide down Jude’s cheek. I want to say yes so badly, but has he really thought this out? Does he know what it means?
“What if you want more someday? What if you want something different than what I can give you?”
“Do you mean a woman?”
I nod, sniffing.
“Come on, Bri. I didn’t date for years. You think now that I’ve found this with you, I would go back to that life?” He shakes his head. “I’ve thought this out. It’s all I could think about all day.” I watch as he stands, reaches into his pocket, then drops to one knee next to me, garnering curious glances from the people around us. “It’s not much, but it’s what I could find at the last minute. I can get you a new one.” He lifts a platinum band out of a small velvet box. “The jeweler said we could get silicone bands since you bake. Anyway, I’m rambling. I love you, Briar Watts, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
He bought me a ring. He went out and picked out a ring for me. Oh my god. He’s serious. I nod, my eyes so blurry with tears I can barely see him. “I’ll marry you, Jude.”
Smiling, he slides the ring on my finger as people around us cheer and whistle. Jude lifts me into his arms, swinging me around and kissing me sweetly.
“You just made me so happy. I promise I’ll work hard to make you just as happy.”
I glance down at my finger. “You already have.”
A few weeks later, sitting in Jude’s chair, I try to calm myself by playing with my engagement ring even though my legs are shaking with nerves. Jude is preparing his station for my first tattoo. I wanted it before we got married so it’s nice and healed in time for the honeymoon our friends and family chipped in to give us. Five days in the Dominican Republic with Jude sounds like heaven. Our story about getting married in September actually lined up perfectly for the swanky little boutique wedding we want, but we’re not waiting a year. In just a few months, I’ll be Jude’s husband. Saint donated the cake which makes me so excited. We decided to keep it small so our money could go towards buying our first home together.
Calling Ron to invite him and Chelsea felt so strange. I wanted to tell him the truth, but ultimately, I ended up in the same place. I’m marrying Jude. He’s my real-life fiancé. It was somewhat surprising to hear that Michael sat Ron down and told him the truth about what he did to me and what happened in his past and that he’s in therapy now with Patrick by his side. I guess at the end of the day, we all deserve a chance to grow and heal and find love. Michael found the person he needs in Patrick, and I’ve had the person I needed in Jude longer than I even knew.
From the first day we met, Jude has been the most supportive person in my world. Now, he’s going to be my husband. I never would have envisioned this outcome when I asked for a desperate favor.
“Ready, sugar boo?” Jude says, grinning as he puts his latex gloves on.
“When are you gonna stop calling me that?”
He shrugs. “Who knows. I like it. It’s as cute as you are.”
“It’s kind of corny.”
“I resent that.” He chuckles, opening a package. “We’ll do as much as you can take today. Just let me know when you’ve had enough.”