“Me too. I love you so much,” I say and he squeezes me harder.
“Show me,” he winks.
“Take me to bed and I will,” I instruct him.
“Anytime,” he says, repeating his classic line as he does every time I ask him.
It’s been a week since our fight. After Grant made love to me that night, he told me how he had driven Emily back to his house as she had requested, and then later she came to his room. That she did, in fact, try to put the moves on him, but he told her to fuck off. That she was being relentless, and he eventually just left the room, desperate to find me. We must have missed each other by only a couple minutes.
Rob left that night after Grant gave me multiple orgasms. It wasn’t my intention to push him out with my screams of pleasure, but it didn’t hurt that he left early. As much as Grant said he was going to deal with it, I had a feeling he would be dragging me everywhere with him if Rob had stuck around like he had previously planned.
It’s Saturday, and Grant had to go into Barbells this morning. When he gets back, we’re supposed to go see Mr. C, so I’m wasting time by flipping through channels, trying to find something to watch.
Sadie bounces into the room, obviously excited about something. “What’s with your chipper mood?” I ask her as she flops down onto the couch.
“Nothing,” she says and giggles with a huge smile across her face. Ignoring her, I turn toward the TV again. She’ll tell me whatever it is when she’s ready, and knowing Sadie, she won’t be able to hold out much longer.
“So, where is everyone?” she asks in an annoying sing-song voice.
“Just tell me, Sadie. What the hell’s going on?” I put the remote down and face her.
“What?” Her voice sounds like that of a child who just got caught doing something they weren’t supposed to. “Nothing, I’m just waiting for Brady to return,” she says, leaning back against the couch.
“Where is he?” I ask, irritated with this whole conversation.
“He’s out right now. So what are you and Grant doing today?” she asks, thumbing through her phone.
“Supposed to go see Mr. C. I’m just waiting for him to come back.” Just as I finish telling her this, Grant walks through the back door. Only he’s not alone. Trey and Brady follow him into the room.
Sadie quickly stands up and kisses Brady hello, and Grant takes her spot on the couch. “What’s going on, baby?” He bends down and kisses me. Trey, Brady, and Sadie leave the room without a word, and the way they’re acting, I feel as though all of their bodies have been overtaken by aliens.
“Nothing much, except that everyone’s acting weird,” I say, and he grabs my hand.
“Let’s go, I want to take you somewhere.” He smiles at me, and my hand instantly grasps his, letting him pull me up. Snaking his arms around my waist, he brings me close to him and our lips meet. His tongue mingles with mine, and as always, butterflies fill my stomach.
Leading me out to his truck, he opens the door and I happily get in. When he pulls out of the driveway, I ask, “Are we heading to Mr. C’s?” He looks at me out of the corner of his eyes.
“You’ll see,” he says mysteriously and in turn I make my best pretty, pretty please face, but he shakes his head with amusement. “Just wait.”
Five minutes later, we arrive at a small ranch house. It’s painted yellow with white shutters, and flower planters line the front door. “Whose house is this?” I ask.
“Ours?” he questions. I stare at him and realize that it’s the first time I’ve seen him this nervous. “At least…I hope it is,” he softly says. Inching across the bench, I place my hand in his. “It’s just rented, month to month until we figure out what we’re going to be doing.” I frown, remembering our conversation back in Colorado. “We’ll figure it out, Jessa,” he says, picking up on my uneasiness. But wherever we decide, we go together,” he assures me.
Not waiting any longer, he opens his door and I slide out after him. We stand on the walkway, hand in hand, staring up at a house that Grant rented for us. It’s a step I was never sure we’d reach.
He starts to walk first, guiding me to the front door. Taking out the key, he inserts it and opens the door to our place. The whole scene seems surreal. He swoops me up and I laugh as he carries me over the threshold. After he puts me down, my eyes roam the room, taking in the cutest house I’ve ever seen. Grant stays a couple steps behind me, giving me space to wander, as I explore every nook and cranny.
When I land in the master bedroom, I gasp in awe. There’s a king-sized bed covered in a nice white comforter, along with a bunch of pillows resting against a deep chocolate colored headboard. Pictures of Grant and I together are mounted on the wall, and there are smaller framed ones lining the dressers. I turn around to find him leaning against the door frame, waiting for my reaction. “I know it’s not big and we have to do some work, not to mention find furniture…”
I stop him from continuing by planting my lips on his. “I love it, Grant, it’s perfect,” I whisper.
“I have one more thing to show you,” he says and backs me up, further into the room. He guides me to the bed and I sit down, unsure of what he’s about to show me.
“Close your eyes,” he instructs and my stomach flutters rapidly, thinking this is it. “Okay, now open them.” He’s standing there shirtless, and this is not what I thought was going to happen when I opened my eyes. A smirk crosses his face when he turns around. There’s a white bandage on his top right shoulder blade.
“You went without me?” I question, disappointed. I desperately wanted to be there to watch him get his first tattoo.
“Can you put some ointment on it?” He hands me the small tube, and I start to unscrew the cap.
I get up on my knees and start to unpeel the taped corners. “What did you get?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer, instead remaining completely still. As the tattoo becomes visible, I’m happy to see he got the exact nautical star I pointed out to him in Colorado.
“Do you like it?” he asks, his voice etched with worry.
“Of course, I picked it out,” I say. As my eyes take it all in, I notice that at the corner of the north point rests a set of initials. A gasp escapes me when I see the letter ‘J’, but then I notice the ‘B’ right after it. “Are these your mom’s initials?” I question, letting my hand lightly glide over them.
“No,” he says with a laugh, and confusion hits me. I look at them again, but before I can say anything, Grant turns around and gets on one knee in front of me. “They’ll be yours, if you agree to marry me.” He opens up a black velvet box that holds a stunning, diamond solitaire in the shape of an oval. “And if you take my name,” he adds. I laugh, nodding my head. “Say it, baby,” he nudges.
“Yes!” I exclaim and jump into his arms.
Three Months Later
Grant
Jessa and I both graduated last month. She’s working in an art gallery in a neighboring city, and I’m still searching for a full-time job. In the meantime, the owner of Barbells has offered me a full-time management position, enabling us to afford the house. We’ve slowly been able to furnish it with mismatched furniture, which isn’t high-end but it’s ours. One day, I’ll give her the house she deserves, but for now we’re happy and that’s all that matters.
I lean against the trunk of the large oak tree in my tuxedo, while my gorgeous wife sits in a chair by my mom’s gravestone. Her long silky gown complements her stunning body. The revealing open back exposes the slightest trace of her lotus tattoo. She’s a breathtaking sight every day, but today she truly stopped my heart when I saw her walk down that aisle. I’m still not sure how an asshole like me managed to capture her heart.
After I proposed and she accepted, we quickly planned the wedding, seeing no reason to wait. In a small, outdoor ceremony filled with only close friends and Jessa’s family, we committed ourselves to each other for eternity.