With the two of them swaying slightly, Briar wrapped her arms around his back too, and Tarr loved the way she melted into his chest, into his whole soul.
“My truth for today is that I like putting together someone else’s house.”
“I really appreciate you coming to help,” he said.
“You’re easy on the eyes,” she said, and Tarr chuckled.
He still had plenty more to get out of the back of his truck from his latest trip to the storage unit, and he reluctantly stepped back. “Well, the storage unit is empty, but I still have a handful of boxes in Tuck’s garage.” He rotated his shoulder. “So I better get back to work.”
“Before you go,” Briar said, and she picked up another box from the floor. It held new silverware, and was the last thing she’d unpack before the kitchen would be complete. She picked up a pair of scissors and knifed right into the box with them.
“I love your enthusiasm for this new house,” she said, her eyes only flicking to him for a moment. Tarr leaned against thecounter and tucked his hands into his pockets, enjoying this part of the day where Briar told him the things she liked about him.
No, the things shelovedabout him.
He’d told her she didn’t need to do that, but her therapist had thought it a great idea too, and Briar had committed to telling him a few things—no set number—each day until she ran out of things to say.
“I love your beard right now, all trimmed up and nice.” A smile came to her face as she lifted out a stack of butter knives. “I love the way you smell after you shower, and I love it when you smile at me like you’re happy to see me.”
“I’m always happy to see you, sweetheart.”
Briar looked fully at him then, and he gave her that smile she liked. She returned it and nodded. “I love helping you put this part of your life together, and I love that you’ve asked me to help you with something in the future that you know is going to be difficult for you.” She drew a deep breath and abandoned the silverware to face him fully.
“I’m wondering if I can ask you for the same favor.”
“Go for it,” he said, his pulse suddenly skipping around in a nervous jump-hop-leap pattern that made no sense.
“I know it might not make sense to you, but I’m still a little scared of…us.” She gestured toward him like he was the problem, but Tarr knew her well enough now to know she didn’t mean it badly. “Namely—I need to be specific.”
She took another breath. “Namely, I’m scared of the proposal.” She nodded and rolled her eyes. “That sounds even more ridiculous when I say it out loud, but it’s the truth.”
“You’re worried about…me askin’ you to marry me?”
“Yes,” she said.
“We’ve talked about getting married a bunch of times now.”
“Yes, we have.” Briar went back to the silverware, the metallic clinking of it joining the conversation. “I can do that.I want to marry you, Tarr. I want to dance with you on our wedding night—and I want to be married in the spring-almost-summer, and I do want an evening wedding.”
“Good to know,” he said, because this was new information for him.
“I can think about the future here with you, and I evendreamabout it.” She sighed, the sound wistful. Tarr could admit he liked hearing it, because he’d like Briar there in his house with him that night.
Tomorrow. Every day until forever ran out.
“I can see the ring on my finger. That’s something else I’m working on with Doctor Margrint. Visualizing things before they happen; then I’m not afraid when they do happen.” She finished putting the silverware in the white holder in the top drawer of the island and faced him again.
“But I don’t know what the proposal will be like. I can’t see it, and it feels scary because of that.”
Tarr nodded even as disappointment cut through him. “Will I never be able to surprise you with anything?”
A line appeared between Briar’s eyes as she thought about his question. “I think I’ll get better and better with it,” she said. “But I’m going to ask you to help me with this thing. Will you please just give me some warning aboutwhenit will happen?”
Tarr studied her, trying to figure out why the timing of it mattered so much. He also didn’t like how she needed awarningto say yes to being his wife. He still had a lot to learn about Briar, and that thought comforted him.
She didn’t want to get married for at least another year, and Tarr had the time both of them would need to start their life together on the best possible foundation.
“Do you need to know how? The details of it?”
