“What?”Jamie shook his head.“No, not at all.”
“You’re sure about this?”Mike rubbed his thumb across the top of Jamie’s hand.“I hope you know I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.Here, with you.”
Jamie smiled at Mike.“I believe you.And yes, I do want to marry you.”
“Can we talk about a date, please?”
“I don’t want...anything big.Nothing flashy.”Jamie wrinkled his nose.
“How about just close friends and family?”Mike asked.
“Yeah, that’s more what I was thinking.And nothing too religious.”Jamie shook his head before taking a big sip of his margarita.
“That’s fine with me.”Mike chuckled and had a drink of his own margarita.“My parents weren’t all that religious anyway,” Mike said after he’d swallowed.
“My Mamaw will be rolling in her grave.”Jamie barked out a short laugh.“And I say that while drinking alcohol.She is definitely rolling for sure.”
“I’d like to plan it where there is enough time for my parents to be here.”
“And I’d like for my father to come, which won’t be easy.He’d need time to plan it all.”Jamie munched on a chip with salsa heaped on it.
“How about October.When it won’t be hot and the fall leaves around here are pretty.”
Jamie thought for a minute.“Five months from now.”He looked at Mike, who was watching him closely.“Okay.”Jamie reached for his phone and pulled up a calendar.“Will your parents be able to get off then?”
“I’m sure they could.”Mike released Jamie’s hand so he could pull out his own phone.“I told them I was getting married.My father can since he’s the big boss.My Mom probably has more sick leave built up that she could retire a full year early and use it up that way.”
Jamie looked up, surprised.“Whoa.You told them?Really?And to a guy?”
Mike smiled brightly.“Yeah.I think my father was shocked, but they’re happy for me.”
“I told my father last week when we did our weekly video call.He was thrilled.Of course, he was over the moon when I told him that you’d spent time in France and loved it.”Jamie laughed quietly.“I wouldn’t be surprised if he offered up a trip to France as a honeymoon present.”
Mike paused, a chip halfway to his mouth.“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”Jamie laughed.“He wanted me to move to France after the first time I met him.Wanted me to live with him and his family.Said he’d pay for me to go to any school I wanted.Ended up, he paid for most of my culinary education anyway.”
“You’d say yes, wouldn’t you?”Mike asked, his mouth full of chip.
“What, to go to France for a honeymoon?”
“Well, yeah.”Mike wiped his mouth with the paper napkin.
“I doubt I could.”Jamie frowned.“I mean, with the diner and all.”
“Jamie, that diner can practically run itself now, especially with Salzy.You deserve to have some time off for a honeymoon.”Mike took his hand again.“I’d like to take you somewhere.Anywhere.It’s just the two of us.”
“I’ll have to do some serious thinking on that.”Just then, their food arrived.
“Yum,” Mike said and took a bite.“I do love Mexican.”
