I thought for a few moments. I thought about our two relationships. There was the restaurant where we’d had our first date this time, and there was the museum where we had our first date in high school. There was the rock on the beach, the spot where we started dating both times around. There were athousand other little places in King’s Bay where our relationship had flourished, but none of them felt right.
An idea struck me like lightning.
“I need to talk to his dad.”
My idea percolated over the course of the next few days. I had to pick my moment perfectly. I couldn’t risk Matt stopping by his dad’s house and finding me there, learning what I was up to before my plans were set in motion. Luckily, he had standing plans on Thursday nights.
I timed it perfectly. I knew what time Matt was supposed to meet up with his friends. I gave it thirty minutes, because I knew my boyfriend was never on time to anything, ever, and then I drove to Matt’s dad’s house. Jack Guthrie still lived in the same house that he’d lived in when we’d been in high school. When I pulled into the driveway, it was clear that nothing had changed except the size of the tree in his front yard. It was comforting, and I hoped that the man inside was the same way.
I was nervous.
I was so incredibly nervous that my hands were shaking as I pressed the button of his doorbell. I heard his heavy footsteps coming toward the door, and I had to fight the urge to run away. What was I doing? I was showing up at my boyfriend’s door to talk to his dad about proposing to him. What if he thought it was a bad idea? What if he told Matt what I was planning? What if he talked me out of it?
No, the last thought was pointless. There was nothing that could talk me out of this. I had the ring. I had the plan. I just needed one last thing from him.
Besides, the door opened, and it was too late to run away.
Jack opened the door, and I could see Matthew in his features. I could see Matt in his warm brown eyes and messy dark hair. I could see him in the curve of his lips and the confused furrow of his brow. Matt was the spitting image of his father, and instead of making me more nervous about what I was about to do, it was soothing. “Noah?”
“Hey Jack,” I greeted, shifting nervously on the small porch outside his front door. “Can I come in?”
He nodded and let me in. The inside of his house looked just the same as it had the last time I was there, just with new pictures on the wall. There was a framed picture of Matt at our high school graduation and another one next to it that had to be from college. The paint looked fresh, but it was still the same cream color it had always been. The couch was new, I noticed, as he led me into the living room. The old one had been some garish blue plaid. I liked the deep brown leather much better, not that he’d asked my opinion.
I sat down on the couch and angled my body toward the man I hoped would be my future father-in-law.
“May I get you some water? A soda? Coffee? You drink coffee, right? You’re not a weirdo like Matt?”
I laughed and shook my head. “I’m good. Thank you, Jack.” I took a deep breath. I couldn’t do this if he was standing over me like some great looming presence. “Can you please sit? I wanted to talk to you.”
“Is this it?Thetalk about your intentions with my son?” Despite the similarities in their looks, his smile was nothing like Matt’s. “Should I call his mom and stepdad?” He was already reaching for his cell phone as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch, his body angled toward me.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I assured him. “But this is about my future with Matt.” I pulled the small ring box out ofmy pocket. It was made of shiny dark wood and lined in that fake velvet all jewelry stores used. I opened it, showing him the thick yellow gold band inside. “This was my grandfather’s ring. I am going to ask Matt to marry me this weekend, but I need your help.”
The furrow between his brows deepened. “Don’t you think it’s a little soon? You two only started dating when?”
“When we were sixteen.” I grinned a cheeky grin, but the look on his face had it sliding off my face. “Sorry. A few months, but that doesn’t matter. I know what I want, and what I want is to marry your son. I want to build a future with him. I love him in a way I have never loved anyone else. In a way Iwillnever love anyone else.”
“Then waiting—”
“Won’t change anything,” I interrupted. “Jack, I love him. I loved him when we were in high school, and I love him now. There is no one else out there for me, but I want to make this perfect for him.”
Jack studied me closely. I didn’t know what he was looking for, but I didn’t blink. I didn’t look away. I needed him to see the certainty in my eyes, the fact that I had no doubts about the love I had for his son. I felt like we were in some kind of western standoff. I could practically hear the generic music in the background, and if a tumbleweed rolled by, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
Finally, after what felt like several eternities, he nodded. “What can I do?”
“Do you have a spare key to his boat?”
I spent the next hour laying out the plans. At some point, Jack brought out two bottles of beer, and we toasted to the future. When I left, he hugged me, called me son, and welcomed me into his family.
Now, I just had to wait until Saturday and hope that Matt didn’t think this whole thing was stupid or ridiculous.
19
Ithadbeenafew nights since I’d been able to see Noah.
On Thursday, I’d had my plans with my friends. Friday, he’d had a scheduled video call with his best friend, Moira.
I missed him. We talked on the phone. We texted all day. It had only been a few days since I’d seen him in person, but I missed him.
