Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
“You’re just saying that to make conversation. It doesn’t mean a thing.” I gave him a haughty look. “Why, your love is a grain of sand while mine is all of the beaches in all of the world.”
Which was about when Lars ever so carefully and skillfully tackled me into the grass. I found myself subdued and on my back in no time. Clear blue sky overhead, and the weight of his body on me felt heavenly.
“What about the divorce certificate?” he asked.
“We prove it wrong.”
“Is that why you want to do this?”
“Like I said, there are a lot of reasons why I want to do this. But my main priority is your happiness. And while I know you said you’d be fine without it, I want to give it to you. It’s important to me.” I smoothed the line between his brows with my fingers. “Make me an honest woman. Say yes, Lars.”
“Wait a minute.” He picked something out of my hair and carefully placed it on a nearby leaf. “You have a ladybug on you.”
“Huh. Though I’m not wearing a white dress for the ceremony. You need to know and embrace that fact right now. But there’s this black strapless Christian Siriano gown that would work a treat.”
“You’re serious about this.”
“I have to mention fashion for you to believe me?”
“Just making sure you’re all onboard and have thought this through.”
I smiled. “I am and I have. You know, I keep thinking about what the divorce lawyer said that day. How we have to keep choosing each other. How building a relationship and keeping it intact is just that hard, and that simple. This is me choosing you.”
“Are you in this for keeps?” he asked in a deep serious tone.
“Wouldn’t have asked you to marry me if I wasn’t. What about you?”
“I promise you, married or not, I’m not going anywhere.”
I nodded.
“Thank you for asking me to marry you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Okay,” he said, rising back onto his knees. Kat the cat appeared beside him and he picked her up and gave her a pat. “Good talk, Princess. Let me give it some thought and I’ll get back to you. You want a hand with the pancakes?”
I sat up with a frown. “Wait. That’s it?”
But the man was already gone. Back inside the house carrying his damn cat and his empty coffee cup. Despite all of my deep thinking and rehearsing my lines, I’d seriously lost control of the conversation. Though to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d ever been in control.
* * *
“The man likes screwing with you,” said Cleo.
“Oh, yeah,” I agreed. “While it’s good that he’s taking his time and thinking it through. I wouldn’t have minded if he said yes right away.”
A light rain had started falling, filling the air with petrichor. Wet pine needles and mulch and rain was the scent of Seattle. Along with barley from the microbreweries, fresh bread from the bakeries, and a dash of mildew for good measure. The scent of home sweet home.
In the five days since my proposal, nothing had been resolved. Nothing much had even been said. Whenever I raised the topic, Lars was suddenly busy or required elsewhere. But every day he would ask, “Still want to marry me?” And I would say, “Yes.” He’d tip his chin and go about his business. Even though I never planned on getting married, this delay was annoying as all hell.
In the meantime, I decided to make an event out of destroying the divorce certificate. While I planned to make use of the fire bowl in the back garden, the weather forced us indoors. Wood was laid in the fireplace in preparation, and Cleo and Tore were invited over to witness the momentous occasion.
“How’s the couples hobby hunt going?” asked Cleo.
“Chess, Scrabble and salsa have been scrapped. He kept winning at chess, I kept winning at Scrabble, and we both lost at salsa,” I said. “Not a trace of dance talent to be found between us.”
“What’s up next?”
“I’m thinking a couples Romance book club. We tend to discuss the plot lines and characters anyway. Might as well make it official.”
Cleo nodded.
“We’ll need T-shirts.”
“Of course.”
“Did you have a busy week?” I asked. “How’d the meeting with the activewear people go?”
“It went well.”
“Excellent.”
“I need to show you the update to Photoshop sometime. Some of the new features are fantastic,” she said. “And Tore and I decided to book a holiday in Maui after that conference in November.”
“A beach vacation? Nice.”
“Oh yeah,” said Cleo. “By the way, Mom said to tell you she found a pet cemetery that will accept the ashes of your mystery doggo. She said the rates were reasonable.”
“That’s great. He deserves a nice afterlife. Something better than sitting forgotten in a corner of the basement. I’ll text her tomorrow for the details and to say thanks.”