12. Meadow
CHAPTER 12
Meadow
W hen we pull up to Reuben's parents' house, the smile on my face couldn't get any wider and the butterflies in my stomach couldn't flutter any faster.
Lulu reaches out and squeezes my hand. "Don't worry," she says. "It's going to go great." As we climb out of our vehicles, Reuben jogs over to greet us.
He gives me a quick hug then reaches out to shake my father's hand. "It's good to see you again," he says. The way he says it makes me think they’ve spoken more than when Reuben picked me up before our date yesterday.
"You too, Reuben. Wasn't quite expecting a dinner out on our last night in town, but I appreciate the gesture."
"Of course," Reuben says. His eyes fall back on mine. "I really wanted you to meet my family."
My dad nods more stoically than normal. He must sense how serious everything is right now, how intent both Reuben and I are on seeing this through.
Our parents introduce themselves to one another. And his mom, Annie, tells me she's so happy to meet me. Then she pulls out a marker and a box of labels from her pocket. "I know there's going to be a lot of new names, so I thought if everyone used a name tag it might help."
I smile. "And that's a great idea," I say. "Especially since the triplets are hard to tell apart." I look over at my brothers, who are standing there awkwardly.
Reuben, though, seems to know just what to do. "Hey guys," he calls out to them. "My brothers were thinking of playing a game of kickball before dinner's served. How's that sound?"
Jasper immediately perks up. "Awesome," he says. The group of them run over to Reuben's older brothers. Nate excuses himself and says he's going to play too.
Immediately, my shoulders relax. Reuben pulls me aside. "You okay?" he asks.
I nod. "Yeah, I'm good. Are you going to go play with the boys?" I ask him.
"No," he says. "I wanted time with your parents and you, if that's okay?"
"It's perfect."
Reuben's daughter Plum runs out the front door of the house then and finds us on the patio. "Meadow," she says. "You're here."
"Of course I am," I say. "I got a really nice invitation from your father."
Plum looks over at her dad. "He's good at making sure everyone feels good."
"Mom, Dad" I say, "this is Plum, Reuben's little girl."
Plum gives them an overly dramatic curtsy, which makes my mom laugh and press a hand to her heart. "Well, aren't you just adorable," she says.
Reuben's mom, Annie, leads us into the house and we follow her. In the kitchen, I see Fig, the sister I met earlier, with another young woman.
Annie turns to me. "Meadow, this is Lemon, my oldest daughter, and here are my daughters-in-law. I got a few of them this year. Prairie married our son, Rye, and Abby married our son, Bartlett."
My mom smiles. "What a lucky woman you are."
"Well, it turns out you are pretty lucky too. I hear you have a daughter-in-law."
Just then Jessica joins us in the kitchen. "Well, that game is going to get rowdy," Jessica says with a laugh. "I think there are eight guys playing. It's going to be a nail-biter."
Prairie and Abby ask Jessica if she'd like to go watch. Lemon pulls a bottle of white wine from the fridge and says, "We can drink from the sidelines." They all laugh, leaving through the back door with Plum in tow, leaving Reuben and I alone with our parents.
“So,” Reuben's dad Red says, "should we sit and talk, or how do you want this to go, son?"
“Let’s sit.” We walk into the living room and find seats. Reuben swallows, looking over at me. "I wasn't trying to make this too intense," he says. "Truth is, I love Meadow and I know you're leaving tomorrow, but..."
My parents look at one another. I know what they're thinking, that this is crazy, that this is fast, that they don't want to lose their little girl. When I came home from Reuben's this morning, I told them he was the man for me. The one I loved. They're preparing themselves for whatever might come next. Reuben's parents look equally nervous as we began the conversation.
"Look," Reuben says. "I know you have a life on the road with Meadow, but my life is here with Plum, with my family. I couldn't uproot her from that."
My dad clears his throat. "With that in mind, what are your intentions with Meadow?"
I look over at Reuben, tears in my eyes.
"I'm asking for permission to marry your daughter," he says, clearly. "I know we just met, but the idea of her leaving tomorrow..." He shakes his head. "I can't imagine. Well, actually I can. I've lost before."
My dad nods. "Meadow told us." I look over and see Reuben's parents holding hands. The affection they have for one another is real, palpable. It's clear by every detail I've noticed in this house since I walked in, the photos on the walls, the big chairs filled with blankets, shoes tossed in the corner, a kitchen filled with delicious food, pictures hanging on the fridge, letters from friends pinned to a corkboard—this is a house where memories are made. Where love is nourished and where nobody slips through the cracks.
Sitting here in this living room, looking at Reuben as he talks with such clarity to my parents, I feel something more than love.
I feel like I would be an idiot to walk away from this because Reuben is not just some guy who carried me home yesterday. He's a man who captured my heart in a way I didn't even know was possible.
"Dad," I say, "I know it's crazy, but I want this."
Reuben shakes his head. "That was not a proposal," he says. Then he smiles. “I'm asking for permission. I don't want you to think that I can't propose properly.”
I shake my head, heat rushing to my cheeks, overwhelmed by the man next to me. “I don’t need a fancy proposal.”
His mom Annie clears her throat. "Listen," she says, looking over at my mom and dad. "I know we just met minutes ago and this is all getting sprung on us pretty fast. But there's one thing I know about my son. Even though he's been to hell and back, he's always been committed. When he knows what he wants, he goes after it, even if it's hard, even if it has everyone else a little nervous."
My mom opens her mouth. "Like when he got married at 18?"
Annie nods. "Exactly. But he wasn't young and stupid. He was young and wise. Now he's even wiser after everything he's been through."
My dad seems to have heard enough. "Reuben, I give you the permission you're asking for. I don't know what life will be like without Meadow should she accept what you are proposing, but she's an adult. She's 22. She can do what she likes with whatever person she likes.” He looks over at me. “Hell, you don't even need my permission. All you need is hers. We may be a big old family, but we're not old-fashioned. We understand that each person has their own life to live. Her mom and I, we've been lucky enough to have her. We've just been lucky to have our kids under our wings for a long time. But maybe it's time Meadow takes off, learns to fly on her own."
Tears prick at my eyes and I stand, moving toward my parents, giving them a big hug. "I love you guys both so much."
"We love you too, Meadow. That's why we're trying to be open-minded about whatever happens next."
"Reuben's not just a guy; he's a father." Red clears his throat, "And he's a good dad."
Reuben blinks away tears, "Only because I learned all my tricks from you, Dad." The amount of emotion and love filling this room right now takes my breath away. Reuben reaches for my hand, pulling me in for a hug.
He kisses the top of my head and I feel myself relax against the man who has my whole heart in his hands. "Look," Reuben says, "why don't we go down to that kickball game and see what all the fuss is about."
I smile. "Do you need help with dinner, Annie?"
She shakes her head no. "It's all warmed. We can go down to the field."
Reuben takes my hand and together we walk out of the house. We wind around the beautiful garden that Annie's made and head to a green lawn behind the homestead.
What I see there truly takes my breath away. I turn to my parents and his. "Did you know this was going to happen?"
Reuben grins. "Of course they did. Needed their help, after all."
Tears fill my eyes.
"Oh my gosh," I say, as we walk toward the field. There are roses laid down in a path for me. A makeshift stage has been set up where my siblings have their instruments ready to sing. My mom and dad join them and Reuben's parents join his family.
"There's no kickball game?" I ask. Plum shakes her head, reaching for my hand and handing me a flower crown. I kneel down so she can place it on my head.
"See," she says, "you really are a princess."
Tears fill my eyes and I blink them away as I stand. “Thank you, Plum, it’s beautiful.”
Just then, Reuben drops to one knee. "Meadow, will you marry me?" He pulls a ring from a jewelry box, offering it to me.
I gasp, looking at our families who are all here, gathered around us. Jessica is singing one of my favorite songs. My family plays music that makes me feel like I'm not just at home, but like I've died and gone to heaven.
"Yes, I'll marry you, Reuben Rough."
He grins. "Good, because this would've been an awkward family dinner if you said no."
I shake my head incredulously at this moment happening right before my eyes. He slips that ring on my finger and Plum begins to twirl around in her pretty princess dress. Reuben takes my hand and his little girl’s hand and the three of us spin in a circle together, laughing, love bubbling out of our hearts.
When the song ends, everybody claps and Reuben pulls close to kiss me softly on the lips.
"Well," Reuben's father says, "I think it's time for a celebratory dinner. What do you kids think?"
We all follow him into the house where Annie and Lemon have set out a stack of plates and forks, pitchers of lemonade, bottles of wine, chicken pot pie, and a big Caesar salad. In the corner, there's a three-layer chocolate cake and I see it's piped with the word: Congratulations .
How this woman pulled together an engagement party within hours amazes me. But what amazes me even more is that everyone here has decided to wrap me up in their arms and welcome me wholeheartedly into their lives.
His brothers in turn give me hugs. "So good to meet you," Bartlett says.
Rye says, "Thank you for making my brother happy."
Mac and Graham and Fig and Lemon all let me know how happy I'm making their brother.
A small part of me is scared because this is a lot, fast, and what if I don't live up to their expectations? But then Reuben takes my hand and leads me down the hall while everyone else is getting their food dished up.
"I know it's fast and crazy, but I love you and I wasn't letting you go."
I close my eyes as his mouth crashes down against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck, breathing him in, kissing him deeply, knowing that everyone else I love in the world is in that kitchen, but right here in the hall, it's just Reuben and me.
"Is Plum going to be okay with all of this?” I ask.
He smiles. "She wanted me to find a princess. I found one. I found you."
"But you've had such a rough patch," I say. "Life has not been easy. I'm scared I?—"
He cuts me off. “Meadow, that rough patch is in the past. I feel like when I walked into that forest and found you, I was given a new lease on life."
Our foreheads press together and our fingers lace. "I'm so happy," I tell him. "I'm so happy to be yours."
"You are, Meadow. You're mine. You're my home."