Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
JOE
One month later
I stared at the ring, turning it over in my hand.
Even though I had already told Thea I planned to ask her to marry me, I was really going to do it this weekend.
I'd taken Joey with me to pick out the ring, and he was sworn to secrecy.
However, I promised him I'd ask her soon.
He was spending tonight with my parents, which he did on occasion anyway.
My dad was going to take him out fishing early tomorrow, so it was easier if he was staying there.
Now came the hard part. We were going to have dinner at Bay Bistro. After that, I planned to take her for a walk on the beach. Way back when, in high school, we used to walk on the beach a lot. It was a great place to make out.
I returned to my en-suite bathroom and glanced in the mirror to check my appearance before chuckling to myself. I wasn't worried about Thea being attracted to me, but here I was anxious about asking her to marry me.
An hour later, Thea was seated across from me at a table in Bay Bistro. I felt her foot nudge my calf. “Look.”
When I glanced out the windows, the sun was setting, casting a shimmer of orange and gold across the ocean’s surface. “It’s so pretty. Makes me want to go for a swim,” she commented.
“Uh, do you remember how cold the water is here?” I asked.
“I do, but I also remember how awesome it feels to dive in the ocean on really hot days.”
Memories flashed through my mind of summer afternoons on the beach with her. I reached over to catch her hand in mine. She bit her lip. “You look beautiful.”
“Really?”
“That's not the kind of thing I lie about,” I said, completely serious.
“I had a busy day at work. After the train ride, I was feeling kind of frumpy when I got here.”
“I can't tell.”
“You're good to me, Joe.” Her lips curled in a warm smile.
“And you're good to me.”
The server arrived to clear our plates, asking if we wanted dessert. Thea waggled her eyebrows. “Do we want the chocolate thing?”
“We can take it home.”
“Perfect.”
She smiled up at the server. “I forgot what it's called, but we want that ridiculous chocolate thing to go with extra syrup.”
Our server grinned. “That would be the chocolate mousse with a brownie center. I'll be back with that and the check in a few minutes.”
“What's our plan this weekend?” she asked after he departed. “I thought Joey was with you.”
“He'll be here tomorrow. He's spending the night with my parents. He does that sometimes.”
A major bonus to easing Thea into meeting my son was we didn't have to alternate weekends anymore.
For the first time since I'd been a father, I was getting a sense of what it felt like to expand my little family bubble. It wasn’t that I didn't feel like Joey and I were a family.
We were, and that included my parents as well, but I hadn't been able to share parenting with anyone in my day-to-day life.
Of late, his mother had also been busier than usual and even asked me to take him some during her weeks.
I kept meaning to make time to talk to her, but my life was as busy as ever.
“So, I have you all to myself tonight?” Thea teased a few minutes later as we walked out of the restaurant.
“Absolutely. You also get me all to yourself when I come down there for the weekends.”
“I've been thinking,” she began once we were in my SUV.
“You're always thinking,” I teased lightly.
She rolled her eyes. “Joe, I'm serious.”
“Okay. What are you serious about?”
I had just started the vehicle, but I didn't put it in gear and turned to face her.
“What do you think about me moving up here?”
My heart thudded hard as though pumping a fist in joy, but I kept my expression neutral. This was a loaded topic, especially for Thea.
“I want you to know this is not an expectation for me,” I said carefully.
“I know it’s not,” she said, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“But while I like Boston and I like being near my friends, the more time I spend here, the more I just can’t wait until I can come here.
Even on the weekends when you come to Boston, I'd rather us be up here.
It won't be easy, but I could just start my own small law practice here.”
“Are you serious?”
She nodded quickly. “Absolutely. I’ve looked into my options.
It’d be really hard to start my own law practice in Boston because so many large firms are already there.
I don't love working for a big firm. I enjoy my work, but my job can feel like being in one of those revolving doors where I just spin around and around from one case to the next. Money would be tight, but I think I could do it here. What do you think about that?”
My heart was punching both fists in the air now, but I forced myself to stay measured. “I think that'd be great, but it's really important to me that you know I don't expect this.”
“I know, Joe. That's why I can think about it. My lease runs out next January. I could see where things are at by then around work. With that timing, we wouldn't be rushing anything with Joey.”
I wanted Thea to move in yesterday, but I had to consider my son, so I wouldn’t rush it. I leaned over, cupping her chin lightly before I pressed a lingering kiss on her lips.
“I love that idea,” I murmured as I lifted my head. “I absolutely love it. We've got plenty of time, and that gives you time to plan.”
We smiled at each other, and for a split second, I felt like the giddy teenager I'd been after our first kiss.
“All right, you promised me a walk on the beach tonight,” she said.