Zoe
“ T hat’s it. The last box,” I said, putting the final book on the shelf triumphantly.
“And to think it only took us two months to finish.” Josh laughed from his spot on the ground next to the massive stack of empty boxes. “Slowest unpackers ever.”
“Hey, don’t be so hard on us. It’s not easy getting stuff done as a full-time student-slash-freelancer and ranch owner. I’m happy we finished in under six months.”
Our days had become a whirlwind of joining our lives while still juggling the demands of the real world.
I spent most of my time trying to manage the workload of online school with a client roster that kept growing despite not advertising.
And it wasn’t just the web design portion of my business.
Thanks to Carol telling all of her friends, clients, and coworkers about me, I had photography sessions keeping me busy as well.
I was still in shock that my days were full, but I was managing everything perfectly.
I had a feeling it was the fact that I was waking up next to Josh every morning that made everything seem doable .
After some initial adjustment pains that went along with reallocating his workload, Josh had fully settled into life off the ranch after hours.
I had helped automate some of the ranch tasks, which made him feel like he still had his hands in everything without requiring him to physically be there to manage them.
Shannon was pitching in on a daily basis, and Eli was proving to be the best hire he’d ever made, picking up slack here and there and managing the growing trail ride business with real flair.
Putting distance between himself and the ranch at the end of every day allowed him to be more present with me.
I’d worried that moving away was a risk, but we didn’t live that far away, and it was paying off for both of us.
“True.” He nodded, then looked around. “I think this little library is my favorite room. It’s so quirky.”
I plopped down next to him and dropped my head onto his shoulder as I looked around the tiny room ringed by bookshelves. “Mine too. The skylight is so cool. And my carousel horse looks perfect in here. I can’t believe you bought it for me.”
“Hey, I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to give you a horse-related gift.” He laughed. “I went into shock when Carol said you liked it.”
I still couldn’t believe the life we were living together. The little house I’d fallen for was even sweeter now that we were filling it with love. Everything just fit , despite how small the place was, as if it magically expanded to make sure that we were content inside.
I sighed. “I love it here.”
“Same,” Josh answered, looking around. “You know, this is the first time I’ve lived anywhere but the ranch. I thought it would be weird, but I felt at home here the second I walked through the door when Carol showed it to me. And it just keeps getting better.”
“You know what comes next, right?” I asked .
Josh looked stricken. “What?”
“A dog! I’ve wanted one forever, but I’ve never had the right living situation. It’s perfect now, with the yard and the little sun porch. So can we get one, please, please, please?”
“You can have whatever you want,” Josh answered. “Anything that makes you happy.”
He gently turned my face up and grazed his lips across mine. It was the slightest hint of a kiss, but it was enough to make me want to climb on top of his lap and whisper naughty suggestions in his ear. I made my move and he inched away, laughing.
“Zo, you’ve got to give me a break! We just made love like fifteen minutes ago.”
I pouted. “It’s been at least an hour.”
“Okay, even so, you’ve got a honey-do list that’s three pages long, and I only have so much time to get it done. If you keep pulling me back to bed, this house will never get finished.”
“But what if we don’t go to bed?” I pleaded. I slapped the wood floor. “This is plenty comfy.”
“Zo, you’re the worst.” Josh leaned over and kissed me again, harder this time. “And by that, I mean you’re the best.”
It was all the invitation I needed. I swung my leg over his and ended up in his lap facing him.
I arched toward him as we kissed, knowing that he couldn’t resist the sensation of my breasts pushing up against his chest. Josh wrapped his arms around me and started to stand up, still holding onto me, but miscalculated how far he was from the towering stack of empty boxes.
He bumped against it, sending the boxes cascading onto us and across the floor .
We laughed helplessly at the mess as the boxes scattered around the room.
“So much for setting the mood,” Josh said as he lowered me to the floor.
I kicked a box. “Damn these things.”
“Yeah,” Josh answered. “We need to get these out of our way and into the recycling bin. No time like the present.”
“I like my idea better,” I said glumly. I wanted him every second of the day.
He pulled out a knife and swiftly began cutting the tape and flattening the boxes but stopped abruptly, staring at the bottom of an oversized box. “Hold on, we almost missed something. What is this?”
I watched him reach inside and pull out a smaller brown cardboard box.
“Huh. Is this yours?” he asked, confusion on his face.
I shook my head. “Nope, I have no idea what that is.”
Josh walked over to me as he cut the packing tape off the box. He peered inside. “I think this is for you.”
He reached into it and pulled out a small black velvet box, then dropped to one knee.
My hands flew up to my mouth. I felt dizzy looking down at Josh. What was happening?
He swallowed hard, then started talking.
“You have made me happier than I ever thought I could be, Zoe. There was a hole in my life when we split up all those years ago, but I didn’t realize just how big it was until you came back into my life.
I didn’t know how much I needed you.” He frowned.
“That’s not true. I always knew it, but I fought the feeling.
That’s why it took me so long to trust that getting back together was the right path.
But the fact is, everything just makes sense when we’re together.
I love you. I always have, and I always will, that’s why I’m asking you to spend the rest of your days and nights with me. Zoe Wilson, will you marry me?”
The tears came fast and hard, and I dropped to my knees in front of Josh. I slid my arms around his neck, not believing that it was actually happening, that he’d caught me so off guard with the perfect proposal.
“Do you have an answer for me?” he murmured against my hair.
“Yes, Josh, yes!” I laugh-sobbed, clutching him tighter. I reached up to kiss him, then cry-hiccuped.
Josh laughed and held me tighter. “Zo, you make every day so much sweeter. I’m a better man with you by my side. Do you know that?”
It was hard for me to find the right words.
Josh had had time to practice what he wanted to say, but I felt caught off guard by the beauty of the moment and the thought of spending my life with the man I love.
I’d thought about it, of course, and wished for it, but never imagined that it would happen so quickly after moving in together.
I’d worried that my night-owl ways would be a conflict with Josh’s end-of-day exhaustion, but we’d quickly found a way to balance each of our needs.
It was just one of the many ways we complemented each other.
“Josh, thank you for loving the me that I really am,” I finally said. “You accept all of my quirks.”
“I love your quirks,” he said, kissing me on the nose.
I sniffled. “I feel so lucky to be a part of your world. You fell in love with me even though I’m afraid of horses.”
Josh laughed. “Yeah, but you’re working on that. I still can’t believe that you graduated from Sugar to Gatsby. ”
I bit back a grin. “But that’s exactly what I mean, Josh. You helped me do it. You’re patient with me.”
“Hey, I knew there was a cowgirl in there somewhere. The new boots prove it.”
We both looked down at the brown boots he’d bought for me, embellished with beautiful roses on the shaft.
“I love you, Josh,” I said, kissing him again.
“And I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how much I love you back.”
He dropped his mouth to mine, kissing to seal the pact that we’d just made, and for the first time in my life, I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.