chapter Twenty-Six
November
It felt like a year had come and gone by the time Friday morning finally arrived. Shelly had been anxious ever since Josh had disappeared out the door Saturday night.
When Sunday evening had rolled around, Shelly was woman enough to admit that she had checked her email around twenty times.
Nothing.
On Monday, after a shift that had dragged forever, she upped her email monitoring to thirty times before reminding herself that she was acting like a complete idiot.
The man had clearly stated he was going to meet her on Saturday, and just because he didn’t send her an email every night did not mean he had changed his mind. She needed to stop worrying, stop obsessing over what may happen, and just trust him.
“Hey there, Dr. Monroe.”
Shelly was standing just inside the doctor’s lounge, and when she turned, she saw Dr. Robert McKinney strolling in. He smiled in her direction, and then made his way over to the coffee pot. Shelly returned the smile and moved over to the doctor she now considered a kind and friendly colleague who she had once dated.
“Good morning, Dr. McKinney,” she told him as he passed her a mug of coffee.
“I heard a little rumor that you’re off to Georgia for the weekend.”
Shelly grinned over the lip of her mug and nodded, feeling her heart squeeze inside her chest.
“Yes, that’s right. I fly out at two o’clock.”
McKinney nodded, and then asked, “Going to see family?”
Taking another sip, Shelly lowered the cup to the counter and leaned against it. “Actually, yes and no. I’ll see the family while I’m there, but I’m going to meet Josh down there.”
McKinney frowned, and then almost like a light bulb went off, he nodded. “Oh, yes, Bob the Builder.”
Shelly laughed at that image, and then thought of Josh that one time she had seen him with a tool belt around his waist.
Hmmm, maybe I’ll have to get him to put that on again around his jeans, so I can get on my knees and unzip—
“Shelly?” McKinney interrupted.
“Oh, sorry. Yes, that’s him,” she replied, pulling herself out of her fantasy.
McKinney looked into her smiling eyes, and then gave her a huge grin. “It’s serious, isn’t it?”
As Shelly stood there, she thought back to the Halloween party and how Josh had smiled at her, telling her to come and meet him. Meet him where he wished for me.
She felt her heart melt as she answered McKinney with complete certainty, “Yes. Very.”
***
Josh was exhausted.
It was Friday night, and he and his crew had been working around the clock. Although the project was nowhere close to being finished, he felt that they had definitely gotten things to a point that he was happy with. He had a couple of things to do tomorrow morning, but none of that came close to what he planned to do tomorrow afternoon.
He had to admit that not emailing Shelly all week had been something he was unsure of at first. Ever since he had originally moved away, he had made sure to keep in contact with her, usually every night, just so he knew she was always thinking about him. And, he also got a shot of adrenaline every time he opened his email and saw Dr. Shelly Monroe in his inbox.
However, this was different. He had laid down the rules this time, told her what he expected from her, and now, it was her turn to show up and follow through.
Josh only hoped she didn’t disappoint.
He looked around the cramped space he had lived in for the last several months.
If things go according to plan tomorrow, this will all have been worth it. If it doesn’t, this sad, lonely room will be a fitting place for me to bury my broken heart.
***
Saturday morning had arrived.
Shelly’s flight had been smooth the whole way through. Her father had been there to pick her up. This time around the drive back to the house was not in the least bit awkward, and they actually had a decent conversation. He’d asked her about work, how she was enjoying it, and then he’d even gone so far as to ask how she and Josh were doing.
Of course, Shelly wasn’t really comfortable divulging all of that, so she had just told him things were good, and then smiled and moved the conversation along. Dinner that night had been a civil affair as well. To Shelly, this was a huge step in the right direction because, for as many years as she could remember, their family dinners had always been awkward and strained.
As she climbed up into her father’s truck, she put it in gear and drove down the gravel driveway to exit the property. As she pulled out onto the main road, she was reminded of the day she had taken Josh down to her favorite place, her dreaming tree.
She glanced at the clock up by the rearview mirror and saw that it was just now 2:45 p.m. She had plenty of time to stop by the river and take a moment to work out everything she wanted and needed to tell Josh.
When she reached the exit, she slowed down and made the turn only to discover a huge red and white sign that read, PRIVATE PROPERTY! NO TRESPASSING!
Shelly stopped the truck and hopped out, making her way to the now huge padlocked fence that was across the dirt road.
Well, shit, Shelly thought. She tried to look down the road, but she couldn’t see anything. That was not the way she had wanted to start they day. The one place she had always found peace and solitude was now owned by someone who would never truly appreciate it.
Sighing and knowing there was nothing she could do about it, she turned and walked back to the truck. Well, maybe it’s for the best anyway. After all, it could be a sign that it was time to actually live her life and quit standing under a tree just dreaming about it.
***
It was 3:50 p.m. As Josh stood in front of the fountain he had once visited with Shelly many months ago, he started to feel nervous.
What if she doesn’t show? What if this has all been for nothing?
He took a deep breath and looked up to the clear blue sky above him. Stuffing his shaking hands into his jeans pockets, he closed his eyes and reminded himself, She said she loves me, and her eyes meant it. I saw it.
Once he had calmed himself the best he could, he opened his eyes and found himself staring at the white steeple of the Catholic cathedral, St. John the Baptist, where Shelly had told him she had been baptized. Reminding himself of everything he had put into this moment over the last several months, Josh was determined that nothing would deter him—nothing except for her failure to show.
***
Shelly found herself running through Lafayette Square at 3:57 p.m.
The stupid traffic had held her up a little longer than she had expected. As she rounded the final bend in the path leading to her fountain, she slowed down to a walk and took in the perfect scene before her.
Standing with his back to her was a man now so familiar she would be able to pick him out of a crowded stadium, and beside that strong figure sat a dog. They were both silent in their stillness, and as Shelly moved closer, she swore everything in the entire universe disappeared.
She had almost reached them when he turned, and she finally locked eyes with Josh.
Shelly stopped where she was, waiting to see what he was going to do, but Josh didn’t do anything at first. He merely looked her over from head to toe, and when his eyes came back to hers, he smiled slowly. She could have sworn she felt that smile reach inside of her and hug her heart.
***
Josh wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but as Shelly stood in front of him, dressed in a billowy blue blouse and simple faded jeans, he knew that this was his Georgia who had shown up.
In a move that was so simple and yet so incredibly important, he lifted a hand and held it out to her. He took a deep breath and waited to see what she would do.
He watched the woman he had fallen so deeply in love with step forward and take his hand without even a moment of hesitation. She gazed up at him as he squeezed her hand, tugging her forward. When Shelly put a hand up on his chest to steady herself, he swore she must have been able to feel his heart beating at a hundred miles an hour.
“You came,” he whispered down to her.
He watched as those incredible eyes of hers smiled at him, and her mouth tipped up at the corners to match.
“Nothing could have stopped me,” she answered.
Josh finally let go of the breath he had been holding in, and he shook his head. He reached up with his free hand and stroked it down the back of her head over her silky blonde hair to cup the nape of her neck, bringing her closer. Then, he leaned down and did what he’d wanted to do all week. He kissed her.
***
Shelly sighed as she felt his lips finally brush against her own.
He was so gentle in his persuasion for her to open to him. He had no need to worry though. Shelly was ready to give herself over to him, body and soul. And, if he wanted anything else, he could have that, too.
As he lifted his lips from hers, he leaned his forehead against hers, and their noses brushed as he closed his eyes. He still had a hand on her neck, and the other one was holding hers. She could feel his heart thundering beneath her palm.
“Josh?” she questioned softly. When she got no response, she moved and kissed his cheek. “Josh?”
He blinked as though he was pulling himself out of some kind of daze, and then he smiled at her.
“Stop it,” she told him.
“Stop what?”
He watched her move back, leaning down to pat Mutley’s head. When she straightened, she bit her bottom lip and gave a nervous laugh.
“Looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” he asked as he stepped closer again. Before she could answer, he raised a finger and laid it across her lips gently. “Like I love you?”
Is that a question I’m supposed to answer?
Apparently not because then he continued.
“Because I do. Love you, that is. I have never loved someone as much as I love you, Shelly.”
Shelly felt her heart starting that strong gallop inside her chest, but she tried to remain steady as he reached up and cupped her face in his palms.
“I love the Shelly that made an outrageous deal with me one night in a club. I love the Shelly that brought me here to this very spot and showed me that she has a soft side that is so damn appealing I would never be able to look anywhere else ever again. I love the Shelly that was confused and angry and who kicked me out of her life because she was honest. She didn’t hold onto me and make me stay only to stray elsewhere.” He stopped, kissed her nose, and leaned down, whispering, “But, you know what, Georgia? I couldn’t leave you behind.”
Shelly looked up at Josh with tears shimmering in her eyes.
What a stupid woman I’ve been! Why did I wait so long to discover what kind of man he is?
As she was about to talk, she stopped as he stepped back, leaning down on one knee. Shelly felt her eyes widening and her mouth parting as she watched with something close to absolute wonder when he reached out and took her hand in his.
***
Josh stared up at Shelly from down on his knee.
He had thought about this moment for months. He had gone over and over in his head exactly what he wanted to say to her. As he knelt at her feet, looking up at her shocked face, he felt a slight shiver of anxiety run down his spine.
Josh watched as she shifted her eyes to Mutley, who thankfully was sitting on his haunches like an obedient dog, and then they came back to rest on his.
Well, Josh thought, it’s now or never.
“Over the past ten months, I have met and fallen in love with three different women.” He paused and watched as Shelly took a deep breath and swallowed. “A man-eater, who is gutsy, bold, and so scary she almost made me walk away. A professional, who is so smart and sophisticated that her brains and sheer knowledge of certain things in life leave me breathless and in awe.”
Shelly finally smiled down at him then, squeezing his hand. The shock had left her face, and he could see a tear sliding down her cheek.
Thatis definitely a good sign, Josh decided.
“Lastly Georgia. I met and fell in love with a sweet hometown girl, who has a terrible brave face and who sings the worst rendition of Shania Twain’s songs I’ve ever heard. Yet, she still managed to make me fall madly in love with her.”
Josh kept his eyes on hers as he dug into his jeans pocket with his free hand, pulling out a small box. Looking up at her, he let go of her hand, unsnapped the black velvet, and then looked once again at the most beautiful face he had ever seen.
“Georgia, will you marry me?”
***
Shelly was finally rendered speechless.
There was Josh, down on one knee with his big beast of a dog beside him, asking her to marry him.
As he waited patiently for her answer, Shelly kept running over all the important things she wanted to tell him. Like how much she had missed him when he had left Saturday night. Or how hard it had been to see him with his ex-girlfriend all those months ago. Or how the thought of him leaving her life when he’d moved away had ripped her heart out.
However, as she gazed down at the man before her, holding out his hand with a little black box, none of that was important.
All Shelly could do was whisper. “Yes.”
She watched as that sexy smile, that was all Delicious Daniels, spread across his lips, and those warm brown eyes lit up. Then, he stood, and she reached out to wrap her arms around his neck.
He gripped her around the waist and hauled her up against his body, kissing her mouth with a sweet desperation born of fear and finally ending with sweet joy of the outcome he had wished for so hard.
When Josh finally put her on her feet, he looked down at her and asked, “Yes?”
Shelly laughed and nodded before saying softly, “Yes, yes, yes!”
Then, as she moved in close to kiss him, the huge bells in the church behind them tolled loudly.
Both of them looked over their shoulders as the church doors opened, and a wedding party spilled outside into the street, making their way across to the park.
Shelly felt Josh reach out and take her hand, pulling it up to his lips where he kissed the knuckles and slid the beautiful diamond onto her finger.
“I want that to be us. Whenever you’re ready, I want to bring you back here and marry you in that church.”
Shelly turned to look up at him and asked, “Why here? Why not Chicago?” She paused, and then rushed on, “You are moving back to Chicago, aren’t you?”
Josh leaned in, kissing her softly. “I plan to be wherever you are, so I can go to sleep with you at night, and—”
“Wake up with me in the morning?” she finished.
Pecking her on the lips, he nodded. “Yes, and wake up with you in the mornings.” He paused, and then told her, “This is who you are to me, Georgia. You’re the girl in the faded jeans, who grew up in a small Southern town. The one who dreams under a tree. That’s my Georgia, my little slice of heaven, and I want to marry you in the church you grew up in.”
Shelly shook her head, “I don’t need to dream anymore, and anyway, the property has been sold.”
She watched as a huge grin spread across Josh’s lips.
“Don’t be too quick to throw it all away. Some dreams are meant to last.”
As Shelly quirked a brow at him, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“I’ve been building a dream.”
***
Josh watched as Shelly took a step back.
She tilted her head. “I don’t understand.”
Reaching out, Josh took her hand in his and whistled for Mutley, who trotted up along beside him.
“Come with me. Trust me, and I’ll explain it along the way.”