chapter 17
(Jesse)
The plane glides smoothly down the runway of the Atlantic City Airport. It’s the first time I’ve been home since the summer I left for college. I can do it now with Luke beside me. He kisses the back of my hand, which he holds tightly in his. I smile and he leans in to gently kiss my lips.
It’s after eight pm on Tuesday when we finally exit the plane and gather our bags. We didn’t tell anyone we are arriving early. My dad is off from work today and we want to surprise him.
He must have heard the taxi when it pulls up in front of the house because he’s standing on the porch to greet us; a smile crosses his face when we step out of the cab. He takes me in his arms and holds me tightly, telling me he’s happy that I’m home. He hugs Luke just as enthusiastically. I’m somewhat overwhelmed with emotion once I step into the house. I’ve missed being home, even though I couldn’t bear to be there before, now it finally feels right.
My dad rummages through the refrigerator, looking for something to whip up. He comes across some fresh spinach, cheese and eggs, and decides to make a frittata. Luke follows me to my room, carrying our bags. He stands back while I examine my room.
“How does it feel to be home?” he asks.
“It feels good,” I say, walking towards him to give him a hug. “Everything is perfect,” I whisper.
“It just feels right, doesn’t it?” He squeezes me tight.
***
(Luke)
I rejoin David in the kitchen, giving JJ time to herself.
“I did miss your cooking,” I say, smiling as I step into the room.
“Yeah, you look like you can stand to gain a few pounds,” David teases as he removes a loaf of toasted Italian bread from the oven.
“Really? I thought I did,” I answer, looking down at myself.
“Nah, I’m teasin’. You look good. She looks good.” David nods in the direction of JJ’s room.
“She’s great. She’s different, ya know?”
“I see that.”
“Not in a bad way. She scares me a little now.” I laugh as David looks at me inquisitively. “She’s more independent… strong. I mean, she loves me more than ever, I know that, but she doesn’t need me in the way she did before.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, for both of you. You both matured. Maybe the time apart made your relationship stronger,” he says, placing the stack of plates on the table.
“I know. I know. It’s not a bad thing at all, it’s just different. I think it was a good thing that I got sent to Arizona right away. There was only one thing for us to do… and that was talk. It forced us to talk about everything and really come to terms with it. You’re right. It made our relationship stronger. ” I spread the plates around the table then grab some napkins and forks out of the drawer.
JJ walks into the room, interrupting our conversation. “What are you two talking about?” she asks cheerily.
“You,” I answer.
“Don’t be talking about me behind my back. I don’t need the two of you analyzing me,” She jokes. We laugh, she knows us well.
David opens a bottle of wine and we toast to being home. We sit around the table and catch up with each other. JJ has a couple of tough weeks of class, preparing for finals once we get back. I’m on break, and don’t have to be back until spring training. Deanna’s moving to Florida over the break, Mikey is typical Mikey, enjoying his time off and partying with his new celebrity girlfriend.
“That’s cool. Is he bringing her to dinner on Thursday?” David asks, caught up in the fact that he’s actually dating someone famous.
“No. I asked him last week, he said he isn’t bringing her. Besides, De would have a fit,” JJ says.
“Why, what would that matter?” I ask, wondering why she would care.
“Actually, I was planning on inviting Mya to eat with us, but believe it or not, she is eating with Dan’s family. They live outside of Miami and they invited her to eat with them. She’ll be meeting them for the first time.” She ignores my question.
“Uh. What color is her hair this week?” David asks while I laugh.
“Actually, she’s toned down her look lately. You’d hardly recognize her these days,” she says, laughing and I nod in agreement.
We head across the street to see my mom and dad for a little while after we finish eating and catching up with David. They’re equally surprised to see us and my mom’s eyes fill with tears as soon as she sees us together.
“All of my kids will be together for Thanksgiving,” she says joyfully as she hugs us. “You’ve made me a very happy mom.”
We only talk a few minutes because we’re anxious to head back to JJ’s house so that she can spend time with David. She missed being home and knows her dad is happy to finally have her there. There will be plenty of time for us to catch up with everyone over the next few days.
We rejoin David in the living room, laughing, watching re-runs of King of Queens on cable. Before the eleven o’clock news begins, JJ leaves David and me alone while she showers before bed.
I fidget uneasily on the sofa. I was hoping to catch him alone without having to worry about JJ interrupting. I want to talk with him about something important. It’s something I’ve thought about every second since the night I returned from Arizona to find JJ waiting for me. It’s a feeling I never want to be without, knowing she’ll always be waiting for me.
“David, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” I say nervously.
“What’s up?”
“You know what she means to me.” I pause. “I don’t want to wait. I’m planning on asking her to marry me on Thanksgiving. I’m hoping you’ll say it’s okay.” My voice cracks.
“Luke, you know how I feel about you, but you just got back together. Why rush? Give yourself some time to get to know each other again.”
“David, I know her better than myself. I’m not rushin’ anything. I’ve always loved her. This was always our plan. It would have happened a lot sooner if—”
“I knew what you were planning. You didn’t have me fooled, even though the two of you always thought you did.” He gives me a sarcastic look.
“David, it doesn’t make a difference if it’s now, or ten years from now. I’ll never stop loving her. It’ll always be her and I know she feels the same way. If we would have gone our separate ways after all of that mess and met other people during the time we were apart, it wouldn’t have been good if we ever ran into each other again over the years because the people in our lives would have been hurt. The first time I saw her after I got back, that night at the game, there was no denying how we felt. It didn’t matter that two years had passed. It could have been ten or twenty. Loving someone like that never leaves you, those feelings never go away.” I pause, staring at David, knowing he understands. “You know what I’m talking about.”
David doesn’t say a word. There’s nothing he can say, he knows exactly what I’m talking about.
I enforce my point. “David, you have a nice life now. You love Cheryl, right?” David nods, knowing where I’m going with this. “If you didn’t lose Olivia the way you did, if something drove the two of you apart that neither one of you had control over… If Olivia walked in this room right now, would you drop everything to be with her? Even though you are happy and care about Cheryl deeply, wouldn’t you do anything to have that one huge love back in your life, no matter who got hurt in the crossfire?” I look him in the eyes, hoping I didn’t go too far.
He pauses before answering and lets out a deep breath. “What can I say? You win. I had to try… you’re young.” He shrugs his shoulders. He knew it was pointless to delay the inevitable. After all, he had been with Olivia since they were almost the same age and I know David will never love anyone again the way he loved Olivia. He loves her just as much now as he did when he was nineteen.
“Really? You’re saying you’re okay with this?”
“Does it matter?” he asks sarcastically, smirking.
“You know it does,” I answer sincerely.
“I appreciate that.” David smiles, “Nobody can make her laugh and be happy the way you can. It’s been that way since you met.”
“I thought Thanksgiving was the perfect day since having her back in my life is what I am most thankful for. I promise David, I will never screw up with her again.”
“I know that.”
***
(Mikey)
I arrive home Wednesday afternoon and am disappointed to find the house empty. I like walking in to everyone sitting around the table. I head over to JJ’s, figuring I have a chance of catching her and Luke there. I bump into David on his way out as I’m about to go inside.
“Hey, bud, how are ya?” he asks, patting me on the back. “Just get in?”
“I got in early this morning. I stopped by my dad’s before he heads out to spend the holiday with his girlfriend and her family.”
“So where’s this new girl of yours I’ve been hearing about?” David teases. “I hear you’ve been enjoying your time in LA.”
“She’s there. It’s been cool, but I was ready to come home.” I laugh.
“Man, I thought I was goin’ to get to meet someone famous.”
“You already did… me,” I say, slapping him on the back.
“Nice to see you haven’t changed, buddy,” he calls back, hurrying off to his car.
“Where you headin’, work?”
“Yeah, busy night, I’m runnin’ late. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow. They’re inside.”
I walk into the family room to find the happy, little couple cuddled up on the couch watching TV. “Ah, look at this; all is right in the world again.” I tease. It’s nice to see them together like old times.
“Oh, wow! Look, Luke… Mr. Hollywood decides to grace us with his presence,” JJ jokes, jumping from the couch to give me a hug.
“Yeah, I figured I’d throw ya’s a bone and stop by,” I tease.
Luke punches my arm, and I lay back on the recliner, filling them in on my time in LA. “All joking aside, I’m tired of it. I’m ready to get back to my normal life. The party scene is crazy out there and she’s got a wild side to her, which I found kinda cool in the beginning, but its gettin’ old quick,” I say, talking about Lora Rae.
“Yeah, man, you need to stay away from that shit. You don’t want to get into trouble,” Luke tells me.
“Yeah, I know. It’s easy gettin’ swept up into all that shit and I can see how a lot of young people do, but, to be honest, it’s not for me. I like to talk a good game, but when it comes down to it, I like my simple daily routine. It’s really not my scene.”
“I know, Mikey. You’re not the partier you like to make everyone believe,” JJ accuses.
“What? What the hell are you talkin’ about? Who do I make believe that I’m a partier?” I laugh, arguing with her.
“De.”
“I just bust on her ‘cause I know it pisses her off. Like I give a shit what she thinks.” I lay back on the recliner. The truth of the matter is, I care a hell of a lot about what she thinks. Luke is totally out of the loop and doesn’t get where we are going with this. I quickly change the subject. “Speaking of which, where is everyone?”
“They’re picking De up at the airport. Let’s head over so we’re there when she gets in,” JJ says excitedly.
“She’s not bringing that jerk off, is she?” I ask.
“Jeffrey? No. They’re kind of off and on lately. He’s not thrilled with her moving to Florida,” JJ answers.
“Good. I don’t like him anyway.” I catch JJ rolling her eyes.
“I wasn’t nuts about him either,” Luke adds while JJ shakes her head
Maria has a freshly baked cake sitting on the counter, and JJ warns us not to touch it, but it’s too hard for Luke and I to resist. As we’re halfway through, Maria, Lucca and Deanna enter the house. My stomach does this weird thing when I see her. I’ve been looking forward to the next few days.
“Hey, DeDe’s home!” I say excitedly, greeting her at the door as I pick her off the floor and squeeze her. My heart is rapidly pumping.
“Did you two eat my cake?” Maria asks sternly, spotting our empty plates.
“I told them it was for Thanksgiving,” JJ chimes in.
“It was two little pieces,” I add.
“It’s half the cake,” Maria answers.
“Yeah, Mom, we’ll have this gone by tomorrow. I hope you made more,” Luke says, laughing and piling the last forkful into his mouth.
Maria playfully hits us in the back of the head. “I have plenty. You don’t think I know you two by now… I hid the rest.”
After catching up for a while, Luke and JJ decide to go for a walk while Deanna and I hang out and watch TV. Both of our phones are being blown up with texts’ from our friends making plans for the evening. After all, it’s the night before Thanksgiving, the biggest night of the year to go out. Most of our friends are home from college, making plans to get together.
Everyone is meeting up at CJ’s later tonight. De and I are up for it, but we’re wondering how Luke and JJ are gonna feel about it. The last time they were there wasn’t a happy memory. If they’d rather do something else, I’m fine with that. It’s been a while since the four of us hung out together and I honestly don’t care what it is we’re doing, as long as we’re together.
***
(Luke)
It’s an unusually warm day for November so JJ and I decide to take advantage of it and walk down to the inlet. The waves crash along the beach, spraying water into the cool ocean air. We follow the long stretch of beach till it wraps around the brush of thick trees, sand and water, leading us to our secluded little section of beach that only we know. I spread out a blanket and throw another around us as we sit side-by-side, enjoying the quietness and view. It’s been too long since we’ve been here together.
I’ve been fidgeting around in my pocket for the last hour. I know I said I’d wait till Thanksgiving, but the timing feels right now.
“I’ve missed this place,” JJ says, breaking the silence.
“I’ve missed being with you in this place.”
“When was the last time you were here?”
“When I got out, I came here a lot by myself,” I answer quietly. She looks sad and that’s not what I want. I scoop her up in my arms, placing her on my lap. “But, it feels awesome being here with you now, more than ever.” I squeeze her tight and give her a kiss.
“Why is that?” she asks, holding my face between her hands as she kisses my mouth.
“Because this place is for special times to be shared by the two of us together,” I answer as I pull the perfectly wrapped, Tiffany-blue box from my pocket and place it into her hands.
“Luke?”
“Yes?”
“What is this?”
“You have to unwrap it.” Her eyes began to well up as she slowly unties the white satin ribbon from the box. “JJ, you are my whole world. Everything I am and want to be is because of you. I’ll love you always. Will you marry me?”
Her eyes flow with tears as she looks at the familiar, yet significantly altered, inscribed, platinum, diamond-laced band with the solitaire diamond I had added in the center.
“You know the answer to that question. It doesn’t even need to be asked. There is no other place for me than to be with you forever.” We kiss and I place the ring on her left hand. “Is this my ring?”
“Yeah. Mikey found it on the floor. I thought it was gone for good. He never told me he had found it. It was sitting on my bureau in an envelope at the condo.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Just like you,” I say, kissing her. “I brought it to Arizona with me. I took it to the Tiffany store out there and I had them add the solitaire. I wanted to give it back to you with a real proposal.”
“But we weren’t officially together when you left for Arizona.”
“Yeah, but you know what? I had already kissed you like three times by then. That feeling I get every time I kiss you is crazy. That just doesn’t happen… ever. So, when you find someone that makes you feel like that, well then, you have no choice except marrying them, just so you can feel it every day. There’s no way around it.” I shrug my shoulders.
“Really?” she says, changing her position and wrapping her legs around my waist so that she can face me. “Let me see.” She laughs and kisses me again. “Yep, you’re right. There’s no way around it.”
“Are you happy?”
“Very much.” She kisses me recklessly with her arms tightly around me, molding our bodies.
Her legs tighten around my waist and the movement of her body rocking over mine arouses me with desire. Her tongue traces my neck as her hands tear at my sweatshirt, flinging it over my head. She pushes me back and my blood pumps though my body as I let her take charge. Her tongue traces down my chest and stomach as her hands hastily push my sweatpants over my hips, past my knees. I free my legs from them as she continues caressing me with her mouth and hands, while I lose complete control.
“I want you so bad… right now,” I growl, watching her face form into a devilish grin as she continues to tease me with her tongue.
“Good,” she whispers as she seductively removes her own clothing, making me hotter by the second. She owns me and she knows it.
As soon as her body is exposed, my own hands begin to ravish her. She arches her back and sucks in a breath as my fingers touch her all over. She throws her head back and moans while I wrap one arm around her waist, flipping her onto her back as I now take control. “Tables turned,” I tease, sucking on her neck.
“Not really. This is exactly where I want you.” She squirms underneath me while she coaxes me inside her. She buries her hands in my hair, pulling my mouth hungrily to hers as she wraps her legs around my hips. I rock my body inside of her, getting lost in the feeling of being one with her.
***
After we privately celebrate our engagement alone, we’re excited to share the news with everyone else. She asks if anyone knows about my proposal and I tell her that I asked David last night, which earns me another kiss. I’d never do something that big without talking with him first, having his blessing is too important to me, and I know it’s important to her. I tell her how I was planning on waiting till Thanksgiving, but the timing felt right now.
“Mikey knows, and, I took De with me to Tiffany’s while we were in Arizona to get her opinion,” I admit.
“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.” she sounds surprised.
“She wasn’t supposed to tell you. I’d kill her if she told you.” I laugh.
“It’s so beautiful.” She holds out her hand, admiring her ring as the sun and water bounce off the diamonds, making it sparkle even more.
“Just like you. How ‘bout we go out to a nice dinner at the restaurant tonight? This way you can show your dad. We’ll celebrate.”
***
Everyone is happy for us when we make our announcement and my dad grabs a bottle of champagne from the fridge. He pops the cork and the sparkling bubbles spill out of the top of the bottle. We toast our glasses and my mom is eager to talk plans.
“Nothing too big,” JJ says, referring to my mom’s question as to what we are planning. We all laugh, knowing that is exactly what she would say.
“That’s fine by me as long as it’s soon. There’s no reason to drag it out. Ya know?” I add while JJ nods her head in agreement.
“Well, we need to book the church. We have to find a caterer. You have to give me time to get some things together,” my mom says.
“Mom, relax. We just got engaged two seconds ago. We didn’t even get a chance to talk about anything yet,” I say, laughing.
“Yeah, Maria, let them decide what they want. Then, they’ll let you know.” My dad comes to our defense.
We invite Deanna and Mikey to come to dinner with us, but they both agree we should have dinner alone without the two of them tagging along. Deanna hesitantly asks if we would like to meet them afterwards at CJ’s for a drink. At first, I reject the idea, but JJ thinks otherwise.
“Yeah, sure. We’ll meet you when we’re finished with dinner,” she says cheerfully. I give her a look.
“What?” she asks, staring back at me. “Luke, the past is the past. It was one bad night. We’ve had so many fun times at CJ’s. I’d rather remember it for the good times, not the one bad time.”
“She’s got a point,” Mikey adds.
“Plus, she needs to show off that ring to everyone. C’mon, everyone will be happy to see the two of you,” Deanna agrees.
“We’ll be there,” JJ says confidently, giving me a peck on the cheek. I’m still hesitant, but I nod in agreement.
“Get used to it, buddy,” Mikey says, patting me on the back.
***
JJ takes my breath away when she steps out of her room dressed for the evening. The eggplant colored, backless, mini-dress hugs her body tightly, revealing her perfectly toned body. My first thought is to take her back in the room, but I decide I don’t want to mess her up. I’m still adjusting to the maturity in the way she now carries herself. She’s changed, but in a good way. She’s confident, strong and more beautiful than ever.
I call David ahead of time and tell him it’s a special occasion, so he reserves a table for two located in the most romantic location in the restaurant. Considering what we discussed last night, I’m sure he has a good idea of what it is. The table is perfectly decorated with a sage colored tablecloth and a flickering candle sets off just the right amount of light. A bottle of champagne sits chilled on ice, waiting for our arrival.
JJ flashes her ring in front of her face as soon as David meets us at our table. He hugs us and tells us he loves us.
The waiters dote on us, bringing us an assortment of seafood and steaks. We sip our champagne and enjoy our celebration. I’m consumed with happiness. I find it hard to take my eyes away from her for more than a moment.
“What are you looking at?” she asks, feeling giddy from the champagne and the mood of the evening.
“You. I can’t help it. You’re so beautiful and you made me so happy today.”
“You’ve made me happy, too. I can’t wait to be married to you.”
“When?” I ask, smiling.
“Right now,” she says teasingly.
“Let’s go,” I challenge, jumping from my seat.
“You’re crazy.” She laughs. “Seriously, what are you thinking?”
“Honestly, I don’t want to wait. I’m thinking before spring training. What do you think?”
JJ and I previously discussed my tentative schedule come spring. It looks like I’ll be heading to North Carolina in early March to play Triple A ball. It’s gonna suck being apart, but it’s something we expect given my career.
“Sounds good to me. Would Christmas break be too soon?”
“Not soon enough,” I answer.
We quickly agree on a New Year’s Eve Wedding, we consider it our official anniversary date anyway, which doesn’t give us much time to plan. We decide we want to marry in Florida, since that is where we will begin our life together. We’re thinking something small, but something that will be fun for everyone.