“See? Nothing to worry about. Now come sit on my lap.”
That’s one command she always obeys without a fight. Smiling and obviously relieved I didn’t break anything in my six-foot walk, she comes over to me and carefully sits on my lap. Then she drapes her arms around my shoulders and kisses me.
“Hi.”
“Hi yourself.”
“Do you need some water?”
“Aren’t you going to tell me how amazing that was?”
“Oh yes. Pardon me. That’s was very amazing. Now do you need some water?”
“No, baby. My hydration level is adequate.”
She furrows her brow. “Only adequate?”
“Stop worrying about me.”
She snorts. “Sure. Tell me to stop eating too, that’s about as likely.”
“Speaking of eating, that reminds me. My parents want us to come over to their place for Thanksgiving.”
“I promised my mom I’d spend Thanksgiving with her.”
“So invite her.”
“Really? You don’t think they’d mind?”
“No, they won’t mind. They love you. Invite your dad and his wife too. I’ll invite Axel and Kiyoko. Let’s get everyone together.”
I can tell she’s pleased by that. Pleased and surprised, because me wanting to have people around is still a new thing for both of us.
“Have you spoken to Kiyoko lately?”
“Last week.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She sounded good. She moved to a new place in Vancouver, some high-rise apartment building with a view of the water. She and Axel are trying to find someone to take my place in the business. In the meantime, she’s glad I’ve got you to look after me.”
“Me and all your medical personnel. You know, I think that big guy who comes on Thursdays with the anchor tattoo on his forearm has a thing for you.”
“I never should’ve told you about that male nurse in the hospital. Besides, anchor tattoos don’t do it for me. It would have to be a dragon or something cool like that for me to be interested.”
We smile at each other. For the millionth time, I think how lucky I am to have her.
I still don’t think I deserve her, but I’m selfish enough that I no longer let it get in the way.
She looks down at the collar of my shirt and starts to fiddle with it. “So…is it strange having me here all the time?”
I put a knuckle under her chin and tilt her head up so I can look into her eyes. “No. I love having you living with me.”
“You know I kept my apartment in case you want to kick me out.”
“Say something like that again, and I’ll run over your foot with this chair.”
Her head still lowered, she peeks up at me. “You could tell me, you know. I promise I’ll only cry for a minute.”
“Am I going to have to spank you?”
“I’m serious, Cole. I love being with you, but I know how much you like your privacy—”
“I have an idea,” I interrupt loudly. “Why don’t you put your hand in my pocket?”
She crinkles her nose, and I sigh.
“Not for that. God, your mind is dirtier than mine.”
“Why else would I want to put my hand in your pocket?”
“Could you do me a favor and do what I ask you one time without questioning it?”
Her smile is brilliant. “What fun would that be?”
When I glower at her, she relents.
“Fine. This is me sticking my hand in your pocket.”
“Not that one. The other one.”
She gives me a sour look, then leans to my other side and pats around my hip until she finds the pocket of my slacks. Then she shoves her hand inside.
I can tell when she finds the box by the way her eyes widen.
“You said you were a size six in rings. I didn’t forget.”
Her hand shaking, she withdraws the little black box and stares at it. Her eyes fill with tears.
“I love you, Shay. I fell in love with you the first day we met when you sat down at my table and smiled at me. And I’ll love you until I take my last breath. Nobody else has ever been as good to me or for me as you’ve been, and I want to spend the rest of my life trying to be that good for you. So please do me the honor of marrying me, because without you, I’m nothing.”
Her face crumples. Tears slide down her cheeks. She throws her arms around my shoulders and starts sobbing.
Holding her, I start to laugh. “I take it that’s a yes?”
“It’s a yes, you impossible man! It’s a yes!”
“You didn’t even see the ring yet.”
She wails, “I don’t care about the ring!”
“You should probably look at it, though. Owls aren’t known for their great taste in jewelry.”
She buries her face in my chest and sobs. “When I stop crying, I’m going to kill you.”
I kiss her on the top of her head and blink away the water from my eyes. Grinning, I whisper, “I know, baby. I know.”
Acknowledgments
I read an article in TIME magazine in 2017 that stuck with me. It was about the companies in Japan that help people vanish, and the people called jouhatsu who disappeared without a trace, and I found the whole premise fascinating. So thank you, TIME, for that inspiration.
Thank you as always to my editor, Linda Ingmanson, for your invaluable expertise.
Thank you to my agent, Jenny Bent, for being awesome.
Big thanks to my reader group, Geissinger’s Gang, for always being there and supporting me.
Mitchell Wick, thank you for what you do, and thank you, Michelle Lancaster, for photographing him doing it.
To Nina, Kim, Sarah, and the entire team at Valentine PR, thank you so much for all your support!
Finally, thank you, Jay, for so many years of laughter.