Chapter Twenty

June

“How’s everything going?”

I shuddered as Thomas nuzzled my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his hard body. He smelled good – like fresh shower gel and new cologne – and I closed my eyes, savoring the scent of my boyfriend.

Boyfriend ! I thought excitedly. I’ve never had one of those before. I still can’t believe it!

“It’s going pretty well,” I said. “Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes.”

“Excellent,” Thomas replied. “It smells incredible.” He leaned over my shoulder and inhaled deeply.

I blushed. “You think Brett will like it?”

Thomas nodded. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “His favorite food is spaghetti with meat sauce.”

I nodded. “Angela said this recipe wouldn’t disappoint – it’s from her Sicilian grandfather.”

Thomas laughed. “Sounds good, babe,” he said. He kissed me on the cheek and I flushed and squirmed, desperately craving more of his touch.

“Hey, Dad!” Brett raced into the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?” When he saw me, he stopped dead in his tracks. “What’s Miss Rogers doing here?”

Thomas chuckled. “Son, please call Miss Rogers June, at least when she’s in our home.”

“Am I in trouble?” Brett asked nervously. ‘What’s going on?”

“No, not at all,” Thomas said. “Brett, I’d like to tell you that June and I have begun to date.” He glanced at me and I flushed nervously, biting the inside of my mouth. “And she’s going to be moving in here with us.”

“At first, when you’re here, I’ll be at my old apartment,” I explained quickly.

Brett looked nervously from his father to me. “Okay,” he said. “Cool.”

Thomas raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad you’re okay with it, son,” he said.

Brett nodded. He puffed out his chest, trying to look more adult than his soon-to-be-eleven years.

“Yeah, I’m cool with it,” he said. “Miss Rogers was always my favorite teacher. Er, I mean June,” he added. “Sorry, June.”

“It’s fine.” I laughed nervously. “Whatever you want to call me is fine. You know, except for stupid or anything else mean.”

Brett shook his head. “Don’t worry,” he said.

“Well, I’ve got something for you, Brett,” Thomas said. “Why don’t you go into the living room?”

Brett’s eyes widened and he raced out of the kitchen. When I looked at Thomas with my eyebrows up, he chuckled and jerked his head to the side, indicating that we should follow Thomas.

“Dad, are you serious?” Brett’s voice screeched from the other room. “No way! This is too cool!”

Thomas chuckled. As we walked into the living room, Thomas took my hand and squeezed. Brett was kneeling on the floor in front of a box covered with Japanese print.

“I can’t believe it, I can finally have it?”

Thomas nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Sorry it took so long to get the damn thing inspected. It was hard to find anyone familiar with the technology.” He turned to me. “That’s a PlayStation Five,” he added. “It hasn’t been released in the country yet.”

“Wow,” Brett said. He ran over to Thomas and threw his arms around his father’s waist. “Dad, you’re seriously the best!”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Thomas said. He squeezed my hand. In a lower voice, he asked: “Would you like to come into the kitchen with me?”

I nodded and followed Thomas into the kitchen. The meat sauce was bubbling on the stove and a heavenly, rich aroma filled the air.

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked quietly.

Thomas nodded. “Oh, yeah, he’ll be fine,” he said. “What about Angela? How did she take the news?”

I blushed and giggled. “A little better when I told her you were covering the rest of my rent for the year,” I said. “But she’s happy for me. She told me it was for the best, that she couldn’t wait to get to know you better.”

Thomas nodded. “Good,” he said. He cleared his throat and coughed. Suddenly, I realized that he looked almost nervous.

“Thomas, what’s wrong?”

Thomas licked his lips. “Nothing,” he said. He smiled. I gasped as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red leather jewelry box. My heart began to race in my chest and my palms started to sweat and itch. I wiped them on my thighs in a desperate attempt to seem like I wasn’t freaking out.

“June,” Thomas said in a husky voice. “Getting to know you has been the best experience I’ve ever had in my life.”

I blushed hotly. “I know exactly what you mean,” I said softly.

Thomas opened the box and I gasped. Inside was a huge, sparkly diamond ring. The stone was round cut, and I guessed it was at least four carats. It was mounted on an elegant band of white gold, covered with smaller diamonds that twinkled in the bright kitchen light.

“Marry me, June,” Thomas said huskily. He dropped to one knee in front of me and held out the ring. “Marry me and make me the happiest man on earth.”

I flushed. “You can’t be serious,” I said quickly, covering my mouth with both hands. My eyes filled with unexpected tears and I tilted my head back, blinking my tears away before Thomas could see that I was crying.

“I am,” Thomas said firmly. “You’re the love of my life, and I can’t wait to be your husband.” He winked at me. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

“Yes,” I said quickly. “Oh, my god, yes! Yes!”

Thomas grinned. He slipped the ring on my finger. I gasped – it was heavy and cold, but it glittered beautifully on my finger. Hot tears dripped down my cheeks and I wrapped my arms around Thomas’s neck, covering his face in tiny kisses.

“I love you,” Thomas said. “I love you so much, June.”

“I love you, too,” I cried. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

As we kissed, I knew that no matter what the future brought, Thomas and I would face it together. And everything would be wonderful.