Page 21 of When I Should’ve Stayed (Red Bridge #2)

Josie

“Ow!” I shriek, doing a hop and a turn on one leg and stretching my neck like an ostrich to distract from the pain. My toe throbs, and I reach down to grab it while tears sting the corners of my eyes.

Grandma left an hour ago to join her morning yoga group in the park, and I fell asleep on the living room couch after she was already gone, despite needing to get ready for work. Now, I’m running behind for my Thursday lunch shift, and my poor toe is paying the price.

I realize, as a grown woman, I shouldn’t need my grandma to be home to keep me on schedule, but it’s one of the perks of Rose’s penchant for meddling. She stresses so I don’t have to.

To be fair, I did get home from Clay’s at an unfashionably late hour, and the lack of shut-eye becomes a very real physical limitation at some point. I wouldn’t trade the time together, though. Our moments after he gets off work at the bar are always so freaking hot.

Fingers crossed, Harold’s not too mad that I’m late and that my toenail doesn’t fall off from trauma.

I grab my purse and lock the door behind me, hustling through a minor limp.

The side of the stoop is wet from Grandma’s garden sprinklers, so I look at the concrete carefully when I’m turning around to make sure I don’t slip.

The vintage black-and-white loafers Harold has us wear are a fall hazard on wet concrete.

Trust me, my tailbone knows from experience.

When I finally look up, all the air in my lungs leaves in a rush with surprise. Clay is standing at the bottom of the stairs holding a big bouquet of red and pink flowers. His hair is combed just so, and his eyes are shining bright in the sunshine as he looks up at me. “Hey, beautiful.”

It’s so sweet it makes me want to cry.

And not having the time to stop and appreciate it makes me want to cry even more.

“This is so sweet, Clay. Literally the sweetest .” He drops down into the grass as I’m talking, my eyebrows pulling together more and more with every inch he sinks. “But I’m running late for work, and I just know Harold is going to be on my ass—”

When he finally settles on one knee, I stop talking completely.

“Josie.”

“Clay, what are you doing?” I whisper, a pang of the greatest joy I’ve ever felt stirring deep inside.

He lays the flowers in the grass and pulls his other hand out from behind him, revealing a red velvet box that makes my heart start to lope. Faster and faster, it feels like it’ll flutter outside my chest if I can’t rein it in.

“Clay…?”

“I love you, Josie Ellis. Whole heart, body, and soul. You’re the one for me. I want to spend all my moments with you. Good, bad, hard, easy…I want to do it together.” he says, and I can’t tell if his voice is a little shaky from nerves or emotions.

Or, hell’s bells, maybe it’s me who’s shaky?

“I know I just convinced you to move in with me a few days ago,” he says, his brown eyes staring deeply into mine.

“And you’re probably still getting over that—maybe even a little mad about the way I went about it—but I can’t wait to make you mine forever.

Not anymore. Waiting feels like not breathing.

It feels like… Jose, it feels like if I can’t have more of you…

have all of you, I’ll expire right here.

So, today, on the anniversary of the day I told you I love you two years ago, please… be my wife.”

“Clay…you…you make it sound like… Are you asking to get engaged, or are you asking to get married ?”

His lips curve up in the brightest of genuine smiles.

His heart is in his eyes, and the depths of brown look like smooth honey.

“I want the whole shebang, baby. And I want it now. You know me, I’m all in, and I don’t like to wait.

I will, of course, just like I did when you took the extra day to tell me you loved me,” he points out in jest, winking when I roll my eyes.

“But I want you to get in my truck right now, go to the courthouse with me, and make it official. I want to call you mine today.”

My pulse thrums in my fingertips, and my stomach rides a looped roller coaster. “I’m supposed to be at work.”

“Call Harold and tell him you’re sick.”

“I’m supposed to help Grandma label candles tonight.”

“Call Grandma and tell her you’re sick.”

I giggle-snort. “Clay!”

“Josie, put this ring on your finger, and let’s go get married. We’ll deal with the rest of it tomorrow.”

“You haven’t even shown me the ring!” I cry, tears starting to fall from the corners of my eyes. I’m so happy. So much happier than I ever dreamed I’d be. I feel whole, and I know, even if it feels scary, marrying Clay is the best thing I’ll ever do.

Clay fumbles with the velvet box but eventually gets it open, presenting it again when he’s done.

The large stone is in a high setting with a ring of smaller diamonds around the edge.

The prongs are almost reversed from what you’d expect, wider at the base and skinnier at the top like they’re little legs.

I swear it almost looks like—

“I wanted one that looked like a water tower.”

Everything dancing inside me settles, a warmth spreading in its wake and filling me with visions of special dates with Clay Harris for the rest of my life.

I want it so badly, my whole body burns.

“Clay, I love it. I love you . I don’t know how I’m going to explain it to everyone that we just went and got married without them, but—”

“You’re saying yes?” he asks excitedly, jumping to his feet in front of me so quickly, he almost trips on the toe of his boot.

I nod through the tears. “I’m saying yes.”

He sweeps me into his arms and around in a circle, and I relish the feel and smell of him as he groans into my hair.

“Oh God, Jose. You won’t regret this, I promise.

And we’ll have another wedding, okay? A big, official thing with the whole damn town if you want.

I just want you to be my wife right now. I can’t wait another day.”

I nod enthusiastically, and Clay rains kisses across my face, one by one until he’s covered the whole surface. I giggle the whole time and push him away after one final deep kiss to the lips.

He’s the embodiment of everything I’m feeling. He’s so much more comfortable in being over the top, but internally, we are twin flames.

“I just need to go change, okay?” I tell him, pushing away lightly to run for the porch.

“What? No!” Clay grabs at my elbow to stop me, but I pull him back toward the door with me, even as he fights.

“Listen, I may be okay with doing a quickie courthouse wedding, but I am not doing it in my diner uniform! It’s a poodle skirt, for Pete’s sake!”

“All right, all right,” he concedes, releasing me. “You can change, but do it quick. The sooner I can call you my wife, the better.”

Overwhelmed with happiness, I charge forward, running into his arms again and wrapping my own around him. He smiles up at me as he lifts me high, and I stare down into his sweet eyes with love and longing.

“In case I didn’t make it clear…I can’t wait either.” My voice is a gentle whisper, but the message is strong. Clay and I are made for each other.

“I love you, Josie.”

“I love you too, Clay.”

His face is a beam of light. “The next time we say that, we’ll be husband and wife.”