by Adrian Stark
“I know where we’re going!”
“You got me,” Andrew agreed. “Thought since it’s your favorite, you could show me what all the fuss is about.”
I rounded on him, eyes wide and unbelieving.
“You’ve never been the Musee D’Orsay?” He shook his head. “But you’ve been to Paris before.”
“There’s lots of things to do in Paris apart from go to museums, you know,” he said defensively.
I laughed.
“Why do I get the feeling you were a theme park only kinda kid?” I tugged on his hand so we could keep walking.
“Excuse you! I was a very cultured child.” He didn’t move, instead dropping my hand with a nervous frown.
“I keep saying: you’re gonna get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that,” I joked. Andrew didn’t say anything, still staring at me with an unreadable expression. “What’s wrong?”
He blinked and bit his lip.
“You know I love you, don’t you?” The words were quiet and intense, laced with worry.
“Of course I do.” I could feel the truth to those words, settling somewhere deep in my chest. I’d never felt more secure, so sure of myself.
“Because I know I made mistakes and I know I hurt you.” I opened my mouth to protest —that was in the past now, we were together now, but Andrew continued before I had the chance. “I want you to know that I am so happy you saw something in me worth loving, and I want to spend the rest of my life proving that I am worthy of that love.” His hand dipped into his pocket, and I glimpsed a small black box before Andrew dropped to his knees. My mind went blank. “Josie, you make me want to be a better man, and you’ve already made me so fucking happy. You’re bright and beautiful and I can’t imagine my life without you. So, Josie Miller, will you marry me?”
I couldn’t breath. I could feel tears welling up at the corner of my eyes.
“Oh my god.”
“I wanted to wait until we were inside the D’Orsay, but then you chewed me out and all I could think was ‘god I want to spend the rest of my life with this woman’ so…” He trailed off, looking down at me hopefully. “Are these good tears?”
I nodded.
“So that’s a yes?”
Another nod. Tears pooled at the corner of my eyes, making my vision go all fuzzy and distorted. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. I don’t know what to do. I threw myself forward, getting tears all over Andrew’s face as I pressed frantic kisses to every inch of skin I could reach.
“We’re getting married,” I sobbed, an uncontrollable grin spreading across my face.
“We’re getting married,” Andrew echoed. He pressed our foreheads together. This feels like a dream. I laughed distantly.
“We’re still going to the museum, right?”
Andrew laughed.
Chapter Nine: Chapter 9 Title
The Hotel des Arts et Métiers buzzed with excited chatter as the guests funneled out of the hall and into the rose gardens. Somewhere, a champagne cork popped, accompanied by several excited shrieks while kids darted in and out of the crowd of people consumed by a game of tag. I watched Robyn and Emily—in matching wedding dresses—sneak off to the corner of the garden, giggling and whispering like school girls. The last wedding I had been to was when I was five, too young to really understand what was happening, but seeing those two now—newly married and about to start a whole new life together—I felt everything click into place.
I watched Josie as she spoke to an adorably overwhelmed mother of the bride, though I wasn’t too sure which one. The other woman was crying and Josie’s eyes were soft as she nodded, cooed, and motioned for me to grab her another glass of champagne. God I can’t wait to marry this woman.
I handed her a glass, stifling a laugh as she downed half of it in one go and caught sight of the golden engagement ring shining on her left hand. It had taken me hours and several conference calls with Chrissie and Charlie before I’d found the perfect one. I could feel the weight of its twin on my own finger and I fiddled with it, loving how familiar it already felt. I didn’t notice Josie looking at me until her fingers grazed mine.
“You okay there, sweetheart?” she asked.
I hummed contentedly, bringing the hand to my lips to kiss.
“Can’t wait to marry you.” Josie had suggested that we shouldn’t tell anyone except Chrissie and Charlie until after the wedding. I was so happy I wanted to shout it out at the top of my lungs. But a quiet whisper into Josie’s ear would have to do. Josie flushed and I couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to her red cheeks.
“How’s it going over here?” A voice sounded behind us. It was my turn to blush. Josie and I pulled apart to find Robyn and Emily grinning at us, their hands intertwined between them. The wedding rings sparkled prettily in the fading sunlight.
“Just enjoying the romantic atmosphere,” Josie quipped, pecking one last quick kiss to my cheek before throwing her arms around her friends. “Congratulations! It was gorgeous, wasn’t it, Andrew.”
“It was beautiful.” Josie pulled back and I gave my own hugs. “Thank you for inviting us.” For inviting me. I was still a little shocked to receive an invitation. I had been their boss, sure, but as far as I knew, we’d never quite become friends. They always seemed too confident, and I was shockingly awkward in comparison.
As if she could sense my doubt, Josie linked her arm through mine, squeezing encouragingly. Robyn wasn’t so subtle.
“Andrew, we might not have been besties, but you were always good to us—”
“Not to mention good to Josie,” Emily cut in with a wink. Her wife elbowed her in the ribs, but her expression was fond.
“It is true, though. You’re a good person, Andrew. We want to get to know you more and hopefully be friends?” She sounded more awkward than I’d ever heard her, and I felt instantly at ease again.
“I’d like that.” Josie looked back and forth between us like a proud mother encouraging a shy child. I kinda felt like one, making a friend on the first day of school. Being with Josie and her endless ability to talk to anyone had made me realize that I had basically no friends outside of her, Charlie, and my sister.
“Sorry you had to wait for an invite to our wedding before we asked to be your friend… that feels kinda backwards.”
“If you’d left it to me, it would have taken years—so you’re doing all of us a favor.” Emily and Robyn gave me twin smiles before their attention was taken by another guest gesturing wildly across the patio.
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” Josie teased lightly.
“Mmm.”
“I know you were worried about coming, but you’re really very charming you know. It only took me a few conversations to realize you weren’t the stuck up bastard you come across as.”
I glared half-heartedly at her, and she laughed, dragging me away from the garden and back through the hotel.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we crossed the lobby, footsteps clacking on the polished marble.
“This hotel has two main hosting areas,” Josie replied, leading me down some steps. “The rose garden is one of them but the other… ah!” A set of glass double doors lead out into another, smaller garden fenced in by hedges. And looming over it was the Eiffel Tower.
“Wow.” Standing this close I could honestly say I’d never realized how beautiful it was. I’d always seen it from office buildings on the other side of the city, nothing more than a glimpse of brown against the blue sky. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yes, you are.”
I turned, wide-eyed and scoffed at the shit-eating grin that spread over Josie’s face.
“Oh, so you’re allowed to use that line but I’m not?”
Josie shrugged nonchalantly.
“It’s charming when I do it.” She wasn’t wrong.
“That it is.”
The tower suddenly lit up as hundreds of lights flickered to life, casting a golden glow around the garden.
“I’ve never been to the top of the Eiffel Tower before,” I admitted. “Dad was scared of heights. Chrissie too, so we never went.”
“And you call yourself a traveler; you haven’t done any of the classic tourist attractions!”
“Well, that’s why I’ve got you. You can show me everything I’ve missed.” I brushed a lock of hair back off her forehead. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
Josie leaned into my hand, and my breath caught in my throat. What had I done to deserve someone so wonderful?
“You know,” Josie murmured after a moment. “I heard you can get married up there.”
“In the Eiffel Tower?”
Josie nodded, face still pressed into my hand. Did that mean…?
“What do you think?”
I examined the tower and imagined standing at the top, looking down at Paris and surrounded by people who loved me, marrying the girl I loved.
“Hell yeah,” I breathed. “It’s perfect.”
Josie took a step back towards the doors, pulling me along by the hand.
“Well, let’s go then.”
“Tonight?”
She stopped, turning back to face me with that familiar fierce determination I so loved. She put her hands on either side of my face.
“I love you. You love me. What else do we need?” I was overcome with just how much I loved the amazing, brilliant woman standing in front of me. And even more overcome with how much she loved me.
“Nothing,” I whispered. “I don’t need anything else.”
“Okay. Well, let’s hurry.” She released my face, reaching down to take my hands. “Maybe we can still snag Robyn and Emily’s pastor.”
We ran back through the lobby, laughing breathlessly as we went. Josie’s blue dress flew out behind us like a pair of wings. It was the happiest I can remember being in a long time, like the hole in my chest was finally being filled. Our troubles were far from over, but it felt like a well earned reprieve. We had each other now, and as long as we had each other…
What more did we need?
Chapter Ten: Chapter 10 Title
Chapter Eleven: Chapter 11 Title
Chapter Twelve: Chapter 12 Title
Chapter Thirteen: Chapter 13 Title
Chapter Fourteen: Chapter 14 Title
Epilogue