“I think those kind of separations make a relationship stronger,” she said, toying with the buttons on his shirt.
“I could live without them,” he muttered, knowing every day would feel longer than the last.
“I think we could have something really amazing,” she said, obviously trying to choose her words carefully. “But I don’t want to make the mistake of rushing it.”
He knew she was making sense, but his heart was guiding him away from logic and reason.
“I love that we have the kind of relationship where we can tell each other anything, D.J. You know things about me that no one else knows. Hell, even Bryan didn’t know about my breakdown.”
Just when he thought he couldn’t love her any more, she said something to make him realize he could. “And when I found out I was a father, you were the first person I wanted to tell.” He knew that said more about their relationship than a gold band or piece of paper ever could.
“I’ve always wanted a lover who was also my best friend,” Josie said, tracing his jaw with her fingertip. “Now I have that.”
He picked her up and held her tight, whispering in her ear, “And that’s more than I could have ever asked for, sweetheart.”
Epilogue
D.J. stared at the pear-shaped diamond winking at him from its black velvet blanket. Tonight marked the one-year anniversary of their first date and he was pretty sure Josie thought he forgot the significance of the day. But there was no way he could. That day changed his life forever.
He thought he’d loved her when he saw her walk into Jimmy’s the first time, but that was nothing compared to the way he felt about her now. She was his world. Their bond was growing stronger every day, and he knew, without a doubt, that she was his forever.
Drake popped his head in the door. “Hey, man, you ready to do this, or what?”
It was the last concert on his sold-out tour and he’d asked Josie to fly out to help him celebrate. Little did she know he had more than a concert on his mind.
“I’m ready.”
Drake’s eyes scanned the box. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah.” D.J.’s grin nearly split his face in two, but he couldn’t contain his excitement. He hoped within a few hours, Josie would be walking around wearing the proof that they officially belonged to each other.
“Wow! Do you think Josie has any idea?”
“No way.”
“And that doesn’t concern you?” Drake asked, looking uneasy.
D.J. knew Drake was trying to be a good friend, to remind him a public declaration may not turn out the way he hoped it would, but he believed being apart for the past several weeks would work in his favor. If she’d missed him half as much as he’d missed her she wouldn’t hesitate to accept his proposal.
“No. I know what Josie and I have. We’re meant to be together, man. It’s as simple as that.”
Drake smiled as he sat on the edge of the couch. “If someone had told me a year ago, you of all people would be the father of a teenager, ready to settle down with the love of your life, I would’ve told them they were crazy.”
D.J. grinned. “You’re not the only one.” The only other person in his life who could light him up the way Josie did was his son. He and Dustin had become tight the past year as he navigated the challenging terrain from friend to father.
He’d learned to be a good listener, discipline him when the situation warranted it, share some of his own missteps so Dustin could benefit from his lapses in judgment, but most importantly, he’d let him know it was okay to learn from his own mistakes and he’d love him even through the worst times.
Having Dustin in his life proved to him that he was ready to be a father and he could hardly wait to start a family with Josie. He wanted the opportunity to experience all of the firsts he’d missed out on with his son.
“You guys are good together,” Drake said, smiling at D.J.’s reflection in the full-length mirror. “I’ve never seen either one of you happier.”
“Yeah, things seemed to fall into place for us when she got her house back and we were able to spend more quality time alone without me having to worry about her ex makin’ a play for her.”
“Ah, but he did make a play for her. Gotta give the guy points for persistence.”
D.J. still couldn’t think about Connor without getting annoyed. He was happy the experimental treatment worked and the doctors gave the guy a clean bill of health, but the way he chose to celebrate his good fortune made D.J.’s blood boil every time he thought about it.
“Come on, you probably would’ve done the same thing in his position,” Drake said. “It’s not like he had anything to lose by giving it one last shot before he went back to Chicago.”
His last night at Josie’s place, Connor planned a romantic dinner and told Josie he believed she was his soul mate. He said she would make him the happiest man in the world if she would agree to spend the rest of her life with him.
Drake chuckled, pointing to D.J’s clenched fists. “Look at you, you still get all bent out of shape just thinkin’ about it.”
“Can you blame me?” D.J. said between clenched teeth. “How would you feel if some opportunistic douchebag proposed to your woman?”
“Yeah, but Josie told him where to go. That’s all that matters.”
If one good thing came of that nightmare, it was that Josie realized being friends with her ex would be impossible. She told him she was grateful their prayers had been answered and the cancer was in remission, but she was building a life with D.J. and couldn’t continue to allow her past to jeopardize her future.
As soon as D.J. stopped fuming over the fact some other guy had proposed to his girlfriend, he let Josie’s words sink in and realized Connor’s feelings for Josie were irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was how she felt. That day, and every day since, she’d shown and told D.J. in hundreds of little ways that he was the only man she wanted.
“You’re right,” D.J. said, smiling as his hands relaxed. “That is the only thing that matters.”
“Well, if you’re determined to do this tonight, is there anything I can do to help?”
D.J. blew out a shaky breath as he said to his friend, “Just pray she says yes.”
***
Josie would never tire of watching D.J. perform. She’d been to dozens of his concerts over the past year and the thrill of the enthusiastic crowd combined with D.J’s passionate delivery of the music she’d come to love almost as much as the man himself, left her with an endorphin high no workout could compare to.
As the last few bars of his high-energy finale wound down, she waited for him to say a few words of thanks to the fans who’d helped make his tour an overwhelming success, but the words she heard instead stunned her.
“I’d like y’all to put your hands together for my girlfriend, Josie Denton. Come on up here, baby.”
“Go on,” Cassidy said, nudging Josie’s shoulder. “He’s waiting.”
She could barely breathe as she made her way up to the stage. Performing in front of thousands of people was the norm for D.J., but she’d never been the center of so much attention and she couldn’t say she liked it.
“What’re you doing?” she said only loud enough for him to hear when he finally clasped her hand and led her toward centre stage.
He didn’t respond to her question; instead, he looked Josie in the eye as he spoke into the microphone. “I know y’all know Josie’s beautiful face. The rags love to take our picture.”
The crowd cheered and laughed along with D.J. He had self-deprecating humor down to an art and made no secret of the fact he resented the paparazzi who fueled rumors about their break-up, citing D.J.’s excessive drinking, carousing, cheating, and partying as the cause.
It bothered D.J. more than it did Josie. She’d learned a long time ago to trust him and believe in what they had. She knew anything reporters said about D.J. betraying her was a lie designed to add a zero to their paycheck.
“But what you may not know is how important this woman is to me.”
The laughter died down as D.J’s fans watched him, excited expectation mirrored on thousands of faces.
“Before she came along, music was my life. The only thing that mattered was my career and family. I never thought I would meet a woman who would give my life new meaning.”
Josie felt the tears trickling down her cheeks, but didn’t care to brush them away. She wasn’t ashamed of the way D.J’s words affected her. She knew any woman in the place would react exactly the same way if D.J. Stevens said the same thing to her.
“But as soon as I laid eyes on Josie the first time, walking across a crowded bar, I knew my life would never be the same.”
Josie thought back to the night they met, when she was still trying so hard to deny their connection—as futile as that seemed now. There was no way to fight it. Like a tidal wave, the force of their love was strong and determined and irrefutable.
Instead of talking to the crowd, he directed his comments to Josie as his eyes bore into her. “I’m a better man because of you, sweetheart. You made me believe I could be a good father and that I had something of value to teach Dustin. That fact alone makes you my angel.”
Every time Josie saw D.J. interact with his son, she fell a little deeper. It showed her facets of his personality she may never have seen otherwise, and that made her almost as grateful as D.J. that Dustin had come into their lives.
“You make everything in my life better, Josie. Coming home to you is like a gift every single time. There’s nowhere else on earth I’d rather be than by your side.”
Josie’s hand flew to her mouth as D.J. dropped to one knee in front of her.
His bass player discreetly handed him a small, velvet box as D.J. lowered his head, presumably to collect himself. “You’re my forever, baby. I want to make it official. Will you do me the honor of bein’ my wife?”
Josie couldn’t find even a single word, so she nodded enthusiastically as tears continued spilling down her cheeks.
D.J. dropped the microphone before slipping the ring on her finger with trembling hands. Picking her up, he spun her in a low circle as the soundtrack of screaming fans bombarded them.
“I love you,” he whispered between kisses. “So much.”
“Not as much as I love you, D.J.”
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