by Riker, Becky
Sol folded his arms across his chest and breathed deeply. Tag got the feeling he was being weighed in the balance.
“I know I’m not good enough for her, Sol.”
A soft laugh escaped Sol’s lips, “Nobody is.”
Weighed in the balance and found wanting.
“She loves you,” Sol picked up his cue again and studied the table. “And I’ve seen enough to believe that you love her.”
Tag felt his heart lifting.
“My biggest concern is your relationship with Christ.”
“I can understand that,” Tag forced himself not to delve into an explanation. Sol had heard it all before.
“Are you still seeing your pastor for discipleship?”
“Only once a month now,” Tag picked up a cue stick. “I’m in a men’s Bible study group at church that meets weekly, though.”
Sol made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded like approval.
Tag leaned over and took a shot.
“You planning on changing to Josie’s church?”
“Not necessarily.”
Sol lifted his eyebrows, “You think she’ll want to change to yours?”
“We haven’t discussed it,” Tag waited on Sol’s turn.
Sol shot, “I’m not going to refuse you, Tag.”
Josie’s father sounded too serious for Tag to rejoice at that statement.
“But I’d like you two to discuss the church situation as well as your careers before you set a date.”
Tag was certain his confusion was evident on his face.
“I’d hate for the two of you to get up to the wedding and realize you had different expectations.”
“I would sooner change churches than give her up,” Tag protested the idea that he would be so domineering.
“I dare say you would,” Sol walked around the counter of the kitchenette and opened the small fridge. “but you giving in to my stubborn child will not make for a happy marriage.”
“I don’t think that changing churches for Josie’s comfort is the same thing as giving in, Sol.”
Sol opened his mouth to speak, but Tag cut him off, “And I don’t anticipate that I’m going to be making all the concessions.”
Sol handed a water bottle to Tag.
“I’m not saying we won’t talk about this right away, Sol,” Tag cracked the bottle open, “but I think we can work these things out.”
“A little cocky, don’t you think?” Sol’s smile took some of the bite from the words.
Tag laughed, “Part of the reason your daughter loves me is that I’m so cocky.”
“True,” the lady in question spoke up from her position on the stairs, “but I’m not sure I like you two talking about me while I’m not around.”
Sol took another drink and watched the two interact.
“Would you rather we talked about you while you were in the room?” Tag tugged at her ponytail when she swiped his water bottle from him.
“Did you beat Dad already?” she looked down at the unfinished game.
“No,” Sol headed for the stairs, “we were too busy talking about you to play.”
Josie glanced at her father’s retreating back before dropping into the worn leather couch and curling her legs under her.
She narrowed her eyes at Tag, “What was that about?”
Tag chose to seat himself in a different chair, “Your father wonders why we’re still going to separate churches.”
Josie narrowed her eyes, “And he thinks I should change to suit you, I suppose.”
Tag snatched back his water.
“No,” he took a drink, “he just thought we should talk about it.”
“Is there some reason we have to go to the same church?”
“So we can worship together.”
Josie didn’t buy it, “We never have before.”
“Wouldn’t you like to?”
“Sure,” she shrugged, “but why this sudden conviction?”
Tag lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
Josie leaned forward, elbows on knees – chin in palms, “I don’t buy it, Madden.”
“Your dad suggested it,” he mirrored her position so their faces were inches apart.
“And you thought you should be taking relationship advice from him?”
Tag hadn’t planned on proposing in that moment, but it was time to tip his hand.
“I love you, Josie.”
Her lips curled slightly upward, and her eyes sparkled, “So you’ve said.”
“After the last time I left, I felt like . . .like I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe without you, and I needed something to fill up the missing parts.”
She waited.
“I realize I needed to fill that emptiness up with Jesus.”
Josie stretched out a hand and brushed Tag’s face, “I’m so glad.”
He could hear the tears in her voice.
“I needed that time apart to see if I could be. . .whole without you.”
She frowned slightly, “And can you?”
He huffed a little, “I don’t know if I can answer your question. I hope it never comes to that.”
“Your point, Tag,” Josie had dropped her hand and was leaning slightly away from him.
He pulled her back, “Josie, I can’t rely on another human the way I was relying on you. Only Jesus can fill that place, but I’m hoping you’ll stick around,” he reached a hand into his pocket, “I’m asking you to stick around.”
Josie’s scowl deepened, so Tag dropped to a knee in front of her.
Now her eyebrows shot to her hairline.
“Josie, I know it’s asking a lot, and you’ll have to put up with a bunch of stupidity – more than any woman should – but I’d like you to be my wife.”
Josie’s eyes filled with tears as she tried to look between Tag’s face and the ring he held in front of him.
“You want to marry me?”
He swiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, “Oh, yeah. If you still want me.”
“I’m never not going to want you, Tag.”
“You may live to regret that statement. I can get a bit cocky.”
Josie found a tissue in her pocket and dabbed at her face, “Is this supposed to be news?”
“Of course, you can be too,” Tag smirked.
“But with reason,” she laughed.
“I suppose you’re implying that I don’t have a reason?”
“Well,” she framed his face with her hands, “you did get me to agree to marry you, after all.”
Tag turned his face to kiss her palm, “Is that a ‘yes’?”
She nodded.
Tag closed the distance between them so he could kiss his fiancée.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“You do realize,” Tag pointed out as they left the house that evening, “that you are going to have to start planning our wedding next.”
Josie slid into her seat and smiled up at him, “Oh, no. We’re eloping.”
Tag laughed and went around to his seat, “Eloping, huh? Did you mention this to your mom?”
“No,” Josie looked down at the diamond solitaire that now graced her finger, “but I will.”
“I’m game,” he started in a manner that warned Josie he had more to say on the subject, “but I have to fulfill a promise before we do that.”
He had her attention now, “What’s that?”
“Your dad wanted to make sure we ironed out a few things before we got close to the wedding.”
“Elopement.”
“Fine,” he pulled away from the curb, “elopement.”
Josie was a little irritated that her father had added stipulations and even more so that Tag had agreed to them.
“Quit glaring like that, Jo,” Tag chastised her. “It isn’t a bad idea.”
“Fine,” she tried to keep the pout out of her voice. “What are the items that need to be ironed out?”
“I’ll tell you, but I want
you to think about the answers for a while – don’t just jump in right away.”
Josie wondered why he was warning her not to give him an immediate answer. It was exactly what he would do.
“He’d like us to get settled in one church.”
“Oh,” Josie should have guessed that one, “that’s where that came from.”
His expression told her he didn’t care for the interruption, “And he wants us to figure out where we are going with our careers.”
Josie felt a bubble of irritation rise within her. Her mother had quit working immediately following her marriage. Josie knew her father felt the proper place for a wife was in the home, but surely Tag could see how much she enjoyed working.
“I suppose he’s hoping I love you enough to quit my job?”
Tag’s eyes shot to her face, surprise evident on his expression, “I don’t think this is an issue of how much you love me.”
“Oh,” she folded her arms across her chest, “so I should do it because it is the right thing to do?”
“No,” he dragged the word out, “it never occurred to me that you would give up your job.”
Josie was instantly contrite. She should not have supposed that Tag would suddenly expect things of her that he never had before.
“So, you want me to keep working?”
“As long as you want.”
“What about kids?”
His eyebrows shot up as his attention zipped from the road to her, “Kids?”
Josie laughed, “Do you want them? When? How many?”
“Um.”
She leaned toward him with a frown, “You don’t want kids?”
“It never occurred to me, actually.”
She flopped back in her seat, “Huh.”
“Of course, marriage never occurred to me either.”
Josie had to give him that one.
“I think I’d like a few,” he said after a few minutes of silence.
“Eventually.”
“Not nine months after the wedding?” she joked.
“Elopement,” he teased back.
“Anything else we need to talk about?”
“Housing, finances, which way the toilet paper hangs on the dispenser.”
She laughed, “Okay. Well, I’m not tied to my apartment – your duplex is nice, I am very conservative about my spending, and it obviously comes up from the back.”
“Great,” he congratulated her. “I think you’ve just solved all marital disagreements in less than an hour conversation. We can expect only smooth sailing from here on out.”
“How about a date?”
“Are you asking me out?”
She punched his shoulder.
“Is your sister going to be disgusted if we get married before her?”
“No.”
He looked away from the road to nail her with a stare.
“Maybe. . .just a little. I think we can tell her ahead of time.”
“I think we’d better tell all our family ahead of time,” he interjected. “Give them a chance to show up.”
“Fine,” she sighed, “but just your guys and our families. No neighbors, cousins, or delivery boys.”
“Delivery boys?” he chuckled at that one. “Should I be worried?”
She was not distracted, “Deal?”
He nodded.
Tag’s parents and brother thought it was a great idea. So did his unit. Josie’s parents did not.
“Mom,” she wished she had brought Tag with her to tell them. “You can be there or not, but this is how I want to do it.”
“At least do it at our house with the pastor.”
Josie could see where this was going, “With a reception afterward?”
“Of course,” Doris was smiling.
“Nope.”
Sol shook his head, “I don’t understand why you can’t put this off a little while. Think about it.”
“I don’t need more time to think about marrying Tag, Dad.”
He touched her hand, “I didn’t think you did, but I’m talking about the wedding. You may later decide you want a big celebration.”
“A conventional ceremony,” Doris added.
“When have I ever been conventional?” she stood up to leave.
Doris sighed, “When is it?”
Josie zipped up her jacket, “We’re not sure, but I promise to give you at least four hours’ notice.”
Her mother’s jaw gaped.
“Why four hours?” Sol followed her to the door.
“Any longer and Mom will be able to whip up some sort of party.”
Sol laughed despite himself.
The call came a week later.
“Hi, Mom,” she kept her tone easy. “What are you up today?”
Doris wasn’t falling for it, “Are you planning something?”
“Yes.”
Doris sighed, but Josie wasn’t going to let her mother’s dislike for the plan keep her from it.
“We’re getting married this evening at five.”
“Where?”
“I’ll text you the address in a couple hours.”
“You can’t just tell me now?”
“Mom,” Josie laughed, “I am inviting you and Dad. I’m not inviting aunts and uncles, cousins, former teachers.”
“There are people who would like to share this day with you.”
“There will be plenty of “sharing” going on at Molly’s wedding. The guest list is over five hundred.”
She hung up after that and called Tag, “All done. How about you?”
“All done. How did Molly take it?”
“She’s happy for me but jealous that she didn’t think to do it herself.”
At ten to five, Doris Drake walked into the dressing room at the studio, “I can’t believe you are getting married on a set.”
Josie laughed, “Where else could I get a waterfall on such short notice?”
Doris kissed her daughter’s cheek, “You look lovely. Where did you find the dress?”
Josie looked down at the simple gown. It was a pristine white cotton empire dress with a full length skirt and a lace overlay. Josie had never envisioned her wedding dress like Molly had, but she was more than a little pleased with how this one looked.
“It’s Ruth’s.”
“Ruth?”
“Madden. Tag’s mom.”
Doris’s smile grew, “That’s nice.”
The ceremony was fifteen minutes long. Sol invited everyone out for supper.
“It would be nice to get to know the other side of our family,” he nodded to Ruth and Andrew Madden, “and I’d like to get to know some of your unit as well.”
Everyone accepted but the bride and groom. They had sneaked out the door as soon as Ernie had pronounced them man and wife.
“Do you think they’ve noticed?” Josie asked as Tag ushered her out to his car.
“I asked Harry to keep them occupied for a few minutes.”
Josie smiled, “Where to now?”
“I thought you wanted me to plan our honeymoon.”
She raised her eyebrows at him, “Is it a secret?”
He shrugged, “Not if you don’t want it to be.”
Josie sighed happily, “Never mind, Tag. As long as I’ve got you – I don’t care what our next adventure is.”