by Josie Wright
Everything is such a slow fucking process. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I could just snap my fingers and everything would be peachy, but the pace is frustrating at times. At least it starts to feel like we’re slowly unraveling all the chaos and the convoluted mass of thoughts in my head.
Today the focus of our session has been my plans. He’s been harping on about it like a middle-aged, menopausal woman.
I don’t need to think about a reply to his question. Healing the emotional wounds Noah left behind isn’t Frankie’s job. It’s mine. Though that’s not what I tell Nate.
“Nate, I know only you can heal me,” I deadpan and watch him try to hide a smile.
“Well, I hope so. Otherwise, I’d be devastated,” he shoots back. “But seriously, Ben. This needs to be something you’re really sure about. You need to be a hundred percent certain you’re not just trying to tie her to you, so she won’t abandon you like your father did. Because there are no guarantees.”
I nod. “I know that, Nate. I do. I’ve been thinking about it occasionally even before Noah’s attack. But lately it’s been on my mind a lot. I don’t want to do it in order to tie her to me or to make up for things that happened in the past. I love her. Plain and simple. I fucking love her with every single breath I take. I can’t imagine not being with her. I can’t imagine a single day without her. I want her to know I’m hers. And, I want the world to know we belong together. That we’re one. That’s why I want to ask her to marry me.”
He starts grinning from ear to ear, reminding me of the Joker, which is slightly unsettling in a therapist’s office.
“That’s all I wanted to hear. The right reasons.” He stands up and walks past my chair toward his desk, patting me on the shoulder in passing. “Now you can go shopping for a ring.”
I sigh with relief that the session is over.
“You’re a jackass, Nate.”
“Yes, I am indeed. And proud of it.” He laughs to himself while falling back in his chair.
When I’m at the door, he calls out. “Oh, and Ben?” I turn back around to see him smiling smugly. “That was so romantic.”
Taking a lesson from Frankie, I flip him off and close the door behind me, ignoring his laugh following me down the hallway.
***
Dave is already outside leaning against his car when I pull up at the mall. He volunteered to help me on my ring shopping mission with a bit more fervor than I expected.
“Hey man, been waiting long?” I ask after parking my truck next to his car and hopping out.
He shakes his blond, shaggy head while sliding his phone back in his pocket. “Nah, just got here about ten minutes ago. You ready to go?”
I nod and we take off toward the mall, heading into the first jewelry store I see. It’s fancy and overpriced. Everything about it feels impersonal.
“Jesus, that was one stuck-up bitch,” Dave complains, leading the way to the next one.
“Yeah, I wonder why that was. Not like you asked her if she had anything not made for gold diggers,” I say laughing. “Oh wait, you did. By the way, why do you know where we’re going?” He walks with purpose and I already see the next shop a few windows down.
He pulls out his cell phone and shows me a map of the mall, all jewelry stores marked and navigation activated.
“What the hell, man?” I look back and forth between him and his phone, disbelief in my tone. “You marked all the places you can get tampons too?”
I haven’t even finished the sentence when Dave’s fist connects with my shoulder, knocking me into a bunch of football player sized guys. I lift my hands in apology and quickly remove myself from their proximity.
“First off, I’m fucking helping you so how about you show some gratitude. Second, the sooner we get the ring, the sooner we can hit the food court and be done with the sappy stuff. Therefore, not wasting any time wandering around aimlessly.”
“You make some good points, which is surprising, but even a blind squirrel can find a nut.”
“I doubt anyone can find your nuts. They probably shriveled up somewhere along the way.”
We continue the ribbing until the next store, which is another fail. If I wanted Frankie to start working as a hooker, I’d probably find plenty of things here. As it stands, I’d like to be the only one who gets to enjoy her sexual favors.
“Hey, what you think about this?” Dave emerges from another part of the store, a big golden chain hanging off his neck with an even bigger dollar sign, adorned with rhinestones.
“I think I need new friends.”
Dave laughs, taking off the chain and shoving it into the sales guy’s hand.
“Third time’s the charm,” he says while walking ahead toward the next store.
Walking up to it, I know this will be the one. I look at the stuff in the window of One in a Million Jewelry and see unique pieces, old and new. Some of the rings and necklaces displayed have little labels attached stating what country they are from.
“Bingo,” I say to Dave and we head inside.
An older guy is behind the counter, polishing what looks to be a pocket watch. He looks up when the door dings. “You guys need help or do you want to look around first?”
“Thanks, we’ll look around first,” I reply, turning to the first display in the left corner.
Dave comes up next to me. “It was a wise decision to include me on this mission. I come prepared. I talked to Viv to get her ideas on the right ring for Frankie. And she suggests…” Dave stops when he sees the huge grin on my face. “What are you grinning about?”
“You talked to Viv? Wasn’t aware you kids call it talking these days.”
He glares at me. “Do you want to know what she said or not?”
“Someone’s testy,” I remark, earning myself another glare. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“She told me, they have been talking about tattoos. And Frankie said if she’d ever get a tattoo, it’d be…”
“…a Claddagh symbol,” I finish Dave’s sentence. She was telling me the same thing a few weeks back when Viv came home with yet another tattoo.
“Dave, you’re a genius.” I slap him on the back and walk up to the counter. “Do you have Claddagh rings?” I ask the guy, who introduces himself as Brian.
“Sure, follow me.” He leads me to a small showcase and pulls out one of the drawers, setting a velvety case on the glass. I see what must be about thirty Claddagh rings. Every single one is different, nothing I’ve ever seen before. Then again, not like I’ve ever gone out of my way to look at rings.
“We have most of the rings in a number of sizes, but only one ring per size. My wife and I travel a lot and like to bring things back to our store from those regions so people can buy unique jewelry and gifts,” he explains. “Something you won’t see on every other person you meet.”
I really like the idea and keep browsing the selection he’s showing me. So far, there’s one ring that stands out to me. A tinged one that looks a bit Victorian, a bit goth.
But then I notice one, and I know it’s perfect.
“What about this one?” I point to the thin silver ring that has caught my attention. The design is unobtrusive—just the right thing for Frankie’s delicate hands. The heart in the center has a green stone in it. The color reminds me of Frankie’s eyes.
“Oh, this is a great one,” Brian says. “We found it in Connemara, Ireland. We were traveling that region a couple years back and ran across a jewelry maker who works with Connemara marble.” He points to the green stone. “We bought the rings from him and asked him to make a custom pendant for my wife. Great times.”
“It’s perfect. I’ll take it.” I don’t even hesitate, knowing Frankie will love this ring.
Dave now strolls up to me. “Oh damn, Frankie is going to flip when she sees it.”
“That’s the plan, man,” I reply before handing the ring I stole from Frankie’s jewelry box this morning to Brian so he can choose the right size.
&nb
sp; “I’m so fucking glad I moved in with Mrs. Walsh—after she gets the ring, she’ll probably be thanking you a lot. Horizontally.” He shudders in disgust.
Laughing, Brian hands me a small plastic bag with the ring box inside.
“That’s hundred and fifty.”
“That it?” I say in shock. I expected to spend way more than that.
“You can pay more if you want,” the old man jokes.
Once the ring is paid for, we head to the food court and decide to go binge eating. It’s a tradition for Dave and me dating back to high school. We get stuff from McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and KFC, keeping us from having to choose between three favorites.
While Dave pays for his stuff, I head to a free table and check my phone. I have a text message from Frankie. For the fraction of a second my heartbeat speeds up, but I tell myself to relax.
Frankie: Hope therapy went well. I love you.
I smile while typing my answer.
Me: It was good. He’s a nut-job though. Love you too.
A second later, my phone pings again, and I smile when I see another message.
Frankie: Everyone is out of the house tonight. Mrs. Walsh offered to watch Archer. And I’m really, really horny.
Willing my cock to not get hard in the middle of a food court, I concentrate on typing back.
Me: I think I might know a solution or two. I’ll be home in about an hour.
Grinning, I slide my phone into my back pocket.
“Why are you grinning like a fool?” Dave asks, sitting down with his food.
“Because your sister wants to do me tonight.”
Scrunching up his face, he throws a ketchup package at me. “I so don’t need to know that. Part of the fucking reason I moved in with Mrs. Walsh.”
Dave followed us to Northampton shortly after we visited my parents. He made it one week in our house. Apparently, he couldn’t deal with overhearing me defiling his sister and with the fact that he had to share a bathroom with way too many people.
“Are you seriously going to propose to Frankie?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. On her graduation day two weeks from now,” I answer between bites.
“That’s fucking crazy. My little sister marrying my best friend. Sounds like some cheesy romance novel.”
“It just feels right. I can’t really explain it, man. It’s just something that’s been on my mind for a while now. I just hope she’ll say yes.”
“You know my sister, right? Of course she’ll say yes. You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t drag your ass to Las Vegas the same day.” He laughs.
“I’ve put her through a lot,” I reply. “From my disappearing act to Noah’s visit and everything in between.”
“Dude, she forgave you. Let it go. Just make sure you don’t hurt her. If you break her heart, I’ll break your bones.” Dave is still laughing, but I’ve known him long enough to know he isn’t joking. “No one blames you for the shit with your father, and the disappearing act—not the greatest move, but forgivable under the circumstances. What you do from now on though, that’s on you.”
He gives me a questioning look, his eyebrows raised.
“Got it.”
“And you better make sure she goes to grad school. No babies until then.”
Now I’m laughing. The idea of a second kid that soon is ridiculous. It’s been barely six months since I’ve been living the role of a dad. A second kid might be a bit too much to handle.
“I can agree to that.”
Dave nods approvingly before scoffing down the rest of his burger.
“Enough about Frankie and me though. What’s up with you and Viv?” I ask.
“Nothing’s up with us. She’s hot, I’d love to fuck her, but we barely have time to even chat. And she still has her fuck buddy.”
“A fuck buddy can be replaced with a newer, better model.”
“Aww, Ben, you say the sweetest things.” Dave grins. “Dude, I wouldn’t even have to think twice if she suggested it. I’ve been so busy with the move, my two jobs, and looking for the right place to open a bar, I hadn’t really had much time to think about getting any action. I haven’t gotten my dick wet since I got here. I’m lucky if I can squeeze in some porn here and there. It’s seriously not healthy anymore.”
Dave’s parents have cut off his money supply. He also had to pay them back the tuition. He still has the money from the trust fund and whatever he made in investments, but that’s for the bar he wants to open.
He’s been working evenings and nights at a bar, while his day job is at a car wash.
“I told you that you could help me out on my jobs. There is quite a bit of money in it.”
Dave shakes his head. “Man, the only wood I know anything about is morning wood. Not really helpful to your business.”
Nearly snorting my drink out through my nose, I shake my head. “Definitely not the type of wood you’d want to get close to a table saw.” The thought alone makes both of us shudder.
We continue to eat silently for a few bites, until Dave, with his mouth full, speaks up. “Can’t believe you’re proposing to Stinker. Who would’ve thought you two would ever sort your shit out? It started to feel like a never-ending story. So why’d you choose her graduation day as the day to propose?”
I think, trying to find the right words, so I don’t sound like a total sap. “She’s starting a new chapter of her life—getting her BA and starting grad school in the fall. I want her to start this chapter with me—a fresh start without all the fears, questions, and doubts of the past few months.” Yeah, that totally didn’t work out. I sounded like a complete sap. I toss the crumpled napkin onto the food trays.
“I like that idea,” he says, but then grimaces. “Damn, all that romance between you two is turning me into a pansy. I need to get laid. Hopefully once Jay gets here.”
Laughing, I waggle my eyebrows at him. “Why, is Jason gonna give you some sweet lovin’? Wasn’t aware you switched teams.”
His eyes narrow and next thing I know an empty cup is flying at my head. I manage to move aside and it misses me by half an inch, unfortunately hitting the older man sitting behind me. He turns around, scowling at us.
I give him my most apologetic look, while Dave looks sheepishly to the side.
“Sorry, sir. My friend here…” I point to Dave. “…has some anger management issues. He’s in treatment.” The old man turns back around, grumbling something about today’s youth.
“Fuck you,” Dave mouths in my direction.
“I thought that was Jason’s job,” I continue ribbing, but stop when he gears up to throw a bunch of discarded food wrappers.
Walking back to the car, he tells me about his and Jason’s plans for the bar—not for the first time. I can tell he’s really into the planning, which means something. Normally, all Dave is into is girls and their panties. Right now, it’s on him to check out all the potential locations. Once Jason gets here, they can divide the work, which will let Dave to do something besides work and sleep. Mainly, it would allow him to hook up with some chicks.
“Thanks for your help, man,” I say when we get to Dave’s car. “I’m really glad you moved here.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool having you, Frankie, and Archer around. The whole gang is awesome, too, and crashing at Mrs. Walsh’s place is a pretty sweet deal. She makes the best pancakes.”
I clap Dave on the shoulder and walk toward my truck, but turn back around.
“Since your parents are douchebags, I suppose I should ask for your blessing,” I half-joke.
“Dude, does that mean I can blackmail you now?” Dave jokes, but then turns serious as he gets in his car, starts the motor, and lowers the window.
Leaning out, he looks up at me. “I couldn’t imagine a better guy for my sister.”
I start to grin and am about to thank him, but he beats me to it to add, “Except maybe Drake.”
Before I can react, he floors it, laughing loudly and ignoring my r
aised middle finger.
Now I only need to make it through two weeks without Frankie finding the ring or thinking something is up. Because once she thinks something’s off, I’ll have no peace until she knows what’s going on. It’s time to put on my poker face.
Chapter 45
Twenty-Four Perfect Hours
Everyone is sitting around the living room as I make my way up the stairs to our room, Frankie’s wooden heart pendant in my hand. I stole it this morning from her nightstand and put the engagement ring inside.
My dad nods. “Good luck, Son.”
I nod back, but don’t say anything. The words are caught in my throat.
My parents flew in to surprise Frankie and to be here when I ask her to marry me. Now they are waiting with everyone else downstairs.
Taking two steps at a time, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. My throat is suddenly really dry and I have to swallow a couple times.
I know the chances she’ll say no are slim, but until I hear her say yes, there will always be a little doubt in my mind. The past two weeks have been nerve-racking because of that. I was nervous, but couldn’t let on because she would have noticed it within an instant. I ended up working a hell of a lot, hiding out in the shed. To my surprise, it actually worked.
I halt in front of the door, exhaling loudly before I push it open. My anxiety is immediately replaced by amusement and a hint of arousal when I see Frankie in her tight, sexy skirt, head under the bed, and ass in the air.
“Looking for something, babe?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe.
Surprised by my voice, she hits her head crawling out from underneath the bed and then slumps against it, a cute little pout on her pretty face.
She must’ve been unsuccessfully searching for her necklace, which also explains the frustrated vibes she’s sending out. Yet, when Archer climbs up on her lap, she lets him with no worry about her fancy clothes, makeup, or hair. Instead, she gives him her full attention, tickling him until he’s laughing so hard he’s gasping for air.