by Mia Brown
“Better off without you? Oh no. Not at all,” I said, and I suddenly started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” He asked.
“You and me. We’re terrible. If we had just communicated with each other from the start, then none of this would’ve happened. Now I know where I get it from. We’re both as stubborn as each other.”
He laughed. “Want to know something even funnier?” he asked.
“Always.”
“Your mother and I got together based on a lie, too.”
“What? I didn’t know this. What happened?” I asked.
“I’m surprised we never told you this story, actually. It was so long ago, so I guess I’ve forgotten it until now. My parents would never have approved of her, for no other reason than because she was from a different background than us. Her family was poor, and she was just in a different social class.
That’s just how it was back then. I didn’t care though, and neither did she. We were madly in love with each other. The only thing that was standing in our way was my parents. So we lied. I gave her a different surname, and we told my parents that she was from this big, wealthy family. Just like you and Cassidy, the thing got out of control. Next minute they were planning a party to introduce her family to mine. It was a disaster.”
“So what happened?”
“Well, as you know, the truth has a way of coming out. My parents found out that the whole thing was a lie. They sat us down to give us a talk, and I was so certain that they were going to ban me from ever seeing her again. Instead, they gave me their blessing, and I discovered that they were way cooler than I had ever imagined them to be. I also realized that I hadn’t even bothered to give them a chance. Of course, they had always had these ideas of what sort of family my wife should come from, but in the end, they assured me that it didn’t really matter at all. They just wanted me to be happy.”
“Thank goodness. Without Mom I wouldn’t be here,” I said.
“Exactly. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I miss her,” I told my dad.
“Oh, I miss her every day of my life. I will never regret fighting for her all those years ago. I guess my parents knew that she made me so happy. And that’s all I want for you. I’m sorry that I made you feel any different. Cassidy is a wonderful woman, and I am sad that the whole thing wasn’t true. But, for what it’s worth, I want you to know that I will be happy with whoever you choose, as long as she makes you happy.”
I grinned. This seemed like the perfect time to tell him the big news. “Uh, Dad, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“You met someone!” he said, and gasped.
I nodded. “Yeah. I did, and I’m madly in love. I’m so in love that I’m going to ask her to marry me.” I knew from the moment that Cassidy officially became my girlfriend that I was going to ask her to marry me in no time. It just all seemed so obvious to me now in a way that it hadn’t before. Once the thought was in my head, I knew it was here to stay.
He frowned. “Marry you? But…isn’t this a bit soon?”
I laughed. “Yes and no. I’ve known her for a long time. I’ve just been an idiot until now. It’s Cassidy.”
“What? Oh my, my head is spinning. For real this time?”
I chuckled. “For real. The whole fake marriage thing sort of made us realize that we really did like each other. In fact, going to live with her actually did us a world of good. I think that was when I officially started falling in love with her. Then, after you found out that the whole thing was a lie, I stopped seeing her, and all that did was make me miss her like crazy. The whole thing has been a bit of a mess, to be honest. We were both confused about what was real and what wasn’t, and neither of us knew what the other one really thought of each other. But…in the end, we figured it out. I know it might be a bit soon, but I’ve known Cassidy for a long time, and I know that I don’t want to be with anybody else. Nobody makes me feel as happy as she does.”
My father grinned. “And you’re just saying this to make your father happy?”
I laughed. “No, I’m not. I want you to be happy, of course, but I’m telling you this because it’s the truth. What do you think?”
“I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. The town is going to go nuts when they find out that there’s a real marriage in the future for you two.”
I laughed. “I know. They’re probably not even going to believe us. Oh well, at least we’ll give them something to talk about. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned through all of this is that people love nothing more than to talk about other people.”
He chuckled. “And you’ve given them a lot to talk about.”
I smiled. “That’s sure true.”
“So, have you asked her yet?”
“No, not yet. I wanted to make sure things were right with you first. I needed everything to go back to normal.”
“Well, everything is fine with me, my boy. This has made me very happy. She’s a wonderful girl that. There’s just something about her. A genuine warmth that comes from her. She’s perfect for you.”
“I think so, too. I am going to call her parents this week and see what they say about it. They’ve been out of the loop with this whole fake marriage thing, thankfully.”
My father chuckled. “Lucky them. Well, I don’t see them having a problem with you at all. How could they? You’re the best guy in town.”
I smiled. “You’re my father; you have to say that. But I sure hope you’re right.”
“Trust me; they couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law. Also, the offer of the land and my show horses still stands, but we can discuss that once you are married. Hey, does this mean I actually get to attend a proper wedding ceremony this time?”
“Yeah, a real one,” I said, and we both laughed.
Thirty-Seven
Cassidy
My sister was acting very suspicious lately. I called her up today to ask if she wanted to come over for a girl’s day, but she told me that she had plans. When I asked her what she was doing, she couldn’t seem to come up with a real reply. I asked her why she was acting all shady, but she told me that I was just looking into it too much. I eventually just let it go, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling like something was going on.
She didn’t seem upset though, so perhaps it wasn’t bad news. Her and Jonny were always spending time together, so maybe she was engaged and was waiting for the right time to tell me, or maybe she was pregnant. Those were the only two things that I could think of, so I decided that I would just wait until she was ready to tell me.
The two of us had always been close, but after the big debacle with the fake marriage and the whole Tad thing, we’d become even closer. I had sat her down to tell her that I was more than happy to continue getting advice from her regarding my clothes and makeup as long as we dialed it down to make me feel more like myself. She’d been more than delighted by the challenge, and for the past two weeks, the two of us had gone shopping three times together.
In the end, we’d settled on some amazing but very comfortable outfits. They were better than my old clothes, but I still felt like myself in them. I didn’t want to change who I was, but I did agree that finding the best version of myself was not a bad thing. Also, when I didn’t know what to wear to feel sexy, I would just pop some overalls over my naked body and prance around the house until Houston saw me. It was still a sure way of getting his attention, and it always made me feel good about myself.
Houston had plans with his father that night, so it was just me at home alone. I figured that might not be such a bad thing. I’d gotten so used to being around people these days that it almost felt odd not to have someone around. I took a long, hot shower, and then put on a pair of my favorite pajamas. It was late afternoon and I was about to snuggle in front of the TV when I heard a knock at the door. I wrapped my gown around myself and went to see who it was. Perhaps my sister had changed her mind.
When I opened the door, I frowned. There was nobody there. I looked down and saw a note with my name on it. I looked around, then picked it up.
Put on your riding gear and meet me at the stables. Wear these too. Xxx
Inside, along with the note, was a pair of the most beautiful earrings I had ever seen. Tiny silver horses that looked almost exactly like my pendant. I squealed and ran inside to change. I put on my riding gear, popped on the beautiful earrings, and rushed out to the stables. Houston was there, already on a horse and grinning at me.
“Houston! My earrings. I love them so much.”
“I’m glad,” he said. “Come on; we’re going for a ride.”
I giggled and climbed onto the horse he had waiting for me. “This is a surprise.”
“I hope I didn’t disappoint,” he said.
“No way. I was already bored. I have no idea how I used to live alone. Life is better with you there.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Is this a spur-of-the-moment idea?”
“Oh no. This is all planned,” he said with a grin. “I thought it would be nice to take a ride and see the sun set.”
“That would be amazing. I don’t remember the last time I did something like that.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
We rode, spoke, and laughed for about an hour. Then, he stopped and pointed.
“Looks like the sun is going to set in about an hour. Let’s stop here for a while.”
We climbed off, and I realized that he had a bag with him that I hadn’t noticed before. He pulled a blanket from the bag and put it down, and then pulled out a bottle of champagne, two glasses, and some small snacks.
“Wow. You really did plan all of this,” I said as we sat down.
He smiled. “I was waiting for the perfect evening. Oh, the horse earrings look amazing,” he said as he peered closer.
“They’re amazing. Thank you.”
“Later. You. Me. Overalls. Earrings. That’s it.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re an easy man to please.”
“Champagne?”
“Yes, please. Although, it was champagne that got us in trouble in the first place,” I reminded him.
He laughed. “I know. That’s why we’re having it. If it wasn’t for all that champagne, we might not have had the guts to admit that we liked each other. Oh, and in order to recreate a bit more of that night, I have a few more bottles waiting for us when we get back.”
“You do?” I giggled. “Oh, this is gearing up to be a much better night than the one I planned. Oh, what about red wine? We ended on that, didn’t we?”
“Well, yes, and that was probably why you ended up sleeping with me. Hopefully I don’t need alcohol anymore to get you into bed.”
“Oh, you just have to look at me and I’ll climb into bed with you. I’m also very easy to please.”
“Good to know,” he said. “Good to know.”
“This is nice, Houston. Thank you. I loved our fancy dinners together, I really did. But this is all I need.”
“This is all I need, too. And I’m so grateful that you invited me to that wedding. I’m so grateful that you helped me with my tires that night all those years ago. I’m just so grateful that you took me back despite the mess I put us in. You know, I used to be afraid of marriage. I have lived alone for a long time and I never thought that I would want to live with anyone. I’ve dated before and it was always something I was concerned about. I used to go on a date, have a good time, but be so happy when I was home.”
I laughed. “I felt the same. I used to think that I would never find anyone who I would want to spend more than a few hours with. The only person I didn’t get bored with was my sister, and she said I couldn’t marry her.”
“And then we found each other,” he said.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t get sick of you.”
“I feel the same way about you. In fact, I loved living with you for those few weeks. It was probably why I kept putting off the big breakup that I was supposed to have with you for my father’s sake. I love you, Cassidy.”
Houston
I couldn’t believe what was about to happen. The time had finally come for me to propose, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I wondered if she could hear it, too. I was sure that this was the most nervous and excited I had ever been in my life. It was also the most sure I was. I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that this was what I wanted to do. The champagne was almost finished, and so were the snacks. Back home, I had organized for pizza to arrive for us to have with more champagne. I didn’t want Cassidy to lift a finger tonight. I wanted the whole evening to be about us. The sun was slowly starting to set, and with the horses milling about in the background and the big open field, it was the most wonderful way to propose. It was exactly how I wanted it to be. Nothing too big or fancy, just her and I sitting in a place we loved.
“I love you too, Houston,” she said.
“Oh, I have one more thing in the bag. Let me get it.”
“More food?” she called out. “More champagne? My answer is yes to either of those things.”
I was glad that she had no idea about the proposal. I figured I was being so obvious, but the champagne had made her slightly giddy, and she did not seem to notice my nerves. I pulled out the little box and then got down my knees. She was already sitting down, so I wasn’t looking up at her, but I looked down at her beautiful face and saw that she was crying.
“This time it really is an engagement ring,” I said. I smiled and opened it up. “Cassidy, our fake marriage was not enough. It gave me a taste of a life I could live and made me realize how much I want that. I had no idea how much I was missing out on before. You are the one that I want. I love you, Cassidy Thomas, and I would like nothing more than for you to be my wife. Cassidy, for real this time, will you marry me?”
“Yes, of course I’ll marry you,” she said as she wiped away her tears. “I would love nothing more than to be your wife. For real this time.”
I put the ring on her finger. I’d taken one of her other rings to the jewelers to make sure that the size was right, and I was pleased to see that it fit perfectly. Then I pulled her up to her knees and kissed her.
“To a lifetime of happiness, champagne, and honesty.”
“Yes, yes, yes. I can’t believe this.”
“You really had no idea?”
“None. But now I know why my sister was acting so weird today. I tried to get her to come over tonight, but she said she was busy.”
I laughed. “She knew. I needed to make sure you were home alone. I’m also glad I managed to pull this off.”
“Everything was perfect,” she said to me.
We sat down and watched the sun set, although I had to remind her to look up because she kept looking down at her ring. I knew that I didn’t have to get her jewelry to make her happy, but I was glad that it had still brought a smile to her face.
“I have pizza and champagne waiting for us when we get back,” I said to her. “We better head back before it gets too dark.”
“Pizza?”
“Yeah, I’ll place the order now if you like.”
She shook her head. “No, call for it a bit later. I want first to see what these earrings look like with my overalls. Sadly, I have no underwear to match, so I’ll just have to do without.”
I jumped up. “Okay, just how fast can these horses go? I want to find out what sex is like now that I’m engaged.”
She laughed. “I’m wondering the same thing, too. Although, we might have to try it a few times. You know, just to make extra sure. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.”
I sighed dramatically. “You’re right. What a pity. I’ve heard you have to do it at least five times before you can truly know what it’s like.”
“Five times? We better get home quickly, then.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as we got back onto the horses and headed home. I couldn’t believe that I had a
ctually done it. I was engaged. I had finally asked the woman of my dreams to marry me. Everything felt right with the world again.
I remembered a friend of mine who got married a few years ago to a woman who we all didn’t like. He proposed and then spent the next year planning the most elaborate wedding in the world. I had never seen him more stressed, and the two of them were separated within six months. I didn’t feel like that at all. Cassidy and I would not spend a year planning a wedding. We would do it soon, and we would keep it small. The wedding day was not the part I was looking forward to; it was the life I was going to lead with her. And I knew that I was lucky enough to be marrying a girl who felt the same.
Thirty-Eight
Cassidy
Houston and I decided to keep things simple. We knew that we didn’t want anything too fancy, so we got married only a month after he had proposed. The day after the proposal, we went to visit his father, and he offered his ranch as a wedding venue. This was perfect for us, and I immediately said yes. I had always wanted to celebrate my life at a ranch, a place I loved more than anything. And I knew how much it meant to Stanton to do this for us.
There was a small chapel nearby, so close it felt like it was almost at the ranch itself. Seeing Houston waiting for me at the end of the aisle was the most amazing feeling in the world. He stood with Joe, who was grinning from ear to ear. I had known Joe for about as long as I had known Houston, but the two of us had only recently become good friends. He was a great guy, and he told me that he had never seen Houston as happy as he was since he was with me. I thought that was nice of him. He also tried to chat up my sister, but she still had eyes only for Jonny. Unlike me, my sister knew exactly what she wanted, and I had a feeling their wedding was going to come around quite soon, too.