by TJ Thomas
“You have every right since I’m asking for your input.”
“Would it be a good career move for you?”
Jo thought over the question. “Overall I think, yes. It’s basically a lateral position but I wouldn’t have to travel as much and the pay is slightly better. Given the cost of living here versus California, it will probably feel like a nice increase.”
Rhonda studied Jo intently. “You should do what you want.”
Jo was frustrated by Rhonda’s response. She rose to put distance between them. Rhonda also stood and put her hand on Jo’s arm, to stop her from walking away. “Jo, wait.”
Jo turned back. “For how long Rhonda? I’ve been trying to wait patiently for you to believe in us. To trust we have a future together. How much longer do you want me to wait? When are you going to believe I need you? That I don’t want to live without you?”
“I just didn’t think it was my place to tell you I think you should take the job, that I want you to take the job, because it would be selfish of me. I don’t want you to miss out on anything in life because of me. I don’t want you to feel trapped or pressured by me or our relationship.”
Jo shook her head. “Don’t you get it yet? My life is more with you in it than it ever was without you. You are important to me, and I want your input on a decision that will affect both of us. You have every right in the world to give me your opinion, not only because I asked for it, but also because I need to know it.”
“Jo, tell me what you’re feeling right now.”
“I’m frustrated that you won’t believe in a future for us. I don’t know how to convince you. I have no idea how to prove to you I need you. Not just your body. I need all of you. You refuse to tell me what you want or need because you don’t want me to feel trapped or pressured, right? In case you hadn’t noticed, I want to be with you.
“I’m exactly where I want to be, and if you’d stop trying to protect me from you, we might actually get somewhere. I’m completely in love with you, and I’m afraid I won’t ever be able to make you believe it deep down inside, that you won’t ever trust me the way I need you to. I love you so much it hurts. I know you can’t have confidence in the promises I want to make to you, and it hurts because I don’t ever want to lose you. I don’t know how to make you trust I am all in and here for as long as you’ll have me. With or without this job, I want to be with you.”
“Oh, Jo.” Rhonda rushed into Jo’s arms and hugged her tightly. She buried her head in Jo’s shoulder.
Jo’s frustration started to ease as she wrapped her arms around Rhonda. Jo looked at Rhonda and her stomach dropped when she saw the tears spilling down her face. “Rhonda?”
Before she could say more, Rhonda asked, “Jo? Do you mean it? What you just said, is it true?”
Jo moved her hand to Rhonda’s cheek and wiped a tear from Rhonda’s face with her thumb. “Every word, this wasn’t how I planned to tell you, but I meant everything I said.”
Rhonda clung tightly to Jo. She swiped at her own tears. “I had no idea you felt this way.”
Jo rested her head on Rhonda’s. “Why didn’t you ask?”
“I didn’t think I had a right to.” She rushed on before Jo could respond. “I never wanted to pressure you. You’re such a kind and patient person. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to stay. I didn’t want to hold you back. I couldn’t ask that of you. I want it too much. I couldn’t ask you for promises because I need you so very badly.”
Jo lifted Rhonda’s chin with her fingers. “Rhonda, you are the only person who could ever tell when I wasn’t telling the whole truth.” Rhonda met her gaze, her eyes still damp, and Jo sighed deeply. “I love you. I am completely and totally in love with you. Nobody else has ever even come close to making me feel the way you do. I am yours, always. I want to make a life with you.”
Rhonda moved her hand to Jo’s cheek. “Jo, my beautiful sweet Jo, I love you with all my heart. I am yours, always. I want nothing more than to make a life with you.”
Jo touched her lips to Rhonda’s and kissed her passionately.
“Jo?”
“Yeah?”
“You said this wasn’t how you planned to tell me. What was your plan?”
“Well, I hadn’t worked out all the details yet, but I’m pretty sure there would have been wine and candlelight.”
“Sounds nice.”
“Are you disappointed you found out this way?”
Rhonda shook her head emphatically. “Not at all, I’m actually a little relieved it happened this way. I saw the passion in your heart. I so very much needed to see how you truly felt. You had said you loved me but I needed to see and hear the passion you just showed me. The words should have been enough, I should have trusted them, but seeing your emotion…I needed that so much.” Her face clouded again and she put voice to her last concern. “Jo, I’m twenty years older than you. What happens when I’m gone? I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Jo held Rhonda’s hands in hers. “None of us knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone years from now. We both know that more than ever, after what happened last month. I will cherish the time we have together. I will always treasure loving you and being loved by you. I want to share a life with you more than anything in the world. Whether that’s for one day or fifty years, being with you makes me happier than I’ve ever been.”
“I believe you. It’s the same for me.”
“So, I guess I’ll take the job.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
“I have another one, let’s go upstairs.”
“And the good ideas just keep coming.”
*
Jo waited outside the store until Christie and Julie arrived. “Thank you both for coming. I would appreciate your input.”
“Well, we’ve never been shy about sharing our opinions,” Christie said.
Julie looked at Jo. “Thank you for letting us, for wanting us to be a part of this.”
“I’m glad you want to be.”
They walked into the jewelry store. A woman standing behind a display case greeted them. “Feel free to look around and let me know if I can be of any assistance.”
They started to look through the display cases. There were hundreds of choices. “Jo, do you have anything in mind already?”
Jo looked over at Christie. “I’m not sure. But I want it to be special.”
Jo gazed down at the solitaires, but nothing felt right and all of them were too flashy. Jo looked over at the woman who had greeted them and made eye contact.
The woman made her way to them. “Hi, my name is Tara. Is there anything I can help you with today?”
“Hi, Tara, I hope you can. I’m looking for a ring for an extraordinary woman and wonder if you might have any suggestions.”
Tara didn’t miss a step. “Well, let’s see. What can you tell me about her?”
Jo looked briefly at Christie and Julie before answering. “She’s classy and elegant, beautiful and down-to-earth, strong and intelligent, sexy and warm-hearted.”
“That’s a good start. Does she work with her hands a lot?”
“Not so much, but I don’t think I want a stone that juts out.”
“What do you think about a band with stones, maybe emeralds?”
Jo nodded. “That might work. Can I see what you have?”
“Certainly.”
Jo followed Tara across the store. Christie and Julie went with her. Tara pulled out the tray covered in the velvet, with many bands with different stones nestled in the folds. Jo hadn’t been aware there were so many different types of rings; before today she hadn’t had any reason to look for one. Tara offered one to Jo for closer inspection, but Jo shook her head. She pointed to another one she hadn’t been able to stop looking at since she spotted it.
“Can I see that one?”
“Of course.” Tara took it out and handed it to Jo.
The band was platinum with five small emeralds
inlaid, each separated by a diamond. As Jo looked at the ring in her hand, it felt right. But she felt this decision was too important for her to rely solely on her own instincts, which was why she brought along reinforcements. She showed the ring to Julie and Christie. “What do you two think?”
Christie looked closely at the ring. “Jo, it’s beautiful. I think it’s perfect.”
Jo looked over to Julie. Julie looked from the ring to Jo. “I think Mom will love it. It’s exactly right.”
Jo turned back to Tara. “This is the one.”
“Wonderful. Do you know what size she is?”
“Um,” Jo started to say she didn’t.
Christie jumped in. “She’s a size five. Jo, Mom’s a size five.”
Jo looked at Christie gratefully.
“Would you like me to polish this before I put it in a box for you?”
“That would be great, thank you.”
As Tara moved off to prepare the ring, Jo turned to Julie and Christie. “Thank you both so much for coming.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” said Julie.
“So, things are coming together better than planned. You won’t say anything, will you?”
Christie answered for both of them. “Of course not. We wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. Just let us know what we can do.”
“Thanks, I will. Listen, I can handle things from here. Can the two of you do lunch on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, to discuss details?”
“Of course.”
“Sure.”
“You two are awesome, thank you.” Jo hugged them and said good-bye. Christie and Julie left the store and walked toward their cars.
Just then Tara brought out the box and Jo walked over to her. She opened it to show Jo the newly polished ring. “This is great Tara, thank you. I wonder if I could trouble you to show me one more thing while I’m here.”
“Certainly, what would you like to see?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Rhonda had baked for two days. Pies and cakes lined the windowsills. She woke early to get the turkey started. Then she brought coffee up to the bedroom and climbed back into bed with Jo. She had so much to be thankful for this year. She was in love, and Jo loved her too. Her family was happy and healthy; life was good. She cuddled next to Jo.
Jo snuggled in. “Hmmm, good morning, beautiful.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, my love.”
“Happy Thanksgiving. I smell coffee. Were you already up?”
“Yes, I prepped the turkey so it isn’t in the way as everything else is being prepared.”
As Jo sat up, Rhonda handed her a cup. “Thank you. Are you excited to have everyone over today?”
“Very, it should be fun.”
As Jo sipped her coffee, she casually ran her hand down Rhonda’s back. “Yes, it should. How do you see today going?”
“Well, I expect Barbara, Julie, Christie, and I will be in the kitchen for a good part of the day. We have a tradition of preparing dinner together. I imagine Amy will join us. You’re welcome to help in there if you want, but I suspect you’d rather hang out with everyone else, watching football or playing with the kids.”
“You know me well, but if you need help with anything you’ll ask?”
“Sure. There is this one thing I need right now.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“You.”
*
Controlled chaos was the only term for it, Jo thought. Those in the kitchen appeared to be performing a scripted dance. Each woman knew when she needed to move and where she needed to be. Every flat surface was covered with food or the ingredients for something being made. Jo shook her head. It looked like everyone knew what needed to be done. She didn’t need to understand it. She went in to say a quick hello and wrapped Rhonda in a warm hug. As she left, she grabbed a tray of appetizers and took it to the group watching the game.
The house was full of people. In addition to the gang working in the kitchen, there was a group watching the game, the kids were out back playing with Kona, and there were a couple of quiet conversations going on in various rooms of the house. Jo found herself wandering between the groups, chatting with everyone and offering appetizers around. She could not remember having a better Thanksgiving.
The women in the kitchen were enjoying one another. Soon after Jo left the room, Barbara turned to Rhonda. “Rhonda, you two seem good, but things feel different between you two since a few weeks ago.”
“Everything has changed. It started after the accident, but last week Jo and I figured it out. She was frustrated with me because I was tiptoeing around and wouldn’t tell her what I thought about a decision she needed to make, because I didn’t want to make her do anything she didn’t want to do. We finally had it out. We eventually admitted we want to spend our lives together. With the way it all came out, there was no way I could doubt anymore. “It’s the most wonderful feeling.”
*
The following day, when Jo arrived to lunch, Amy, Barbara, Julie, and Christie were already seated. Mike soon joined them. After everyone had drinks, Jo said, “This is completely insane, isn’t it?”
Christie reached across the table and laid her hand on Jo’s. She nodded. “Completely.”
Julie joined in. “And totally wonderful.”
Barbara said. “It’s also exactly right.”
Mike shook his head. “I still can’t believe how quickly this all came together. That’s the insane part.”
Jo blew out a relieved breath. “Thank you all for that and for being here to help.” Then Jo got down to business and went over the plan with all of them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
One Sunday morning in early December, as the first rays of the late fall sun lit the room, Rhonda stretched leisurely. Her gaze fell on Jo’s gorgeous face. “Hi, love.”
Jo leaned over and kissed Rhonda tenderly. “Good morning, darling.”
“What were you lying there thinking?”
Jo shrugged. “Just thinking about how happy I am.”
Rhonda wrapped her arm around Jo’s waist, threw her leg over Jo’s, and moved so their bodies were connected everywhere. “Hmmm, tell me.”
“It’s still hard to believe, sometimes, how well things turned out. I’m so glad we took the chance on exploring the connection between us. I have never been so content and delightfully happy.”
“I feel the same way. We’re so lucky.”
“It’s true.”
Jo lazily traced Rhonda’s face and her arm, bending down for another lingering kiss as she ran her hand down Rhonda’s body. Jo didn’t rush. She savored making love with Rhonda.
Later, tangled in one another’s arms, Rhonda’s head on her shoulder, Jo said, “Why don’t we go to brunch this morning?”
“Okay, sounds great.”
“I have to run a couple quick errands this morning. I should be back around eleven. We can go then, if that works for you.”
“That will work well. I can take a nice long bath and finish easing into the day.”
“Now, that sounds like a plan.”
Rhonda was ready when Jo came home at eleven. Jo opened the door of her brand new Volvo SUV for Rhonda. Jo stopped her for a smoldering kiss before she climbed into the truck.
*
Rhonda hadn’t bothered to ask where Jo was taking her, so she was pleasantly surprised when she pulled up to the Lord Jeffery Inn. Jo turned to her. “I thought it would be nice to come back to where it all started.”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
Rhonda and Jo were quickly shown to the table, where champagne was already on ice.
“Oh, Jo, this is wonderful.”
“I called ahead. I wanted this to be special.”
“Being with you is special.”
“I feel the same way.” Jo reached across the table and took Rhonda’s hand in hers. “I love you with all my heart and I want to spend every day of the rest of our lives loving you.” Without
letting go of Rhonda’s hand, Jo stood up and then knelt on one knee.
Rhonda opened her mouth in shock.
“Rhonda, would you make me the happiest woman in the world and marry me?” As Jo talked, she slid her free hand into her pocket and pulled out the ring she had picked out with Julie and Christie. She held it up, looking intently at Rhonda.
Rhonda was stunned and couldn’t utter a single word. She looked from Jo to the ring, and back to Jo. Her eyes filled with tears. Finally, she stood and pulled Jo up with her. “Yes, Jo, of course I’ll marry you. I love you with all I am.”
Jo slipped the ring onto Rhonda’s finger. It fit perfectly. She leaned down and kissed Rhonda tenderly. The other patrons in the restaurant broke into applause around them.
Finally, Jo lifted her head. “Rhonda, my love, would you marry me today?”
“Jo, I would marry you today, tomorrow, any day.”
“Great, let’s do it.”
Rhonda looked at Jo, comprehension dawning. “Wait, you want to get married today? We can’t possibly.”
“We can if you say yes.”
“Jo, sweetheart, what have you done?”
“You can find out if you say yes.” Jo paused. “Please say yes.”
“Yes, Jo, I would love to marry you today.”
Jo whispered, “Thank goodness,” before capturing Rhonda’s lips again.
Jo grabbed Rhonda’s hand and the champagne bottle and walked out of the restaurant. “Where are you taking me?” Rhonda asked.
“You’ll see.”
Jo took her hand and quickly led her to one of the suites. Rhonda had no idea what she expected to find when Jo slid the key card into the lock, but it certainly was not what waited for her. Her entire family was there, her children and their partners, her grandchildren, Barbara, Bill and Sharon, and Jo’s mom and stepfather. Jo held up the hand she had slid the ring on mere minutes before. “She said yes. We’re on.”
There were shouts, cheers, and clapping. Rhonda was overwhelmed and overjoyed. Everyone made their way over to the happy couple for congratulations. When Patty and John reached them, Jo’s mom gave Rhonda a long hug and whispered, “Thank you for making my girl so happy.”