As they were leaving, Emma noticed that he looked a little sad. She didn’t say anything then because Paul and Lily were with them, but once they got home, she stepped into his room with him.
“What’s going on? You look sad,” Emma said.
“First, I’ve got a question for you. Why did Lily say you shouldn’t hurt me?”
“For the same reason I shouldn’t. You’re the nicest guy I’m ever going to find, and you love me. She was just being protective as a friend. I wasn’t at first, but I think I’m okay with you two being friends. I don’t completely trust her, but I trust you, and I can see why you two were so close. I hate to admit it, but she’s someone I wouldn’t mind being around, if she didn’t love my boyfriend. Now, what’s going on with you?”
“I wasn’t sad. I was just thinking. This was a great day for me. I got to be with you and every person I love. Plus, it was all here. I didn’t think I would ever miss home, but it’s nice to spend more time here lately.”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Relationships are give and take. I don’t know where we’ll be four years from now, but if we’re still dating, we’ll figure out where we want to live together. It might not be in Hawaii, but then again, it might.”
“You would be willing to leave?”
“I don’t know. For you, I think so. Either way, I can’t see us going our separate ways in four years. I guess what I’m trying to say is that feeling you have of home will always be a part of our lives. Home might be here or Hawaii. It might even be some other place that we make our own, but the one constant will be each other.”
“You’re perfect. Thanks. I love you. This was the best date ever.”
“I love you, too, but I don’t know about it being the best ever. I think our first date was the best one.”
“I don’t know. It was fun, but we were still figuring things out a few months ago.”
“I wasn’t talking about that date. Our first real date was when we were fourteen. I’ve loved you since then. I didn’t think things would ever work out, though, so I convinced myself we were just really good friends. I’m so glad I was wrong. You know, we could make this date rival that one, though.”
“How?”
“The perfect date can’t end with us in separate rooms.”
“You’re right. That would be a shame. What about your parents, though?”
“They’re already asleep, and I’ll sneak out in the morning. Besides, we’re adults. Even if they catch us, it’s not the end of the world. What do you think? Can I sleep in Jasper Ellis’s old bed tonight?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jasper said and kissed her.
The day had started off rocky, but it was ending right where it should. Growing up, Jasper had dreamed of Emma so many times in that bed. Now she was really beside him. Some people say dreams don’t come true, but he was living one on that night in his hometown.
Chapter 20
Happy Birthday!
Jasper enjoyed his time at home, and Sunday his dad got out of the hospital. He was fine, and they enjoyed spending time together until the end of the day. Then Emma and Jasper went home to Hawaii to get back to work. Thankfully, neither of them got fired from their jobs, so life went back to how it was before. Over the next two months, life was relaxed. Nothing really interesting happened, but in that time, they were able to get to know each other even more. Jasper had gotten to know Emma plenty over the years, but she didn’t know everything about him. By the end of those two months, she knew almost everything. Their routine was broken in March, however, by a day that Emma had been waiting for. As Jasper woke up that morning, he opened his eyes to see Emma smiling at him.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Today is a really important day,” Emma said.
“And what day might that be?”
“It’s my boyfriend’s birthday. He hasn’t said anything about it, but I remembered. You know what? It’s actually the first birthday I’ve gotten to spend with him.”
“And who is this guy?” Jasper teased.
“You know exactly who he is,” she said and kissed him.
“So what did you get me, or am I looking at my present right here?” he asked with one eyebrow raised as she pulled back.
“I didn’t cheap out. I got you something special. Here,” Emma said and reached into the nightstand drawer. She pulled out a really nice watch.
Jasper immediately put it on. It was great. Emma wasn’t so convinced, however.
“You hate it, don’t you? I knew I shouldn’t have gotten you a watch. Who wears a watch anymore? We just check the time on our phones. I’m sorry. I just . . .”
“Emma, relax. I love it,” he said and gave her a peck on the lips.
“Do you really?”
“Yeah. Anyone can check the time on their phone, but I don’t think a watch like this is just to tell time. It’s the nicest thing I’ve ever worn. It’s an accessory anyone would love to have. How much did this cost? It looks insanely expensive.”
“I can’t tell you how much it cost. That would ruin the whole thing.”
“Higher than two hundred?”
“I’m still not telling you,” Emma said while fidgeting.
“I’ll take that as a yes. More than four hundred.”
She tried to keep a straight face, but Jasper could read her like a book.
“I can’t believe you got me something that expensive!”
“I didn’t say it was over four hundred.”
“Please! I can read you.”
“Fine. Do you really want to know how much it cost, though?”
“Yeah. Your birthday’s coming up, and I had a lot of gift ideas, but this blows everything I was thinking of out of the water. I want to know if anything I had in mind was even in the same ballpark.”
“It’s not about how much a gift cost, you know.”
“I get that, but just tell me.”
“It was just under five hundred. It has a lifetime warranty, and it’s literally the best watch I could afford. I hope you love it.”
“I do. I can’t believe I’m worth that much to you, though.”
“Well, you are, but not a penny more,” Emma teased.
“I think this is incredible, but we really need to get you in some business classes next semester.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I would’ve been happy with you as my present. You didn’t need to spend that much on me.”
“I wanted to, and who says I’m still not going to be your present?”
“A watch and you? It must be my birthday or something,” Jasper said and kissed her.
As he rolled over on top of her, they heard the doorbell ring.
“Damn it. Why now of all times?” Jasper asked.
“Don’t worry. It’s probably my parents coming over. They know it’s your birthday. Let’s entertain them for a while, and then we’ll pick up where we left off. I promise,” Emma said as she got up and put on a robe.
Jasper quickly walked into his room and changed while Emma got the door. Even if everyone already knew they were sleeping together, he still didn’t think it was a great idea to walk out of her room, if it was her parents. When he came out of his room, he found that it was more than just Nathan and Sam. Sadie had come over, too.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” Jasper asked.
“Well, I came over to tell you happy birthday, and I ran into Mr. and Mrs. Grey on the way,” Sadie said.
“We know you’re away from your family, so we figured we might make a good substitute. We brought cake,” Nathan said as he set a cake down on the table.
“Great. Thank you. You guys really didn’t have to make such a big deal out of today, though. It’s just another day,” Jasper said.
“That’s ridiculous. You’re a part of our family, so March 17th is going to be a special day from now on,” Sam said.
That was good news to Jasper, and he a
ppreciated them celebrating with him, but they definitely needed to work on their timing in the future. He was just about to unwrap the only present he wanted when they came knocking. Still, that could wait. He sat down with them and talked while Emma went to change into something more suitable to the moment.
“So did we wake you two up?” Sadie asked.
“No. I hadn’t been up long, though. I slept in pretty late. I don’t know about Emma,” Jasper said.
“Right . . .” Sadie whispered.
Jasper quickly cut his eyes over to Nathan and Sam as if to say, don’t make this awkward. Sadie got the message and dropped it because it was his birthday. Normally, she would have had a little fun at his expense, but this day was really about him. Plus, she wanted the day to be good. Sadie hadn’t gotten to see Jasper much lately. He was always either studying, working, or with Emma. She was happy for him because everything seemed to finally be going his way, but it would’ve been nice to see her friend more. That was a funny thought to her. She considered him a good friend. They had come a long way from two people in a fake relationship. Jasper was someone she felt like she could count on now.
“Hey, are you all right? You look a little lost,” Jasper said.
Sadie hadn’t realized how much she was spacing out. She quickly collected herself and started chatting with the group again.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about when we first met. It’s funny how things were back then.”
“How did you two meet?” Sam asked.
Sadie told them the story. Nathan and Sam were surprised at how far Jasper had gone to be with their daughter. He had moved to Hawaii, waited on her while she dated one of the worst kind of men, gotten rid of that man, and been in a fake relationship for most of that time in an attempt to make her jealous.
“I never knew you two cooked up that scheme. I can’t believe it worked,” Nathan said.
“I can. There’s nothing like seeing the person you love with someone else to let you know what you have to lose,” Sam said.
“How do you know? I’ve never been with anyone else since we met.”
“I have an imagination, and with us, it would be different.”
“And how is that?”
“If you were with someone else, I wouldn’t be jealous. I would just hurt both of you in the worst way I could think of,” Sam said cryptically.
“Did you hear that, Jasper? I’m not that much different than my mom. You being with Sadie made me jealous, but now that we’re official, you pretty much have to be true to me or face some pretty stiff consequences,” Emma joked as she walked behind Jasper and wrapped her arms around him.
“We’re with really scary women, aren’t we?” Jasper joked to Nathan.
“You don’t know the half of it. Just wait twenty years. You’ll see,” Nathan teased.
“Hey!” Sam said and gave him a gentle push.
“Seriously, though, we didn’t come here to talk about jealousy. We came to celebrate. We were thinking we could eat some cake and then head over to the boat. What do you think?” Nathan asked.
“I think it’s a plan,” Jasper said.
They enjoyed some cake and drove over to the docks. Jasper didn’t bother inviting any more people because he figured it would be better if only the people he really cared about were there. That was exactly what he had with him. Sadie was a great friend to him, and Emma was the person he loved most in the world. Then there were his in-laws. As the boat stopped, Jasper caught himself. He had been thinking about everyone there and how great the situation was, but had he just thought of Nathan and Sam as his in-laws? Jasper always figured he would marry Emma, but wasn’t it too soon to be considering it? Was that what he was doing?
“We’re here. Are you ready to go swimming?” Emma asked as her dad stopped the boat.
“Yeah, I guess,” Jasper said and blankly stood up.
Just as he reached the edge of the boat, Emma pushed him into the ocean. In his foggy state, he never expected it. When he surfaced, Jasper looked up at Emma and grinned.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it was for walking around in a fog like something could possibly be wrong on your birthday. Take a swim, and get whatever it is off your mind. I’ll join you in a second,” she said and stepped away to talk to her mom and dad for a minute.
Meanwhile, Sadie jumped in with Jasper. She swam out beside him, and they floated alongside each other while staring up at the sky.
“I love it out here. It’s always so peaceful,” Sadie said.
“Well, it really isn’t just so you know. I mean, there are sharks and all types of things below us, so technically, this is one of the most nerve racking places on Earth.”
“Leave it to you to ruin the ocean for me. Let me ask you something on a serious note. Emma pushed you in here because you were lost in thought. What were you thinking about?”
“Marriage.”
“Wait a minute. Are you going to ask Emma to marry you?” Sadie asked very loudly.
“No, but could you say it a little louder? I don’t think her parents heard you,” Jasper said sarcastically.
“Sorry. I got a little excited for a second there. Why are you thinking about it then?”
“I didn’t mean to. I was thinking about how great it was to be out here with everyone. You’re one of my best friends, and Emma’s my girlfriend. The problem came when I thought of her parents. The word in-laws popped into my head, and I guess that’s how I think of them. That’s ridiculous, though. It’s way too soon to even be thinking about something like that, isn’t it?”
“Let me walk you through this, and you can come to your own conclusion. Emma’s gorgeous, and she loves you like no other girl has. I’m here to keep you guys company through the years, and I’m totally awesome, so that has to be a pro in asking her to marry you. You get to hang out with me for the rest of your life. Finally, there are her parents. They’re rich, and they love you. Oh, and to top it all off, they gave Emma a free house that will be part yours, if you marry her. I’m not even mentioning that their fortune would be part yours one day either.”
“I don’t care about their money.”
“I know you don’t, and I’m not saying you should. I’m just saying that you found a beautiful girl with an awesome friend and a rich family. Do you have any idea how many guys would kill to be in your position? The question isn’t if you should be thinking about marrying her. It’s when you’re going to ask.”
“I guess you’ve got a point, but it still feels too fast. Why am I taking relationship advice from you anyway? What ever happened to Brent?”
“He was nice enough, and he was kind of handsome. The guy was dumb as a rock, though. Let’s just say he’s not my type.”
“So you expect me to ask a girl to marry me based on the advice of a single girl?” he teased.
“That’s low, even for you.”
“I’m sorry, but I just want to see you happy. I know you don’t need anybody, but everyone wants to be loved. You’re great. You deserve someone who treats you that way.”
“Thanks. No guy’s ever said that to me before. Emma’s really lucky to have you. I guess I’ve just got to find the guy who’s right for me. I don’t think I’m going to find him here either.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say I’ve had the worst kinds of experiences with guys here, and my home life wasn’t much better growing up. I know you and Emma love it here, but I wouldn’t mind getting out of this place some day.”
“In that case, I do have a brother. He’s not as great as me, but I think he would treat you right. Maybe you two should meet one day. He’s my twin, so naturally he’s really handsome,” Jasper joked.
“Oh, really? Is he conceited like you?”
“He’s even worse. Seriously, though, you should meet Paul one day. He was seeing someone until a week ago, but he’s free now. My family is coming to visit in the summer. I’ll
have to introduce you guys.”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve already made up my mind. You can’t stop this now,” Jasper teased.
“Okay. I’ll bite, but I’ve made up my mind about something, too. It’s not too early for you to think about putting a ring on Emma’s finger, and if I were you, I would be doing it sooner rather than later.”
“How soon?”
“Not today, but in a few weeks. At the latest, you could wait until the summer.”
“We won’t even have been together for a year then.”
“Who are you kidding? You two have known each other your whole lives. Who cares how long you’ve been official? There’s nothing new you could learn about each other or experience together. That’s the next step, and if you’re already thinking about it, then I think you know that.”
“All right, but how would I do it?” Jasper asked before he heard a splash behind them. Emma had just jumped in.
“We’ll talk about this another day. It’s your birthday right now, so just relax,” Sadie said and swam away to give Jasper and Emma some alone time.
“Hey, are you over whatever was bothering you before?” Emma asked.
“I guess so.”
“You guess? You better be. This is a happy day.”
“Who says I wasn’t thinking happy thoughts?”
“Maybe you were. You looked pretty pained, though. What were you thinking about?”
“I don’t know. I guess what the next step for us is. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.”
“I would think that’s obvious. We live together, and we’re practically inseparable already. There’s only one thing left to do. I’m not the kind of girl who’s going to hint around at marriage, and we’re probably too young, but that’s the next step for sure. Are you actually ready for that?”
That was a good question. Was he? Jasper thought so, but he didn’t want to propose too soon. As he floated there, the answer to his problem came to him. Marriage was the next step, but he wasn’t going to ask before the summer. He would ask when his family was there to visit. That way, they could all celebrate the engagement together. For now, he needed to throw Emma off that track, though. She needed to think marriage was the last thing on his mind. Then it would be a happy surprise.
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