Page 65 of New River Gorge(ous)
“Yeah, but I have pink hair,” I whisper.
Beck leans down toward my ear. “I don’t think that’s genetic.”
In spite of everything—the heaviness of what I’ve been dealing with regarding Meemaw’s declining health, the fact thatBeck’s mother just appeared and attempted to bully me and him out of a relationship, and that Beck found me crying in a storage shed before work,andthat I am at work—laughter bubbles up.
Beck smiles and pulls me in for a hug. He leans his cheek against my head, and I allow myself to rest in the certainty that this man is unlike any other I’ve met. This man is the one. It’s a strange fact of the heart, but just like you can’t see the air you breathe, youknowit’s there. I can’t see the love I’m feeling, but Iknowit’s real.
Maybe it’s a primal instinct, maybe it’s years of awful casual dates that I had hoped would turn into a serious relationship, but now that I’m wrapped in the strong arms of a man who loves me without a shadow of a doubt, there’s nothing else for me to say except to whisper the words he hasn’t heard from me yet.
“I love you too.”
36
Beck
I am used to women demanding things from me. Brookedoesn’t. I was used to Addie talking about how much she loved the status of me being a doctor. Brooke doesn’t seem to care that my job has a level of prestige. Over time, I tuned out Addie’s determination to look down on people. I’m embarrassed that I overlooked so much because of her physical beauty. And yet, Brooke’s beautiful too. I see in subtle cues that she doesn’t think she’s equal to Addie. I can also see that Brooke has a confidence that allows her to brush self-doubts aside. The fact that she struggles a little with comparing herself to Addie shows me that shecares. And the fact that she laughed at my joke about pink hair shows me that she will face struggles and trials with humor. Laughing about things is something that Addie and I did at first, but as time went on, laughter became more and more sparse, until we never laughed about anything.
When Brooke whispered “I love you too” to me, I was ready to drop to my knees and propose to her.
I did not, because I am not insane, and I understand that we need more time to date. But after years of suffocating my feelings under a blanket of work, now that they are breathing again, the feelings are determined to make the most of every situation. It’s YOLO,carpe diem, andveni, vidi, viciall at once.
Brooke went to go do her actual job, and I climbed into my car to drive back home. There is an important conversation with June that I need to have.
I park my truck in the driveway. Addie’s needling me about buying a vehicle more befitting a doctor prickles under my skin because, for the first time in the better part of a decade, I find myself honestly considering buying a new truck. Not because Brooke has ever said anything, but because she hasn’t even batted an eye at this old vehicle, and I am in need of an upgrade.
When I knock on June’s door, she answers immediately. Her surgery recovery is going well, and she can move with just a walking boot now.
“Beckett,” she says with a toothy grin.
“Miss June,” I reply, swiping my ball cap off my head and holding it in my hands. “May I come in?”
“I never say no to a neighborly visit.” The glint in her eye makes me think she knows what I’m up to, but there’s no way she does. “Come on in and sit yourself down.”
I toe off my shoes before I cross to the faded floral couch. June’s walking boot thumps as she returns from the kitchen with a glass of lemonade.
“Brooke made it,” she says as she sets a blue glass on a coaster.
I smile in appreciation and because the mention of Brooke makes me smile. For so long, the very name of women elicited a frown, but now I’m smiling.Who even am I?
“Thank you.” I take a sip. “Miss June…” Nerves tighten my throat.
“Yes?”
“I want to ask Brooke to marry me.”
“Isn’t it a little soon for that?”
“Yes, probably too soon,” I say. “But I can’t deny it.” I scratch my chin. “Do you happen to know what Brooke’s ring size is?”
June cackles. “No one knows their ring size off the top of their head, but I suspect I can help you out.”
“Addie did,” I mumble, the memories of the last time I went ring shopping fighting their way back into my consciousness. To be fair, Addie also knew all the ‘c’s’ that go with ring shopping and had specific expectations about what I could purchase for her. She was most concerned with the ‘c’ for carat, and nothing less than two would do. It was agonizing to know I was expected to get it just right, surprise her, and somehow still meet her high demands and expectations.
I shake my head and reach out to pat June’s hand. “About Brooke, I … I want to talk to her family. And I was hoping you’d share their contact information with me.”
She smiles. “I think that’s a lovely idea, young man.”
I have to give June credit, this is by far the most normal interaction I’ve ever had with her.
