by M. E. Nesser
“Oh, we both are completely invested in our education. I just feel this intense desire to make our relationship more permanent, and I don’t want to wait. If I wait until school ends, I’d have to wait another year and a half, and I can’t wait that long.”
They both stared at me and didn’t say anything right away. That made me a little nervous. I waited impatiently until they said something. It was my mother who broke the silence. “When your dad and I met, I wanted to be with him every minute of every day. I hated being away from him. I couldn’t wait to get married and make our relationship permanent. You know, Chad, you’ve always had a good head on your shoulders, and if you feel this way, then I fully support your decision.”
My father didn’t say anything right away. I was actually holding my breath until he said something.
“As do I, son. When do you plan to propose?” my father asked me.
“Not until I get her father’s blessing. That will cement my decision. They weren’t thrilled about her last boyfriend, and I need to know they are accepting of me fully and without reservation.”
My mother seemed pleased. “That is the most sensible way to do this. Let us know how it goes,” she said.
“I will. For now I think I’ll crash. I’m pretty tired. See you in the morning,” I said to them. I kissed them both good night and went to bed.
When I entered the room, Emily was sound asleep. I stripped down to my boxers and crawled in bed next to her. I wrapped my arm around her and heard her sigh.
“Go back to sleep, angel. I’ll be right here when you wake up,” I assured her. I nestled my body close to hers and fell instantly asleep. The last thing I thought of was how I was going to propose.
The rest of the trip was a lot of fun. We hiked, walked the beach, went on a wine tour, and even rode horses. Nora joined us everywhere we went. At one point she whispered in my ear and asked me when I was going to ask Emily to marry me. I assured her it was going to happen sooner rather than later. She was squealing with delight, and I had a hard time getting her to be quiet about the plan.
Emily and I flew home on Sunday night, so we would be ready for classes on Monday. I wanted to figure out the best time to meet with Ian, so I called him on Monday morning. “Good morning, Ian. This is Chad Baldwin. I was wondering if you have any free time after four this week to meet. I need to talk to you about something.”
“Of course. I could meet you at the bar at Pane Vino’s tonight at five thirty, if that works,” he said.
“That would be great. I’ll see you tonight,” I said.
I had a difficult time concentrating the rest of the day. Emily even asked me what was up. I made an excuse about how the time change messed me up and made me feel tired. She said she felt tired as well. She wanted to meet for dinner after our last class, but I told her I had a meeting with a professor, and I would meet her later. Little did she know the professor I was referring to was her dad.
I walked into Pane Vino with a huge knot in my stomach. What if he disapproved? It hadn’t crossed my mind until I was taking the taxi to the restaurant. Ian was already at the bar talking to his brother when I arrived. “Ian, Todd.” I shook both of their hands and sat next to Ian.
“What’ll you have?” he asked politely.
“Maker’s Mark neat,” I told him.
“Oh, this sounds serious,” Todd commented in a fun-loving way.
I felt even more uneasy with both brothers there. “It is serious, Todd. I know you’re an important part of Emily’s life, so if you’d like to stay for this conversation, that would be fine with me.”
Todd looked surprised. So did Ian. “OK, I’ll stay. I may have daughters of my own, but I’ve always had a special place in my heart for my godchild. Spit it out. What’s on your mind?” he asked.
“Ian, I love your daughter more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I know we’ve known each other only a few months, but I want to ask her to marry me. With your permission, of course.”
Todd looked even more surprised than Ian. “Damn, boy. You don’t waste any time. What’s the hurry?” he asked. Ian still hadn’t said anything.
“I can’t explain it. I hate going a day without seeing her. I think about her constantly. I feel complete when I’m with her and a little empty when we’re apart. For some inexplicable reason, I need to make it permanent. I never saw this happening so quickly, but I’ve never loved anyone like I love her. I’ve already discussed it with my parents, and they’ve given me their approval provided I get your consent. I know I’m rambling. Can you understand? I can’t imagine my life without her.”
That was when Ian finally showed some emotion. He started to laugh. “Yes, son. I completely understand. That is exactly the way I felt when I met Katharine. But why now? You still have a lot of school left.”
“Ian, I can’t wait until we graduate. It’s too far away. We still have a year and a half before we finish. I love her too much to wait that long. If you’re concerned about how I’ll support her, you don’t have to. I have a trust fund I got from my great-aunt to help me financially while I’m in law school. My mom gave me my grandmother’s ring yesterday to give to Emily. My parents trust my judgment and support my intentions. All I need is your permission.” I sat quietly, trying to gage his reaction. He wasn’t easy to read.
“You know, I always dreaded the day that imbecile Martin asked for permission to marry my daughter. I didn’t know what I would say. I didn’t like him, and I prayed she’d come to her senses before he took it that far. Now I think she has. You are a very nice young man, Chad. My daughter is happier than she has ever been in her life. I fully support this union. I understand your need to make it official. Let’s toast to my future son-in-law!” he said enthusiastically.
Holy crap, I hadn’t expected such a welcoming reaction. Within moments Todd was standing behind the bar pouring three shots. When I looked at him, he had tears in his eyes. “To family,” he said as we all held up shots of tequila.
“To family,” Ian and I said in unison.
We finished our shots, and Ian looked at me pensively. “When is this proposal going to take place?” he asked me.
“I haven’t worked out the logistics yet. I want it to be memorable. I’m taking suggestions.”
Ian looked at me for a minute. “You know, Chad, every proposal is unique. It depends on the relationship of the two people involved. You’ll figure something out.”
“OK, gentlemen, let me go in the back and whip up something to eat. We need to celebrate!”
The three of us sat at a corner table and enjoyed a meal together. We laughed and talked for almost two hours. It was better than I ever could have imagined. Now I had to figure out how I was going to ask the girl of my dreams to marry me.
As Todd called me a taxi, my phone rang. It was Emily. I didn’t want her to know I was with her dad. I didn’t answer the call, but I did send her a text.
“Just finishing. Can I come over in a little bit?”
“You better! I refuse to sleep alone. Hurry.”
“On my way.”
40
Emily
While I waited for Chad, I crawled into bed to read. There was so much reading to do in law school; it was complete overload. There were so many times that the words got blurry or I’d fall sound asleep midsentence. That was what happened that night. I was asleep about ten pages into my corporate-law reading.
I must have been dreaming about Chad. His naked body was flush to mine. He smelled of masculinity and of sex. I could feel him touching me between my legs as he kissed me. I felt myself getting aroused.
He had such a profound effect on my body. My heart began to race, and my breathing became more labored. Part of his hand massaged my clit as two of his fingers probed the inside of my body with such expertise. I’d never had such explicit dreams before I met him. He sucked on my neck and my ears. His breath fueled my desire. I knew I needed to find my release. The feeling was too good to waste.
As my orgasm started, I heard his voice. “Let go, angel. You are so beautiful.”
Maybe I wasn’t dreaming. This was even better. Chad crawled on top of me and replaced his fingers with his penis. Oh, this was so much better. I couldn’t speak. There was a part of me that still felt like I was dreaming, and I knew I’d never want to wake up from this marvelous feeling.
“Feel good, angel?” he asked me.
I couldn’t respond. I moaned something incoherently. Chad began to make love to me slowly and lovingly. His body completely and thoroughly melted into mine. I was a bundle of nerves and sensations. It was heavenly. He found my mouth and made love to that part of me as well. I knew I wanted to be woken up like this more often. God, I loved this man.
When we were both spent, he rolled off of me and pulled me into his arms. “I love you,” he murmured dreamily.
“Love you so much,” I murmured back. Yes, this was heaven.
We had to buckle down and focus on our studies the next few weeks. Since neither of us could stand being apart, I asked my dad if it was OK for Chad to move in. He was surprisingly supportive. Chad had a lease on his apartment, but the landlord said he could sublet it if he found someone. He found another law student in less than a week. We were happy he wasn’t going to be stuck paying rent on a place he wasn’t living in anymore.
Fortunately we would have almost two weeks over Christmas to spend together with no schoolwork. I was ready for this round of exams to be over and to have a break. We spent an exorbitant amount of time in the library. Law school was no joke.
Things were great between us. We fell into a very easy pattern. I could feel myself falling more in love with him every day. He was considerate, intellectual, passionate, and fun. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect boyfriend.
Chad told me he wanted to go to the obstacle course after our last exam to blow off some steam. We had been there a few times over the semester and always had so much fun. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to scale up walls and army crawl under low-bearing ropes. We hadn’t worked out as often over the past few weeks because there weren’t enough hours in the day. But working out was something we really enjoyed doing together, and it sounded like a perfect way to end the semester.
After the last exam, we went home to grab a bite to eat and change into workout clothes. We talked about taking a cab to the facility but agreed the thirty-minute walk would do us some good. During the walk we talked about the exam we had just taken. We were both doing great in school. It was so convenient having a constant study partner living with me.
“I’m excited to have you all to myself for the next couple of weeks, without schoolwork hanging over our heads,” Chad said enthusiastically.
He looked so happy. It was infectious. “I feel the same way. First order of business is to kick your ass on the obstacle course!”
We definitely had a lot of pent-up energy. We crawled, climbed, and scurried our way through every station. One minute I’d be ahead. Next, he would be in front of me. Occasionally he’d give me a kiss or pinch my ass. We laughed continually and didn’t pay any attention to anyone else there.
The final obstacle had us climb up a thirty-foot rock-climbing wall, swing on a Tarzan rope to the top of a slide, then slide down onto some cushy gymnastics mats. We slid down the slide together, and we landed in a tangled heap, laughing. We were sweaty and breathing heavily and laughing like schoolchildren.
Suddenly Chad grabbed me and gave me a solid kiss. I kissed him back, still laughing.
“Marry me,” he said. I stopped laughing and just stared at him. I couldn’t speak.
“I love you. Will you marry me?” he asked again.
Holy crap, where had this come from? I loved him, but marriage?
Chad seemed uncomfortable when I didn’t answer. He reached into his pocket and took out a beautiful ring. It looked like an antique. We were still lying on the mat at the bottom of the slide. “It was my grandmother’s,” he said seriously. He presented the ring to me, and I looked at it. It was magnificent. It had a large sapphire in the middle and two large diamonds on each side of it. It was obvious it was an older ring. It was, by far, one of the most beautiful rings I had ever seen. I was afraid to touch it. I just stared at it so I didn’t have to look at him.
Chad gently grabbed my chin and lifted my face so I was forced to look at him. “Emily, please answer me. I love you so much. Will you marry me?”
I looked at him with tears in my eyes and said, “No, I’m so sorry Chad. I can’t.”
The End
