Page 123 of I Could Never
What the hell is going on?
He pointed over to the dog. “I think Bubba-Hank wants a neck rub. You know, right under his collar. Why don’t you give it to him?”
Squinting skeptically, I began to massage our goldendoodle’s neck. The dog closed his eyes, seeming to be in heaven.
Then I got a closer look at the shiny ID tag hanging from his collar. I hadn’t noticed what was actuallywrittenon it. Engraved on the tag was a message:Will you marry us?
My mouth fell open as I looked over at Josh. The next thing I knew, he was on his knees in front of me.
My hands shook. “I must be blind.”
“I couldn’t wait another second, Pumpkin. I walked in the house so damn nervous, and nearly an hour went by, and you still hadn’t noticed it.” He opened a small, red ring box, his hands shaking. “Carly, I know we talked about marriage and said it wasn’t something we had to have, but Iwantyou to be my wife. Iwantyou to take my last name. Maybe I’m just selfish that way.” He removed the ring from the box and held it out, taking a long, deep breath. “I lost my best friend when Brad died. He knew I needed a new best friend. I now believe that’s whyhesent me you. I’m so damn grateful every day for where life has taken me, but especially for what it’s brought me.” Josh slipped the ring onto my finger. “I hope you say yes.”
My mouth hung open. I finally found the words. “Yes!” I wrapped my arms around him. “A million times, yes, Josh Mathers.”
He squeezed me tightly, and I could feel his heart beating against mine.Wow.He was really nervous. When he let me go, he turned to Scottie. “We’re getting married, buddy! Are you excited?”
Scottie stared at him blankly, then pressed the icon on his device.“I want to take a bath.”
Josh slapped his leg playfully. “Thank you for sharing our joy, man.” He turned back to me. “Do you like the ring? I was afraid maybe it was too unconventional.”
“I love it,” I answered, looking down at the ornate design. I’d never seen anything like it. The center stone was an elongated, hexagon-shaped diamond, flanked by two smaller diamonds of the same cut.
“It’s different than the one Brad bought you,” he said. “I didn’t want to upstage that in any way. He gave you a big, round stone—centered and perfect, just like he was. This ring…well, I guess, it’s probably not something you were expecting. More like me. Rough around the edges.”
“That’s exactly right. Unexpected and nothing I’d ever imagined—something I never knew I needed so badly. That’s what you are, Josh. And that’s why this ring is perfect.” I looked up at him again. “I love it so much. And I loveyou. You’ve made me the happiest woman alive today.”
“You swear on Bubba-Hank?”
I leaned over to hug our goofy dog. “I swear on Bubba-Hank.”
Josh stood from his kneeling position, and Bubba-Hank immediately began humping his leg. Josh ignored him, still smiling down at me with a look of pure love in his eyes.
This man was the last person I’d ever dreamed would love me like this. How lucky was I to be loved bytwogreat men in my lifetime?
“I thought my life was over when Brad died,” I told him, rubbing his stubble. “I never saw you coming.”
Josh winked. “Now you get to see me coming for the rest of your life.”
I once heard a saying that family is the greatest wealth you will ever possess. Having no sense of family at the time, I didn’t understand it. Sure, our family was unconventional. My future husband was once my sworn enemy. Our dog liked to hump him. And our baby weighed two-hundred pounds.
There’s no white-picket fence or manicured lawn here. Nothing is perfect, andeverythingis chaotic. But there’s a whole lot of love. And if family is the greatest wealth you could ever possess? Well, then I’m rich.