Nate woke up Sunday morning at seven fifteen, only to realize he couldn’t remember much of anything since he’d climbed into bed some eight hours before. The long, loaded, and exhausting day had clearly overtaken Nate’s system and he didn’t even stir when Cody, who’d begun the night dozing on the floor, jumped onto the bed and snuggled up next to him. If it wasn’t for the dog’s wet snout butting his face, Nate might have slept another few hours.
It didn’t take more than a few seconds, though, for Nate to remember the day’s dual mission: get Jennifer to marry him and convince Amy to unpack her boxes and stay in L.A. He had no idea which would be the harder sell or how either defining moment would pan out, but he was ready to rock—and didn’t plan to take no for an answer.
Nate grabbed his phone from the bedstand and was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that no overnight texts or emails had arrived from the two most important women in his life. A simple “yes” from each would have made everything so much easier, but he didn’t deserve easy—he deserved to fight. Or rather, they deserved to be fought for, given the erratic and exasperating ride he’d taken them both on. But that was over. It was time for a new beginning.
He took Cody out in the back for his morning “evacuation,” fed him breakfast (Nate tossed in a handful of blueberries, which always sent the pooch into a paroxysm of joy), and made himself a spinach and cheddar cheese omelet and a pot of extra-strong coffee to fortify him for the events to come.
Nate then took a long shower, shampooed twice, shaved carefully, and neatened his hair with a squeeze of styling product he honestly didn’t remember buying. He ironed a sky-blue short-sleeve cotton shirt of his dad’s that he’d always liked, threw on a pair of nice jeans, then traded them for pressed tan khakis, laced up his new white Pumas, and stared at himself in a full-length wall mirror. He looked like a nervous kid going on his first date with a girl he was trying to impress, which wasn’t that far from the truth.
He considered taking Cody with him to Jennifer’s but decided to go solo. He’d used the dog as a kind of buffer—and charm magnet—too many times with her and knew it was time to face the woman he loved without any distractions. Cody seemed to instinctively understand and trotted off to the kitchen for his morning nap before Nate had even reached the front door.
Nate checked his look in the foyer mirror one last time and seemed satisfied with who was staring back: someone serious, respectful, and hopeful. He grabbed his truck keys and opened the front door, but nearly hit the ceiling when he found himself facing Jennifer, who was standing there about to knock, her raised fist frozen in mid-air. It took them both a few moments to manage their shock before either could speak. Meanwhile, Cody spoke for them as he raced to the door, happily yapping and wagging at the sight of Jennifer. Who could blame him?
The two stared at each other, waiting for someone to make the next move, until Jennifer said, “Can I come in?”
Nate leaped away from the doorway and allowed her to pass, swallowing her up with his appreciative eyes: paisley-print cinched dress, low-heeled leather sandals, the turquoise necklace he’d gifted her last Valentine’s Day, her hair in a sexy upsweep. Like Nate, she had clearly put an effort into looking extra-presentable, though succeeded him by a mile because, well, just look at her.
“Would you believe I was just coming to see you?” Nate asked.
She gave him the once-over. “Is that why you’re dressed like you’re going for a job interview?”
He laughed. “So, you do believe me.”
Jennifer smiled and gingerly sat on the couch, Nate in a chair across. Cody stood in front of her, antsy for some love. She freely complied by kissing his snout and rubbing his ears with both hands. Watching, Nate felt a little guilty that he wasn’t planning to take Cody with him to Jennifer’s. He belonged with them. But did Nate and Jennifer belong with each other? It didn’t take long for Nate to find out.
“Do you still want to marry me?” she blurted out, restraint or caution be damned.
Nate wasn’t sure he’d heard right. Was it a trick question? The eager, wide-eyed look on her face said otherwise. As did the pear-shaped diamond still perched on her ring finger. It glistened in a shard of light.
“More than anything in the world,” he answered. “Do you?”
There was a long beat of silence, and Nate thought maybe he had misread her. It wouldn’t have been the first time. Then she broke into a radiant smile.
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
They sprang out of their respective seats and wrapped each other in hugs and kisses as Cody pranced wildly around them, infected by their joy. You’d think they’d just won the lottery. In a way, maybe they had. It’d just taken a little longer than expected to collect the prize.
On the flip side, you’d never think that as recently as last week they weren’t exactly speaking to each other.
Nate pulled back from Jennifer and looked squarely at her. “Why?” he asked, infusing so much purpose in that one simple word.
“Why what?” she answered, still all smiles.
“Why did you finally say yes?” They were standing nearly nose-to-nose as Cody panted at their shins.
Jennifer considered Nate’s question, feet still planted in place. “Why did you finally propose?”
“I couldn’t not.” He realized how that may have sounded given the amount of waffling he’d done for far too long. And yet, it was the first thing that came to mind; brief though it was, he decided not to qualify it.
In the movie version of Nate’s life, Jennifer might have borrowed his answer and repeated it back to him. It would have made for good dialogue and, in some respects, made perfect—and perfectly symmetrical—sense. But for all her newfound exuberance, she was still nothing if not forthright and didn’t let Nate off the hook. That is, since he asked.
Jennifer sat back on the couch, traces of her smile still flickering. “Well, number one, I love you. I always have, even when we’ve been apart. But just because you love someone doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life with that person. Or that you’re even supposed to.”
She gazed at Nate, who wasn’t sure where this was going but expected—well, hoped—it would end well. She had, after all, agreed to marry him. Jennifer studied her engagement ring for a few seconds before looking back up at Nate.
“I always felt like you and I were—are—supposed to spend our lives together. But I was never really sure how we would get there. For all that we shared, you kept so much bottled up inside that it sometimes felt like I was in love with half a person. And I’m talking way before your dad died … and everything that came after.”
Nate felt a lump form in his throat. “Oh, Jen, I’m so sorry. You know that, right? But I feel whole now—more than I ever have. And I’m going to be there for you, one hundred percent. I swear it. I’m going to tell you so much of what’s going on in this thick head of mine you’re gonna want me to shut up already.”
She smiled. “I’ll take my chances.” Then, with a knowing wink, “Oh, and thank Mira for me, would you?”
Nate beamed back at her. “Absolutely.” He paused, turning serious. “And look—I also want to hear everything you’re thinking, everything you’re feeling, everything you have to say. I want to be the best husband and partner and, hopefully, one day, dad, I can possibly be.” Nate paused, letting the lump slide down his throat and vanish. He leaned across, taking her hand; she squeezed back.
“Dad? Really?” she asked, a tear returning to her eye.
It occurred to Nate that Jennifer had agreed to marry him without being sure he still wanted kids. He was suddenly sure. “Remember Spencer, Connor, and Zelda?” he asked.
She smiled wistfully. “Let’s rethink Zelda, okay?”
Nate joined her on the couch, and they sat quietly in each other’s embrace. Jennifer looked at her fiancé.
“I may not have always understood why you’ve done certain things, but I’ve always trusted you. No matter what—and not to sound corny—you’ve always felt like home to me.”
“You are home.” Nate gestured around the living room. “If you want it to be.”
She cocked her head, raising an eyebrow. “Fine, but we need to have a serious discussion about redecorating. All due respect to the former owner.”
“Agreed!” Nate answered happily. There was so much to do, so much ahead of them. He felt a surge of optimism like never before.
Jennifer sat up, enthused. “Let’s go tell your mother, then we can tell my parents.”
His mother. Right.
Nate quickly updated Jennifer on Amy’s imminent departure. He related how he’d gone to her house to tell her about proposing to Jennifer and was met with packing boxes, apologies, and a warily anxious half-sister who had come to reclaim their mom. Nate didn’t fault Robin—or Amy, for that matter—but couldn’t have been more disappointed.
“For all I know, she may have already left,” Nate said. “Just when I was finally ready for her to stay.”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. And I’ll bet she is too.”
He told her he was planning to go see Amy one last time that morning. See if he could convince her not to move.
“Want company?” Jennifer asked with an eager smile.
“I was hoping you’d ask.”