Chapter 7

7

CHLOE

Are you up for dinner tonight?

Please tell me that is code for something dirty…

Hahaha – no, my queen.

You know me.

I do know you – sad sigh.

Chloe, we've talked about this – and it's just dinner. I thought I'd invite my parents over.

"Oh gee… can we?" she muttered under her breath, wondering if they said something or if they were trying to come into their little world once more to find something wrong. She really did like his parents, but she always felt like they were always judging her or looking for her to make some mistake. "They're his parents, and I' m sure it will be the same for J.J. when mine come visit next month…"

Great! Sounds good.

Perfect.

Mom wanted a roast, and I happened to have one from an order that never picked up. Mr. Murray and I split it – at cost – and I've got quite a freezer full of deer meat now.

Chloe rolled her eyes, feeling ungrateful. Sometimes deer meat had a weird gamey taste to it but she would never say that to J.J. because he worked so hard prepping it. If she didn't know, then maybe it wouldn't make a difference, and it wasn't like his job bothered her. She'd seen him at the butcher shop a few times, popping in to surprise him. It was just sometimes a girl wants some fattening pasta, you know?

That sounds divine.

Maybe we can do spaghetti or something next week?

Will do. See you about six?

You betcha, honey!

Putting away her cell phone, Chloe focused on the video program before her, discussing the next series of flights and practice exercises that she would be participating in. Being here in Alaska gave her a chance to see the world from a different point of view. No one would understand just how beautiful and wild this part of the country was. She saw the glacier off in the distance, the way the fog clung to the ocean in the early morning, the ships off the coast. It was a different life – and surprisingly, she discovered that she didn't miss her old one. Sure, she missed her parents and her family, but she had found a home here and couldn't wait to show them next month.

Getting off work, Chloe went and changed into something more appropriate than her coveralls if his parents were coming over for dinner. If they were going to be looking for something, she wanted them to see her as a potential spouse for their son, not some tomboy who liked to play with airplanes.

Donning a dress that would be completely impractical in two months, she smiled at her reflection. J.J. always said she looked like an angel in white and this dress was a fluttery spring concoction with little faded shadows of flowers dropped all over it in a random pattern. There on her collarbone was the mistletoe charm he'd given her, starting them down this entire path. That was when she realized things were changing and that he was looking at her differently… and she was responding in kind.

Things had changed and it was a beautiful, smooth transition between them into the unthinkable , the impossible , the improbable , she mused with a chuckle, turning to grab her purse.

"Undeniable," Chloe whispered aloud, walking toward J.J.'s truck. He had insisted she use it to get around town because the butcher shop wasn't too far from his house. Things would be different when the snow fell, but for now, he insisted because it was a ‘nice walk in the mornings' – and she wasn't about to argue.

On my way – do you need anything from the store?

Nope. Just you.

??

She smiled at her phone, seeing the little red heart texted from him. J.J. really was the sweetest man, always so patient and kind toward her. Maybe she would just drag him to the justice of the peace one of these days, and both of their families could just get over their problems. His parents seemed to be a little more accepting, while her parents didn't want to discuss it over the phone. They had changed subjects repeatedly, turning toward her career, mentioning the base nearer to them, or talking about anything else when she called.

Not ten minutes later, Chloe pulled up at J.J.'s house… and hesitated. There were two cars parked on the street, one with paper plates. As she looked at the front door, she saw J.J. standing there, smiling at her. Turning off the truck, she climbed out.

"Hey," she began curiously. "Did your parents get a new car or…"

And froze.

Chloe met J.J.'s gaze once more as her hand moved to cover her mouth in shock, spotting her mother standing behind him. She heard his knowing laugh as he stepped aside, holding out his hand to keep the screen door from slamming into them, allowing her mother to walk past him.

"Mama?" she asked tearfully.

"Hey baby…" her mother responded – only to see her father appear in the doorway, clapping a hand on J.J.'s shoulder and nodding at him… almost approvingly .

What was going on?

"Oh my gosh… Daddy?"

She was trembling as her parents were suddenly there, surrounding her and hugging her tightly as tears streaked down her face. It had been over a year since she'd seen them, and their phone calls had been so stilted sometimes. She kept talking about her relationship; they kept retreating, yet to see them here… now… with the man she loved, it was almost too much to handle.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, almost in shock.

"Of course we are," her mother whispered tearfully, kissing her on each cheek tenderly. "You'll always be our little munchkin."

"No matter how big you get – or what kind of warped decisions you make," her father chuckled emotionally, hugging her tightly before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "You know you could do so much better than that Post-kid…"

"Daaaaddy…" she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"But he's all right," her father interrupted, causing her to hesitate as she looked at him. "Don't make me get all mushy or turn into some suck-up. Let's just say that the boy might be within range of being good enough for my daughter someday."

"You like him," she gasped, stunned.

"Hush."

"You really do… what changed?"

"Him."

Her father's eyes held hers as he nodded simply before hugging her again. Her mother laughed tearfully, hugging the two of them once more only to hear another voice nearby.

"You wanna bring the reunion inside? "

Startled, Chloe drew back, hesitating, and looked at J.J.'s father, Jamie, who was standing there beside her parents. "C'mon King, I think I owe you a beer or something."

"I don't drink, but I'll take the ‘or something'…" her father chuckled, clasping the other man's hand as he released Chloe, looking at her. "Are you hungry? I'm starving, and your boy can cook."

"Oh, I know," Chloe began, unsure where all of this was coming from as she spotted Lucy, J.J.'s mother, walking over to loop arms with her mother, pulling her into the house, their heads ducked together… like a couple of old buddies.

J.J. was standing there on the porch, his arms crossed over his chest, watching her. Chloe was left there, alone in the yard, looking at the man she loved in complete confusion.

"Am I in the Twilight Zone?"

"Not at all," J.J. chuckled, walking to her side. "We just had a very long talk about a few things – and what the future was going to look like."

"And suddenly, everything is okay? My mother and your mother are acting like besties? Our dads are having a drink together? You know how crazy this sounds, right? They barely talked at any of the Christmas gatherings but had enough of a ‘peace' between them to be in the same room," she blurted out, pointing at the house. "Those are four of the grudgiest people I've ever met – and I say that with complete love. My dad is the king of grudge— the McGrudgeon, if you will."

"Chloe," he laughed, hugging her. "He's not so bad. He just wants to protect his baby girl."

"He's awful when it comes to you."

"And I told him that if he wanted to be around to bounce a grandbaby on his knee, he was going to have to get past whatever he was hanging onto because it was ridiculous to hold you and me accountable for something long ago."

"Grand… baby?" she whispered tearfully, realizing that he was not only talking about them getting married but having children and a family someday.

"And then I told him that we'd love to have them spoil any child we had…" he whispered softly, sinking down on one knee before her. "Because it's true. I would love to know that your dad has a soft spot for his grandchild that rivals the one he has for his own daughter. If your dad could love you more than life itself, then maybe he could find it in his heart to accept a blend of the two of us."

"Oh, J.J.," she breathed tearfully as he held out a velvet box to her – and frowned.

"Now, he said that any kid of ours needed to resemble you , not me, so that kinda hurt my feelings, but…"

Chloe laughed, imagining just how blunt and coarse her dad could be. She looked at J.J. before her, realizing that he was looking up at her, waiting. Glancing up, she saw all four faces peering out the screen door, waiting on her.

"I've only assumed that we'd get married someday, but this is me, on my knees, officially asking you to be my wife. I want you for my partner and cannot imagine life without you, Chloe."

His heart and soul were shining in his eyes as he held her hand, moving to slide a ring onto her trembling finger. This was something she had assumed would happen also, but she never imagined it would finally happen, unfolding like this. Both sets of parents were here, waiting to share their moment and the good news of their engagement.

"I look at you… and see where I belong. "

"It's the same for me, J.J.," she admitted openly. "I would love to marry you."

"Now, before you say ‘yes,'" he hesitated, looking a little sheepish. "I may have overstepped my boundaries."

"Oh?"

"I promised your father that he could walk you down the aisle…"

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"Tomorrow."

"Oh," she laughed nervously, nodding. "I guess we have a lot to plan then, don't we?"

"Actually," he hesitated once more, looking at her. "I've been working with your mother and mine for the last two weeks, making plans. I didn't want you to worry about anyone's reactions, witness any possible arguments, or be in the middle of their dramatic messes – and told them as much. Your single job is to love me… and be loved by them."

She stared at him in disbelief, realizing that he'd done the unthinkable for her sake. Somehow, he'd smoothed out the wrinkles, untangled the snarls, and removed any deliberations or confrontations from her – just so she could love him.

"I'll always protect you from the rest of the garbage that life throws at us, Chloe," he promised. "I love you and can handle anything so long as I have you to comfort me."

"Is this why you've been so quiet and stressed out lately?"

"Planning a wedding is tough," he chuckled, rising to his feet. "Why are there three types of frosting? Frosting is frosting, dang it— just slather it on a cake and…"

She interrupted him, throwing her arms around his neck in a massive hug before moving to kiss him. His strong arms encircled her as she deepened their kiss, passionately tasting the man she loved more than life itself.

"Hey! Hey! That's enough of that over there…" her father yelled from the doorway. "That's my daughter, and unless you want that tongue dislocated on your wedding day, get it away from her tonsils."

"I gotta agree with your dad," Jamie chimed in. "Are y'all getting goose bumps just seeing them kiss? I mean, good gravy, it's like watching a pair of second cousins get it on."

"Jamie! No, it's not – and they aren't related."

"No, they aren't. We never married and certainly never kissed like that…"

"Good!" Lucy snapped.

"Good!" Her father said almost in unison causing Chloe and J.J. to laugh softly against each other lips in awareness just before sharing another kiss.

"I love you so much," she breathed tenderly.

"You know, it's always going to be like this," he chuckled, holding her close as he teased her knowingly. "So, I know you are off of work tomorrow – got any plans around ten in the morning?"

"I thought about changing my last name… what do you think?"

"I think you should."

"I'm kinda partial to yours," she whispered softly.

"Take it. Take anything you want of mine, Chloe. It's yours, and you never have to ask," he uttered emotionally, his voice breaking as he looked at her with so much tenderness. "Just take me …"