Page 53 of There I Find Happiness
“We could try again. You want me to get down on my knee?” Sally asked, throwing the tea towel on the counter and putting a hand on either side of Peter’s waist. There was a comfort she drew from the contact, that she didn’t recall feeling with anyone else. Ever.
“How about I do it? The only problem is, I don’t have a little box to open up at the right time.”
“Maybe you’ve watched too many sappy romantic movies with me over the last six weeks.”
“Maybe I haven’t seen enough, since I was obviously not prepared for the direction this conversation has taken.”
“Well, I’m not sure exactly what direction it is, so let me take the conversation by the horns and just flat out say, Peter, I love you. Will you marry me?”
He tilted his head, as though he were thinking about it, or maybe as though he expected her to actually be on one knee.
She dropped, keeping her hands at his waist, as she gazed up into his eyes, and said, “Please?”
“I think if you have to beg someone to marry you, marriage might not be a good idea.”
He dropped down so that they were face to face again. “But you don’t have to beg me to do anything. In fact, it’s most likely going to be me begging you. Can we get married? And soon? Like... Today?”
She laughed. Loving that they could have serious conversations, but they could goof off with each other too. She wasn’t quite sure how she’d gotten so blessed, but she knew she was. She also knew she was making a good choice. Peter had shown her over the last six weeks that not only was he willing to take whatever the Lord gave him, and make the best of it, but that he would try that as hard as he could to choose happiness as well.
“Tomorrow’s fine. Today is better,” she said.
“And I think that a question like that is supposed to be sealed with a kiss.”
“I agree,” she said.
He leaned forward, and she pressed against him, their lips meeting, and she forgot that they were on their knees in the kitchen with both of them starving. Kissing Peter made her forget unimportant things like that.
“Hey! Are you guys okay?”
The voice startled her, and she pulled back, although not too far. Being close to Peter was the best place to be at any time, in her opinion anyway.
“Miles. What’s up?” Peter asked, glancing over his shoulder at his friend, and then back to Sally.
He stood, a little awkwardly since he wasn’t used to using his leg, and then he helped Sally to her feet as well.
“Norma Jean!” Sally said, pleased to see her friend standing just behind Miles.
Over the last six weeks, she’d gone from seeming to want to spend all of her time with Peter, to appearing content helping Miles. Sally really hadn’t seen much of her. There had been so much work to do, plus watching Holly, who stood beside them now.
“So you did get your cast off,” Miles said, grinning.
“I sure did,” Peter turned, putting his arm around Sally’s waist and pulling her toward him. “And I also asked Sally to marry me. She’s agreed.”
“It was actually me asking him. And I talked him into it,” Sally said.
“Interesting. Funny, since Norma Jean and I just got hitched at the courthouse this morning.”
“You what?” Sally said, not seeing that coming at all.
“I need a mom for my daughter, and Norma Jean needed a few things that I could give her, so we have an arrangement.”
Norma Jean didn’t exactly look like she was glowing, and in fact she came forward slowly.
“And I have a confession to make.”
Sally felt dread, hot and heavy, settle into her stomach.
Then her eyes slipped to Miles, who looked surprised. They hadn’t stopped in for whatever it was that Norma Jean was about to say.
