A Love to Live For (15 page)

It was amazing.

When the kiss broke, I looked into his eyes, and my heart almost leaped out of my chest at the amount of love I saw there.

“So what do we do now?” I asked him.

He paused to think. “Well, would you want to go on a date? I remember when I came back from Baltimore, you told me a bunch of things you wanted to do, like going to see a concert and going to the beach or going camping.”

“Ah, so you were listening, after all.”

“Maybe we could do one of those,” he said, ignoring me. “So far, we have just been going to your house or mine, or eating the diner or spending time here at the shop. In fact, we haven’t been on a proper date, after all.”

“We haven’t?”

His eyebrows furrowed, then he shook his head.

I smiled. “Then by all means, let’s go have a proper date.”

One year later…

“I can’t believe you’re having a baby,” I spoke into the phone excitedly. “I’m really so excited and happy for you.”

“I’m really so excited, too,” Michelle said. “Make sure you come to my baby shower, okay? A friend of mine here is throwing it for me in three months. She actually wanted to throw one already, but I told her to let me make it past the first trimester first.”

“Sure, I’ll be there,” I said. “I wish I could see you right now, in fact, but I guess I’ll wait until you have that baby bump.”

“I have a feeling I’ll have a big one,” she said. “Anyway, how are you and Joseph?”

“We’re fine,” I answered, glancing over my shoulder to where Joseph was standing in front of the mirror, combing his hair. “Perfect, actually. We learned the hotel had a table tennis facility so we played a game this afternoon and then we went for a swim. We’re about to go out for dinner.”

“Well, you two certainly sound like you’re having so much fun.” She sighed. “It seems like I’m not going to have a lot of fun from now on.”

“Oh, what are you talking about? There’s nothing more fun than being a mother.”

“I certainly hope so,” she said, though she didn’t sound convinced. “You can’t imagine all these stories I’ve been reading about.”

“Then stop reading them,” I told her. “Everything will be fine, I’m sure.” I glanced at Joseph again. “Look, I think I’ve got to go.”

“I know, I know,” she said. “Say ‘hi’ to Joseph for me.”

“I will,” I said. “Take good care of yourself okay. Drink lots of water. Drink your vitamins. Don’t tire yourself out too much.”

“Now, you’re sounding like my mother.”

“And eat whatever you feel like,” I added.

“Oh, you bet,” she said. “Right now, I’m craving for watermelons and vanilla ice cream.”

“Well, go get some, and enjoy.”

“Yup, I’ll try to.”

“I’ll talk to you again soon. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I waited for her to hang up, a habit I still hadn’t gotten rid of, and then went inside the hotel room to put my phone in my purse.

“Ready to go?” I asked Joseph.

“I should be asking you that,” he said.

“Well, I am,” I said. “So let’s go.”

We went down to the restaurant to eat dinner, a smile seemingly fixed on my face. Just as I had told Michelle, everything had been perfect so far. I had accepted the permanent job Charles had offered me and moved to Philadelphia.

Joseph, too, moved to Philadelphia and his career seemed to be going well, too, since he was now taking culinary classes while working at a restaurant on the side.

During our free time, we would go around the city, spend time at each other’s apartments, and visit the cancer ward at the Christian Children’s Hospital, where Joseph and I both now volunteered regularly. I even dedicated the first children’s book I illustrated for Magic Parchment Publishing to the children, in fact, donating half its proceeds for their treatment and the improvement of the ward.

On some weekends, we would go back to Continental so Joseph could see his sister and I could see my Dad, who seemed to get teary-eyed each time I left home and my sisters – we still did not get along all the time but it didn’t bother me. Vincent was no longer in town but we sometimes talked on the phone – Joseph wasn’t jealous of him anymore.

Needless to say, Joseph and I were getting along perfectly. Ever since we reconciled, we had never argued – well, we argued just once, when we couldn’t decide which movie to watch, which we resolved by tossing a coin, but that didn’t really count. We went back to how we were before our break-up, although this time, we seemed more comfortable with each other, more open to each other. We knew how each other felt, after all, and we had all the time in the world to enjoy what we had.

After dinner, Joseph and I went for a walk on the beach, his arm around my shoulder. After a while, we sat down on the sand side by side, then I lay down so I could see the stars and he did the same, both of us lying side by side with our hands joined under the starry skies just as I had once envisioned.

As we looked up at the stars, I wondered if my Mom was looking down at me and I hoped that wherever she was, she was happy for me. Even though I wasn’t sure if she was watching me, I knew someone was and I smiled up at Him, thanking Him for giving me strength and guidance, for leading me to the happiness I now had.

Suddenly, Joseph sat up, as if he had suddenly remembered something. I sat up, as well.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Well, now seems to be a good opportunity for me to give you this.” He presented me with a small, satin box.

Even without seeing what was inside the box, I gasped and the moment I did see it, I thought I would faint.

“Will you, Rebecca Swinton, do me the honor of being my wife?” he asked.

For a moment, I just looked at the ring, seemingly mesmerized. Then, I wrapped my arms around him.

“Is that a yes?”

I nodded. “Yes, it is a yes. I would love to be your wife, Joseph.”

“Good,” he said, smiling. “Because I was afraid you would run away again and I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“Silly,” I told him.

We kissed, our lips gently meeting like the waves that were meeting with the sand. Then, I leaned my head against his chest, smiling.

I had a feeling I would never be running away again because everything I needed was right here by my side.

With Joseph beside me, I knew I needed nothing more.