Page 62 of The True-Blue Romance

I take a sip, grinning back at him. “Perfect.”

“I want to talk to you about something,” Joey says as he plates the fish, rice, and salsa. He comes around the island, puts the plates down, then turns to look at me. “You won’t like flashy, you won’t like grandiose, so I’m just going to ask it here and now. Will you marry me?”

The world goes a little fuzzy. I think I’ve hallucinated. Suddenly, I’m not sure I’m breathing. But Joey’s fingers in my hair, and a palm against my neck, bring me back to reality. His smile is warm, that slight tip of his lip on the left, those dimples just sort of peeking out for me.

“All right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, you’re all right, or yes, you’ll marry me?”

“Both.”

“Ah, okay. Wanna go to the courthouse on Monday?”

“Yes,” I say again, because no other words will do.

“Good. Savannah will be ecstatic when you’re finally Andrew Rossi. Gonna be weird when people call you Lee and that’s not your name anymore.”

“Grandma called me Lee. We can keep it.”

Joey kisses the corner of my eye. “Keep whatever you want, as long as you let me keep you.”

“Smooth talker.”

Joey winks and sits beside me, grin crooked and pleased. “Only for you.”

“You know, I really like how you always call me Drew,” I say quietly, that sweet secret remaining between us.

Joey glances over, hesitant and soft. “I never really knew if you did… Sometimes you seemed to.”

“To everyone else I’m Lee, the last of the Bradleys. But to you I’ve always been something different, something more. And I like that.”

Joey kisses my cheek, wordless in his agreement.

We eat dinner beside each other, warm from the sun and seawater, sated and happy. If every day for the rest of my life can be like this, I’ll die a happy man. Love found me when I needed it most.

After dinner we curl up on the couch and research marriage licenses in our county. If we complete a four-hour marriage course, we can get married the same day at the courthouse. So we spend Sunday taking the course at the beach house before heading back home. Joey just kisses me when we get home, saying he’ll handle everything, and I trust him with every ounce of my soul.

The old courthouse downtown is made of brick still, maintaining its old-school charm. The jasmine is in bloom downtown and I stand outside the car, breathing it in deeply. Joey comes around the car to grab my hand, tugging me toward the front of the courthouse. Trevor and Beau stand outside in dress slacks and button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled up. But it’s the sight of Danica and Dominic that stills me. Savannah stands between them in a flower girl dress, a flower band around her head. My heart all but stops beating at the sight.

“Joey?”

“Danica offered,” Joey says quietly, gripping my hand tight. “They won’t be staying.”

Danica’s smile is tight, but she lets go of Savannah’s hand so she can run toward us, plowing into me with a strength I didn’t think was possible. I dip to my knees so I can be her height, smiling at the happiness shining in her eyes.

“Do you know what we’re doing today, angel?”

“You’re becoming a Rossi!”

I swallow away the tightness in my throat. “I am.”

“I told you that you’d be one someday. I told you! I always knew it. You never believed me.”

“I’m sorry.” I kiss her forehead, stand up straight, and hold her hand in mine as Joey takes Savannah’s other hand. I meet Danica’s gaze and smile, hoping she can see the gratefulness in my gaze. She smiles back and waves before heading toward the parking area, Dominic at her side.

“Papa and Daddy are getting married!” Savannah announces once we’re within range of Trevor and Beau.