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It’s been exactly a year since that very first attack. I guess, in a way, it’s also the anniversary of when I met Bones for the first time. It’s strange to think about how much has changed since that night. Before then, Bones was James, a man I saw a few times at the center and couldn’t stop thinking about. Now I know him for who he really is and I love him more than I could have ever imagined.
He’s likely at home already. Our home. We moved into the new apartment just a month ago. We’re still unpacking on the weekends, still figuring out how to share a space. It’s completely new for both of us, but I think we’ve risen to the challenge. He’s beyond accommodating to me, never letting me feel overwhelmed or bombarded. He makes sure I always have plenty of space when I need it, though I don’t want much space from him these days.
“How’s everything at your new place?” Meredith asks as we walk out of the building. “You guys settling in okay?”
“We love it,” I tell her honestly. “Bones is actually learning how to cook, so the kitchen is sometimes a disaster, but other than that, it’s been kind of perfect.”
She smiles at me with a knowing look in her eye. “These boys, eh?” She laughs. “How did any of them survive before we came along?”
“I’m guessing they survived on a lot of takeout and ramen.” I smirk.
“And hospital food in Graveyard’s case,” she says, wrinkling her nose. We reach my car and she gives me a quick hug. “We’re all really glad you’re in his life, Melissa,” she tells me. “You’ve been really good for him.”
My heart swells at the sentiment. As I’ve gotten to know the Ruthless Kings and their wives better, I’ve realized that it’s a very tight-knit community. These men have spent years together as brothers, and they would die for each other. There’s an unspoken bond there, a love that none of them would ever admit to out loud. They care about each other so deeply in their own strange way.
We women have had to navigate this sacred bond and find our own places. It was a lot to understand at first, but now I feel like I’m truly part of the community. It’s also something of a joke to all of them that Bones, of all people, has found love. Before he met me, he was apparently a very notorious bachelor. I’d gotten that sense before the night we officially met, but I hadn’t realized how deep his commitment to being alone ran. The other men have told me real horror stories about his single life.
The wives, on the other hand, have helped me understand that as hard as these men can be to love sometimes, it’s worth the effort. Not that there’s any going back for me. My life has improved so much since we’ve been together. Despite our rocky beginnings, these have been the best ten months of my entire life. I’m happy to be with Bones in whatever capacity he’ll allow me to be in. Even if that means I may never be his wife.
Juliana was the one who first broached the topic of marriage with me. As the wife of Bones’s closest friend, and certainly my closest friend in the group, she wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. After we’d announced to them that we were moving in together, she’d pulled me aside to have that talk with me.
“You know how much we all love you, Melissa,” she’d said. “You’ve become like the sister I never had and I’m so happy Bones has found you. I’m just worried that he’s going to screw it up.”
I’d laughed, not because I didn’t think he was capable, but because it was so nice to have a friend who knew us both well enough to say something. Juliana and Hex knew they wanted to get married almost immediately, and they adopted Charlie early in their marriage. Bones was notorious for changing the subject whenever the discussion about our future was even broached.
“I’ve come to the realization that I just have to enjoy the present with Bones,” I’d told her honestly. “I love him so much and I know he loves me too, and that’s enough for right now. Maybe it will even be enough forever. I refuse to pressure him and risk losing him.”
“He’s not going anywhere,” she told me confidently. “He might have a commitment phobia, but I don’t think he’ll ever purposely let you go. Just know that we’re rooting for you, and if you ever need a girls’ night, I’m here, okay?”
It was nice to know that people cared so much about us, and I spent a long time thinking about what she said. But since we’ve been living together, I feel like we’re on firmer ground, and I meant what I told her. If we stay together forever, without rings or weddings or babies, that’s okay with me. I feel fulfilled enough in my life and in our relationship. I don’t need more.
He’s been exactly what I’ve needed without having to try, but I do see him every day go out of his way to make me feel loved. It’s in the way he makes my coffee before his every morning, or how he always makes sure I’m satisfied in the bedroom before him. He helps me sometimes at the center and brings me lunch when I have to work on the weekends. He knows my dream is to one day open my own dance studio and he’s always texting me about properties he rides by. There’s a side to Bones I don’t think even the Ruthless Kings get to see. It’s a side that’s just for me.
When I get home finally, all the lights are off and there are candles lit all over the apartment. My immediate thought is that the power must have gone out and I just wasn’t paying attention. But as I shut the door and put my things down, I see the rose petals on the floor and the champagne chilling in a bucket on the kitchen island. What on earth?
Bones shouts out in pain in the bedroom and I tiptoe in to see him lighting even more candles. He shakes his hand and sucks on his finger as if he’s burned it. He looks up to see me standing in the doorway watching him and freaks out.
“I didn’t think you’d be home this early,” he says in a panicked voice. “Shit, I’m not ready yet!”
He rushes over to me, pushing me out of the room and toward the front door. I can’t help but giggle, unused to him being so flustered and nervous he’s always so confident and self-assured. It’s completely adorable. He opens the front door and pushes me out.
“I just need five minutes,” he tells me, putting his hands up to tell me to wait. “Give me five minutes and everything will be perfect.”
He goes back into the apartment and slams the door, and I’m in absolute hysterics. He immediately comes back out and kisses me quickly, telling me how pretty I look. Then he goes back inside, slamming the door again. I can’t begin to let myself hope that he’s about to propose, but all the signs are leading to it. He’s never done anything like this before, and I’ve definitely never seen him so frazzled.
I wait patiently as I hear him tearing through apartment, cussing a few times as I hear sounds of banging and grunting. Finally, he opens the door again, dressed in a fresh shirt and smiling nervously. There’s something so vulnerable about him, it’s almost childlike. He grabs my hand and walks me inside, the room bathed in candlelight. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait to hear what he’s going to say next.
“Do you remember what today is?” he finally asks quietly. “A year ago today, we met.”
Tears spring to my eyes at his words. I didn’t think he’d remember it the way I did. Any other man would have forgotten, I’m sure of it. I had a boyfriend who forgot my birthday. Twice.
“And I realized something a while back, I want to spend all my years with you,” he says meekly. “But I hate today. I hate that today is the anniversary of when some asshole tried to attack you. I never want that to be the reason we remember today.”
I’m fully crying now, sobs wracking my body. There he goes being ridiculously thoughtful again. How on earth did I end up with such a wonderful man?
“There’s a caveat, though,” he says slowly, taking a breath. “I’ve never really wanted to get married. Until a few years ago, I’d never seen a marriage work, and I knew a long time ago that it wasn’t what I wanted for my life. It wasn’t a thought that came into my head until you.”
Well, that’s not exactly what I expected him to say. I say nothing, knowing that he’s likely planned this speech and I need to hear the whole thing before I start jumping to conclusions.
