Chat Love (34 page)

He gently places me on the bed and slowly lies on top of me. I feel his hands searching me, memorizing my body. Soon we are under the covers, our bodies melting into one. I can’t help but watch him, and I observe the way his muscles flex, the way his eyes sparkle with delight, and the way his skin is glowing in the moonlight. I capture every detail as if it’s a photograph, wanting to preserve the memory forever.

He moves a piece of hair from my forehead and whispers, “You are so beautiful.”

As we find our rhythm and make love, a tear sneaks down my cheek and I understand exactly what my father meant. I had thought I was happy before, but I now understand the true meaning of happiness.

It is a beautiful, sunny day in June, and I am spending it playing hooky with Jackson. We’ve spent the morning making love and enjoying each other’s company, and we’re now on our way to a Yankees game. We don’t get to attend games as often as we’d like, because things are pretty hectic.

Jackson and I have been inseparable since we first got together almost two years ago. I never would have expected to enjoy my thirtieth birthday, but it had been one of the happiest days of my life. Jackson had taken me to Europe for two weeks, and we had explored Rome, Paris, and London. I had met his family once before, and it had been wonderful getting to spend a full week with them in London.

Jackson and I had recently started living together, and I’m surprised every day by how well we get along. It still blows my mind that I fell in love with a man whom I originally couldn’t stand. Jackson is everything I’ve ever wanted in a man: he is intelligent, funny, caring, attractive, and romantic. My family loves him, and he doesn’t mind being around a rowdy group of Italians, which is a plus.

We still work together, but things have changed since we both received promotions and watched Patrick finally earn his Emmy. The show has taken off, and we both stay pretty busy when we’re at the office.

I’m happy enough that I’ve finally gotten my happy ending, but I’m even happier that my friends have also gotten theirs. Skyler and Dave are now raising a pair of twin boys, Autumn married Wayne last summer and enjoyed a beautiful fairytale wedding, Danni and Ian are making plans to elope next month, and Corey is still dating Sandy with plans to propose on their upcoming vacation to Hawaii. Meanwhile, Antonia will soon be three years old, and Gabriella and Tony are turning into wonderful parents. My father signed a contract allowing for mass-production of his sauce and wine, and the sales are doing so well that my parents are both preparing to retire. Even Jackson’s sister Donna has finally found a boyfriend—and she met him on Chat Love.

As we take our seats at Yankees Stadium, I smile. Although Jackson seems to be a bit on edge, I’ve never been happier with my life. I grab his hand and he looks over at me, giving me a small smile.

“Are you OK?”

Jackson brings my hand to his lips and kisses it gently. “I’ve never been better, love.” He smiles at me and we settle into our seats, staring at the field as the players slowly take their positions. He suddenly rises and leaves to go get us food. My phone rings and I fish it out of my purse, seeing my father’s number on the screen.

“Lucia, are you at the Yankees game?” my dad asks. I say yes, curious as to why he would call just to ask me that. I hear my mother and sister squeal in the background as my father asks, “Is Jackson with you?”

“No, he went to get us food,” I reply. I hear a sniffle, and I can tell that my mother is crying. “Dad, what’s going on? Is everything OK?” I ask with concern.

“Yes, everything is fine,” he says. “Have fun; we’re watching the game.” He says before hanging up. I put my phone away, confused as to why they felt the need to call and tell me they’re watching the game.

I shake my head. Sometimes there’s just no figuring out my family’s crazy antics. Jackson soon returns with our food and drinks, and I give him a kiss as we begin to eat.

The game is four innings in, and Jackson is beginning to make me anxious. He keeps looking at his watch and his leg is shaking. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that he was nervous about something. Still, the Yankees are winning and I’m in a great mood. I put my jacket on curl up next to Jackson, leaning against him. He puts his arm around my shoulders and kisses my hat-covered head. The fourth inning is over and I stand up. To my surprise, Jackson stands up too, blocking my exit.

I look at him curiously, “What are you doing? I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Would you mind waiting for just a minute?” he asks politely.

“Why? What am I waiting for?” I ask, growing suspicious.

“For the fifth inning,” he says, as if I should somehow know what he’s talking about.

I put my hands on my hips, tired of being confused. “OK, what’s going on? Between you and my family, everybody is acting strange today.”

“Your family called you?” he asks, his eyes wide. I give him a look of annoyance and he takes off his cap, running his hand through his hair. “Can you please just stay here? Just for a few minutes?”

I open my mouth to argue and I’m interrupted by the announcer calling my name. I look around and see myself on the jumbo screen. I turn to ask Jackson what’s going on and see him kneeling with a small box in his hand. The crowd screams and I go numb, covering my mouth with both hands. He gives me a nervous smile and opens the ring box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring. My heart is racing and I look into his eyes as he begins to speak.

“Lucia, when I first I met you, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to choke you or kiss you. After that, I never wanted to stop looking at you. You’re the most wonderful person that I’ve ever met, and I’m about to ask a huge favor of you. Love, will you do me the honor and pleasure of making me the luckiest man in the world? Marry me?”

I can’t find my voice to speak, so I simply nod, tears beginning to stream down my cheeks. As he leaps to his feet and wraps his arms around me, I finally choke out, “You’d bloody well better believe that I’ll marry you!”

We jump up and down, still hugging, until he suddenly stops and kisses me with such passion and love that it takes my breath away. The crowd goes wild and he gently slides the ring onto my finger while whispering that he loves me. I grab his face and kiss him again, not wanting to stop, and he gently wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumb.

“Love, I’ve wanted to ask you to marry me since we were in London, but I thought that your father might appreciate it more if I asked him for his blessing first.

I feel more tears fall down my cheeks as I laugh. “I can’t believe you asked my father.”

He smiles and kisses me again. “I love you so much,” he says.

I smile back at him and whisper into his ear, “Should we shag now or shag later? We know the Yankees are going to win.” I pull back and wink, waiting to see his reaction.

His eyes light up as he replies, “Definitely shag now,” and throws me over his shoulder, carrying me out the exit as the crowd cheers around us.

Justine Faeth is a hopeless romantic who believes in “happily ever after.” After trying online dating she knew she had to share her experiences. She lives in New York with her dog and is currently writing her next novel.
Chat Love
is her first published work.