Page 41 of Big Pucking Deal
“You’re a jerk, you know that.” She laughs but now I’m feeling pretty queasy.
It’s been two months since the Stanley Cup, and Jolie and I decided we needed a little adventure. Last month we spent a week in Costa Rica and when it came time to zipline, I couldn’t do it. All I could imagine was that cable finally having its last go and snapping right as I crossed. Jolie hasn’t let me forget it. Especially since I trekked back down to the meeting site while she and Jordan and Brooke finished.
Now we stand here on a miniscule platform, only large enough for the two of us to stand on, high above the Grand Canyon on Navajo Bridge, seconds away from plunging over the edge.
“Will you hurry up, you chicken? Some of us are waiting to actually jump and not just think about it.” I lift my hand and throw Jordan the finger.
He and Brooke have been our travel buddies and it’s been the best time. Having my best friend along for the ride has been a blast, and seeing him smiling and happy again is a peace I didn’t know I needed.
“We’re going. Geez. Impatient Co–”
“Moo,” Jordan says before I can finish.
I take a breath, shaking out my nerves and look at my girl who is smiling up at me.
“Are you ready?” She asks.
I give her a crooked grin and say, “I sure am.”
“Okay. I’m going to countdown from ten, then the jump is up to you. Here we go,” the guide tells us. “Ten, nine–”
“Hey Bunny.”
“Yeah Bean?”
“Six, five–”
“Will you marry me?” I shout, loud enough for Brooke and Jordan to hear me.
“What?” Jolie screams.
“Two, one,” is the last she hears because I grab her tight and catapult us off the platform.
We both scream as we freefall, the water below getting closer by the second. The cord stretches to its very end and we are tugged back up. We bounce a few more times before slowing, then we’re pulled back up to the bridge.
When we get there and climb over the bridge and find a slack jawed Jordan and Brooke standing there, looking like they haven’t blinked since the moment we jumped.
We get unclipped from our harnesses and helmet and Jolie stares at me with big eyes and shaking body.
“Is it the adrenaline or my question making you tremble?” I ask her.
“B-both. Definitely both.”
I look over at Jordan and Brooke who have yet to move and reach into my pocket and fidget for a moment until I can free the velvet bag from where I have it tied. I was terrified of losing the damn thing, so I had my mom sew a strap to the inside of my pocket so I could tie it to the bag with the ring and feel better about not losing it over a massive canyon.
When I free the small pouch, I open it, pull out the ring, and drop to one knee.
“If I could have married you when I was seven years old, I would have. But I guess there’s some law that says you have to be an adult to make decisions like that. It wouldn’t have mattered because I knew then and I know now. You’re the beat of my heart, and without you I can’t live. So I’m asking, no begging you, to please make the wish I made on a shooting star when I was twelve come true and marry me.”
Jolie’s breath is fast and short and I’m afraid she’s going to pass out. I hold her hand tighter in case I need to catch her before she hits the ground. My worries are unfounded because after a minute of staring at the ring, Jolie’s face lights up and she shouts, “YES!”
I swear the words echo over the canyon as do the squeals that come from Brooke. I slide the ring onto Jolie’s fingers and jump to my feet. With the flare of a man coming home from war, I grab my girl, dip her back, and kiss her in the most inappropriate way ever.
“For the love,” Jordan gripes.
I pry my lips from Jolie’s and tell him, “This is a big fucking deal, man. So get used to it. It’s happening.”
Epilogue
