Page 64 of Love Rescheduled

“How soon are you comfortable with?” It was the perfect response.

For a moment, I thought. “I would need a wedding gown, and Jolene and Tara are adamant on getting the perfect bridesmaids’ dresses.” I would probably need some time to hyperventilate a bit, but I would bring that up later, and I was sure Josh fully expected it. It was better not to ruin this moment—a perfect moment.

“Will that take seven months?”

“No,” I laughed. I was a simple girl.

His head popped up. “So, what I’m hearing is, you will compromise on the wedding schedule.”

There was that word again—compromise. Its use had both positive and negative connotations. But the wonderful thing about Josh is I knew he would never compromise my feelings, which made it easier to compromise with him. I knew there would still be times I had to tell that girl inside me it was okay to trust and know that just because we were letting go of the things we thought we needed to hide behind, it didn’t mean we were unsafe. In fact, it opened the door to a kind of happy we had never known.

I gave him my best wicked smile, which was probably not wicked at all. “I think I could be willing, but tell me: What’s in it for me?”

Josh gripped my jacket and brought us nose to nose. “I’ll tell you what’s in it for you … At least an hour of sexy time every day, toothpaste in the sink”—he grinned—“dirty underwear in various places around the house, loud rock music, lots of arguing and making up, and … a man that unequivocally believes you hung the moon and the stars.”

“That’s a very strong idiom.”

He brushed my lips with his own. “I stand by every word.”

I knew that. Truly, I did. So, what was I waiting for? A perfectly clean house with no one to share it with wasn’t bringing me much joy. I missed Josh as much as he missed me. So, I checked with the girl inside me. Somehow, I could hear her say it was okay to make our dreams come true. She was counting on me. I couldn’t let her down. She’d had enough of that in her lifetime.

“Let’s get married.” I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, not believing what I was going to say next … “I’ll let you pick the date.”

Nine Months Later

JOSH PULLED ME ONTO HIS lap on the old couch in the dressing room at Laugh on Tap. He had refused to part with it when we did some minor updates and renovations that took a lot longer than we thought they would. “Hello, Mrs. Keller,” he whispered low in my ear while he got very handsy. It was all part of his pre-show ritual. I wasn’t complaining.

“I hope you locked the door.” I had at least insisted on that update.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” I grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him to my lips, drinking him in. I had gotten drunk a lot on him over the last nine months. Which meant I had some news for him. I’d been saving it for opening night. Laugh on Tap was reopening under new ownership—ours. I loved that word—ours.

“Mmm,” Josh groaned, his tongue taking its time in my mouth, his hands driving my body like a back road.

“You have to go on soon, and our family and friends are waiting for us,” I mumbled between kisses when he got exuberant, driving me wild. So wild it was going to lead to other things. Things which had led to … “And I have something I want to tell you.”

That piqued Josh’s interest. He tore his lips away from mine. “Everything okay?”

“Yes. I’m a little tired and nervous.”

Josh blinked several times. “About the show tonight. You don’t have to sit in the front row. I’m happy to have you backstage if that’s more comfortable for you.”

It was, but it was okay for me to be out of my comfort zone. I placed a finger to his aching-to-be-back-on-mine lips. “It’s not that. I promised you I would be in the front row, and I meant it. I’m tired and nervous because, well, you can’t keep your hands off me and all those extra hours of unscheduled sexy time have caught up to us, leading us to be way ahead of schedule.” Like a full year ahead. I’d had it all planned out. We would be just settled in the new home we were having built with two master bathrooms, thank you very much. So much for that plan.

Josh’s eyes went wide. “Are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?”

I nodded, hardly able to say the words. I’d been trying to digest it all since I’d taken the test last week. I should have probably told him before this moment, but I needed to process it first. It’s not that I wasn’t thrilled—I was. To know that a little piece of Josh and me was growing inside me was wonderful. My only wish was for the baby to be more of a neat freak like me, but I knew the odds were stacked against me. I had no doubt there was going to be a lot of toothpaste in my sinks for the rest of my life. It was worth the trade-off of going to sleep in Josh’s arms every night. And I was hoping if I told Josh right before he went onstage, he wouldn’t have time to come up with any jokes about impending fatherhood. I was hoping to keep it a secret for a while.

Tears formed in Josh’s eyes before he planted a big kiss on me. “You just made me the happiest man alive. Holy hell, I’m going to be a dad.” He looked me over. “Are you feeling okay? Can I get you anything?”

“The baby is the size of a poppy seed right now. I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“I’m here for you. Just say the word, and anything is yours.”

“Just don’t embarrass me tonight onstage.”

“You mean I shouldn’t mention the baby?” he teased.

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