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“Hey. . .” She walked into the apartment, and kissed him. “Good day?”
“Hey, yourself,” he answered. “Pretty routine, and now even better.” He returned the kiss, deeply and grabbed her rear to pull her in close. “What about you.”
She sighed against his mouth, and leaned back to smile at him. “Actually,” she began. “I had an interesting meeting with my retirement counselor.”
He grimaced. “Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun,” he murmured.
“Oh—” she smiled. “It wasn’t fun. But it was certainly enlightening. Helped with planning for Noah’s college, too.”
He nodded absently. “That’s good.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” she agreed, with a smile. “I want to make sure he’s set to go anywhere he wants to go.”
He kissed her again. “That shouldn’t be a problem,” he breathed. “I’m happy to add anything if he needs it. You know that. He may as well be my son, too.”
“I know,” she answered and pulled him toward the couch. “Do you wanna know what else he had to say?”
“Tell me,” he said, shifting his weight and pulling her down on top of him.
“We’re paying way too much money for way too many things.” She nestled into his arms. It was comfortable there. “Like health insurance, for example,” she began, nibbling at his neck. “We each have our own policy. Why is that?”
Before he could answer, she started unbuttoning his shirt. “Also, did you know Social Security benefits and taxes—makes a lot of financial sense.”
“And then there are the health benefits,” she added, with another nibble at his neck. “Lower cortisol, fewer heart attacks, it all just makes sense.”
He looked at her in confusion. “Does it?”
“It does,” she said, moving to straddle him. “If that’s what you want.”
He moved his hands down to to rest against her waist. “What I want . . ?”
“If you haven’t figured it out yet—” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’m trying to ask you to marry me.”
He froze. “S’that so?” He murmured against her mouth. “After visiting your financial advisor and Googling the health advantages of marriage?”
“Actually—” She traced the planes of his chest. “I looked that up a while ago.”
His eyes danced. This was turning into a bit of a game. “How long ago exactly?”
“About a week after I said that there was no need for us to get married,” she smiled. “I started to second-guess myself.”
She was still nestled against him, and he kissed the top of her head. “How so?”
“Because I love you.” She kissed his jaw and then his neck. “And because I’m ready for the world to know it that we belong to each other and no one else. Because I hurt when we’re apart. And did I mention that I love you?”
“Do you?” he breathed against her ear, slowly taking her earlobe between his teeth. “Wait here,” he urged, sliding her off his lap.
He returned not a moment later with a robin’s egg blue box. “Yes,” he said. “I’ll marry you.”
~end~