Kayla did though. And that’s what mattered most to him now and always.
Now, after their disappointing meeting with the Zavarians, they returned to their lodging and Kayla proposes marriage?
They had been dating for two years. She finished her master’s degree the first year. They had to live apart for two full quarters due to her schooling, and both of them grew more mature in their time apart. Now they were better together. They still had some fights and disagreements. Sometimes, when she was living across the country, she’d worried that he would drink again. When he missed a text or failed to answer her, she freaked out. She would send Rob to check on him. That happened three times. All those times, he wasn’t drinking. That would make Jim feeling spied on and annoyed.
She didn’t fully trust him to tell her if he did drink. It was the source of most of their arguments and they continued finding new ways to discuss it.
She had to credit him because he developed an unmasked honesty about himself now that all his secrets were out. Once he was free of them, Jim avoided having secrets again. His cautious decision not to drink kept him away from alcohol. Jim stayed clean in the two years since the night Kayla discovered his problem and sent Rob over to talk to him.
Kayla graduated from school and lived with Rob and her mom. She found a job with a non-profit group that helped people organize their finances and learn new ways of getting back on track. At no charge to its clients, the service relied on local businesses for funding for the program. It managed to keep many families afloat through hard times. In addition to the financial help and advice, Kayla taught classes and mentored investment strategies for the clients. She also connected any families in need of immediate services. Most of the people Kayla worked with were unable to pay their bills every month. She diligently showed them how to navigate an easier path through debt collections.
Jim was surprised when he told Kayla about the job interview in Montana and she pushed it hard, trying to persuade him to do it.
“Why would we want to live in Montana? We had to live apart when you were still in school. It’s not a choice I would make without careful consideration first.”
She smiled and cupped his face with a loving smile. “I love the fact that you’re so open about it. Let’s just look and talk to them and explore the idea further. And we could move there if everything fits. Remember that dream you told me of living off the grid somewhere and preaching? Here it is, being handed to you now. On a silver platter.”
“I can’t believe you remember that. And I told Kathy about that, not you.”
“She mentioned it because she was so horrified at the prospect. She wasn’t remotely interested. But I thought it sounded intriguing. I still do. And since I’m your girlfriend now, I say… let’s go for it.”
“The middle of Montana isn’t exactly off the grid. I meant like… I don’t know, some distant island off the coast of Africa or a tiny village in the Arctic.”
“Compromise. Montana is far enough off the grid for me. And I’d be more than willing to try it. If all the factors were right.”
“What would you do?”
“Get a job, of course. You know my situation.” She rolled her eyes. The fame and wealth of her family allowed her a lot of flexibility. She didn’t need a high paying salary; her family could always provide, if needed. That was also how Kathy managed to work as the music director at church while attending school to become a pastor herself.
“I’m sure there’s a non-profit I could work for or with. It’ll make my resume look better.”
He tilted his head. “You’d seriously consider it?”
“Yeah. I think it sounds awesome.”
She’d floored him. So they traveled there to the interview. It must have gone extremely well because they formally offered him the position. He was still thinking about it without deciding yet. They wanted to travel, sight-see, vacation, hike and visit the Zavarians… Now a marriage proposal?
“Jim?” Her voice drew him back to the present. “Marriage? Me?”
He smiled when his mind wandered for the moment and he heard the stress in her tone. Looking at her lovely face and her big eyes staring with hope at him, she still took his breath away. Funny, beautiful, opinionated, caring, fierce, loyal, intelligent, and strong. This was Kayla and she wanted him as a husband? It stunned him still. “Yes.”
She tilted her head. “That’s it? Your answer?”
“Well, isn’t that what you wanted? You asked… I hoped you wanted a yes.”
She threw herself and half hugged him before hitting his bicep gently. “Duh. But you could add a little something to it.”
“Like… I love you?”
“That’s better.”
“I think you’re everything I could ever want.”
“Better still.”
“I can’t believe you want to be with me.”
“Well, that’s good too…”
“And we should get hitched if we intend to move to Montana together. Might look bad to start shacking up in a strange, small town.”
She huffed and glared up at him after the few nice words of love. “Jim!”
He couldn’t help dragging her back to him as she started to flounce away while launching her anger at him in a swift series of curses. He scooted her back and stared into her face. “And I have something to confess to you: I planned to ask you to marry me on this trip; there’s a ring in the glove box. See? Unlike you, I came prepared. You can have it now if you like.”
She gasped, letting her faux-anger vanish as the sappy look returned to her face. “You… you’re kidding.”
“Not kidding. Look.”
She couldn’t wait another second. Grappling with the snap on the glove box, she finally opened it and scrounged around inside. Jim had
