Will knew all too well that love didn’t come with guarantees, not of forever, anyway, but perhaps he could persuade Jess that theirs had the potential to withstand the test of time. Maybe all she really needed was the concrete commitment that he intended to try for.
Most important, there wasn’t time to waste. He needed to do it now before the situation between them deteriorated even further than it already had. Nothing in his life was more important than Jess, and she needed to know that.
He started by asking Mick’s permission to marry her. That didn’t go half as smoothly as he’d expected. Apparently Mick had reservations about letting his youngest daughter marry anyone. Megan jumped in to save the day.
“Do you have a ring yet?” she asked Will, shooting a warning look at Mick that kept him silent.
“I was going to look this afternoon,” he said.
“Wait here.”
An awkward silence reigned while she was gone. “My reservations don’t have anything to do with you,” Mick said finally. “It’s Jess. She doesn’t stick with things. You know that, don’t you?”
Will bristled on her behalf. “She’ll stick with this,” he said confidently. “She might have attention issues, but her heart’s just fine. She knows how to love.”
Mick regarded him with surprise. “I should have figured that you’d understand her better than most.”
“Because I’m a psychologist?” Will asked. “It has nothing to do with that. It’s because I’ve been in love with her since we were kids.”
Mick seemed to be digesting that when Megan returned and handed a small black velvet jewelry box to Will. “If you like that, you can use it as an engagement ring. It was my mother’s and her mother’s before that. Jess always admired it. I think she’ll appreciate the significance of having something with a long history of love behind it.”
He opened the box to find a perfect diamond in an old-fashioned gold setting that was absolutely perfect for Jess. The setting was as delicate in its way as she was, the stone as glittering and as enduring. He met Megan’s misty gaze.
“It’s perfect,” he said. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Just make our girl happy,” she said, tucking her hand into Mick’s.
“Or else,” Mick murmured, but there was a twinkle in his eye.
Since Will intended to do everything in his power to meet that one request, he wasn’t worried about consequences. The only thing terrifying him at the moment was that Jess might find some reason to say no.
It wasn’t enough to have her parents’ blessing, Will decided, or even the perfect engagement ring. He had to do something that would appeal to Jess’s need for real romance in her life, a gesture that was a little over the top. He had a pretty good idea of what it should be, but it was going to take some help to pull it off, especially since winter had settled in and the outdoor plan he had in mind could wind up with both of them in the hospital with pneumonia if he didn’t handle it just right.
He called Mack, Jake, Connor and Kevin together for beer at his place. When they were all settled and staring at him expectantly, he announced, “I’m planning to ask Jess to marry me.”
Rather than whoops of delight, he was greeted by four worried expressions. It was Connor who risked speaking.
“Are you sure she’s ready, man? You know how skittish she is about any kind of commitment. I don’t want you to put your heart on the line and have her stomp on it.”
“My heart’s been on the line for years. I think we have a real shot here, and I’m going for it. Will the four of you help me or not?”
Kevin looked puzzled. “Are you talking about us signing on to be ushers or something like that?”
“The time will come for that, but right now I need help with proposing.”
“And you’re asking Mack?” Jake said, giving Mack a poke in the side. “He can’t even muster up the courage to ask Susie on a real date.”
“Bite me,” Mack replied.
“Focus, guys. I’m serious here,” Will said. “I want to propose at Moonlight Cove.”
“But it’s freezing cold,” Kevin said.
“Thus the need for help,” Will said impatiently. “I’m going to go over there tomorrow and set the scene, a bonfire, candles, flowers, all of it. Then I’m going to pick up Jess. Obviously I can’t leave candles and a bonfire burning, so somebody’s got to work with me, then stick around until we get back.”
“You want us there when you’re proposing to our sister?” Kevin asked incredulously. “Bad idea. Nobody wants an audience for something like that.”
“Maybe we should be there,” Connor argued, his expression still dire. “If things don’t work out the way Will wants them to, Jess might need a shoulder to cry on.”
“Or he will,” Jake chimed in. “Come on, guys. The man has asked for our help. We can’t turn our backs on him.”
“Thank you,” Will said. “And for the record, I don’t want any of you as witnesses to the proposal. As soon as Jess and I get there, you’re to take off, not hide in the bushes making rude noises or something. We’re not twelve, for goodness’ sake.”
“We wouldn’t do that,” Mack said indignantly.
“Speak for yourself,” Connor said.
Will stood up and glared at him. “Do not make me regret this,” he said grimly.
“You won’t,” Mack said, standing to give him an awkward hug. “Right, Jake?”
“Absolutely. We’ve got your back,” Jake said, directing his own scowl toward Connor and Kevin.
Kevin glanced toward his brother, then sighed. “Count us in, right, Connor?”
“I’m in,” Connor agreed.
Will nodded.
“When’s the big night?”
“Sunday,” Will
