Page 124 of Joey
Side by side, through the highs and extremes.”
Bryce and Harry joined in on the chorus, their three guitars and three voices suddenly stronger and better together. Adam’s confidence grew when he wasn’t singing alone, and he really belted out the words.
Oh Joey, my sweet Roo,
My heart beats only for you.
Through fields of gold and skies so blue,
I promise, baby doll, I’ll always choose you.
When the days are hard and nights are long,
Together, our love makes us strong.
When they reached the end of the chorus, Harry and Bryce backed off on their playing once again, showcasing Adam as he sang the second verse.
From cupcakes to sunsets, I’ve found my home,
With you, I know I’m never alone.
We’ll face the snow, the wind, and rain,
‘Cause a love like ours will always remain.
Then they all three started to play toward the chorus again, and then again, and then pure relief rushed through Adam as more guitars joined them.
He watched only Joey, his own fingers forgetting to play as her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open, and her hands came up to cover it.
Luke, Gabe, and Morris came in the front door of the coffee shop, while Tex, Trace, and Otis came up from behind with Mav, Blaze, and Jem stumbling out of the restroom, where Adam hoped they hadn’t been hiding for too long. They all started to play the intro to the chorusagain, but none of them started singing as Joey’s aunts and cousins started to fill the space.
The front door opened again, and Adam somehow heard the chime above all the guitars twanging through the space, and he glanced over as Cecily escorted Jerry inside, and Gloria shuffled along with Lauren. He nodded to a table across from Joey, where they all sat, except for Jerry, who took a guitar from Mav, looped the strap over his shoulder, and started to play with them.
Joey cried openly now, and Adam joined back in on the intro to the chorus as Otis himself stepped forward and led them all into singing it.
Oh Joey, my sweet Roo,
My heart beats only for you.
Through fields of gold and skies so blue,
I promise, baby doll, I’ll always choose you.
When the days are hard and nights are long,
Together, our love makes us strong.
With only a couple of words to go, Adam stepped away from this group of good examples of how to be husbands and fathers and men. He handed his guitar to Georgia, reached into his pocket, and pulled the pink diamond out. He dropped to both knees in front of Joey, glad her eyes stayed glued to his.
“I love you,” he said as the voices faded and the guitars quieted. “I love you with everything I have and everything I am. I love your sense of responsibility and duty, and I love your hard-working spirit and how you set goals for yourself and go after them. I love how you take care ofthose around you, and I love having you in my life. I love the things you cook for me, and I love your love of pink, sparkly things.”
He held up the diamond, which was pink and sparkly. “I hope this is the most amazing, bestest, brightest pink sparkly thing you’ll ever own, and I would love it if you would be my wife. Will you marry me?”
Joey’s eyes dropped to the ring, where her smile only widened, and when she looked at him again, she raised both fists into the air and said, “Yes!” Then she leaned right over that pink pear-shaped diamond and kissed him.
Her family started to cheer, with cowboys clapping against their guitars and making hollow, discordant sounds to go with their voices. Adam laughed, the kiss sloppy, and he took Joey’s left hand and steadied it in his before he slid the ring on her finger. He kissed the knuckle above it and below it, and then inched a little closer to her so that he could kiss his fiancée properly.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips.
“I love you too,” she said back, her smile wonderful and glorious. “You staged this whole thing?”
He grinned. “The Sip and Stay is ours from now until closing, and Louisa made a half dozen pistachio croissants for you.”
She grinned. “The mob is pressing in,” she said. “So kiss me one more time before we get separated.”
Adam did, and then Joey stood and got swept into her mother’s arms while Adam let Harry and Bryce help him back to his feet. The first person he came face toface with was Otis, who grinned and grabbed him, pulling him into a hug as he said, “You take good care of her.”
“I will, sir,” Adam promised. “I love her.”
“Yeah, I know,” Otis said. They both looked over to where Joey held out her left hand for Rosie, Liesl, and Corrine to admire the diamond. “And she loves you too.”
