Perfect Enough

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Josh

Chapter Twenty-Nine

JOSH

“How is it that Halloween is tomorrow?” Sophia asked as she poured candy into bowls.

I sat down and pulled off my work boots, setting them off to the side. “Soph, no one is going to come to our house for Halloween, you know that, right?”

“This is for the Halloween party tomorrow at Stella’s. Remember?”

“That’s right, for all the grandbabies.” I stood and walked over to see what candy she’d bought. It was all age appropriate. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked, pulling out Halloween bags, opening them one by one, and beginning to fill them with stuffed animals, toy cars, and dolls.

“How did you know what kind of candy to buy?”

Pausing, she looked at me with a confused expression.

“Is it bred into all women? Because last year, I was raked over the coals for not having the right kind of candy.”

Sophia’s face relaxed, and she chuckled. “First, I used to teach dance to kids the same ages. And second, I called your mother and asked her what to get.”

Laughing, I pulled her to me and greeted her the proper way: with a kiss. She dropped one of the stuffed dogs and wrapped her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss. When we broke apart, I asked, “How was your day?”

Sophia let out a contented sigh. “Well, that made it so much better.”

“The kiss?” I asked with a smile.

“Yes, the kiss. But to answer your question, it was busy. We met with Rose about the design of the park. She was amazing. She pulled out a pad and pencil and started to draw right there while we told her our vision.”

“I still think it’s great you and Haven are business partners.”

“You know, if you had told me a year ago that I wouldn’t be teaching dance and would instead be partners with a woman I’d just met, and we’d be building a dog park of all things, I would have laughed at you.”

I cupped the side of her face. “Are you happy, Soph?”

Her eyes lit up as she smiled from ear to ear. “I’m so happy. Haven is like the sister I never had. I feel like I’ve known her forever. And the dogs are wonderful, Josh. They don’t talk back or throw fits on the floor. It’s glorious. Oh, and their parents don’t send nasty emails.”

“I’m so glad it’s working out.”

Her hand went to my chest, where she fiddled with a button on my shirt. “What about you? Do you have any regrets from leaving the station?”

“None at all,” I said without hesitation. “Since moving to full time on the ranch, I’ve found a missing piece of myself. And when Blayze asked me to come up with a fire safety plan for the ranch, I felt like I was doing what I was meant to do.”

Sophia’s eyes lit up as she gazed at me. “I have to admit, I don’t worry about you nearly as much.”

My head dropped against the sofa as I laughed. “I’m glad about that.”

Playfully hitting my chest, she replied, “Then why are you laughing?”

“Because you make me happy, and I’m happy I have you in my life, Soph.”

Her fingers sliced through my hair. “Maybe you should show me instead of telling me.”

I stood, and Sophia let out a small yelp of surprise when I picked her up and took her with me. Heading toward our bedroom, I was about to say something dirty to her when the doorbell rang. We both paused, and I set her down. “Were we expecting anyone?”

She shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of.”

We both walked to the front door, where I looked out the window. “It’s Nate.”

Sophia looked instantly worried, and I knew how she felt. Ever since Granddad’s heart attack, anytime there was an unexpected phone call or visit, I feared it was bad news. “Hope everything is okay.”

I opened the door. “Hey, Nate, what’s up?” When he looked up at me, I took a surprised step back. He had a black eye. “What in the hell happened?”

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” I said, opening the door wider for him to enter. “What happened?”

Nate walked past Sophia and me and headed toward the family room, where the bar was located. Sophia and I exchanged a look before following him.

“Mind if I make myself a drink?” Nate asked, already in the process of making said drink.

I let out a humorless laugh. “Have at it.”

Sophia sat down as I leaned against the bar and watched him pour a hefty whiskey. He downed it and poured another.

“Slow down there, Nate. Can you please explain why you have a black eye?”

He downed a third shot of whiskey, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and then looked at me. “She’s going to drive me insane.”

“Who?” Sophia asked.

Sighing, I glanced at her. “Haven.”

“Haven? Why in the world would she drive you insane? She’s the sweetest person I know.”

Nate stared at her, his mouth gaping. “Sweet? You think Haven is sweet ?”

“Yes, I do. She’s wonderful, and she has one of the kindest hearts of anyone I know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be going into business with her.”

“Nate and Haven have a bit of history together.”

Sophia’s eyes went wide with surprise. “You and Haven…?”

“No! God, no,” Nate stated while pouring another drink.

“Oookay,” Sophia replied, looking at me with a confused expression.

“Haven has liked Nate for as long as I can remember, from middle school straight through college and beyond.”

Frowning, she shook her head. “Oh.”

“Why are you shaking your head?” Nate asked.

Sophia shrugged. “I mean, I guess you can still like someone and date someone else.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Pressing her mouth together tightly, Sophia looked between me and Nate and finally said, “She’s dating someone.”

Nate slammed the whiskey glass on the bar. “She’s what ? Who?”

Taken aback by Nate’s reaction, she glanced at me. I nodded.

“His name is Ted.”

“Ted?” Nate and I said at the same time.

“What the fuck kind of name is Ted?” Nate sneered.

Sophia looked even more confused. “Wait, what did she do that made you so angry at her?”

“She pulled a typical Haven, that’s what she did. I was driving along and saw her pulled over on the side of the road. She was attempting to change a tire.”

Now I was confused. “And that pissed you off? Did you hit yourself because you were so angry?”

Nate shot me a warning look, and I held up my hands.

“I was kidding. Go on.”

“I stopped and offered to change it for her, but she’s so damn stubborn. She said she could do it, but she couldn’t turn the lug nuts. I bent down and tried to take over, and she started to argue with me—next thing I knew, her elbow was hitting my eye so hard, I fell back and damn near slammed my head on the road.”

Sophia’s hand flew up to her mouth to hide a smile. “Wow, she must have gotten you good for it to already be turning so dark,” she noted, still trying to keep from laughing.

Nate glared at her. “She did. Then she laughed.” He looked from Sophia to me, then back. “She laughed . Can you believe that?”

“Well,” Sophia gave a one-shoulder shrug, “I mean, it is kind of funny.”

“Does this look funny?” Nate asked, pointing to his eye.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Dude, it’s your right eye, not your left.”

Sophia lost the battle and started to giggle.

“Whatever. It’s not funny.”

I peeked at Sophia, then focused back on Nate. “Not going to lie, dude, it’s kind of funny. I suppose you got mad that she laughed and said something mean.”

“No,” Sophia said as she walked up to the bar. “Nate, tell me you didn’t.”

He let out a long breath. “No, I didn’t. I just grabbed the iron and finished changing the tire. When I was done, she apologized and asked me to dinner. Can you believe that?”

Sophia gasped dramatically. “ What? The nerve of her to offer to take you to dinner for helping out.”

Nate pointed to my girlfriend. “I like you, Soph. Don’t make me not like you.”

“Nate, why is this such a bad thing?”

He ran a hand down his face. “I don’t know. She just…makes me so crazy!”

“Why does she make you so crazy?” Sophia asked.

“I don’t know,” Nate said, looking truly miserable. He walked over to the sofa and sat down. “One minute, she’s the normal Haven who pops off with a dig at me, then the next, she’s smiling all sweet and offering to take me to dinner because I changed her tire.”

I looked at Sophia, who shrugged once again.

“And that bothers you because…?” I asked.

“It doesn’t bother me; it confuses me.”

That got Sophia’s attention. She sat down next to him. “Oh, Nate. You have it bad.”

“I have what bad?”

“You have feelings for Haven.”

He narrowed his one good eye. “Yes, I have a feeling that she drives me crazy.”

Shaking her head, she went on. “No, you think that’s what’s happening, but in reality, you want something more with her.”

Nate’s eyes—eye—went wide, and he turned to me. “Do you hear what she’s saying?”

I nodded. “I agree with her.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t want anything with her. I don’t even want to be her friend.”

“That’s why you stopped and helped her, I suppose.”

“I would stop and help any woman stuck on the side of the road, Sophia.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “Nate Shaw, you’re a terrible liar.”

“I would!”

Closing her eyes, she waved her hand in the air. “Not about that. About your feelings for Haven. If I were you, I wouldn’t wait too long before you figure it out. A woman like her isn’t going to be single for long. And this Ted guy seems nice. He owns his own business.”

“What does he do?” I asked.

“He’s a farrier, and he’s good at his job. Well, that’s what Haven said, at least.”

I raised a brow, and Sophia looked away, trying to hide another smile.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Nate said, suddenly sounding somber. “Haven loves horses even more than she loves dogs.”

Sophia reached for Nate’s hand. “Why are you afraid to admit you like her?”

He jerked his hand away and stood. “Oh, no…no, no, no. I already have one sister who does that to me. You’re not going to do it, too.”

“Do what?” Sophia asked with an innocent look. “What am I doing?”

Nate turned to me with a look. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait. Nate, why don’t you stay here tonight? You’ve had too many shots to drive home.”

“I’m right down the road, Josh.”

“He’s right,” Sophia said. “And I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut about Haven and your denied feelings for her.”

Nate stared at Sophia before he shook his head and started to walk away.

“Where are you going?” I called out.

“Blue guest room. Wake me up for breakfast.”

We both watched as he walked away. When Sophia heard the door shut, she spun around and gaped at me.

“Oh my God! Nate likes Haven?”

I nodded. “He’s never admitted it, but yeah.”

“Why won’t he admit it?”

“That is one question I do not have an answer for. But there’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Oh, yeah?” she asked, with a sexy little smile. “Is it ‘Will you make love with me tonight, Sophia?’”

I chuckled. “That question I’ll always just expect a ‘yes’ to. No, this is a much more serious question. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I can’t.”

A look of worry crossed her beautiful face, and those brown eyes widened as she sat down on the sofa. “What is it?”

Sitting beside her, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Pulling up my photos, I turned the phone toward her.

“Oh my goodness! What a cute puppy! Is that what I think it is?”

“A German shorthair. She’s a bird-hunting dog, and Clay, one of the ranch hands, breeds them. Every pup in the litter is sold except for this sweet girl.”

“Why isn’t she sold?”

“Not sure. No one wanted her.”

Her head jerked up, and she looked at me. “That’s terrible. Can we take her?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “I was hoping you’d say that, because I already told Clay I’d take her. They’re very high-maintenance dogs.”

“I know,” she said with a laugh. “We have a new pup in our morning group and he’s a GSP. He’s a nut!”

“So, you’re down for a puppy?”

She jumped up and said, “Yes! Yes! What are we going to name her?”

From the kitchen, Nate called out, “You know, first it’s a house. Then a puppy. Next, it’s going to be marriage and a baby!”

Sophia’s eyes met mine, and we both smiled. I took her hand and said, “By the way, Sophia Grace Montgomery…will you marry me?”

Before she could say anything, I pulled out the ring I’d picked up at Grams’s earlier that day and held it out for her. It was Grams’s mother’s ring.

Her hands covered her mouth, and she started to cry as she stared at the platinum band with its emerald-cut diamond. On each side of the one-carat diamond were three single-cut round diamonds that Grams called bead-set. I was guessing that was because they looked like little beads on the band.

I waited patiently as she just stared. When she looked up at me, tears were streaming down her face.

“I figured we better make it official so we can start planning the wedding for next fall.”

Sophia threw herself at me and hugged me tight.

“Is that a yes?” Nate asked with a laugh when he appeared once again. I rolled my eyes at him as he grinned back at me and Sophia.

Drawing back, Sophia nodded. “Yes! Yes ! Of course, it’s a yes!”

When I slipped the ring on her finger, she held it up.

“Wow, looks like it fits perfectly,” Nate said, leaning over the back of the sofa to admire it.

Glancing at him over my shoulder, I said, “I thought you were going to sleep off the whiskey?”

“I was, but then I heard what was going on, and I had to be a part of it. Imagine the stories we can tell our kids someday. Uncle Nate was right there when I asked Mommy to marry me while we sat on the sofa.”

I shot him a warning look.

“It was the perfect do-over,” Sophia sighed.

“Do-over?” Nate asked.

“Nate, please go to your room,” I ordered.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. Don’t tell me.” When he started to walk away, he stopped and turned back. Looking at us both, he smiled. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you!” Sophia said, as she hugged me again.

“By the way, try to remember I’m here when you go celebrate.”

Sophia laughed as Nate walked out of the room.

As we both stood, I said, “I’m sorry I asked you on the sofa—again—after telling you I bought a puppy. I picked up the ring earlier, and I was planning on making a fire tonight, maybe having some wine and snacks, but Nate ruined that plan, and I was just so excited and…well…I couldn’t wait.”

“That was so unexpected, Josh. I loved it, and I love you.”

Smiling, I said, “Yeah?”

She nodded and took my hand in hers. “It was perfect.”

Drawing her body against mine, I pushed a stray piece of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I love you, Soph.”

“I love you, too, Josh.”

“Now…let’s go do that celebrating, shall we?” I said as I bent down and picked her up. She let out a small cry of laughter.

“Wait! Wait!” she said. “Shouldn’t we tell our parents?”

“That can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, it’s just you and me.”

“And Nate,” she said, pressing her lips together to keep from laughing.

I rolled my eyes. “Right. And Nate.”