Short chapter is short y'all, but this is where it wanted to be, and the best is yet to come.
He's exhausted, she doesn't have to be in love with him to take one look and know that he's down at least 10 pounds and if the circles burned under his eyes are any indication, at least 150 hours of sleep. But that doesn't stop him from wrapping his arms so tightly around her that it felt like her ribs may actually crack under the pressure.
Despite the tear-filled satellite phone call to the Cornelia and the Time Bandit that followed her discovery of rings and post-its, it turns out that engagement doesn't mean much, it doesn't mean more phone calls and it doesn't mean faster fishing and offloading and it doesn't mean that Josh was home any sooner despite the ring wrapped around her finger and the force of her every wish and hope and dream.
She'd threatened to fly up and meet them for an offload, if for no other reason than to have one brief minute to actually see his face. She'd cried on her mom's shoulder despite her best attempts not to. She'd ranted to Janey about how unfair the whole situation was. But in the end she'd managed to be mostly calm when they actually talked about it, mostly practical in the face of this life that sometimes seemed fathoms away from practical. They agreed it wasn't worth it, he'd be home soon enough and despite the burning in her stomach, she could wait. Patience was a virtue she worked on all the time.
Now, finally, standing in the middle of the airport she nosed the hood of his sweatshirt to the side, burrowing against his neck until the stale smell of travel and airports gave way to the warm and achingly familiar scent of Josh. With a sigh she tucked her face against that spot and drew a deep breath, holding on just as tightly as he did. Pulling back to cup his face in her hands she kissed him just a little long and a little too deep before they both remembered that they were standing in the middle of the airport, and love or not, engaged or not, some things are just better in private.
So her heart flipped all over again when instead of grabbing her hand and leading the way to baggage claim he grabbed her hand and dropped down on one knee. Tears filled her eyes and she drew a shaky breath.
"What are you doing," she whispered, "I already said yes."
"I know," he kissed the hand he held and looked up at her, "and I was really going to wait until we were home to do this, but I actually," he looked around at the crowd that surrounded them, his family, her family, the boat family, "I think this is the perfect place for this."
"Jillian," her hand shook in his, "I always meant to do this in person, so I could see your face. I had a whole speech about loving you, and forever and a family, but all I can remember is this. I love you, marry me,"
Her breath hitched, and just for a minute she saw the boy she'd grown up with, the boy who even in the worst of times had never been anywhere but in her life, as she blinked away the tears she saw him clearly, the man now, the man she'd grow old with. And then she laughed, heart so full of happiness, pressed a thumb against her eye to stem the tears and chanted, "yes, yes, yes."
As their families cheered he reached into his pocket and pulled out one final surprise, sliding a silver band with one fat, square, sparkling diamond on her finger. "For when you aren't working," he whispered in her ear as he gathered her in his arms.
"I love you, so much," she clutched the thick material of his sweatshirt in her hands, "so, so much."
"Why does she get two rings," Mandy asked curiously when they're gathered around the luggage carousel watching the series of beaten and dirty bags .
"Because she's spoiled," came Janey's answer from her seat slouched in the uncomfortable airport chairs.
"Because she has to wear gloves every day, so she gets the ring to wear to work, and the ring to wear the rest of the time," he rests his lips against her temple for just a minute, scanning the battered luggage as it careened by, "and because she's spoiled."
For just a minute he's reminded of the sheer panic that came when he picked out the rings, the realization that this is a huge step, bigger maybe than any decision he's ever made in his entire life.
But then he remembers coming home from the jewelry store and finding Jill asleep on the couch, feet tucked into the cushions, creases from the couch pressed against her cheek. He had sat on the edge of the couch, the shifting weight just enough to wake her up, her eyes hazy with sleep and for one moment completely unfiltered. He watched almost mesmerized as they filled with so much love for him in that moment he forgot the frozen ball of fear low in his belly in favor of making her vision haze in a completely different way.
Later, with her warm and pliant body tucked against his on the couch he looked at the collage of photos on the fridge, framed through the kitchen door, bathed in the warm dim light of the stove, some of the pictures have been replaced since that first night, time marching on, new family events, new trips, grinning faces of family and friends their lives separately and their lives together.
The ring set sat locked in his glove compartment for nearly 3 months after that, waiting, not to make sure it was the right choice, but to find the right moment.