Chapter 29

Joe lay on his bunk in the dorm staring at the ceiling and contemplated what Severide had said earlier about taking Taylor out for dinner and proposing. He had thought he had done okay by asking her on the Navy Pier, and she had never voiced an objection about his chosen location. Maybe he should have taken her out somewhere ridiculously expensive that served mini portions on small plates. He kept telling himself he and Taylor weren't fancy dinner types, but he just couldn't dismiss Severide's comments.

Severide would know the way to a woman's heart because he had notches on top of notches in his red suspenders. Joe had… Taylor. Taylor never complained, and was always happy to do mundane ordinary things like playing mini golf and sharing a beer at a Hawks game.

He rolled over and let out a sigh. Maybe Severide was right.

He reached for his phone after he felt the vibration and heard the buzz of an incoming text. He opened it up.

Miss you. Can't sleep. Stay safe. Luv u. T.

He read the text and smiled. Evidently he wasn't the only one who was having trouble sleeping. He pushed the reply area and started to type.

Miss you too. Can't sleep either. I'm not saying the Q word. Luv u 2.

He set the phone back on the floor and closed his eyes. Maybe the Sleep Gods would be nice and let him catch a nap before the next call.

Taylor got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. She reached inside and pulled out a bottle of beer and the cheese she had cut up earlier. She reached inside the cupboard for the crackers, and took everything to the living room. She wondered if not sleeping while Joe was on shift was going to become a habit. She hoped not because their shifts were usually the same, but she had ACLS recertification, so she had an 8 hour day instead of 12. She took everything to the living room, parked her butt on the couch, and turned on the TV. Joe's moving in had given her bad habits—like snacking on junk food and beer in the middle of the night. She definitely had to hit the gym.

Joe paced the lobby of the restaurant, hoping Taylor would show up soon. When he had called her and asked her to meet him here, he could hear the hesitation in her voice. He wondered one more time if he was doing the right thing. He glanced up when he heard the door open. He smiled when he saw her. She saw him and hurried over, giving him a hug.

"You know you didn't have to do this," she admonished in his ear. "I'm just as happy with a pizza from Lou's."

"I know, but I wanted to take you out someplace nice for once," he offered, wondering one more time if this was a good idea.

She glanced at the menu, not seeing anything on it that she liked, and knowing she couldn't order just a salad, she studied it more intently. She hated French food, but she would never tell Joe that. He seemed hell bent on making this nice for her, and she wasn't about to ruin it for him. When he suggested the tasting menu, she gladly went along, grateful that she didn't have to make the decision.

When the waiter poured the coffee, Taylor hoped her excuse of not being hungry had worked. Dinner really had been good, just not to her taste. Joe looked uncomfortable, so she reached for his hand. She took it between hers. "Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.

Joe felt like he was going to throw up. "Tay, I have something to ask you."

"Joe, you know you can ask me anything."

Joe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I need your ring back."

Taylor looked at him like he had suddenly sprouted two heads. She blinked, and felt all of that rich French food turn in her stomach. She felt tears form, but she blinked them away. Silently she slipped the ring off of her finger and handed it over to him. She rose from her seat. She stood up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for coming back into my life again, Joe Cruz. Please know I will always love you."

Joe looked at her. He reached for her hand. He caught her around her wrist. 'Oh, my God,' he thought. Then he thought the unthinkable. "Tay, it's not what you think. It's not. Not by a long shot. Please, sit down," he practically begged. He had to make this right somehow.

"Joe, why? I thought everything was going okay?"

"It is okay. Please, sit down so I can explain."

She really didn't want to torture herself any further, but she at least owed him that much. She sat down.

Joe mentally kicked himself for listening to Severide. This date had been nothing but a disaster from the minute he decided to do this. He took her hand and put the ring back on her finger, but not sliding it down to the bottom of her finger. "Will you marry me?"

Taylor looked at him, noticing that he wanted to tell her more, but he wouldn't until she said yes or no. She could also tell that he was upset. "Yes," she said. "Now will you please tell me what is going on?"

Joe fiddled with his coffee cup, then picked it up and took a sip. "It was Severide's idea. He said I needed to take you out for a fancy dinner and propose properly."

"Joe. The way you proposed was just fine. I didn't need any of this-"she waved her hand around. "And why did you listen to Severide anyway?"

"Well, he dates a lot."

"There's a reason why he dates a lot. He can't make a commitment to one woman. He's not like you. He's a good guy, but if I wanted to date someone like Severide, I would be. I don't want someone like Severide. I want you." She reached out and took his hand. "I'm happy with you just the way you are, Joe."

"I just wanted to make things nice for you, Tay."

"I realize that. And I appreciate it. But please don't think you need to do this all of the time, because you don't. I'm perfectly happy sharing a pizza and a six pack."

"I should have known better," he agreed. "But the way he talked, it sounded like I had to do this."

"I love you, Joe Cruz. But if you ever do this again, I'm going to be very angry."

"I don't like you when you're angry. You're dangerous."

She laughed.

"I promise I won't do it again. Unless you ask me to."

"That will never happen."

He signaled the waiter for the check. When it arrived, he pulled out his MasterCard and paid the bill. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Been ready."