Hey guys! Sorry for the delay with this chapter; for some reason, it just didn't want to be written.
Many thanks to IA and DS for their reviews last chapter. I do not own The Cape; I just have far too much fun imagining these random scenarios.
Growing Closer- Chapter Three: The Secret Proposal
"Vince, I don't want to go out there. Why the hell did you invite so many people to our anniversary party?" Jamie peeked into her boyfriend's parents' back yard from behind the curtains in the Faraday kitchen. "I thought it was going to be a small gathering?"
The sandy blonde that stood behind his girlfriend couldn't help but grin. "You know how my family is. Everything is a great big to do around here. And everyone knows in five minutes tops, all because we taught my mom how to text," he shook his head, still grinning.
The twenty-one year old walked over to her boyfriend, whining as he brought both of his arms around her. "Your mother will do anything to embarrass us. She likes to reminisce way too much," she began in a muffled voice as she smothered her face into the twenty-five year old's chest.
Vince placed a kiss on the top of Jamie's head, settling his chin on it a moment later. "I'm sure it'll all be okay."
"That's easy for you to say, sweetie. You're not the shy one between the two of us," the brunette sighed, lifting her head up to send a pout to her boyfriend.
The sandy blonde grinned down at the twenty-one year old. "Your pout is too adorable, you know," he ducked his head to peck at her lips.
"You're not addressing the issue, Vincent," Jamie shot a little scowl up to Vince. "I don't like having all eyes on me. Why couldn't we have gone out, just the two of us?"
The twenty-five year old took his girlfriend's face into the palm of his hands, smiling back at her gently. "Because my mother never does things half-cocked, and she's way too nosey for me to keep this from."
The brunette smiled a bit. "Well, I see where you're going with this."
Vince leaned his forehead against Jamie's, both closing their eyes as they took in each other's scent. "Let's just have a good time, okay? We've been dating for what, eighteen years? It's about time we let people celebrate with us."
She just sighed, her lips twitching into a smile. "Okay, Vince. You win."
The sandy blonde kissed his girlfriend, lifting her into his arms while deepening the kiss. It took the two quite a few moments to break apart. Once they did, Vince carried her into the backyard. Outside, everyone was setting up for the party. Family members were placing tables on the green grass, embellishing each one with ornate table cloths and centerpieces.
Jamie sighed into her boyfriend's chest. "I can't believe they're doing all of this for us."
"Why wouldn't they?" the sandy blonde grinned down at her. "Who wouldn't celebrate an amazing couple like us?"
The brunette narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "I didn't know you were so big headed, Vince."
"I'm not. But, I'm glad they're throwing this party for us," Vince ducked his head to kiss his girlfriend gently. "I've got a surprise for you."
"Vince, you know I don't like surprises," Jamie began with a sigh.
"You'll like this one. Just wait and see, sweetheart," the sandy blonde placed the brunette back onto her two feet and took her hand in his.
"If you say so," the twenty-one year old replied dryly as her boyfriend led her to the table Amanda Faraday stood at.
When they came up to the blonde mother, she had just started to line up the crease of the table cloth with the middle of the table.
"Hey mom," Vince began, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's waist, still holding her hand tightly.
Amanda turned her head over to the couple, her messy blonde ponytail falling onto her left shoulder. "Well hello you two!" she smiled. "Everything okay?"
"Yes it is," Jamie spared her second mother a bright smile. "Would you like some help setting up?"
"No thanks, sugar. The guests should be arriving soon, so you can help get them settled inside," the blonde began with another smile.
Vince kissed his girlfriend's temple and passed his mother a big grin. "Thanks mom."
Amanda nodded with a knowing smile. She knew exactly what the surprise was and she couldn't wait to see Jamie's reaction.
-0-
The party was a major success. Vince's family made sure to congratulate the couple; they even bought them both gifts, much to Jamie's disapproval. There was a big spread of food. The grill was put to a test with all of the hamburgers, hotdogs, steaks and prime ribs. Not to mention all of the side orders. Then came desserts; needless to say, if anyone was hungry after all of that, it was their own fault.
By the time everyone was finishing up their desserts, Vince figured it was time to bring his surprise into play. He was well aware that his girlfriend would kill him for popping the question in front of everyone but, Vince grinned to himself, it was so worth it.
As the sandy blonde looked back over at Jamie, she was popping a piece of orange cake into her mouth. He got up from his seat after they smiled back at each other affectionately, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he did so.
The brunette picked her head up and watched Vince warily. "You're planning something," she said to him, arching an eyebrow.
"Whatever could you mean?" the twenty-five year old asked with a goofy grin.
Jamie rolled her eyes. "Whatever it is, please make it quick."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Vince began. He dug into his jacket pocket, getting a hold of the box that contained a diamond ring.
The brunette's eyes grew wide, to which she looked around at her boyfriend's relatives, who were growing silent. "Vince, what are you doing?" she whispered.
The sandy blonde offered his hand to her. "Just give me your hand and you'll find out."
Jamie passed him a suspicious frown as she took her boyfriend's hand in hers. Their fingers intertwined, to which her face relaxed some.
Vince looked around at his family, passing them all grins. "Guys? Can I have everyone's attention please?"
Most of them were already watching, but those that weren't surely were at that point.
The brunette couldn't stand having all eyes on her. Her boyfriend knew that too; oh they were so having a talk about this later. She just clamped her mouth shut and focused on the sandy blonde. It didn't help the fact that she knew everyone was watching, but he did look really happy. That much she couldn't help but smile at.
Vince passed all of his relatives a smile, especially Amanda Faraday who, by that time, had tears in her eyes. Her little baby had grown up so fast!
"Well, you guys know how long Jamie and I have been together," he grinned at the crowd and squeezed his girlfriend's hand. "Ever since the day we met in that department store, we've been inseparable."
Jamie resisted the urge to look at the crowd of family that was letting out several different degrees of coos around them. She met with her boyfriend's eyes, a blush crawling up on her face.
Vince looked back down at his free hand, grinning as he flipped the top of the ring box open. He gently tugged on his girlfriend's hand and brought her in front of all of the tables.
The brunette nervously bit on her bottom lip as she was guided in front of the crowd. She just stared at him, afraid to look beyond what was in front of her. "Vince," she whispered. "I'm a little afraid."
The sandy blonde spared her a gentle grin and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. "I know. Just trust me on this, okay? It'll be worth it."
Jamie sent a little scowl his way. He knew then that he would have some major sucking up to do. "Alright," she sighed. "I trust you."
Vince bobbed his head and placed a kiss on the backside of the brunette's hand as he massaged her knuckles and dropped down to one knee. She stared back at her boyfriend with wavering eyes, noticing the whole crowd quieting down at the couple's actions.
"I cannot tell you how crazy you make me feel. I loved you from the moment I handed you Bear-Bear. From the moment you taunted me in our tag games. And then it all fell in place when we got older," the sandy blonde took the ring from where it was nestled inside its box and offered it to her. "Jamie, my best friend, my sweetheart; my soul mate," he breathed out a nervous chuckle, licking his lips in anticipation, "Will you marry me?"
The brunette couldn't have been anything but happy, even if she tried to be mad at him for bringing all of this attention on them. The way he stared back at her provided a jumpstart to her heart. He loved her, and there was no mistaking that behind those pretty blue eyes.
"Uh-huh," she nodded back at her boyfriend, tears building up behind her big brown eyes. Her voice was so soft, almost inaudible.
Vince slid the diamond ring onto her third finger, a bright smile on both of their faces. As they stared back at each other, the sandy blonde pulled his fiancée closer and melded their lips together. The couple barely realized that their family erupted into applause; they were too busy focusing on the warmth of the other's lips.
When the two finally broke away for their lungs to contract with a much needed breath of air, Vince rested his forehead against Jamie's, murmuring into her lips, "I love you."
The brunette pulled him into a quick peck, a smile playing at her lips. "And I love you. Now," she let out a breath as she straightened up the sandy blonde's shirt collar, "I believe we have something to discuss in a more private environment."
"You mean, after all of this, you're still mad at me for proposing to you in front of everyone?" Vince asked with a pout.
"It was romantic, I'll give you that," Jamie tapped his lips with a slender finger. "But, I still hate being the center of attention."
The sandy blonde kissed the tip of his fiancée's finger. "Well, at least I can say that I did something memorable."
The brunette beamed a smile back at him. "That's very true," she linked her arms around the sandy blonde's neck, rising to her tiptoes to hover her mouth over his. "Thank you for that," she whispered before kissing Vince gently.
-0-
For the next week or so, the sandy blonde tried to be as sweet to his fiancée as possible. They had gotten past the brunette's slight irritation rather smoothly, but he wasn't going to be the one to set her off again.
At first Vince tried flowers. Plentiful amounts of bouquets, and boxes of cherry filled chocolates. Jamie knew what he was up to, and she told him again and again that none of it was necessary; but did that stop the twenty-five year old? Absolutely not!
The next thing he tried came from deep inside his heart. He was out with his mother one day, and saw the perfect gift for his fiancée. It was a huge brown teddy bear that held a pink heart in its hands. The first thing that came to his mind when he saw the bear was Jamie. Bear-Bear was an important trinket to the brunette, and probably always would be. The little brown teddy bear with a sewn up right ear, and a half a button for a right eye meant something special to her. It reminded her of the love of her life, and how he had been her knight in shining armor from age six.
Once Vince bought the teddy bear for his fiancée, he didn't waste much time to get back to their shared apartment. The sandy blonde quietly shut the door behind him, tiptoeing towards the noise of clanking dishes.
Jamie was at the kitchen sink, busily finishing up washing dishes from lunch. She had her iPod ear buds in both ears, lightly singing along to the music that went into her ears.
He stopped mid-stride, listening to the sound of his fiancée's voice. A grin tugged at his lips; of course she was singing Lady Gaga. Though, he really didn't recognize the song.
The brunette went on to the chorus, placing the clean skillet onto the drying rack that sat on the counter.
Oh now he recognized the song. Marry the night… or something like that. Vince grinned again, she really loved that song. He sat up on the bar stool and waited for his fiancée to finish up with the dishes. It never failed for her to be listening to music whenever she worked.
Jamie turned off the water, slipping a pair of black gloves off of her hands and onto the sink to dry off. The diamond on her left hand sparkled against the sunlight coming through the window in front of her, almost blinding the sandy blonde in the process. After she looked back down at her hand with a smile, she sung the last few lyrics softly and turned the iPod off.
Vince watched as his fiancée turned around to walk away from the sink. She hadn't picked up on him being there yet; for the time being, she shoved her music player back into her dark-wash jean pocket.
When she finally picked her head up, the first thing she saw was the big brown teddy bear sitting on the mini island counter. A smile graced the brunette's features as she noticed her fiancée peeking at her from behind the stuffed animal.
"Hey, sweetheart," Vince began with a grin.
"Vince, honey, what is this for?" Jamie asked, nudging towards the bear in front of the sandy blonde.
"This ol' thing?" he asked, turning it around to grin at it. "I got it for you," he added as he met with his fiancée's eyes.
The brunette smiled as she walked closer to Vince. As soon as she was in arms' reach, he spun around and took her in his arms.
"Well, that's really sweet of you," Jamie nuzzled her nose into his and placed a gentle peck on his cheek.
"Yeah?" Vince grinned back at her. "I'm glad you approve."
The brunette beamed back at her fiancée. "How long have you been here?"
"Not long. Just in time to hear your beautiful voice," the sandy blonde smoothed down the wavy brown hair that cascaded down Jamie's shoulder, his grin withering into an affectionate smile.
Jamie's cheeks flushed bright pink. "Oh, God. You heard that?"
"Of course I heard that. It would have been a shame if I didn't," Vince began, placing a kiss on the bridge of her nose.
The brunette met with her fiancée's eyes. "Suck up," she muttered under her breath.
"I speak the truth, my gorgeous bride-to-be," the sandy blonde grinned back at her, getting a pointed look in response.
Jamie sighed, playing with the curls that sat on the top of Vince's head. "How's your mom?"
"She's good. She says hi," Vince strummed a thumb against the brunette's hips, still grinning like crazy. There wasn't a day that went by that didn't leave him feeling like a school boy whenever he was around his fiancée.
She flashed him another smile. "Hi to her too," she whispered before starting a slow kiss with the sandy blonde.
"What's all this for?" he asked, quickly adding, "Not that I'm going to complain."
Jamie rolled her eyes. "Just shut up. You were gone too long, and I missed you."
"Well that's all you had to say," Vince grinned into his fiancée's lips before executing the next kiss.
The brunette deepened the kiss, to which the sandy blonde lifted her into his arms as he rose to his feet. She squeaked into his lips as she was carried through the apartment to their bedroom.
Alright, now I bring all of this to a close. What was your favorite chapter? Stay tuned, readers, only 10 more chapters to go with WI! After that I will be bringing in a whole new set of stories for you all to enjoy!