"Wow," Joey said smiling. "Do they make those in mens?"
"If they do, they shouldn't," Kelly said laughing as she sat on the bed, grabbing a box of Chinese take-out and a set of chopsticks.
"What? You don't think I could rock the peace sign pajama bottoms? I'm hurt."
Kelly laughed. "Are you trying to choke me again?"
"No. I don't want to have to attempt any drastic life saving measures in here tonight," he said with a smile.
Kelly looked at him, smiling at first, then turning serious. "You did you know."
"What?" he said looking at her.
"You saved my life. He could have killed me if I'd stayed. If he'd decided to….he could have."
Joey walked over to the bed and sat beside her. "That didn't happen…He's gone. He's out of your life for good."
"Because of you," she said, looking into his eyes intently, "You took me out of there. If it hadn't been for you, I don't know what would have happened."
"It wasn't just me. You came to Llanview. You made that choice to leave. You came to me…you knew you had to tell someone. I'm just glad you knew you could come home."
"You're my home. You always have been. Wherever you are…that's where I feel safe," she said, averting her eyes for a moment.
Joey stood up and walked over to the chair.
Thinking she'd said too much, Kelly walked over to him, "I'm sorry," she began. "I didn't mean to push. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate everything…" Her words stopped when she saw his hands. Their contents changed everything.
"Joey…I…" She felt herself begin to shake as he carefully led her back to the bed.
He sat the small box on the bedside table and gently took her hands in his. "Kelly," he began, "I know that you think you've made a mess of your life. I know that you feel like you're just one big screw up after another, but that's not the way I see you. It's never been the way I see you." He smiled at her, taking a breath before he continued. "You live your life…good or bad. You don't just sit back and watch. You're exciting and you're fun and you make me want to be exciting and fun too."
Kelly felt the tears begin. "I get you into trouble."
"I loved every minute of it. Last year, after you left and after all this mess with Aubrey, I was trying to get my life back on track so I did a lot of thinking. I started thinking back to when I was really happy…the times in my life where I really truly felt content and I realized something."
"What?"
"They were all with you," he said softly. "Every time in my life when I truly felt happy, I shared with you. And before you even say it, I know we had our bad moments too, but what stands out are the moments when we were happy. The nights we'd spend laughing and talking—how good that was and how much I missed it—how much I missed you."
"I missed you too," she said, wiping away the tears.
"I don't want to miss you anymore," Joey whispered. "I'm tired of wasting time chasing happiness when I have it right in front of me. I've let you go too many times to be stupid enough to do it again." He reached for the box and opened it, holding it in front of Kelly. "I know it seems sudden…and I know you've just been through a lot, but that's part of the reason I want to do this now. I want this to be a new beginning for us and for you. I want you to know that I'm in…for good…forever. Marry me, Kelly. Marry me and you'll never have to be anything but you again."
Her kiss was the only answer he needed.
The End