My heart is finally starting to heal

The moment

The day. The. day. He had been planning this day for over a month now, and it was finally time. They had a dinner date later that evening, and Hopper watched as the time drew closer.

He watched anxiously as Joyce scrambled through the very few dresses that would fit. Though it wasn't the first time he would be doing this, he was nervous.

Joyce was in the bathroom trying to get the dress on, but was finding it fairly difficult with the extra human she had to fit in it. She hadn't gained any weight on her legs or arms yet, but what felt like an extra 30 pounds added to her chest made her want to die. She stepped out of the bathroom. "Does this one look okay?"

"You always look good, honey"

"Okay but it took me a year to put on. I'd rather it look decent" she explained. It was a black long sleeve, skin tight dress that went to her knees.

"We gotta leave here in 15 minutes" Jim said checking his watch. She slipped on her heels as he put his socks on.

An hour later

The restaurant had an overview of the ocean, which was a surprise to Joyce as she forgets they live not too far from the beach now. It had a patio with tables, and had the perfect view of the sunset.

They got seated and the waitress handed them two menus. Hopper gave one quick scan over the menu, then noticed Joyce shift uncomfortably in her chair. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just your kid is laying directly on my bladder"

She got up to walk to the bathroom, hopper watching as she left. He pulled the small box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal the silver diamond ring. He had bought it exactly one week prior. The older woman who was working helped him pick it out. It was a little more on the pricey side, but he couldn't care less.

He put the ring back in his pocket once he noticed Joyce coming back to the table.

________________________

They finished up eating and left the tip for the waitress on the table. Walking hand in hand towards the exit, hopper stopped them. "Wanna go down to the beach?" He asked. "It's getting dark, Hop" she told him.

"We have about 45 minutes" he said reassuringly. "Okay...." Joyce responded.

The sun was setting, but the beach was lit up just perfectly as they walked together in the sand. The water from the crashing waves running up and hitting their feet.

Eventually, Hopper stopped and admired the ocean in front of him, before turning his attention back to Joyce. "Ya know....everything's perfect right now. No demagorgans, no Russians, no upsidedown. We're safe. The kids, you, me. The baby" he smiled at the thought of their baby.
"When I was at the base I always used to fantasize about this kind of life. And when I came back I knew that one day I would be in this exact place. I just had to wait for the perfect moment.....and I think that perfect moment is right now"

Hopper pulled the ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee. She felt the back of her eyes start to burn as tears swelled up.

"You make me so happy. I don't remember any point in my life where I was as happy as I am now. You and El have changed my life and I can't thank you enough for pulling me out of that hell hole. It's not just that. It's the waking up next to you every morning. The dancing in the living room at night. The beating each other up." They both chuckled at the choice of words. "I guess I could've worded that last part a little better. But, I love you more than life itself and I will continue to love you more than life itself....because you truly are the love of my life and the life of my love."

He opened the ring box.
"So Joyce, will you marry me, baby?" He finally asked. He couldn't hold back his own tears.

She couldn't speak with the all the emotions that were running through her at the moment. She quickly nodded her head 'yes'. He slipped the ring on her left ring finger, and placed a kiss to the back of her hand.

Jim stood up and scooped her into his arms, kissing all over her face. Once they parted, she couldn't stop staring at the ring. "How do I deserve this?" She asked, amusement all over her face.

"I mean I could tell you but we'd be here for hours" he explained matter of factly.

Back at the house

"How long have you been planning this?" Joyce questioned. "Like a month.....and a half" he leaned into kiss her, his hands cupping her face. They were both growing more and more desperate as they went on.

"I would really like to make love to you right now" he stated, panting.

"Then do it"