Always There - Part 2 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 256: Good News

A Few Days Later

I was woken up to the feeling of my phone vibrating underneath the pillow next to me. Begrudgingly, I reached over, pulling it out to see a photo of me and Jake filling the screen, my heart jumping just like it did every time I saw him.

"Well, good morning." I sighed, unable to contain my grin, no matter how early it was. Any day I could start with him, would always make me the happiest girl in the world.
"Someone sounds tired." He laughed. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" I hesitated for a moment, not wanting him to stop with his morning wake-up calls, the closest thing I had to waking up to him when he didn't stay over.

"No, I just woke up." I lied. "Good timing."
"Mhm.." He hummed. I knew he didn't buy it.
"So what's going on?"
"What, I can't just call my fiancé?" He asked. My smile grew.

Fiancé.
His fiancé.

"Of course you can. Though, I'd rather you were here." I teased.
"So do I." He giggled to himself. "But I was wondering if I could come pick you up, and the two.. well.. the three of us could go get some breakfast."

The three of us.
How much I loved the idea of our own little family.
And now it was happening.

Now we just.. had to tell everyone.
But until then, it was just ours.

"I would love to get breakfast with you." I said. "Is this a date?" The sound of his laughter made my heart jump again.
"Always." He assured me. "I'll see you soon."

I didn't have to wait long before I heard his gentle knocking on the front door, only to be met with my mom loudly greeting him before I could make it downstairs.
"And where are you two off to this morning?" She asked. He shrugged, playfully rolling his eyes as he leaned in the doorway, peeking up at me making my way down.
"Just gonna get some breakfast, and then.. maybe head back here for a little bit?" He asked, giving me a smirk.

I knew what that meant.

"Well, that sounds lovely. I'll see you two when you get back then." She said, moving out of the way as I slipped by, taking his hand and flashing her a smile and a quick wave before pulling him out towards his car. But even still, he swiftly maneuvered in front of me, fast enough to grab the passenger door handle, opening it and helping me inside.

"So, what was that look for?" I finally asked. His smile grew as he kept his eyes forward, reaching over and pulling his sunglasses out from the glovebox.
"I think that it's time to tell her, Jaime." He said softly, reaching back over for my hand, tightly intertwining our fingers. I let out a deep sigh, squeezing him tighter.
"I think you're right."
"I think she'll be excited."
"So do I." I said, an eager grin escaping my lips.

I couldn't wait for her to meet my family.

"What about telling everyone else?" I added. He nodded, staying quiet for a moment.
"That might be a little harder." He wasn't wrong. From the moment I saw those two lines, I was terrified of the moment I had to tell Josh that it was finally happening.

Just not with him.

"Would you rather.. I tell them?" He asked, peeking over at me. I squeezed his hand tighter, eventually shaking my head.
"N-no, this is.. exciting. We should be able to be excited. I.. I want to tell them with you." I said. He nodded, a small smile escaping his lips.
"I really am excited, Jaime." He said softly, his thumb now now gently tracing hearts across my palm.
"Me too."

-

As the waitress brought out or food, I could see Jake's eyes instantly light up, trying his best to contain his grin as he watched me take the first bite of my fruit.
"You want some?" He asked, motioning back down to his plate of waffles, looking more like dessert than breakfast. This time I didn't fight him on it, going over and closely sliding into the booth next to him.

"This is like our first date." I said as he held up a fork-full to my mouth. He nodded as I took a bite, unable to take my eyes off of him.
"Yeah." He sighed, gently wiping the whipped cream from my lips. "Actually.." He then leaned into a long kiss. I kissed him back, giggling to myself.
"You didn't let me kiss you last time." He said.
"I just wanted it to be special."
"It was special."

He then leaned into another long kiss, his lips embracing mine like we were the only two in the room. How beautiful it was to be loved so publicly, so proudly, and how proud I was to be his too.

"Before we head back.." He said, giving me that same devilish grin that always made my heart skip a beat. "I have something I want to give you."
"Well, what's that?" I asked, wondering what else he could possibly give me. He had already given me the world. He shook his head.
"Not here." He said, going into his pocket and placing money on the table before taking my hand and helping me out of the booth, leading us out to his car.

The drive back was quiet for the most part, the gentle humming of the radio in the background, the perfect soundtrack for the light pattering of the rain that suddenly filled the windsheild.

"It really is like our first date." I laughed, reaching over for his hand, intertwining our fingers. He nodded, staying quiet as we pulled into his driveway. I held my stare on him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking about. I always wondered what he thought about, and if it included me just as much as my mind was forever submerged within him.

"Is everything okay?" I finally asked, his silence now starting to make me nervous. He eventually nodded, peeking back over at me with a smile.
"Of course, I just.. I wanted everything to be perfect." He said softly, peeking back out at the tree, at our tree, getting distracted by the raindrops that quickly trickled down his window.

"And why can't it be perfect?" I asked, squeezing his hand, bringing his attention back to me. I leaned into a quick kiss before kicking off my shoes and opening the door, taking off across the field. It wasn't long before I heard the slamming of his door behind me, his footsteps loudly splashing in the flooded grass until I finally felt his tight grip on my waist, turning me around and pulling me into a passionate kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling him lift me up as he kissed me harder, now carrying me towards our tree until we were finally shaded by it's branches, leaving us secluded from the thick veil of the down-pouring just inches away.

"So, what do you have to give me?" I asked, unable to contain my grin. He let out a deep sigh, holding his stare on me. What could it possibly be?
"What?" I asked again. He bit down on his lip, his eyes slowly scanning my face, making me that much more nervous of what it could be, until finally he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, velvet box.

"Jaime.." He said, hesitating before getting down onto one knee, his face squirming at the feeling of his pants becoming fully drenched within the now flooding mud.
"Jake.." I whispered, the only thing I could manage before my eyes instinctively filled with tears.

"Jaime, I.. I have dreamt of this moment.. for a long time, and.. I knew if I was ever given the chance, I was going to do this right. Because you are the only girl I could ever see myself doing this for.." He laughed, now motioning down into the drowning grass.
"Keep going." I insisted, giggling to myself as I wiped my eyes, not wanting to miss a second of this. He nodded, his smile growing.

"I love you more than anything. I always have and I always will, and I cannot wait to start this next chapter of our lives together. I couldn't imagine it being anyone other than you. And you deserve something so much nicer than the first time I asked So.." He then carefully opened the box and I was speechless. A solid gold band with a singular diamond in the center, shining brighter than I have ever seen.

"Jaime Adams, will you marry me?"

As badly as I wanted this moment to last as long as possible, I knew I didn't want to wait another second before the rest of our lives could begin.

"Of course I'll marry you." I managed through the tears that filled my eyes once again, pushing the ring aside to pull him into a passionate kiss, now joining him in the pools of rain that surrounded us. I felt his lips curl into a beaming smile as he finally pulled away, carefully taking out the ring and sliding it onto my finger.

I had missed the weight, but this time it felt different.
And I knew I never wanted to go another day without it, or him, ever again.

"Now that we've covered that.." He laughed, pushing the wet hair out of my face before pulling me into another long kiss. "I think it's time we tell everyone the good news."