21 JUMPSTREET A HIGHSCHOOL REUNION - JUMPSTREET STYLE

CHAPTER 65: TOM'S MARRIAGE PLANS

Doug said "so maybe next time."  Tom got them a couple beers.  He sat down.  He said "I'm not sure there's going to be a next time at least for a while."  Harry said "no don't say that."  Doug said "Hanson come on."  Tom said "look I will always want to marry her, it's all I want. But right now at least, I'm just going to have to accept what she's willing to give me, and that's just what we have now. I mean she's given me herself, and I'm so blessed for that"  Abby was on his lap.

Doug said "Hanson come on you can't give up. It's your dream to marry her."  Tom said "it is. But she doesn't have the same dream.  Look I don't know maybe she does, but she's not ready yet, and I can't keep getting my nerve up to ask her only to have her say no.  It's killing me each time. Then it upsets her.  Then after she has nightmares."

Harry said "Hanson I agree you can't give up.  She loves you." Tom said "I know she loves me.  I don't know maybe she never sees us being married.  Maybe she sees herself being married to another guy, maybe one whose saved himself for his bride. I don't know.  Maybe I've been with too many girls."  Doug said "Hanson."  Tom said "look she won't talk to me about it, she won't tell me why she says no.  I don't even know if being married to me is something that she will ever want. But I can't keep putting my heart out there"

Harry said "Hanson so what are you saying.  You're giving up."  Tom said "I'll never give up my dream of wanting to make her my bride.  But I have to accept the fact that being my bride may not be something she wants.  She's independent, she has goals for her career, maybe marriage isn't what she wants.  If that's the case it's fine.  As long as she wants to be with me like this, me her and Abby, I'll accept whatever I can get."

Doug said "Hanson this makes me sad.  Come on you told her that you would keep on proposing to her until you wore her down."  Tom said "I know I did, and at the time I thought I would, but it's brutal to hear no from her. When marrying her is all I want.  I know she loves me.  I know she wants me, and is totally true to me. Look I'm not saying I'm leaving ok, I'm just not going to ask her. At least for awhile."

Doug said "and then when you quit asking her, it's going to upset and worry her."  Harry said "I agree. She will think you don't want her anymore."  Tom said "I don't want that. Look I'm not saying I never will ok.  Just right now it takes a lot of courage for me to get up the nerve to do it.  I've tried to come up with romantic ways and I'm at a loss. Nothing I do gets me a yes. And I get she's afraid that she is going to lose me when she tells me this damn secret.  I am so sick of hearing about her past, and how she's not who I think she is. I don't care about her past.  All I care about is her and our future. To hell with the past. I really wish she would go talk to a counselor"  Doug said "look Hanson it's not that easy, whatever happened to her traumatized her, but it almost broke her. Talking about it, I mean if she can't tell you, or me, or Harry, then it's got to be bad. As far as I know Judy is the only one she has ever told."

Doug said "ok take a break from asking her, but just so you don't totally give up. Look as much as she loves you, I know one of these days you will get a yes."  Harry said "and when you do get a yes, it's too bad you can't already have the license and everything"  They laughed.  Doug said "yeah for sure, you get that yes, you need marry her like 5 minutes later."  Tom laughed and said "exactly make sure she doesn't change her mind."

They left.  Tom was petting Abby.  He said Abby that's not a bad idea.  I mean I don't think I will have the nerve to propose any time soon, but if I could just get that license, so that if she did say yes, then we wouldn't have to wait. Cause I'm afraid if we wait, she will rethink it and change her mind.  Abby looked up at Tom and whined.  He said Abby don't look at me like that. It's not that bad ok, it's not like I'm going to trick her into marrying me. I just think I want to get a license so that if she says yes. I mean I'll make sure that she means yes when she says yes ok.