Waves

Part 12

Upon Eve and Joe returning from Arizona, they both found themselves thrown into the thick of it in terms of their respective jobs. The Bengals had now reached the apex of their schedule and had a brutal 6 weeks ahead of them, including a do-or-die game against Cleveland to lock up the AFC North. Joe was laser focused, even more so than usual, and the Vegas bettors had slowly moved his odds up in the MVP race. He spent hours after practice meeting not only with Zac and his Offensive Coordinator, but the Defensive Coordinator and position coaches; reviewing tape and editing plays until late into the evenings.

Meanwhile, opening arguments had commenced in the Taylor Rooks case and Eve was tied up in court most days; any time not spent there was filled with co-counsel meetings, discussions with her expert witnesses, and with Rooks himself at the prison. She was exhausted but fulfilled, the realization of the work she had dreamt of doing in law school finally coming to fruition.

"How does Rooks seem? Does he appear hopeful?" Joe asked her one night over the phone. "He's....pragmatic. After 2 decades locked in a cage, I think he's reticent to allow himself to really think about being released," Eve replied, tossing back her sheets and climbing into bed.

"I don't blame him. Poor guy probably doesn't want to get his hopes up. Whole fucking system is rigged," Joe muttered. "I love Social Justice Warrior Joe," Eve yawned. "Well, I learned from the Master. You need to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow at Lawyer Prom." Joe hadn't seen Eve in almost 10 days due to their insane schedules and he couldn't wait to hold her. "Please don't call it that tomorrow when we're there," Eve said sleepily. "I won't. Sweet dreams beautiful. I'll see you tomorrow."

18 hours and one shoe emergency later, Eve checked her hair and makeup for the final time before going into her bedroom to put her gown on. Shimmying into the red off-the-shoulder dress, she looked in the mirror and got an idea. Walking down the hall, she flung open the door to her linen closet and reached around the disorganized shelves for a large floral box.

Pulling it down, she sat down on the floor as she rifled through the old birthday cards, keepsakes, game tickets, and photos from her prior relationship with Joe. She'd put every tangible memory of him in that box one rainy day the week she moved in; on one old Polaroid photo of them at Christmas in Columbus, she faintly traced the outline of a watermark that surely had come from a fallen tear.

Smiling at the mementos, she placed them to the side as she dug around for the small velvet box she was looking for. Once she found it, she tossed the box back and forth for a minute before she felt brave enough to open it. They were her Lanai earrings that Joe had given her that fateful night on their anniversary. She'd tried to give them back to him when they broke up, but he refused.

"They're yours Evie. I had them made just for you. You always said you loved radiant cuts," Joe choked out, handing her the small box back. "Please Joe. Take them and sell them. I don't deserve to keep these," Eve cried, wiping her cheeks. "No. I want you to have the earrings. Promise me you'll wear them. They look beautiful on you," Joe whispered, tears dampening the corners of his eyes.

Eve closed her eyes for a minute as she thought back to that night. Four months ago, she wouldn't have been able to think about that time of her life without getting emotional. Now, she was able to say with complete honesty that she was healed; that the pain of that experience had pushed her to a higher ground she would have never been able to see on the horizon had they not broken up.

Putting the earrings on, she tucked a stray piece of hair back before walking into her living room to pour drinks for the two of them as she waited for Joe. Remembering she hadn't opened her mail earlier, she sorted through her various bills and letters before she spotted a small padded envelope. Looking at the sender, she was confused to see that it was addressed to Joe from someone in Arizona, yet it had her address. He must have accidentally given out my address to some company wanting to send him something free, she thought to herself.

Tossing it to the side to give to him later, she had plopped a scoop of cat food down for Flossy when she heard her doorbell ring. Trotting over to open it, she was met with the sight of Joe in a tux, holding the largest bouquet of pink and white peonies she had ever seen.

"Between my birthday and this, will there be any peony crops left for next year?" Eve's mouth hung open as she took the massive arrangement from Joe. "Only one; that's the crop I reserved for you," Joe joked as he took in the sight of Eve.

"You look beautiful baby," he said, pulling her towards him for a kiss. Eve sank into Joe's arms as his hands slid down to her behind, causing Eve to yelp with glee. "You're terrible. Thank you for my flowers Joe." Eve nuzzled his nose with hers as she placed one more kiss on his cheek.

"Seriously Evie. You look gorgeous. There's only one thing missing," Joe said, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to her. Eve's eyes narrowed as she looked at the thin velvet box he'd given her. "Joseph. What is this?"

"Something I wanted to give you for your birthday but it wasn't done in time," Joe shrugged, sipping his drink. Eve felt a lump in her throat as she popped open the jewelry box and saw the diamond bracelet inside. Looking up at Joe, she opened her mouth but she was too stunned to say anything.

"I had a feeling you still had those and I wanted to give you something that matched," Joe nodded towards her earrings. He pulled the bracelet out of the box and fastened it to Eve's wrist, placing a kiss on her hand once it was on. True to his word, the tennis bracelet matched her earrings; the radiant cut diamonds causing a vibrant reflection in her kitchen.

"Do you like it? I can get you something else if you don't," Joe asked, suddenly unsure if maybe he should have gotten her a different gift. "Like it? Joe, I love it! And I love you," Eve replied, throwing her arms around Joe's neck before she realized what she'd just said.

Pulling back to look at Joe's face, she laughed when she saw his wide-eyed shock at her admission. "Don't look so taken aback Burrow. I told you when we sat down that I still loved you. It just took me time to fall back in love with you," Eve mused, pecking his cheek.

"Say it again," Joe ordered. "I love you. I love you a lot. One might say I'm head over heels in love with you," Eve chortled. Joe swooped down to pick Eve up, causing her to squeal as he spun them around the kitchen.

"I love you so much Eve. You never have to worry about me letting you down again. I'm going to keep doing my best every day to show you that," Joe whispered against her lips as he kissed her over and over again. "I know you are baby. There's no one who's word I trust more than yours," Eve beamed, "we gotta go though. Lawyer Prom awaits."