As Long As You Love Me

Call It Fate

Later that afternoon, you awoke to the sound of water lapping at the sides of the boat. It was a very calming way to be woken, but once you were fully conscious you could hear Joe on the phone. He was laughing and you heard him say, "I know, Cal."

You felt bad for eavesdropping so you got up from the bed and made your way to the bathroom, picking up your purse on the way. When you were done using the toilet, you washed your hands and pulled out your toothbrush.

When you came out of the bathroom, you began searching for your clothes that you and Joe and had thrown off in haste earlier that morning. You saw them neatly folded and resting on the arm of a chair near the bed. You smiled, appreciating the gesture, and picked up your panties to start getting yourself dressed.

Joe was still on the phone and you could hear him laughing. It was a sound that you could envision yourself hearing for years to come. "No, I know," you heard Joe saying. You tried not to listen but you couldn't help but overhear him. Joe wasn't exactly a quiet person, you'd quickly found out.

"I just—argh! I just wish we could somehow blow over the whole dating part and be married already," Joe said. You froze, no longer caring about overhearing him. "Yeah, I get that," Joe said, sounding embarrassed.

"Cal, I know we don't know much about each other but—I don't know, Cal, I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling. I'm 35, divorced, and have spent the better part of two years completely miserable. She makes me happy. I want to make her feel the same way."

A grin took over your face and you finished dressing quickly so you could join Joe outside. You tied your hair up and grabbed your purse, stepping into your shoes as you approached the door. You slipped outside unbeknownst to Joe and joined him on the boat deck. He flashed a grin at you when you sat down and held up a finger.

"Cal, I gotta go," he said. "Yeah, okay. See ya in a few hours, buddy." He ended the call and set the phone on the table in front of him. Looking at you, he said, "Morning," and grinned. Oh, what that smile did to you. You lost no time in pouncing on what you'd heard him tell Calvin.

"So, you wanna get married already?" you asked playfully. "Shit, you heard that?" Joe said, a pink blush creeping up his neck into his cheeks. "I did," you said. "But I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear. You're just—" "Loud?" Joe supplied. You chuckled and nodded. "Been told that my whole life," he said, smiling nervously.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You weren't meant to hear that and I really wish you hadn't. I can drive you back into the city if you're ready to leave," he said in a pained voice. "Joe," you said. He hadn't seemed to hear you and continued.

"I'm sorry if I freaked you out and you can pretend you don't know me later on this evening if you want. God, I can't believe I even said that," he finished, getting up to walk past you.

You stood up as he came near you and held out your hand to his chest to stop him. "Joe," you said more firmly. He looked at you, a quiet desperation behind his hazel eyes. "Relax," you said, hooking your arms around his neck. You kissed him, and he stood there motionless for a few seconds before he began reciprocating.

After a minute or two, he pulled away from you and said, "Whoa. I—I didn't expect that." You pulled him back to you and kissed him harder, running your hands through that red hair that you already loved so much, and did a quick mental analysis of what happened between you and Calvin after years of dating. Pulling back from Joe for a fraction of a second, you thought, I never saw it happening this way, but that doesn't mean it can't happen...right?

"Let's get married, Joe," you told him. You looked into his eyes and watched tears form. "What? You're serious?" he asked, carefully inspecting your face for any signs of humor. There were none. "I know we don't know much about each other but what I already know, I'm crazy about," you said, remembering the night before when he was talking so passionately about his nephews and the love in his eyes when he was telling you stories about the shenanigans Esmeralda got into on a daily basis.

"Oh Y/N, I'm so glad you feel it too," he said, tears rolling down his face. "I do," you said, laughing at your own cheesiness. "Y/N, are we really going to get married?" he asked you.

An hour later, you and Joe were leaving a chapel, rings on each of your left fingers, a lacy veil trailing behind you as you walked once again to Joe's car.

"I love you, Y/N," Joe said, kissing your hand. "I love you too, Joe," you told him, fully feeling it in your heart. You'd never done anything as impulsive as this but it felt so right you didn't give it a second thought. You smiled at the man beside you — your husband!  — as you both arrived to the car.

"I just realized I don't even know where my wife lives," Joe said, chuckling. You told him the address and he gaped at you. "What?" you asked. "You live above one of our shops and you didn't even tell me?!" he asked. "Well, I won't be living there for long will I?" you asked, swatting his arm and laughing. "No, I guess you won't," Joe agreed, unable to hide his wide grin.