The Bride

“Can’t you at least give me a hint?” I asked my boyfriend as he drove with the sounds of Tom Petty filling the car.
“Now what kind of surprise would that be?”
“You’re surprises are never good.” I stated, letting go of his hand, and crossing my arms tightly over my chest.
“Awe, don’t be like that,” He chuckled, reaching for my hand while leaving the other on the wheel.
“Nope. Not until you tell me where we’re going,”
“If you would actually pay attention to the road, you probably would’ve figured it out by now.” John replied playfully. I huffed one more time and stared at the passing road signs until I saw a very familiar one.
“Your parent’s house?”
“Very good, Dia,” He said slowly. I punched his arm. “Ow!”
“That’s what you get, bitch,” I muttered.
“You’re so cute when you’re agitated.”
“You’re so cute when you’re agitated.” I mocked him.
“Baby, don’t be like that,” He laughed. “You know I’m only playing around.”
“Well don’t.” I muttered.
John sighed and reached for my hand again. This time, I let him take it back before he placed a sweet kiss on the back of my palm.
“I’m sorry.” He apologized. “I know how you are with surprises.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, smiling slightly. “I missed you,”
“I missed you too, baby.” John smiled. “How was the trip?”
“It was fun,” I shrugged. “I met up with Julie,”
John’s eyebrows rose.
“Oh, really? How did that go?”
“Pretty well. She’s a super sweet girl. I see why you almost married her.”
“That makes me feel so much better.”
“Hey, I never said that you made the wrong choice. In fact, I’m positive that you made a great choice.”
John laughed again.
“Of course you do, Dia.”
I laughed and sang along almost silently to Tom Petty while John sang much louder than I did.
“Did I ever tell you that this was my favorite cover you ever did?” I questioned.
“Won’t Back Down?” He asked me.
“No, Tik Tok.” I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Won’t Back Down.”
“No need to get sarcastic with me, young lady.”
“Oh please, I’m just a year younger than your skinny ass.”
“You love my skinny ass.”
“Can’t complain there,” I giggled lightly.
John skillfully pulled into his parent’s driveway. As usual, I waited in the car until he opened my door like a true gentleman. I blushed slightly at the action, as I normally did. I loved when he opened doors for me, but it also made me blush like crazy. I quickly linked our fingers together, and we walked over to the porch. John didn’t even knock before he just flung the door open and drug me in behind him. He shut the door, and we started walking toward the dining room table.
“I’m home!” John called out so that they would know it was him. As if it wasn’t obvious by the way he just entered, he felt the need to announce it too. I found it ridiculous but that’s just how this man was. He pulled me behind him before we even got to the living room, keeping me out of complete view.
“John, honey, don’t be so loud,” Momma Ohh stated playfully. Most of John’s family was there, so I assumed that they were having a family get together.
“Fine, see it I give you your present.” He stated smugly.
“John Cornelius O’Callaghan, you better not with hold anything that would prevent me from being happy,” She joked lightly.
“Fine….” He sighed and trailed off playfully. “Ta Da!” He yelled as he stepped to the side, allowing me to show myself for the first time.
“Dorinda Grace!” Big John stated happily before he got up and hugged my small frame. “How are you dear?”
“I’m great,” I laughed before he let go and Momma Ohh took her husband’s place.
“We missed you, dear.” She stated.
“Thanks, Jenny.” I replied with a huge smile on my face.
“I’m clearly the favorite son now, right?” John questioned.
“Sure…” Big John joked.
John pouted, but I wrapped my arms around his torso, and looked up at him.
“Hey, you’re always going to be my favorite, O’Callaghan boy.”
“I’m not a boy.” He mumbled.
I giggled and stood up on my tip toes, allowing him to kiss my lips lightly.
“Sure you aren’t, babe.”
“I’m not.” He sighed.
“Come on and take a seat you two,” Momma Ohh stated, rushing us to sit down. We started to fix us some food while the rest of his family talked.
“I see that you are wearing one of their shirts.” John’s cousin, Hope stated. She was younger, around seventeen-years old.
“I had to wear it. John forces me too.” I giggled, winking at the teen. “I’m wearing his jeans too. He’s kind of skinny.”
She laughed and shook her head.
“I do not!” He argued. “Stop making fun of my awkward body.”
“It’s a joke,” I laughed.
“I didn’t get it,” John replied before he kissed the side of my head.
“I like this girl,” John’s grandma stated. “I always have.”
I smiled.
“Thank you, Mrs. O’Callaghan.”
“Call me Gracie.” She replied, offering a kind smile. I felt so at home with this people. I always have, and I always will. Ever since I was fourteen-years old, my father and I would spend Holidays and birthdays with the O’Callaghan’s. It was like we were always one big happy family. “I expect to see her with my ring in the near future.”
“Grandma….” John groaned.
I giggled at my boyfriend’s blushing face. It was the cutest thing in the entire world. He’s always been shy about stuff like that around his family. He used to never bring girl’s home because of two reasons; me and his family. I thought it was cute to see him squirm.
“I think they will make the most wonderful married couple in the world.” She went on. “Don’t you think so, Jenny?”
Momma Ohh smiled and nodded.
“I’ve been counting down the days until he asks her.”
“You aren’t the only one.” Big John winked in our direction, which caused his son to blush even more.
“Come on now!” John complained. “Can we stop embarrassing me now?”
“Babe, you’re as red as a tomato.” I stated, not being able to keep the laughter out of my voice.
“It’s even worse because you keep laughing!” He nearly yelled, getting worked up.
I placed my hand on his left thigh.
“Chill out.” I giggled. John nodded and looked at me right in the eyes until he wasn’t freaking out anymore. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” He nearly whispered. I smiled, feeling accomplished. I leaned over and kissed his lips lightly.
“This girl is like magic!” His aunt Margo stated.
“She’s had us all under her spell for a while now,” Ross added with a laugh. “John’s been under it longer, but not by much.”
“I think it’s safe to say that we all adore you, Dorinda.” Shane laughed. “It’s just a plus that you’re hot.”
“Shane!” John hissed.
I giggled.
“Thanks, Shanester.”
He winked playfully.
“Anytime,” He replied.
The rest of dinner was made up of small talk and stories from previous years until we were all done eating. We decided that it wasn’t too chilly outside, so we moved to the O’Callaghan’s massive back yard. We all sat down on the patio to talk. The men occasionally had a beer or two while they conversed and the women gossiped about something and another. I just sat, leaning into John, who was drinking a beer and chatting with his older male cousin. Hope sat beside of me a few feet away.
“Hey, I’ll be right back,” John stated kissing my forehead. “My grandma wants me to help her with something.”
I laughed and nodded.
“Go on, stop making the woman wait!” I giggled. John smiled and got up before we disappeared into the house where he grandma was waiting.
“You guys are way too cute.” Hope giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen John this freaking happy with someone else before.”
“I know that I haven’t.” I agree with a small laugh. “I love that boy so much. I know him like I know gymnastics.”
“I know, and I think that’s why you two are really going to work out,”
“Thanks, Hope.” I smiled.
“He’s going to propose soon, right?”
I blushed.
“I-I uh…I honestly don’t know…”
“He totally will.” She laughed. “How was New York?”
“Amazing!” I gushed. “It’s such a rush being in the big city and all. Everyone is so different, and everywhere you go it feels like you’re in a movie of some sort.”
“I can’t believe that you’re a model now.” She stated. “You’re way too pretty to be one.”
I blushed and looked down at my free hands.
“That’s what I said.” John interrupted. I looked up at his smiling face. “Can I borrow Dorinda for a moment, Hope?”
“Take all the time you want, JohnO.” She stated before smiling at me and standing up to walk away.
I stood up and looked at him.
“What’s up?”
“Come over here with me?”
I nodded and laced our fingers together while we walked to the edge of the patio. We were still in seeing and hearing distance. It didn’t give us much privacy, but I guess he really didn’t care. I noticed that everyone started to get quieter to hear what we were saying.
“What’s this about?” I tried again.
John chuckled nervously as he took a big swig from his bottle of beer.
“I…um…yeah,”
I giggled at him.
“Johnny, I, um, and yeah don’t really answer my question.”
John sighed before he sat his bottle done on the table behind him. He turned back around to face me, but he didn’t say anything else. I furrowed my eyebrows as I started at the man I loved. A small smile played on his lips. He bent down, kissing me sweetly. When he pulled away, his hands were still cupped to my face.
“I feel better.” He whispered mostly to himself.
“What was that for?” I giggled.
“Because I love you,” John replied.
I blushed again and his hands dropped from my face. John reached into his back pocket, and clutched whatever it was in his hand.
“I love you too,”
“Good.” He smiled. “Dorinda, you’re the sweetest girl that I’ve ever met in my entire life. You were the first girl that I actually talked to. Sure, at first it was forced, but I actually opened up to you. You’re my best friend. I don’t care if I’ve known Jared or Halvo longer than I have known you. No one could ever rank above you. You know when to put me into my place, and when to back off. We bicker like we’ve been married for ten years already. You stopped me form making the biggest mistake of my life last month, and even if I didn’t see it until the very last minute, you took me. You allowed me to love you and be with you. No other girl would have done that for me. Every day you amaze me. That’s just the way it is.”
I blushed and bit my bottom lip. I thought for a minute that I was dreaming when he got down on one knee in front of me.
“John…” I breathed out, but he didn’t hear me.
“I made you make me a promise seven years ago that if we weren’t with other people that we would get married, but I had met someone a month ago. I wanted to get married because I thought I could get over you. That was the stupidest thought ever, because obviously my feelings grew. A month ago I made you nearly the same promise. I promised that I would ask you to marry me within a month. I’m not doing this because of the promise, Dorinda. Let me make that clear. I wouldn’t have made that promise if I didn’t care. I love you with all of my heart and more, Dia. Dorinda Grace Pope…will you please do me the wonderful honor of marrying me?” He asked, finally opening his hand to reveal an old, brown leather box. He opened it up, and a diamond ring was placed carefully in there.
I smiled and nodded my head.
“Of course,” I answered.
“Oh thank God.” John stated, letting out a shaky breath. He slipped the ring out of the box, and with a shaky hand, he tried to put it on my left, ring finger. I giggled, and helped him by guiding his hand with the ring. Once it was on my finger, I wrapped my arms around John, and bent down to kiss his lips softly. His arms wrapped around me, and he slowly stood up, taking me with him. Much like our kiss earlier in the airport, I wrapped my skinny jeans clad legs around his scrawny waist, feeling absolutely complete.