AJ (III)
The weather was getting warmer, while the sky was staying light later into the evening. Spring was definitely coming, and AJ couldn’t wait. It had been a hard winter. The store’s first quarter sales figures had been dismal, but he had expected a lull between the holiday shopping season and the start of spring, when people were more likely to stop in as they strolled the sidewalks of downtown Lockland.
What he hadn’t expected was just how demanding his new job as a parent would be. He loved Lucy more than anything, but nothing could have prepared him for the toll her arrival would take on him and Jori… mostly Jori. She was the one who cared for the baby by herself all day, while he was working downstairs in the shop. Even as he prepared for closing, he could hear Lucy’s crying through the ceiling. She cried all the time – colic, the doctor said – and AJ didn’t know how Jori dealt with it day in and day out and still stayed sane.
He did know that she didn’t always deal with it well. She’d seemed depressed lately and had started seeing a therapist, at the suggestion of Lucy’s pediatrician. The counseling sessions seemed to have helped somewhat, but their relationship was still strained. As he listened to the sound of Jori’s footsteps stomping across the ceiling, AJ tried to think of some way he could cheer her up.
He was watching Howie reorganize a display of mood rings by the cash register when the idea came to him. “Hey, Howie!” he said suddenly. His business partner and best friend looked up, eyebrows raised. “What are you doin’ tonight?”
“Nothing…” Howie answered warily. “Why?”
AJ grinned. “How do you feel about babysitting?” He could tell just how Howie felt by the look that flashed across his face, but before he could come up with an excuse, AJ added, “I wanna take Jori out tonight. She’s been in a funk lately, and we haven’t had a date night since Lucy was born. I’d like to do something special for her. She needs a break, and I need a night with my woman, if you know what I mean.” He waggled his eyebrows, and Howie rolled his eyes. “Will you watch Lucy for a few hours? Please?” AJ begged.
Howie caved much more quickly than he’d anticipated. “Fine, alright,” he agreed, although he sighed heavily. “What time?”
“Let’s make it eight. We’ll put Lucy to bed before we leave, so you really won’t have to do anything; you can just watch TV while she sleeps.”
“What if she wakes up?”
“She won’t,” AJ assured him, although Lucy never slept more than three hours in a row.
“Well, what if she does, and what if she starts crying?”
“My kid, cry? Never.” AJ grinned again. “C’mon, D, this’ll be good practice for when you’re ready to have a kid of your own.”
“I don’t even have a wife,” said Howie. “I’m nowhere near ready to have a kid.”
“Well, when you are, you’ll have your experience babysitting mine to fall back on. And don’t you think it’s about time to pop the question to Leigh? You guys have sure been dating a long time.”
Howie shrugged. “We’re in no hurry.” He went back to the box of mood rings, straightening a stack of little cards that showed what each color meant.
AJ was watching him try on one of the rings when the words suddenly spilled out: “I think I’m gonna propose to Jori tonight.”
Howie’s head shot up, the ring hanging halfway off his finger. “Seriously?”
AJ nodded. Sure, he’d only just decided to do it, but he had never been more serious. It wasn’t really as spontaneous as it seemed; he had been contemplating the idea of marriage for months, ever since Jori had found out she was pregnant. It had never bothered them before, not being married, but now he decided that an engagement ring was just what Jori needed to make her happy again.
All he needed was to find the ring.
“Hey, you mind closing up?” he asked Howie. “I wanna check out that pawn shop on the corner. You think they’re still open?”
“Why, need to pick out a diamond?” Howie sounded like he was joking, but AJ just smiled.
“Maybe.”
Howie stared at him with an incredulous expression on his face. “So you’re serious about proposing, but you don’t even have a ring? Be honest, AJ, how long ago did you decide to do this?”
AJ snickered. “About two minutes ago. So I take it that’s a yes? Thanks, man, I owe you big time! Oh, and we’ll see you at eight, alright? Later!”
Before Howie could sputter his response, AJ darted out the front door and headed down the street. The sign on the door of the pawn shop said it was open for another hour, so he went inside. It was empty, except for the man behind the counter. “Hi there,” AJ greeted him. “I’m looking for anything resembling an engagement ring. Got anything good?”
The shop owner showed him a variety of rings, but none of them seemed special enough for Jori. She deserved an engagement ring that was as beautiful and unique as her, and AJ decided he wasn’t going to find that one-of-a-kind ring in a random pawn shop. In the end, he walked back to Vintaj empty-handed, but before he went up to his apartment, he stopped in the store and picked out one of the mood rings, slipping it into his pocket on his way up the stairs.
Jori was asleep on the couch when he came in, Lucy lying awake in her playpen in a corner of the living room. “Hi, baby girl,” AJ cooed softly, scooping her into his arms. At two months old, she was still tiny, but she was starting to hold her head up and follow him with her eyes, which were still the same cerulean blue as her mother’s. Jori complained that her eyes were the only physical trait Lucy had inherited from her. AJ hoped they never changed.
Lucy gurgled in response, and Jori jerked awake. She sat up, squinting blearily at AJ through the strands of hair that hung in her eyes. “Oh, hi… I didn’t hear you come in,” she mumbled, sounding still half-asleep.
“Hey, babe.” AJ grinned, unfazed by her disheveled appearance. He’d grown accustomed to Jori’s “stay at home mom” look: the lank hair, the bare face, the baggy t-shirt and sweatpants she slouched around in all day. But it was time to bring back the woman with whom he’d fallen in love. “Get up, and get dressed. Howie’s coming over to babysit, and I’m taking you out!”
“What?” Jori blinked in surprise, but he saw the way her face brightened.
“You heard me, woman. Now go get ready!” He swatted her playfully on the backside as she scrambled up off the couch. He took her place, cuddling with Lucy until Jori reemerged from the bedroom, completely transformed. She was wearing an emerald green dress with a plunging neckline that accentuated her post-pregnancy cleavage and a forgiving empire waist that hid her post-baby belly. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in long, loose waves, and her eyes popped, framed by thick, lined lashes and smoky, shadowed lids. AJ wolf-whistled as he looked her up and down. “Lookin’ good, babe. You sure clean up nice!”
Jori made a face. “I feel fat,” she pouted.
“You don’t look fat,” AJ pointed out. “You look smokin’ hot.”
She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the sides of her mouth. “You’re just saying that… but thanks.”
“I only speak the truth.” Grinning, AJ stood up. “Guess I should go make myself look worthy of standing next to you.” He heard Jori laugh as he walked away, wandering into the bedroom to change his clothes.
When he came back out, Jori had just finished feeding Lucy a bottle of breast milk and was ready to put her to bed. “I pumped earlier, so there’s another bottle in the fridge if she wakes up and needs more while Howie’s here,” she told AJ before she carried Lucy back to the nursery.
AJ passed this information on to Howie when he arrived and received a glare in return. “You told me she wouldn’t wake up,” Howie protested. “Now I have to feed her a bottle?”
“Unless you have a tit she can suck on.” AJ snickered, but Howie continued to glower, clearly not amused. “That’s only if she does wake up and wants it – which she probably won’t,” AJ added quickly. “But if she does, you’ll be glad I told you where to find it.”
Howie shook his head. “You’re so gonna owe me for this…”
“I know. Thanks, buddy, you’re a real pal! Oh hey, there’s Jori – time to go!” announced AJ, relieved to see Jori tiptoeing out of the nursery.
“She’s asleep,” Jori whispered. “Hi, Howie. Thanks for babysitting tonight.”
“He’s happy to do it,” AJ replied, before Howie could say otherwise. Slipping his arm around Jori, he steered her toward the door, saying, “I already told him everything he needs to know, so I guess we should be going. Bye, Howie!”
Once they were on the other side of the door, Jori giggled. “He didn’t look too happy to be here.”
“He was. He just has a funny way of showing it.” AJ grinned. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.” He grabbed her hand as they went down the stairs.
It had gotten chilly outside since the sun went down, but there was still a spring in AJ’s step as he walked Jori out to his car, one hand holding hers while the other was crammed in his pocket, clasped around the ring he intended to give her when the mood was right.
***
They drove into downtown Cincinnati and dined at a restaurant right on the riverfront. The candles on each tabletop provided a romantic ambience and just enough light to read the menus. Jori ordered a glass of wine, while AJ settled for a Coke, and as they waited for their appetizer to arrive, he looked across the table at her and smiled.
“Feels good to get out for some grown-up time, huh?” he said.
Jori smiled back. “Yeah… but it feels weird, too.” In the flickering candlelight, he watched her lips fall into a frown. “This is the first time we’ve ever left Lucy.”
AJ realized she was right. He was used to being away from Lucy during the day, but in two months, Jori had never been separated from their daughter for more than an hour or so, and during these times, she left her in AJ’s care. This was the first time they’d relied on a babysitter.
“She’s in good hands,” he assured Jori. “I trusted Howie with my first baby – why not this one?”
A wry smile slid across Jori’s lips. “Are you saying the store means as much to you as our daughter does?”
“Not at all, just that they’re both special to me, and I’m confident in Howie’s abilities to handle both.” Smiling easily, he reached out and patted her hand. “Relax, babe. I want you to enjoy this evening.”
Jori nodded and took a sip of her wine. “Wow,” she said, after a few seconds, fanning her face with her free hand, “this stuff’s going straight to my head. My mom always said alcohol gave her hot flashes after she had a baby – I guess it runs in the family.”
AJ chuckled at the sight of her flushed cheeks. “I guess that’s a good thing. We don’t want Lucy nursing on boozy breast milk now, do we?”
Jori yanked her other hand out from under his and shot him a dark look, her eyes threatening. “One glass of wine,” she said. “That’s all I asked for. I haven’t had a drink in almost a year.”
He shrugged. “Me neither.” Not that he didn’t still crave it, but his commitment to Jori and Lucy kept him from caving to temptation.
“You still smoke, though,” Jori pointed out. “If you’re allowed one vice, so am I. End of discussion.”
AJ smiled. “You don’t have to get snippy. I’m not judging you. Drink up!”
But Jori continued to glower at him, apparently convinced he was secretly admonishing her for wanting a glass of wine. AJ looked out the window, where he could see across the Ohio River to Kentucky. Sometimes he felt like he and Jori were standing on opposite shores. She’d seemed so distant lately, her moods as unpredictable as the river itself.
He was relieved when the waitress finally brought over their appetizer; the spinach and artichoke dip made for a nice distraction. By the main course, Jori’s mood had improved, and during dessert, AJ decided the moment was right. When Jori had finished her last bite of cheesecake and laid down her fork, he reached across the table and took her hand.
“What’s this for?” she asked, smiling.
He held back his own smile, trying not to let his face give it away before he got the words out. “Nothing… just thinking how beautiful you look tonight.”
Blushing, she ducked her head a little, so that a tendril of hair fell into her face. “Well, thanks for giving me an excuse to get all dolled up.”
“You don’t have to get dolled up to be beautiful,” said AJ. “The day I met you, when you walked into the tattoo parlor in a tank top and shorts, with no makeup and a hangover… you were beautiful then, too.”
Jori scoffed. “I was also thirty pounds lighter.”
“You’re even more beautiful with curves. And boobs,” he added, eyeing her cleavage.
“Well, good, ‘cause I don’t think I’m ever getting my pre-baby body back, so get used to the curves. Don’t get too attached to the boobs, though; I have a feeling they’ll shrink back down when I’m done breastfeeding.”
AJ chuckled. “I’ll miss the boobs, but if I could spend every day for the rest of my life looking at those curves, I’d die a happy man.” Jori rolled her eyes, but AJ leaned forward and squeezed her hand. His heart was hammering, and he knew his next words would change his life – and hers – forever. “I’m serious,” he said. “I’ve loved you since the day I did your tattoo, and I want us to be just as permanent. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Jori sat up a little straighter, her eyes widening, and he could see that she was starting to realize what he was about to do. “What I’m saying is… I want to marry you.”
Jori let out a little gasp, as AJ slid out of his seat and sank to the floor in front of her on one knee. His free hand fumbled in his pocket for the mood ring, as his other hand held hers, and when he found it, he whipped it out, held it up, and said, “Jori Jean Wilder… will you make me the happiest man alive and become my wife?”
Jori’s free hand was clapped across her mouth, and her eyes were full of tears, but she nodded, soundlessly at first, and then squeaked, “Yes! Hell yes, I will!”
AJ laughed and slipped the mood ring onto her finger. It was too big and immediately twisted to the side when she held up her hand to see it in the light. He explained quickly, “It’s just a cheap mood ring from the store. I thought we could pick out your real engagement ring together.”
Jori laughed. “I love it!” She looked more closely at the ring. “It’s turning blue – that means I’m happy, right?”
He thought back to the little color key cards he’d seen Howie organizing. “I dunno – are you happy?”
Beaming, she jumped up from her chair, pulling him to his feet as well, and threw her arms around his neck. Then she pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply. When they broke the kiss, breathless, she whispered, “Does that answer your question?”
He grinned and nodded. “Here’s another question for you: Wanna get out of here?”
Whether it was the wine or simply the happiness that had gone to her head, AJ did not know, but Jori was positively giddy on the ride home. While he smoked a cigarette, she sang along to the radio at the top of her lungs, her hair whipping around wildly in the wind that gusted through the open windows. At one point, her hand snaked across the center console to squeeze his thigh, and he stomped down on the gas pedal, startled. The car shot forward as the engine revved, throwing them both back against their seats. AJ quickly eased off the accelerator and turned to look at Jori, who was wearing a sultry smirk on her face. He raised his eyebrows, and she waggled hers in return.
Forcing himself to look straight ahead, AJ tried to focus on the road, but it was difficult when he could feel her fingers creeping slowly across his leg, toward his inner thigh. “Whatcha doin’, Jor?” he asked, a note of warning in his sing-song voice. When she suddenly grabbed him, he gasped and nearly lost control of the car, his hand jerking the steering wheel. The car swerved into the adjacent lane, and an angry honk from somewhere behind him told AJ he’d narrowly missed sideswiping someone.
When he’d steadied the wheel, he flicked his cigarette out the window and whipped his head toward Jori. “What the fuck are you doing, trying to get us killed?!”
She looked wide-eyed and shaken, but she was laughing, like she’d just come off a rollercoaster ride. “Just having a little fun with my fiancée,” she replied innocently.
AJ shook his head, taking a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before he released it. His heart was racing, ricocheting off his ribs. “You know I love you, babe, but let’s save the fun for the bedroom, huh?”
“Aww, where’s the fun in that?” Jori giggled, but she kept her hands off of him until they got home.
That night, they made love for the first time since her C-section, and in the morning, when AJ woke and looked over at Jori, still asleep with a corner of her pillow clutched in her hand, he noticed the mood ring on her finger, still glowing a deep shade of indigo. When he went down to open the store for the day, he consulted the cards by the display on the counter.
Jori had it right. In the dark blue box was just what he wanted her to be, what he hoped they’d be together.
Happy.
***
