Find me in Stonebrook

Twenty Nine

*Tessa's POV*

"You look beautiful tonight Tessa." I looked up at Ben from my hands in my lap. "I'm glad you decided to come out. I know you've had a long day with the drive home. You look tired." I wouldn't say sitting on the sofa with Wells and trying to talk about everything with him whilst crying for a solid 4 hours is a long drive home but I sure feel as tired as I would have done.

Talking with Wells had actually helped me to compartmentalize everything. It was all separated now. I still don't know what I'm going to do but my head is so much clearer. It was fine. I still had some time before I had to decide what to do. I can think. Like right now I'm looking at him wishing he was Parker.

"Yeah, it's been a long few weeks." I took a sip of my wine glass. I hate wine. I hate restaurants like this. Where the glasses are out on the table already and they give you tap water whilst you wait for your food if you ordered it or not. All that's missing is a- nope wait, there it is. Live piano player hitting keys to familiar love songs.

He'd chosen the wine. Swirled it around his glass and decided if it was good or not. Apparently it was. Ben and Wells grew up with this kind of life. Wine tasting was normal to Ben. Somehow Wells turned out as the polar opposite of his brother. Like me, he'd rather grab some street food and see whatever was going on. Head to the theatre and eat snacks quietly and grab a hot dog on the way home. That was more me than this stuff restaurant that you needed to book in advance to get a table at. Where the food was overpriced and the waiters whispered so not to disturb the other guests.

Ben started rambling about what he's been up to since I went to Stonebrook. The apartments and houses he'd closed on, the family dinners at his parents upstate, the gala. Nothing that ever stood out. Nothing that caught my attention. Nothing ever did.

We ate and he continues on, walking me through the houses he had at the moment, what he liked and didn't like about them. Then when he'd run out things he was selling, he started talking about us. About what he wanted from where we'd live. How it had to be in the city so we could both work but when we get married and start having kids we're going to want the big house in the suburbs with a big garden and the white picket fence.

He painted it like the perfect picture hung on some show home mantel. 4 kids in private schools with tutors and classes and they were going to have the best life. We'd holiday in Europe every summer and visit his parents for Christmas. And as the kids get older and are home less, I could teach piano or give out acting classes at a local community centre during the week or find some mom group where we go running or a book club or yoga. Something that meant I was close to home for everyone when they needed me since he'd be in the city a lot. He might even keep the apartment and come home on Fridays for the weekend depending on how far out we move.

"You want me to be a stay at home mom outside of the city whilst you're here 5 days a week?"

"I mean, the kids need their mom home and you don't want to bring them up in the city do you? There's better schools out there Tessa. They can play in the garden with their friends. You used to love that."

"I used to love riding around town and sitting in meadows and swimming in lakes. Not riding down streets where every house is from the same bulk purchase magazine." He narrowed his eyes. "What if I don't want to stay home? What if I want to work?"

"You don't need to Tessa. These sales make enough. And, you're going to age out of Broadway in about 3 years. That'll be almost the year after we get married."

"Hold on there, I haven't said I'll marry you Ben." He sighed.

"You haven't yet because I haven't asked you." I stared at him as he sat back slightly, dipping his hand under the table and pulling out a dark red box, opening it and putting it down in front of me. "You left before I could do everything I had planned. We were going to have a table on the beach. Roses all the way around us, hundreds of them. I had a whole speech about how beautiful the night was but that it was nothing compared to you and how I was glad we'd gotten through the past 3 years as strong as we were. Then I was going to get down on one knee and ask you to be my wife and you were going to say yes. There was going to be fireworks and it was going to be the perfect night. And when you left I thought, maybe you just wanted something simple. So, I'm giving you simple Tessa. I want to marry you. I want you to be Mrs. Rhodes. I want you to be the mother of my children and show them how to be as understand and forgiving and gentle as you are." He got out of his chair and I was frozen solid, watching him get down on one knee at the side of me, heart pounding in my chest as the boxes I'd separated everything into started to flood out again. I didn't have time to decide. I didn't have time to think. "Tessa Larson. My sweet, compassionate, soft-hearted girl. Will you marry me?"

Say something Tessa, people are staring.

SAY SOMETHING.

"I slept with my ex in Stonebrook."

Yeah. Probably not that.