“Maybe he has a good reason. You did tell him that you didn’t believe he loved you, and that whatever he had to say didn’t matter,” Morti said. “Then you asked him to stay on his half of the house and leave you alone. I’d say he took you literally.”
“Yes, but after I found out what happened, I realized I had rushed to judgement. I wrote him that letter explaining everything I couldn’t bring myself to say. How can I give that to him when he won’t take my calls?”
“Wait, he won’t answer you?” Harm asked, incredulously. “What about his responsibility for his boys?”
As much as I appreciated her defense of me, I had to be honest.
“He always texts me back and asks if something is wrong with the boys. When I say no, he has nothing else to say to me. I asked him if he would come over so we could talk. He said he was busy with something very important and had to go. He is always there for his boys, but apparently, not for me.”
“Well…” Morti started to say.
“I know, I know. It’s all my fault. He is only giving me exactly what I wanted. Except, that’s no longer what I want.”
“What exactly do you want, Tiff?” Harm asked.
“I want it all,” I threw up my hands, “but I have no idea how to get it.”
“You’ve always been resourceful, hon,” Zoe said. “I believe in you. You’ll think of something.”
“You know what?” I said. “You’re right, doll. Matthew McGinnis ordered me to marry him. Then he bulldozed his way into my life, taking over buying and decorating for the twins. He insisted on taking care of me and going to all of my doctor appointments. Then suddenly I’m supposed to know that he loves me? He never told me. He just expected me to know and then moved out when I didn’t believe him. I’m good at expressing myself. I was just afraid to. He’s not afraid to say how he feels. He’s just not very good at it.”
“Dude, what are you going to do?” Harm rubbed her hands together.
“I’m going to show him what a real proposal looks like.” I nodded.
“No way,” Morti said. “You’re actually going to propose to him?”
“I am. I’ll need a ring, lots of ribbon with a big bow, and a cute outfit…or as cute as maternity clothes can be.”
“I’ll get the ring. I have plenty of brothers with hands as big as Matt who can help me find something masculine and perfect for McShamrock.” Harm nodded.
“We have plenty of shiny silver ribbons and bows at the funeral home, so I’ve got that covered.” Morti made a note.
“And I can certainly pick out a maternity outfit you’ll look lovely in, hon,” Zoe chimed in.
“Perfect. Christmas is in two weeks,” I said, getting excited. “I plan to put a gift under the tree he can’t refuse.”
“How are you going to get him over there?” Harm asked.
“I’m not. You girls are.”
“And how are we going to do that?” Morti added.
“Well, he already surprised me the other day when I wasn’t home but putting up a tree and hanging lights outside. I have Grammy’s old angel she used to put on our tree every year. This will be my first Christmas without her. I feel like if I put the angel up, a piece of her will be with me. When the time is right, tell him I plan to put the angel on the top of the tree myself because I don’t want to bother him. That will get him there. And when he arrives, he’ll find me in his stocking.”
“What if he says no?” Zoe asked gently.
“That’s not an option.” I shook my head. “I can’t live without him, even if he might be part of some crazy clover cult. I’ll show him he doesn’t need that or anything else because I am enough.”
“Damn straight you are, babe. We all are.” Harm raised a glass. “To us.”
We all said “Cheers,” and took a sip of our drinks, then got to work on Mission Shamrock.
The next two weeks flew by.
The girls pulled off their parts of the plan perfectly. Harmony’s oldest brother owned a jewelry store and was a regular at McGinny’s Pub. He could tell just by looking at Matt’s hands what size his ring finger was. He ordered a traditional Claddagh Ring in solid gold. It featured a design of two hands holding a heart, topped with a crown. The ring symbolized love from the heart, friendship from the lands, and loyalty from the crown.
It was perfect.
Next, Morticia found the perfect smooth and silky, shiny gold ribbon and bows from the supply closet at Smith’s Funeral Home. They made many floral arrangements, depending on the type of service their clients wanted. I ignored the fact that the arrangements were usually made for the dearly departed, and chose to imagine they were now serving the dearly beloved.
I could live with that.
Finally, Zoe found the most stunning white maternity dress I had ever seen. I didn’t even know they made something like this, and I knew fashion. It had silky fabric, a plunging neckline, long flowy sleeves, and hugged my belly just enough to be flattering and make me look less like I was wearing a tent.
The part I loved the most was the matching satin slippers with fuzzy white accents.
Everything was set. Matt had taken a trip back to Ireland to celebrate the holiday early with his family, but he was due home this morning. His uncle was picking him up at the airport. In typical small-town fashion, the citizens all knew about the plan at this point, and they highly approved, even if my methods were unorthodox.
The mayor joked he would expect nothing less from me.
Meanwhile, I was so nervous. I got ready, slipping the ring and the letter in a hidden pocket in my dress. The girls cleaned my place, set classical mood music, lit the fireplace, dimmed the lights, and set out sparkling grape juice and strawberries.
“You look beautiful.” Zoe blinked back tears.
“Are you sure?” I bit my bottom lip.
