Mr. Wrong (14 page)

Cindy let her go, putting a possessive arm around Jonathon’s waist.
“Yep, that’s right. We’re here for you now. If you’re his—you’re ours.”

Sara
assumed that her smile was meant to be comforting, but nevertheless a knot began to form in her stomach.

Jonathon beamed, turning to his parents and making introductions between
Genova and Kevin. He seemed so at ease with himself, especially since he’d never met them either. Sara reflected this was probably because he’d been meeting different people for two years on his mission.

“Hey,”
Howard hesitated as they were all walking outside. “How is that cousin of yours?” His overly bushy eyebrows went into a slight frown.

Taken off guard,
Sara floundered. Beau. “Uh . . . um . . . yeah, he’s good.” She hated that her face was turning red.

“Who’s this?”
Jonathon was beside her, lacing his fingers through her own, and Genova and Kevin were still talking with Cindy a little bit ahead of them on the sidewalk.

Howard
looked at Jonathon. “Didn’t she tell you? She broke down the day you were flying out at the airport—and she was lucky enough to run into a cousin that helped her.”

“No,” Jonathon said giving her a concerned look.

Sara didn’t want to explain it all. It seemed stupid now, but she didn’t want to talk about Beau.

“Look,” Kevin said
stepping closer to them and pulling Genova to his side. “We want to take a little tour of the town.” Sara knew he was trying to give her some time alone with Jonathon.

“Great
,” Jonathon said. “Mom, dad—I think we’ll walk.” He dropped his voice and peered into her eyes. “If that’s okay with you?”

Her heart picked up speed at the intensity in his eyes.
“Yeah, that’s great.” She tried to pretend this was no big deal—that she hadn’t been waiting to see him for two years.

“Okay,” Cindy said, fluttering around them for a moment.
“You kids help yourself to whatever you want. And you are all invited to stay for dinner—we’ll be having some neighbors and friends coming over too—to celebrate.” She smiled, and Sara noticed Cindy looked so happy. It was such a sharp contrast to the last time she’d seen her in the Salt Lake Airport parking lot.

Genova
turned to her. “We’ll see you in a bit.”

Jonathon waved off his parents and pulled her quickly down the sidewalk.
“Okay.”

One of her shoes fell off and Jonathon ran back, stooping dramatically to pick it up.
She laughed at his happiness.

He helped her put it on and then pulled her a little farther and backed her up against a large oak tree.
Moving the hair out of her face he said, “I missed you so much, Sara.” Searching her face he inhaled deeply. “You are so beautiful, more beautiful than I remembered you. Do you realize that?”

His nearness made her aware of every line in his face
, and she inspected him too, forgetting that his left cheek had a dimple that deepened when he smiled.

He paused.

She couldn’t stop the way Beau’s face entered her mind.

“Are you okay, Sara?”

She blinked. “Of course.”

He smiled. “Can I kiss you?”

She nodded.

He leaned down and touched his lips with her.
Gently. “It was worth it. The whole mission was worth it with you waiting for me.”

He kissed her again.

Sara kissed him back, feeling how right it felt between them, thinking about that summer when she met him and how she had known it would work out and how she couldn’t wait to tell Beau that he was wrong. Beau.

Jonathon pulled back and gazed into her eyes.
“Sara—tell me that you’ll marry me.” “Wh—what?”

She had not planned on this.

“I’ve thought of you every single day while I was gone. Of course I didn’t let it get in the way of my work, but we’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?” He put both of his hands on her shoulders. “I know I want to be with you forever. I know it here.” He put one hand on his chest and tears were in his eyes. “I know it like I know the Book of Mormon is true.”

Sara
felt her head start to spin. “Jonathon . . .”

“
Shh—I know you probably want a ring, and I’m working on that.” He looked sheepish. “And I already spoke with the coach for UW basketball. He’s having me down next week to schmooze me. I told him I still wasn’t sure whether I would be going to BYU or UW. He wants me pretty bad. And—if I go to the Y, the coach told me he would make sure you got in. Your grades are good, aren’t they?” He paused, but didn’t let her answer. “You know I’ve already done one year of school, but I figure since I have a scholarship, all you’d have to work for is our expenses.”

Her
head started spinning, and her throat felt parched. “Wait—what?”

“I thought you could waitress or work at a grocery store.
My friend, Buck’s wife, gets insurance for working thirty-two hours a week. I talked with him last night on the phone too. He says that’s way enough to cover their expenses.” Jonathon kept both of her hands in his, it seemed he thought he had all the answers.

“But I’ll be in school
too.”

“
Sara, you won’t ever have to worry about working once I get through dental school. And, who will pay your loans off if you’re not working? Do you plan on working?” Jonathon seemed to come out of his own world for a minute and look at her like she was finally real.

She hesitated and sucked in a large breath of air.

Jonathon kissed her softly on the mouth again.
“Am I overwhelming you?”

Sara
put her hand up, but smiled, loving the way it felt when he kissed her. “I’m finishing school, Jonathon. That’s all I ever wanted, and . . . my dad wanted it for me.” Her voice choked a little at the last part, thinking of her dad.

“O
h my gosh.” Jonathon crushed her to him. “Sara, I am so sorry. I totally forgot about that for a second. I wish I would have been there for you. I am so sorry.” He cupped her face with both of his hands and gazed into her eyes. “You know that he’s in a better place though, right?”

Sara
didn’t respond.

“I mean
, I know we talked a little about this on the phone . . . I know that your dad is happier up in Heaven with our Savior and . . . your mother . . . and . . .”

Sara
couldn’t stand it another minute she shook out of his grasp. “Stop, Jonathon. Just stop.”

He turned to her, looking like a hurt animal.

“Don’t talk about my dad being in a better place to me. Of course I know that.” She snapped at him. “But I want him here. If I got to choose, he’d still be here.” She turned away from him and shook her head, feeling completely dazed. It was like her dream world and real world were suddenly colliding, and she didn’t know what to do.

Another couple with a s
troller walked past them, giving both of them a concerned look. Sara stopped walking, pulling her hand out of his. She didn’t care if she was making a scene. “And I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know it holds a degree in it. And I have a scholarship for my grades.” She felt her face burning in frustration.

Jonathon
’s face softened, he reached for her hand again. “I’m sorry, Sara. We’ll make it work out.” He pulled her into walking easily down the sidewalk with him.

The
nauseated feeling she’d had the whole drive up, or well—if she was honest with herself—since she’d left Montana last week, was back.

Jonathon
began rambling on and on about how wonderful Japan had been and how the members were awesome. She tried to be a considerate listener and smile and nod at all the right times, but she kept thinking about his marriage proposal and the possibility of him coming down to University of Wyoming. By the time they got to his house she felt frazzled and on edge.

They sat on the swing
in front of his parents’ quaint, two story home with blue shutters. Fall colors dropped from the trees all around them. Jonathon searched her face. “Did I scare you off already?”

Sara
laughed, looking into his deep, brown eyes and remembering their last time together at the airport. Shrugging, she decided to be honest. “A little.”

He leaned over to kiss her and noticed the expression on her face.
“What’s wrong, Sara?”

Sara
didn’t even know what to say or how to begin. “Nothing, Jonathon.”

Two cars pulled up and, what appeared to be, taller than average boys descended out of them.
“Right on.” Jonathon stood up and started running to the boys.

“Dude
—look at you—all suit and out of shape.” One boy with long hair that curled up at his ears and a shark teeth necklace bumped knuckles with Jonathon.

Sara
stared at Jonathon and wondered if her whole world was falling apart.

**

“You really can’t just stay for a few days?” Jonathon played with her hand and smiled brilliantly at her. She’d stayed by his side for most of the afternoon, being introduced to what seemed like the whole town. His mother had even given her a huge hug and pulled her into the kitchen saying she wanted to get to know her better.

“Nope
. I missed a week for my dad’s funeral.” She studied Jonathon’s face and wondered if she could look in those forever mirrors in the temple with him next to her. “I need to get back.”

“Why don’t you come for Thanksgiving?
Mom told me to ask you.” His long arms pulled her gently closer to him. “I want to spend time with you.”

The car
seemed to calling her to get in. Sara shook her head no. “Sorry, I can’t. I’m looking for a part-time job. I’m hoping if I have availability over the holiday that it will be an extra incentive to hire me.”

Jonathon
didn’t seem to really be paying attention to what she was saying. He looked at her lips and bent down to kiss her.

She let him, feeling his joy and the feelings she remembered when he used to kiss her.
He kissed her a little deeper and pulled her against him. “I love you, Sara. It was real,” he whispered against her ear. “It was real, and we will be together now. We’ll make it work, I promise.” He pulled away from her but held to her hand. “I just want you to know that it won’t be long. My mission president told me not to wait.”

Sara
blinked a couple of times, trying to get her mind around how fast life seemed to be going.

“
Call me when you get back.” He opened the car door for her, and she got in. He waved as they pulled away.

Genova
immediately turned around in the seat, smiling. “So?”

“So.”
She repeated back to her.

“Oh, come on.”
Genova whined. “You have been glued to him all afternoon, and I don’t think I can count how many times I saw you kissing. What’s the deal?” Her face was flushed with excitement for Sara.

Sara
hesitated then confessed, “He asked me to marry him.”

Genova
gasped, shocked. “What did you say?”

Chapter 20

“What do you mean you’re not sure if you accepted or not?”

It was Monday morning and
Sara was walking to her entrepreneurship class and talking to her brother, Mark, on her phone.

She hefted her backpack back into place on her shoulder and started climbing the stairs to the classroom.
“It’s complicated.”

“Well—
uncomplicate it for me. Is it there or not?” Mark always had a way of seeing things simply.

Sara
walked into class and bumped into Beau, dropping her phone. Beau bent down and picked it up. He handed it to her.

She could see the question in Beau’s eyes.
She took the phone and spoke into the speaker.

“I have to go, Mark.
I’ll call you later.”

“You better!”

Beau held the phone out to her. “
Good morning, Ms. Fairbanks.”

“Mr.
Hennings,” she said, nodding back and turning to go to her seat.

Beau spent the class going over the framework for writing their business plans.
Sara watched how he moved around the class, easily answering questions and laughing with the students. She tried not to compare him to Jonathon, but it was pointless.

Jonathon.
Why did it have to be so complicated? Everyone kept asking how she felt about him and the truth was, she didn’t know. She needed time. She needed a chance to get to know him again.

After class
Linda leaned over and asked, “So what’s the scoop with the missionary?”

Sara
dropped her book. “What?”

“C
ome on, Sara. Everyone knows about Mr. Wonderful. You’ve been talking about him for two years at the institute. So how was it?”