My Everything

problems. I groan and bury my face in her neck. 
    “I want to look for an apartment or a house. Something for us to live in as husband and wife because I’m getting really needy.”
    I sigh. “I know, me too.” I rise up and look at my wife. I can’t believe that just over a year ago I was arriving in Africa with my tail between my legs and my heart broken. I knew I’d return home, but I didn’t bank on a wife coming back with me. “I love you.”
    “I love you too,” she pulls me close and kisses me deeply, making me pull away all too soon.
    “House hunting it is.” I jump up and get out of bed with my mind set on a cold shower.
    “I want to go to that little café on Main Street for lunch. Can we do that?”
    It’s a good thing my back is turned because the expression on my face will tell her exactly what my brain is saying. Hell no.
    “Sure, babe.” I exit the room as quickly as I can.
     
    I love our Sunday afternoons. Noah goes to the Preston’s and we get to just relax. Today, Josie has a surprise for me. I’ve tried to figure it out, but she’s kept it a secret. Even Katelyn wouldn’t tell me.
    Josie drives us to the park. I look at her questioningly; she just shrugs playfully as she gets out of the car. I follow and jog to catch up with her. I reach for her hand, bringing it to my lips. I place a lingering kiss and wish my ring were gracing her finger.
    I can’t help but think this is the right moment. The one I’ve been waiting for, but I can’t take any more rejection. I’ve resigned myself to living as her partner and not her husband. It’s not going to be enough, but I’ll find a way to make it work.
    Josie leads us to the park bench that faces Main Street. About two years ago the city officials decided to revitalize this area. Wrought iron light poles were installed, a nice fence put up around the park and park benches were added. Across from the park, businesses started rebuilding and redoing their façades, bringing back the old hometown feel. The only problem with it is some couldn’t afford to upgrade and their businesses folded, leaving empty storefronts.
    We sit down, her hand in my lap. I love this. I love that we are a couple, raising our son and living a fulfilling life. I don’t need her to have my last name to make us a family. We already are.
    “What are we doing here?” I look around and wonder why of all the benches she chose the one facing the dilapidated building.
    “What do you see when you look at that building?”
    “Ruins.”
    “No, Nick, really look at it. What do you see?”
    I do as she asks and study the building. It was once a toy store. Mr. Preston told me that he worked there when he was a youngster and that he learned to carve a wooden train from the owner, Mr. W. He said no one knew what the W stood for and no one ever bothered to ask. He died a few years back and didn’t have a family to run the store for him. It’s been empty and falling apart since.
    “I see the toy store in its heyday. Kids running to the shop after school to see what new toys Mr. W made.”
    “My dad would’ve done that.”
    “I know that’s how I can picture it. He tells Noah about what it was like all the time. Tell me, Josie, what do you see?”
    Her expression is what I want to see when I ask her to marry me. Her face lights up, her eyes go wide and her grin is from ear to ear. It breaks my heart to know that an empty, broken down store can get the reaction that I so desperately need.
    “I see my dream.”
    “Your dream?” I don’t mean to sound like an insensitive boyfriend, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a dream.
    “I want to open a flower shop in the old toy store and call it Whimsicality.”
    “Why?”
    Josie looks at me and I can’t decipher if she’s pissed off or genuinely concerned that I don’t know the answer to my own question.
    “I want to bring the same happiness Mr. W. did to people, but with flowers.”
    “Okay.”
    “I talked to my dad. He’ll give me the loan to get started and Henry is going to do all the construction at cost.”
    I see the way she talks about her dream and know that she’ll be successful. I can see everything taking shape in her mind and in mine. The sheer joy that is showing on her face as she talks about opening a shop is mesmerizing. If this is what she wants to do, we’ll make it happen.
    “When do we get started?”
    Josie jumps into my lap and wraps her arms tight around my neck. I start to