Free Scrappily Ever After by Mollie Cox Bryan

“Vera? What do you say? Will you marry me?”
    Eric was hopeful. His eyebrows were lifted and he had a slight smile on his face.
    Vera’s face heated. Marriage? So, this was what the fuss was all about. The private elegant dining room overlooking Massanutten, the fresh tulips, the candlelight. Why hadn’t she seen it coming?
    â€œI’m . . . I’m shocked,” Vera managed to say. She felt the air escape from her chest. She took a deep breath. Lungs don’t fail me now.
    He held out a ring. “Will you wear it? It was my mother’s.”
    The oval emerald, set with two diamonds on either side, caught the candlelight in its glow.
    â€œJust beautiful,” Vera said.
    The silence that followed was remarkably uncomfortable between them. She loved him—this was true. Why didn’t she jump on this opportunity to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved?
    â€œGun shy?” he asked, softly.
    She nodded. “I’m afraid so.” Her stomach twirled.
    â€œBut we—”
    She held her hand up. “Eric, I love you. It’s not that. I want to be with you. I’m just not sure about marriage.” Afraid she was going to be sick, she took another deep breath.
    â€œIt’s the natural order of things, Vera. I mean, I understand your hesitation, given your recent divorce and all that he put you through. But I feel like we are already family,” he said.
    â€œI know. Me too. Can you give me a little time to consider this?”
    He sat back in his chair and looked deflated. “You can take as long as you want, Vera. I’m not going anywhere.”
    Tears pricked at her eyes. This man never ceased to amaze her.
    Yet, she simply could not wear his ring. At least not tonight.
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    Sheila dropped her scissors on the table with a thud. “You’re being ridiculous.”
    They were at their weekly scrapbooking gathering. Five women sat around the table: Vera, her best friend Sheila, Annie, DeeAnn, and Paige.
    Vera’s chin poked out and her mouth twisted. She looked back down at her scrapbooking page.
    â€œWait a minute, Sheila,” Annie said, her dark eyes lit. “Only Vera gets to say if she’s ready to get married again. C’mon.” She glued a metallic gold paper photo frame around a picture of her sons onto her page.
    Annie Chamovitz, mom to two boys, freelance writer, always said what was on her mind.
    â€œYes, but to let that that ass ex-husband of hers dictate her next relationship!” Sheila said, clicking on her laptop.
    â€œIs that what I’m doing?” Vera said after a few minutes.
    â€œWhat else are you supposed to do? You’ve only been married to one man, so what else are you going to judge things on?” DeeAnn interjected and, true to form, passed a plate of butterscotch chocolate chip cookies toward her. “Take one, you’ll feel better.” DeeAnn owned the town’s bakery and always had a goodie or two to offer. Vera took a cookie.
    â€œLook at your parents,” Sheila said. “They had a great relationship. Your failed marriage was not you. It was all about Bill.”
    Vera sucked in her breath—there it was. She wasn’t so certain that the failure had nothing to do with her. It takes two. Could she have tried harder to keep Bill’s “interest”? Were there signs she ignored along the way? Had she gotten too ambivalent? More than anything, Vera didn’t want to hurt Eric. Maybe she didn’t have what it takes to have a good marriage.
    She took a bite of the cookie. “Mmm. This is fabulous, DeeAnn! Butterscotch and chocolate chip. Who would have thought?”
    â€œMy intern is fabulous,” DeeAnn said and held up a page. “I love working with young people. Fresh ideas. You can’t beat them.”
    â€œHumph,” Paige said. “I used to feel like that, but teaching history all these years, well I’m not so