Unhurt by K.S. Thomas Page A

was all I had these days.
    Of course, he was also kind of asking for it. And apparently didn’t mind it.
    “Because I can and Mattie can’t.” As if it was that simple.
    My arms slipped down to my sides, flapping and dangling like lackluster sails abandoned by the wind. “You’re serious.”
    Derek placed his Heineken on the counter and stood up from his seat. He took two steps toward me and then dropped down on one knee. I thought I might throw up.
    “Whooaaa, now. What are you doing?”
    He grabbed one of my limp hands. “Shut up. I got this.” He cleared his throat. “Joss Kelley, for the sake of saving your family and also because I’m hoping this will mean I won’t have to pay you for painting my furniture...will you marry me?”
    Holy shit. I mean, I knew it was a fake proposal. But HOLY SHIT.
    “You’re insane.”
    He didn’t move. “What?! This was your idea. You just proposed to Mattie two minutes ago.”
    “Yeah, but I’ve spent more than just one day with him.”
    Derek shrugged. “And that didn’t seem to work in your favor.”
    I gasped. “You motherfucker. Fine, but remember - You asked for this.”
    “Is that a yes?” Right around then I noticed he was still holding onto my hand.
    “Apparently it is.”
    Derek grinned as he got back to his feet. Then, in case the entire bar crowd wasn’t already staring at us like we were circus freaks, he lifted our hands into the air and shouted, “We’re getting married. Drinks on me!” Naturally, everyone cheered. Except for me.
    “What are you doing? You’re acting like this is a real engagement.” And if he didn’t quit I’d be tempted to believe him. The way my life had been going lately, I’d be all too happy to abandon reality for this kind of deluded fairy tale shit if he continued to throw it around so carelessly.
    “Relax. I know this arrangement is lacking the very vital romance component, but just because it’s a marriage of convenience instead of love, doesn’t mean it can’t be celebrated. Besides, you look like you could use it.” He nudged me gently in the side. “Plus, I’ll take that ‘you’re a fucking moron face’ you’re giving me right now over the one you had when you walked in here, any day of the week.”
    “Good to know. You keep this shit up and you’ll be seeing it a lot.” It was either that or my ugly cry face because he was quite literally moving me to tears with all of his knight in shiny armor crap. Oh well, if he still wanted to marry me come morning, at least for one brief moment I would be able to claim I had a husband who was not only the sexiest man I’d ever seen , but knew his way around a tool box, was kind to animals, and spent his free time volunteering for children’s charities. Yeah, if I absolutely had to get married, I could do worse than marry Derek Tice.
    ***
    “H ere, one round. Don’t go crazy.” I handed Mattie my debit card. I had no fucking clue what I was doing anymore. Apparently, I was getting married though. And, it seemed, I was happy about it. Not because I was looking forward to some fantasy of wedded bliss, but because for the first time since I’d left the Navy, I felt like I had something of value to contribute other than my occasional participation in the dog therapy program.
    I wasn’t hunting down terrorists or fighting for freedom in some repressed shithole of the world, but this meant something, too. Maybe it should have paled in comparison, but truth was, knowing that I could keep a son in the arms of his mother, keep them both together, keep them safe, it seemed like the perfect mission for someone seeking redemption. Not that I could ever truly redeem myself for what I’d done, but maybe, just maybe, if I could pay if forward often enough, I could someday be at peace with the debt I could never pay back.
    When I turned around toward the crowd I saw Joss still standing in the middle of the room, clearly unsure how to proceed. Well, we’d have to wing