by A E Gamrat
Silver stands with us, still holding me, listening to my daughter ramble off all these questions. Most of them have something to do with Silver, but he doesn’t act uncomfortable for one second.
“What I think you should do is go and see if Abby is alright. We’ll talk about all of this later or tomorrow. Guess no family day?”
She laughs which brings out her little indent in her cheek that she hates. I’ve told her from day one, a man is going to love her and her imperfections. MaryAnn wouldn’t be my daughter without that indent. “No, we planned on surprising Abby’s family tonight and you tomorrow morning. We are too old for family day, so we came home.”
“You didn’t know about us at all?” Silver asks while still swaying with me to the music. “Your brother saw us together not too long ago.”
“Well, that would explain his moodiness.” We all laugh at her description of my oldest. “He keeps everything locked up tight, so no. Plus he wouldn’t want to upset Mom or me.”
Her staring is beginning to creep me out. I can’t even explain the look she has on her face other than overly happy and fascinated by us. “Why don’t you go find Abby? I can’t stand your staring anymore.”
Finally, we are alone for a few seconds. I want to tell him that I believe him and am on his side. I stare up into his eyes, ready to move on from this intense moment when a male’s voice sneaks up behind me. “Got rid of the trash and talked to Abby. We all good, brother. Abby and her friend are talking and eating, so no worries.”
Turning my head to see who is talking, my jaw almost hits the floor. If Silver is a god, this man is not too far behind him. He might be a tad younger than us but is magnificent and, I think, a little wider than Silver in the shoulder department. My body is sandwiched between these two giants, and I hope I’m not drooling.
“Hi,” he chuckles. “You must be the woman who’s had my boy all in knots the last few times I saw him.” They are both laughing, and I can’t form a word to save my life.
“Yes, this is Ginny. Ginny, this is Dam.”
Dam? Even his name is bad boy yummy. “Hi,” I finally squeak out. “Nice to meet you,” is all I get out before I’m just staring again.
After a beat Dam breaks the silence, “Well then, I’ll see you guys around.”
“Wait,” I blurt out, stopping his retreat. “How do you know Claire?”
“Oh, we are all friends.”
“Oh, okay. I just…never heard of either one of you until I ran into Silver.”
“Well, you know how Claire is,” is his final answer, but I saw his demeanor change for a split second, and I might have to go hit Claire if she’s leading this man along. Claire always acts like she loves being free. Maybe her free spirit isn’t as free as we all thought.
The evening surprisingly plays out decent after our rough start. I formally meet Abby, and the parents stop by our little table, but for most of the evening everyone leaves us alone. The conversation was a little tense in the beginning, but once we had a drink and more bacon, I could finally let my guard down. We even danced to a few songs and chatted with people like we’ve always been together.
Silver keeps all the conversations light and easy. If someone ventures down a road about one of our pasts, he changes the subject for us. My divorce, his partners death are not on the table tonight.
His mother walks around like she is the queen of the world, and his father is at her beck and call. Our parents are adorable. They huddle with whispers and then laugh out loud. I can only imagine what they were gossiping about.
At one point, they’re laughing so loud, I look at Silver and say, “They are probably planning our wedding.” Then I want to slap myself for letting those words slip out.
The playful side of him pops out, and he comes back with, “It’s going to be a big deal.”
While I gasp like a fish out of water, he puts his fingers under my chin to help close and keep my mouth closed. “Come on, let’s get out of here before they announce when the wedding will be.”
“Yes, we need out of here ASAP.”
We make a beeline to where all our family is hanging out. If we say goodbye to every person we know here, we will never get out of here. After tonight I’m ready to be alone with Silver. Hugs and kisses are given to all, mushy comments about us are said too loudly, and at the end Silver tells the girls to stay at my house. He winks at me, and the girls giggle away. Abby is still leery of me, which is perfectly normal, and when she’s ready to talk, I’ll be ready to listen.
Leaving his mother’s shop, Silver wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me up against his side. I look up into his gaze and smile knowing in his arms is where I’m meant to be. Took almost thirty years, but the universe pulled it altogether at the last minute of this play called life.
“There’s not a cloud in the sky.” Stars coat the sky, twinkling bright for us. “We should’ve stayed at my place to enjoy this beauty.”
He shrugs and opens his car door for me. Before my butt hits his seat, he whispers in my ear, “The only beauty I will ever enjoy is right in front of me.” I will never get tired of Silver’s declarations to love me and only me.
The car roars to life, and with a wink he says, “I’m going to enjoy you all night long.”
THE END
Thank You Note
I want to thank each and everyone of you who read Silver's book. This story came to light after my own experience at the eye doctor and my husband making fun of me needing bifocals. The characters took over and Silver came to light. Thank you to my mom for reading every bad word I write. To my husband for putting up with all of my writing time and me in general.
Mountains Wanted Publishing for always fast and reliable work and Lee Chang for my beautiful cover.
My reader's group for all the love and support, even when i'm not around a whole lot.
Please stay tune for more stories from AE Gamrat.
Other Books from AE Gamrat
Bloom Due
New Bloom: http://amzn.to/2aKolcn
Eternal Bloom: http://amzn.to/2A6ApQV
Wildflowers (BD Short story): https://amzn.to/2mXex4K
Wine & Furniture Series
Crafting Love: https://amzn.to/2CVDGC9
Where to Find AE Gamrat
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