Wait for Me

by Louise, Tia

  I linger a moment letting the sight of them flood my veins with joy. I’m not sure it’s possible for me to be happier than I am right now.

  As if agreeing with my thoughts, the best dog in the world trots up to my side and puts her head under my hand. I squat down to give Akela a good head scratching, and she licks me right in the face.

  “Oh!” I laugh. “Easy on the makeup, girl.”

  Leon declared Akela a hero.

  Dove declared her daddy a hero.

  Sawyer and I say they’re both right… Taron, of course, says he just did what any good dad would do. I’m sure Akela would say for a Siberian Huskey, a dunk in a freezing lake and helping save the life of a little girl is all part of the job. I love them all.

  Standing, I smooth my hands down the front of the floor-length evening gown I’m wearing. It’s sleeveless, made of thick navy silk with a full skirt and a beautiful floral print near the bottom. I went back and forth over wearing my hair up or down and finally went with down, over one shoulder.

  Taking a nervous breath, excitement tightening my throat, I make my grand entrance.

  “Mamma!” Dove gasps, holding her cheeks. “You’re a princess!”

  “Dang, sis,” is the best I get from Leon.

  Taron’s expression squeezes my chest. He straightens, taking his hand out of his pocket, and he appears stunned, like he’s seeing the sunrise for the first time. “You are so beautiful.”

  Heat floods my cheeks. My heart beats faster, and I look down, letting a dark wave fall across my cheek. He slides it away with his fingers and pulls me into a hug.

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep inhale of his scent. I feel the strength in his body, and the reins binding my heart are finally loosened. The fear is gone, and I’m free to love this man completely, with my head and all my heart.

  “I’m really glad you decided to go tonight.” His voice is low, but I feel his arm moving.

  Looking around, I see our daughter tugging on his sleeve. “Me too, Daddy…”

  He grins and picks her up, holding her on his hip. She puts her arm around my neck, pulling all three of us together in a hug, and I kiss her hair.

  A moment passes, and my brother piles into my side. I start to laugh, lifting my arm and pulling Leon into our group hug. Next thing we know, Akela shoves her nose into the middle, and Dove starts to wiggle.

  Taron lets her down, and she hugs Akela before skipping into the living room, our dog following behind her.

  “Y’all have fun.” Leon follows after her, and I turn to my date.

  “Shall we do this?”

  He holds out an elbow, and I slip my hand in it.

  We’re back in the civic center, and it’s about the same as it was the night of the Peach Ball. Looking around, I see the familiar faces of our friends smiling at us. The whole town knows about what happened to Dove… and how we all saved her, but mostly her daddy.

  “So glad you guys could make it.” Ed Daniels stops us at the door, shaking Taron’s hand and giving me a hug.

  Sawyer is in the back talking to Jeff Priddy, and when our eyes catch, his brows rise. He gives me a little thumbs-up, and I shake my head with a grin.

  Mindy swirls up with a guy I don’t know right behind her. She’s in a gorgeous butter-yellow gown, and her date is in a well-tailored lavender suit. It’s clear they’re not together in a romantic way.

  “Gorgeous.” She steps forward to kiss both my cheeks. “You look like a supermodel.”

  “Thanks.” I hug her back, speaking close to her ear. “I expected you to be with Deacon.”

  “He’s in Dallas.” She motions to her escort. “Noel, Taron, this is William. We met in art school, and he’s looking for a new roommate.”

  “Nice to meet you, William.” Taron shakes his hand, and William’s eyebrows shoot up.

  “Is this the hero I’ve been hearing about? You are wearing that suit, sir. Bravo.”

  “Ahh… Thanks, I guess.” Taron pats his shoulder, and Mindy laughs.

  “You have to learn to take a compliment, T.”

  “Wait…” My brow furrows. “What’s all this roommate business? You’re moving out?”

  “I’m thinking of moving to Dallas. I’ve got a job offer at a design firm, and well… I think it’s time for a change.”

  “Nooo…” I hold her arm, but she pushes me.

  “It is your birthday. Dallas is not that far away, and you can come see me any time. We’ll talk about it later.” She puts her hand in William’s arm and blows me a kiss. “Happy birthday. Have a ball!”

  They sweep away, and I look up at my gorgeous man.

  He looks down at me, and smiles, taking my breath away. “Shall we dance?”

  The band plays a slow Christmas song about driving home for Christmas, and Taron pulls me close, placing his hand against my lower back and holding my other to his chest.

  We sway side to side, and I’m lost in a magical place with his arms around me, the yellow twinkle lights glancing off his hypnotic eyes, and the heat rising from our bodies pressed together.

  “I’ve been trying to decide what to get you for your birthday.” His mouth is at my ear, and the whisper of his breath across my skin gives me chills.

  “You saved our daughter from drowning. That’s the only gift I’ll ever need.”

  “That wasn’t your gift.” He kisses my cheek. “Saving Dove was for all of us. It’s why we all did it.”

  My heart squeezes, and it’s so true.

  “So I had a few things in mind. I think I’ve decided which it’ll be.”

  Lifting my chin, I smile up at him. “It’s fun listening to you decide right in front of me.”

  He tweaks my chin and pulls me off the dance floor. “Come with me.”

  Our hands are clasped as he leads me quickly to the door. My lip goes between my teeth, and I’m proud and a little self-conscious following his sexy swagger through the room, I notice heads turning as he passes, and I think of the first time I ever saw Taron Rhodes. I thought he was a god. Now I know he’s all that and more.

  We step out into the night, and the cold air hits me. “It’s freezing out here!”

  He pauses to remove his tuxedo coat, putting it around my shoulders. I slide my arms in the sleeves, and he leads me a little farther to where a white gazebo is elevated in the middle of the park.

  Christmas decorations light up the scenery in pretty shades of red, gold, and green. I’ve never minded being born on Christmas Day. The whole world is beautifully decorated, the songs are amazing, and it’s really hard not to feel the love in our small town.

  Taron faces me, pulling me closer again. “I’ve wanted to talk to you about this for a while, but things keep happening.”

  “Talk to me? Is something happening?”

  “I hope so.” He reaches to his chest then stops, exhaling a laugh. “My bad.”

  Reaching forward, he feels into the breast pocket of his coat, which is way too big for me. “I talked to Sawyer about this a while back…” He takes a step back and goes down on one knee.

  “Oh my God, Taron… What are you—”

  “Noel Aveline, I don’t deserve you. I never have. I went away to try and prove I could be good enough for you, but I fucked that all up…”

  “Taron, no! You didn’t—”

  “This isn’t really a birthday present for you, because if you say yes, you’ll be giving me the greatest gift I could ever ask for.” He takes out a beautiful ring. It has white-gold branches wrapping delicately around a glowing white stone. “It’s a moonstone. It represents new beginnings, success and good fortune. You’re the only fortune I ever want. You’re the love of my life. You’re the mother of my children. You’re the half of me I can’t live without. Will you marry me?”

  My throat is so tight, I can hardly speak. Tears flood my eyes, and I can only nod quickly as I hold a hand over my nose, not wanting him to see me ugly cry.

  “Oh, Taron… Yes! Of course, I will. I
love you.”

  He rises, slipping the beautiful ring on the third finger of my left hand. “I know it’s not traditional—”

  Reaching up, I put my hand on his cheek, smiling so big. “Nothing about us is.”

  Leaning down, he covers my mouth with his, kissing me slow, curling his tongue against mine. “Let’s go tell everybody.”

  “What?”

  Clasping my hand, he takes off jogging toward the civic center. I hold the lapels of his jacket closed doing my best to keep up, and when we get back to the crowded ballroom, he bursts through the doors and shouts, “She said yes!”

  The entire room erupts into cheers. People shoot off poppers, and streams of confetti fly all around us. Champagne corks explode, and the band launches into “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

  “Yaasss, girl!” Mindy runs up and grabs me around the waist. “Congratulations, you two.”

  Sawyer comes over and shakes Taron’s hand then hugs me. “So happy for you, sis.”

  My eyes heat at his words, and I look up at Taron, who’s looking down at me with so much pride in his eyes.

  “You did all this?”

  He nods, grinning in that way that makes me want to rip all his clothes off. “I’m glad you said yes, or I’d have been embarrassed.”

  “As if I would ever say anything else.” I reach up to hug him, and he lifts me off my feet.

  Everyone cheers again as he spins in a slow circle, holding me in his arms. I laugh, and he puts me down. We’re surrounded by so many friends, our family. I can only think of one thing left…

  “We have to tell Dove and Leon.”

  “Well, Leon already knows. At least, he knows I was planning to ask you.”

  We dance a little longer, shaking friends’ hands and hugging necks, until I can’t stand it any longer. Then we wave and head out the door, back to the house.

  Dove is sitting on the couch between Leon and Akela when we arrive. Leon stands, giving Taron a hand clasp and squeezing my arm.

  “Welcome to the family.”

  His words clearly mean a lot to Taron, but I’m focused on the little lady watching us so curiously. Going to her, I sit down and take her hand in mind.

  “Is it okay if we talk for a minute?”

  She shifts around, furrowing her brow. “Am I in trouble?”

  “No!” Taron laughs. “Not at all, baby. We just wanted to talk to you about something… See how you feel about it.”

  “Okay.” She nods, looking up at us like a little adult.

  Clearing my throat, I take the lead. “Dove, you love Daddy, right?” She nods emphatically, and I keep going. “I love Daddy, too. So we were thinking, well, we decided…” I hesitate, and Taron steps in.

  “Mommy said she would marry me. She’s going to be my wife, and we’re all going to live together like a family. Is that okay?”

  She doesn’t immediately react, and my nerves kick in. “Dove? Is that okay?”

  Her bright eyes blink quickly, and her little chin quivers. Taron and I both react at once. “Honey, what’s wrong?” I take her hand, putting my other on her shoulder.

  “Does this mean Daddy’s going to take us away? I’ll never get to see Uncle Sawyer or Uncle Leon or Boo or Akela anymore?”

  “No!” A lump is in my throat and I almost cry. “No, baby, it doesn’t mean any of that!”

  “Dove,” Taron’s voice is gentle. “I love it here. I would never take you away from your family.”

  “Daddy’s becoming a part of our family now. For real.”

  As we speak her expression changes. She starts to smile, and even though a little tear escapes, she jumps up on the couch and waves her hands. “It’s going to be a wedding! Just like at the end of The Little Mermaid, and we’ll have rainbows and music, and can I wear a fancy dress like yours, Mamma?”

  Sniffing back my tears, I start to laugh, pulling her into a hug. “Of course, you can.”

  Taron surrounds us both with his strong arms, but we can only hold our little munchkin a second before she’s off the couch and dancing around the room.

  “A wedding! And nothing’s going to change!” She hops, lifting her leg behind her and doing her Angelina dance moves.

  “Well, one thing will have to change.” Taron’s low voice makes us both pause. We look at him with wide eyes, wondering. “You’re going to have to start sleeping in your bedroom upstairs.”

  My lips press together, fighting a grin, and Dove frowns. “You don’t want to sleep with me?”

  “Only on special occasions. We need our special time, too.”

  I’m surprised how worried I am about her reaction. Her big eyes move to the side, and she seems to think. “Can Akela sleep with me?”

  “Yes!” Her dad and I both answer at once.

  “Woo hoo!” Her hands go up, and she starts dancing again with Akela on the couch watching. I’m pretty sure she’s smiling.

  Later that night, when the party clothes are off, and Dove is sound asleep in my bed, I slip out the window and run down to the cottage. Taron is at the door when I get there.

  “I was just coming to see you.” He grins, looking down at me.

  I step forward and put my arms around him. Just as fast, he wraps me in his strong arms. We hold each other a long moment, and I listen to his breath moving in and out. I listen to his heart beating. I feel the strength of his body against mine.

  “Thank you for coming back.”

  He leans up, sliding his thumbs across my cheeks. “Thank you for waiting for me.”

  “Thank you for loving me.”

  His arms tighten, and he tucks my head under his chin. “I’ll never stop.”

  Lifting my chin, I seek out his lips. He covers my mouth with his, and it doesn’t take much for us to be in his bed. He’s between my legs, and we take the time to be completely united, bodies covered in sweat, breathing heavily when we’re done.

  His arms are around me, and I’m so grateful for the roots that were too deep to be destroyed. I think about our future and the road ahead. I know it won’t be without its bumps and valleys, but after all we’ve been through, I’m confident we can face whatever challenges might come.

  I’ve learned love is a tornado, destructive and fierce and powerful. It’s also a butterfly, soft, gentle, beautiful. But to get to the butterfly, you must go through the tornado. Love has to change you. You have to grow, and it’s difficult and life-altering and scary and lonely… but coming out on the other side, we’ve spread our wings.

  We traded the pain and the loss for something far more beautiful and valuable and lasting. We’ve created something original and new.

  Walking across the yard to the house, I look up at the moon, and I think about the ring on my finger. New beginnings, healing, the start of good fortune and blessing. Pausing, I listen for the sounds of my mother. I even listen for my dad.

  Family doesn’t stop going just because you can’t see it. Family is something that is unbreakable, forever. It’s in the trees, stretching up to the heavens. It’s tradition and laughter and love. My final thanks is to them.

  We’re starting a new family, and this family isn’t afraid of the tornado.

  This family can fly.

  Epilogue

  Taron

  Noel and I were married in the spring when the trees were blooming and the crocuses were bursting through the soil.

  She wanted to wait until the fall, plan a big event to be held after harvest, but I couldn’t wait. We’d been apart so long and worked so hard to get back together. Even four months felt like too long to wait.

  We were married in the orchard in April, as soon as the weather turned warm enough for Noel to wear the dress she’d chosen.

  I’m sure every husband thinks this, but Noel was the most beautiful bride I’d ever seen. She wore her sexy hair in two braids right at the top of her head with peach blossoms woven into the crown. The rest hung in waves around her shoulders. I’m a big fan of her hair, but her dres
s took my breath away.

  The top was sheer lace with a type of bra top covering her breasts, then it was long in a mermaid design. She looked like something out of the sea with her hair and her dress. I simply stood at the front in my tux with Sawyer, Leon, Patton, and Marley, trying to convince myself this wasn’t all a dream.

  The guys were blown away by Dove… and Noel. Of course, they were, and my little sidekick asked if she could sing a song in our wedding. I can’t get over how she loves to perform. She told me dancing wasn’t a good enough talent for the pageant, so she wanted to try singing. Like I was going to tell her no.

  At our spring wedding, she made her public debut with “Love is Like a Butterfly,” and while I don’t really like that song (I know, I’m wrong.)—when I heard my little girl’s sweet voice singing it to her mother and me while we stood under peach trees covered in pink blossoms… it became my favorite “Aunt Dolly” number.

  A gentle wind carried the fresh scent around us as we swore to love each other, honor and cherish each other as long as we live.

  They’re words I’ve promised to her every night since I came back. They’re words I dreamed of saying to her every night we were apart, and sealing them with our little girl singing to us was more than I could have imagined.

  What else I couldn’t have imagined was my mother showing up at the wedding. Noel insisted we invite her, even though I said she wouldn’t come. Guess who lost that bet?

  Lucille Rhodes showed up in all her Tennessee Mountain glory, wearing a cream top and a peach skirt, her white-blonde hair styled long over one shoulder, and Dove was immediately in love with her. The feeling appeared to be mutual.

  “You look like Aunt Dolly!” My daughter said the minute they met.

  My mother wrapped her fringed, embroidered silk shawl tighter around her slim shoulders and evaluated the six-year-old. “You look like me. What’s your name?”

  “Tara Dove Noel LaGrange Rhodes. What’s yours?”

  That was enough to make them fast friends. Anybody with that many names, no matter how old she was impressed my mom. By the end of the wedding they were making plans for Dove to go and stay with her in Tennessee and visit “Aunt” Dolly’s amusement park.