by Brisa Starr
“Is Marsha an artist?” I ask Landon as I ring the doorbell. He doesn’t have a chance to answer because Marsha pulls her door open right away.
“Why hello, Landon!” She smiles, showing all of her teeth and then sets her eyes on me. “And... you must be Emma!”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you,” I respond.
She turns to Landon, “I’m all done.”
Confused, I look at Landon and he replies to Marsha, “Great. Thank you. But first, Emma has made some of her famous scones, and we’ve been delivering them to the neighbors. Here you go.” I extend the bag to her. She reaches out and takes it. She opens it up and takes a big whiff, closing her eyes.
“Mmmmm. Those smell sooooo good, Emma. That’s very kind of you. Thank you.”
“They’re even better slathered with whipped cream,” I blurt out, smiling at the thought of how delicious they are.
“Excellent tip!” Marsha smiles and looks at Landon, “Just a minute, I’ll be right back.” She goes into the house and a moment later comes back with a box, wrapped in what appears to be a brown paper bag used as wrapping paper. It’s tied with twine. She hands it to Landon.
“Thank you, Marsha. I really appreciate this. See you later.” He winks at her, and he turns to leave.
Marsha and I say goodbye to each other, and I quicken my step to catch up with Landon down the sidewalk.
I’m starting to wonder what the heck is going on. A package from Beverly and another package from Marsha? Our neighbors are weird. Although Landon is behaving a little odd today, too. I shrug, it’s probably just my imagination.
A family of quail runs across the street in front of us, and I marvel at them. Always, one of the parents goes first, followed by the babies, which look like little wobbling walnuts on speedy little legs, always in single file, and the other parent brings up the rear.
“Did you know that quails are monogamous and mate for life? Till death do them part,” I say with a sigh, smiling at how sweet they are. “In fact, both of the adults perform all parenting duties equally.”
“Then I’d say some humans could learn from them,” he says.
“So... the packages. What’s the deal?”
“Nothing much,” he answers, not making eye contact. He opens the garage, and we walk into the house. Once we’re inside, Landon disappears to the back bedroom. He rarely goes in there, now that we’re sleeping together in my room. He still keeps his luggage and things in there, to keep it out of the way.
When he comes back, he’s carrying the strange package wrapped in twine that Marsha gave to him.
He hands it to me with a twinkle in his eye. “This is for you.”
I take it from his hands and look at him quizzically. “For me?”
“Yes.”
I set the package on the counter and pull the twine to open it, but it’s knotted too tightly. I reach into a drawer and remove a pair of scissors. I cut off the twine.
My excitement building, I tear open the paper and see a box. Of ice cream bars? “What?” Confusion on my face.
“Don’t you like ice cream bars?” he asks, straight-faced.
I blink.
“Just kidding,” he says. “Marsha didn’t have a nice box to put it in. You don’t actually get any ice cream bars.”
I open the box. When I see what’s inside, I burst out in tears, which immediately start streaming down my face. Oh my god.
He moves next to me. “I couldn’t bear to throw it away, so I saved the pieces, figured we could do something with them.”
I’m blown away by his thoughtfulness as I look at my Granny’s broken coffee cup pieces that have been assembled into a mosaic pattern around the border and the back of an old-fashioned hand mirror. I hold it up in the last rays of late-afternoon sunlight streaming through the window. I gently run my fingertips over the broken pieces, whose edges have been filed smooth. It’s utterly beautiful. I’m absolutely stunned — speechless — melting and marveling all at once.
“You said you have your Granny’s eyes, and now, when you look in this mirror and see both the cup and the eyes looking back at you, you’ll know that she’s always here.”
I hiccup a huge, unattractive sob that catches in my throat at the meaning behind this gift. He cups my face with his gentle hands and wipes a tear away with his thumb. “I didn’t mean for you to cry,” he whispers.
I lunge into his arms, wrapping mine around his neck like I’m never going to let go. I wipe tears from my eyes and look at the mirror in astonishment.
“You are something else, Dr. Mitchell, something magical and wonderful. I’ve never met such a kind and thoughtful man. It’s perfect. I will cherish it forever. Thank you.”
20
Landon
Later that night, snuggling close under the sheets, curiosity gets the better of Emma.
She leans on her elbow, peering down at me. “How did you and Marsha manage to do that?”
I turn to match her body language by leaning on my elbow. “Well, at first I didn’t know what I was gonna do with the cup, but I bagged the larger pieces and hid them, figured I’d think of something. I couldn’t just throw it away, knowing what it meant to you. And then I had the idea about Marsha.”
I reach out to tuck a lock of her loose, dark hair behind her ear and continue. “There’s these clubs of all kinds around the city for the senior citizens, and although they’re closed right now because of the virus, Marsha is the president of the stained-glass and pottery clubs. She’s originally from Santa Fe, so art is right up her alley. I called her to see if she had any ideas, and she told me to bring the broken pieces over, and she’d figure something out.”
Emma smiles, satisfied, and lies back on her pillow, looking at the ceiling, hands clasped behind her head. “Sexy, smart, cooks, romantic, and thoughtful. Consider me beyond wooed, Dr. Mitchell.” She turns her head to look at me.
I run my finger along her delicate cheek and down her slender neck. I lean over to kiss her, and she wraps her arms around me. I know what’s in store for the rest of the night. And it ain’t sleep.
Another delightful week goes by, and we divide our long days between swimming, walking, watching movies, eating, and fucking. We’ve christened the entire house, and no surface hasn’t had Emma’s bare ass on it while I sink my cock balls-deep inside of her. I must say, this house is full of memories now, my memories.
Correction: Emma’s and my memories. In every room.
I will never sell this house, ever.
Sadie will be pleased.
My thoughts drift back to my obsession, Emma. I’ve never felt as close to another woman, and I finally have a plan for our future. She doesn’t know it yet, and I know she has no interest in a long-distance relationship. God knows, she’s told me so enough times.
It has never mattered to me though, never discouraged me one bit. I won’t live without her in my life, and it’s time she accept that because I’ll move mountains to be with her. Even my thriving medical practice.
And that’s my bold plan. I’m always up for a challenge, and starting over with my practice would give me a chance to do things my way. Not having partners to deal with is attractive, and with the sale of my shares to my existing partners, I’d have more than enough money to hang my own shingle. I broached the subject with them earlier in the week, and they’re open to discussing the idea. I’m positive we can work something out.
Yeah, this will work. I’ve done the math, and it all pencils out. I’ll sell my condo, too, and have more than enough money to start over.
In Michigan.
With Emma.
In other good news, the virus is getting under control around the country, and the airlines have begun scheduling flights again. The governor is allowing more businesses to reopen their doors.
Yes, I tell myself this is good news, because it means the virus isn’t going to be a problem anymore, and the economy can get going again. But it also means our time together in Arizona
is coming to an end.
Time to make my move.
I wait until Emma is busy editing her book, and I go into the back room and quietly shut the door. I reach under the clothes in my suitcase and pull out the package that I secretly had sent to Beverly’s house. I open it up again and look at what’s inside. Perfect. I grab an Easter egg and head outside.
Emma is working on her laptop in the back yard. I look around… so many amazing memories here with her. She looks up at me as I walk over to her, and I see sadness in her eyes.
“What’s up?” I pull up a chair next to her.
She closes her laptop. “Nothing.” She stands up and starts pacing the patio.
“More like ‘something.’ Tell me.”
“Flights are starting up again. I was looking for a return flight to Michigan. It’s fairly safe to travel, and I guess it’s time. To move on.” She turns away from me and walks over to the orange tree. “We’re going to have to say goodbye sometime.” She sighs deeply. “We always knew this day would come.” She turns to me. Her lip trembles ever so slightly, and a tear escapes her eye.
I stand and close the space between us and cup her beautiful face in my hands. Her hair tumbles around her shoulders, and she’s wearing her sexy, orange dress. The dress she wore the night we made love on the golf course. I lean in and kiss her. She wraps her arms around me, and I feel her tears on my cheek as we kiss deeper.
Then, I put her at arms length and look deeply into her loving, green eyes. “I have a surprise for you.” I pull a pink plastic Easter egg out of my pocket and hand it to her.
“What’s this?”
“Open it and find out.”
As she’s opening the egg, I get down on one knee.
Fresh tears fill her eyes as she takes the ring out of the folded tissue paper it was wrapped in. “Landon?” she whispers, the tears now falling down her cheeks. I’m hoping these are tears of joy.
I look up at her. “Emma, my baby. My soulmate. No one makes me feel the way you do. I don’t ever want to say goodbye. I want you by my side, forever… as my wife. Will you marry me?”
“Oh, Landon… I…”
Emma is stunned. Is she elated? Confused? I can’t tell. She stammers to find her words.
“But... yes... but, I want to, yes, yes, YES! Oh my god, but h-…” Unfettered joy competes with so many unknowns, and I can see the emotional battle raging across her face.
She said yes! I stand up and grab her in an embrace, lifting her off her feet, twirling her around in a circle.
I set her down and she takes a closer look at the ring. It’s a beautiful platinum band I had engraved with leaves of the valerian plant on the inside. I also had Emma & Landon inscribed between the beginning and end of the leaves.
This was the best I could do, given I had to order it online, sight unseen. But I wasn’t about to let her leave Arizona without putting a ring on her finger. Well, I had hoped she would say yes. Thank god she did.
She reads the engraving and looks at me, smiling, then laughing as more tears stream down her face. She tries the ring on her finger and says, “I love it. I love it so much!”
“As soon as we get to Michigan, we’ll go to a proper jeweler, and you can pick out a huge diamond. Anything you want.”
“Michigan? We?”
“Yes, baby. I’ve thought long and hard about this. There’s no way I’m going to let you walk out of my life. I’ll take you home, then I’ll make a short trip to Wisconsin to sell my shares of the practice, and to sell my condo. I’m moving to Michigan, and I’ll start a new practice there. I even want you to be a part of it, if you’re willing.”
She looks at me, her eyebrows knit together, not fully comprehending my words. I understand. All of this must be quite a shock. I’ve had a lot more time to think about this than she has.
“I’ll open a new practice, and I want you to sell your herbal remedies there, along with copies of your book. You know, plenty of my patients in Wisconsin are constantly asking me for more natural ways to treat their skin problems. I just never believed there were any options, so I dismissed the idea. But you’ve opened my eyes to a whole new world. I’m sure we’ll find the same interest from patients in Michigan.”
“Oh my god, Landon, are you serious? Move to Michigan? Get married? Start... a new practice? I can manufacture my remedies and sell them there?” She jumps up and down, giddy with excitement. “Oh my god. Yes! Let’s do it!” She crashes into me, hugging me and kissing me. “Let’s do it together!!”
Relief floods my veins, and I take a breath, pausing to try the new situation on for size. I look into her beautiful face, cupping it in my hands, “Hello, future wife.”
“Hello, future husband.” She squeals and grabs my hand, leading me back into the house, into our bedroom. She pushes me onto the bed, straddling me under her hiked up dress, her warm dampness pressing down on me.
“Oh. Hello, indeed.”
An hour later, she’s nestled in the cradle of my arm and holding her hand up to look at her ring. “You know, I’m not sure I even want a diamond. This is perfect just the way it is.”
“Oh, you’re getting a diamond,” I say. “A big fucker, too. I want men to see it a mile away and know that you’re taken.”
She giggles and I squeeze her in closer to me.
“There is another option,” she says, turning her face up to mine.
“I am a freelance worker... I’m my own boss. I could actually live anywhere, now that I think about it. I mean, I’d miss my mom and Paige, but that’s what vacations are for.”
“Hmmm,” I say, thinking about it. That hadn’t crossed my mind.
“So I’m saying that I don’t think we have to live in Michigan, if you don’t want. If you’d rather stay in Wisconsin, if your practice is important, then I could be persuaded, with lots of oral sex of course, to consider moving there.” She blushes and then pulls the sheet up over her face.
I pull the sheet down and kiss her blushed cheeks. I look at her as I consider what she said. “Well, then, this gives us options. The more I thought about starting my own practice, the more excited I got. So it’s not a reason for us to be in Wisconsin. Not to mention, I can’t stand the weather there. And if you’re not chained to Michigan, what would you think about… living someplace warmer?” I raise my eyebrows at her.
“Warmer? Like maybe... Arizona?” she asks.
“Perhaps,” I wink, the enticement of the idea taking root.
“I think you might be on to something, Dr. Mitchell.”
I roll on top of her, “I’m glad you agree, future Mrs. Mitchell.”
Epilogue — Emma
One year later...
It’s been an amazing year. Landon did take me back to Michigan. And though he didn’t want to leave me to go back to Wisconsin and wrap things up, he finally had to.
We missed each other terribly. His trip was successful though. After selling his condo and making a tidy profit, he put all of his things in storage and came back to me a very happy man.
We took care of things on my end in Michigan, too, including selling my car. Then, we spent a week with my mom and Paige. Naturally, Landon won them over with his charm and wit.
After many tears, they sent us off with a happy wave goodbye, knowing I was living my best life. And that they’d come visit. A lot.
We hopped into Landon’s Mercedes and drove all the way to sunny Arizona to start the next chapter of our lives. We made it a mini-getaway and stopped in Aspen and Santa Fe along the way.
Once we arrived in Arizona, we decided to stay at Landon’s parents while we house hunted. After a few weeks of looking, we decided on a beautiful, rustic, adobe-style home in Carefree, Arizona.
The house is off the beaten path and surrounded by pristine desert, so I can be as close to nature as possible. It has a big kitchen and four bedrooms. Enough for guests to visit and also for when our own family grows. Landon wants at least two kids, and he’s eager to get start
ed on that chapter of our life after we’re married.
The house is just up the road from a couple of world-class golf courses. And, of course, our house has a pool and a hot tub. We’ve already made a lot of memories in it.
Even better, we’re not far from Sadie. She’s only a couple hours away in Flagstaff. We’re similar in age, and she’s an amazing woman. Over the year, we’ve become very close. I couldn’t be happier that we’re about to be sisters soon.
Then, to make it all even better, after publishing my book, which was a huge celebration in itself, we found a manufacturer that would adhere to my strict natural ingredient requirements, and we’re now making and selling Granny’s products online and in Landon’s new dermatology practice. They’re so popular, I’m even getting orders from the spas at some of the local five-star resorts.
Today, we’re back at Landon’s parents’ house in Sun City West for our wedding ceremony. It’s springtime again here, and the spectacular desert trees and bushes are in full bloom. The weather is beautiful and warm, and there’s not a cloud in the sky.
Landon and I decided to have a small ceremony in the back yard. When I mentioned the idea to him, his eyes grew wide with excitement. Knowing that his sister married here and that his parents had renewed their vows here, he knew in his heart it was the ideal place. And given that we met here, it couldn’t be any more perfect.
I fuss with my long hair in the master bedroom, pinning up the last few pieces. I put on a bit of pink lip gloss to finish my makeup while Paige, my maid-of-honor, helps me into my dress. I slip on my white strappy sandals and grab my bouquet of jasmine flowers.