She didn’t feel comfortable keeping the animals at Jeff’s place without asking her brother first. She’d offered to get an apartment where she could have the animals, only to have Mark point out that regardless of whether she said yes or no to his proposal, he was going to be gone for 90 days beginning in May, and he’d rather have the pets around the house and someone coming by to feed them than have the house sitting empty during his deployment. While she was at Bangor, he would keep her pets.
If they did one day marry, the man would be easy to take care of, she thought, for he was neat in ways she hadn’t expected. His home was lived in but orderly, and it always felt calm being here. The pressures of his job, of hers, didn’t get to invade this space. She liked being here.
She could hear Mark in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher. He’d take her home soon, back to Jeff’s, kiss her good-night at the door, and whisper “I love you.” She knew him. And what he had hoped for, prayed for, was happening. She could feel herself falling in love with him. She didn’t dare examine the emotion too much, frightened it would disintegrate if she analyzed it further. But she was aware it was there. And it felt really good, if rather tentative. She had felt it growing over the last few weeks.
She joined Mark in the kitchen as he picked up the metal pan at the end of the counter. He’d made Rice Krispie bars earlier in the week. “Last one. Want to split it with me?”
“Sure.”
She opened a drawer and pulled out a knife. He shook his head, held it out for her to take two bites, and then ate the rest. “Love these things,” he said as he licked the sticky marshmallow off his fingers. “Want to go by Gary’s tonight for a game of pool with him and his wife before I take you back to Jeff’s?”
“I’d like that.”
He looked over at her a second time, catching her tone. “What?”
“I really enjoy dating you, Mark.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “Just figuring that out?” he teased.
She laughed. “Want me to make a batch of peanut-butter cookies tomorrow? We need more desserts.”
“Sounds good to me.” He glanced around. “The kitchen is good enough. Let’s go play some pool.” He reached for his keys on the counter, and they walked out to the car. “You didn’t say much about your day over dinner,” he noted as he opened the car door for her.
She shrugged. “Not much to say. I worked on speeding up the shape-detection algorithm this morning, then came over and puttered around to fix dinner.”
He settled in the driver’s seat and backed out of the drive. “Having problems with the work?”
“I’ll figure it out eventually.” She slipped her hand in his so she could divert the conversation.
Jeff’s place seemed very quiet. Gina missed her brother. She wished he was around to talk with on a night like this. She curled up on his couch and tucked a throw around her bare feet, nursing a mug of hot chocolate. She thought about picking up a book. She wasn’t tired, even though it was late. She was still remembering the feelings that came with Mark’s hug good-night.
Love had crept in while she wasn’t looking. She did love him. The realization had come into her life so gently she couldn’t pinpoint when she first knew. “He’s the one, isn’t he, Jesus?” she whispered. There was such a deep peace with the recognition of that fact that it overwhelmed everything else she felt. She was in love with Mark Bishop.
She turned the ring on her right hand. The man was going to be so ecstatic when she told him yes. She felt treasured, cared for, just being with him. Add the words I love you to what she could say to him, and the coming months were going to be a joy for both of them. She smiled to herself, thinking about the next few days, how they might unfold. A personal dream from back when she was a teenager was now becoming a reality.
She sipped the chocolate. She would need to tell Daniel soon, before he found out from someone else. She owed him that much.
Gina knocked and then walked into Mark’s home the next morning, carrying his Saturday paper. “I picked up bagels as promised,” she called.
“Blueberry?” he called back from the kitchen.
“I remembered.” She found Mark at the kitchen sink, rinsing out the kittens’ bowls, then pouring fresh milk. It was so much like him, taking care of the details without being asked. She set the sack she carried on the kitchen table and went over to wrap her arms around his waist from behind. She rested her cheek against his back and whispered, “I love you.”
She felt his body go absolutely still. She’d had no plans to tell him this way, this soon—the words just came out, her heart so full they had to be said. His hands settled across hers, and he slowly, carefully, turned around, not letting her step back from the embrace. She was startled to see there were tears in his eyes. “You mean that?” he asked, his voice husky.
“I love you, Mark Bishop, and I would really like to marry you.”
The joy that filled his face took her breath away. His hug enveloped her. “Thank you,” he whispered, choking up. “When?”
“Soon is good,” she whispered, thinking about how fast May was going to be here. He would be gone on patrol for three months.
Mark rested his forehead against hers, and she felt him relax against her. The last weeks hadn’t been easy on him, she knew. He sighed, tipped up her chin and kissed her. “I love you, precious.” He lifted her hand, slid the ring from her right hand, and gently put it where it belonged on her left. “It looks good there.”
“I love the ring.”
He kissed the back of her hand.
She smiled at the gesture. “Thank you for asking me, Mark. It was a beautiful proposal, and I’m grateful for it, and the ring. I really am honored that you asked.”
He rested his arms across her shoulders. “The honor is mine. Don’t get embarrassed and formal on me now.” She caught his gaze, and he smiled at her, this man who would soon be her husband. “I leave for patrol in May. If we get married soon . . .” He stopped and studied her. “What are you thinking?”
She knew where her heart was. “I’m not sure what you’ll think of this idea, but I was wondering if maybe . . . would you be okay with two weddings? A private ceremony as soon as possible, and a larger church wedding after your patrol—when Jeff’s back onshore and all your family can attend—and maybe have it in Chicago?” She’d thought it all through the night before, and she didn’t want to wait. A quiet marriage ceremony to begin their life together held a lot of appeal for her. She saw the surprise on his face.
He gently ran a hand along her arm as he thought about it. “You’re worried about your words locking up on you.”
She reluctantly nodded. “If I’ve said the vows in a private ceremony, the marriage will already be legal, so if there are problems when we have the bigger wedding with everyone there and watching, I can mouth the words and everyone will think I’m simply speaking too softly for them to hear.”
He traced her cheek with the back of his hand, and she leaned into the warmth of the touch. “That makes sense, Gina. A private wedding here, and soon. Knowing my mom, my sisters, they will be overjoyed to help with a church wedding in Chicago and take over as much or as little of that coordination and planning as we like.”
“We’ll talk it over with them. A date in August might make sense.”
He held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay, my precious.” His voice held so much emotion, Gina felt her own tears fill her eyes.
Mark Bishop was going to be her husband. She could feel the emotions overwhelming her, the impact of all it meant for her to say yes, to wear his ring, the forever-different life ahead of her. Ahead of him. He must have sensed it because his arms gripped her in a tighter hug, and she could feel his chin resting on her head. “We’re going to have a good life, Gina.”
She nodded against his chest. “I know.”
He tipped her chin up again and smiled. His kiss held a promise that was gentle and soft and even kind, which also hint
ed at the passion that was waiting for her. “I love you. When the doubts come, remember that. You have nothing to worry about,” he promised.
She wiped a tear away even as she smiled. “I know. A good life.”
He nudged her toward the kitchen table, pulled out a chair for her. “Do you have a preference on where you would like to go for a honeymoon? Hawaii sound good? If we get married within a week, I can still find us a few days someplace and arrange leave before the Nevada is back in port.”
The honeymoon that followed the wedding . . . She could feel her face growing warm as thoughts of its intimacy filled her heart—part of why she looked forward to being married, being a wife. But to his question, she hesitated, and finally admitted, “There are going to be enough transitions happening. I’m fine with home—either here or Chicago—and no one knowing where we are. We could have a more traditional honeymoon after the formal wedding.”
“Sounds like a plan. But you’re allowed to change your mind if you decide you’d like to head off somewhere.”
“Okay.”
He brushed a strand of her hair back from her face. “If this Bangor house feels too much like Melinda’s space for you, we’ll buy another place when I get back from patrol. I’m going to be flexible about that, Gina. I won’t mind moving, if that’s what you prefer.”
“We’ll talk about it another time. I like your home.” She settled her hands on either side of his face. “You’re sure, Mark?”
He grinned. “I’m marrying you tomorrow, Gina, if I can arrange it that quickly. I’m sure.”
It took him two days. The courthouse, third floor, was not the most romantic place to seal a promise, but Mark would rather have the words than the setting. He gently kissed his intended bride. “You look beautiful.”
Gina blushed. “You’ve told me that twice today already.”
“And plan to tell you again,” he said. She’d chosen a floral dress, and he’d arranged a bouquet of petite roses to match. He was in full-dress uniform. They’d agreed to mention the news to his friends only after it was official, so they didn’t have a best man and maid of honor for this first ceremony. He could tell she was nervous. “I’m planning to hold your hand through the ceremony, so if you need to pause for a moment, just squeeze my hand and take whatever time you need. It’s not going to bother me. Or anybody else.”
She nodded. He held open the door to the judge’s chamber. “After you, soon-to-be Mrs. Bishop.”
She laughed. “You’re enjoying this.”
“I like getting married,” Mark agreed. He loved her smile.
“Me too.”
23
Commander Bishop.”
Mark turned to see the duty officer for Rear Admiral Hardman heading across the parking lot from the TCC building, carrying a flat box. Mark had just left a meeting with the admiral.
“It’s true, sir, you’re married?”
“Yes.”
“Gold crew—”
“Doesn’t know yet. It was a private ceremony. Her brother is away at sea. We’ll have the formal wedding when he can be part of it.”
“That explains it. Hardman asked me to pick this up for you. He thought your wife would enjoy seeing it.”
Bishop opened the box. The Navy wedding cross. It was a tradition among submarine captains to have their wedding date inscribed on the back. It hung in the chapel on base, beside a flag signed by every man who had taken command of a U.S. submarine in the last 20 years. “Tell him thank you. I’ll get it engraved and bring it back to the chapel.”
“Sir, I think gold crew knows. Your paperwork went to personnel this afternoon. If you were intending to keep the news a secret—”
“No, it’s not a secret. Simply a scheduling matter for who we told and when. I hadn’t expected the paperwork to be so efficient.” Bishop pulled out his keys. “I appreciate the heads up. And given it, I’d best head back to the house.”
The duty officer laughed. “Yes, sir.”
Gina was waiting for him at the front door, his text having requested that she set aside the unpacking she was doing and meet him when she heard him arrive. He closed the front door with his foot and kissed her before gently setting her back and pushing her hair away from her face so he could better see her. “Gold crew got the word I’m married. We’re about to be serenaded.”
Her eyes grew wide. “How many?”
“At a guess, about 140, counting spouses. I spotted the cars assembling at the grocery store two blocks east of here. You might want to start some coffee,” he said. “Tradition has it the groom gets tossed into the nearest body of water—and it would have to be March.”
“You’re serious.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. They’ll toss me into a hot shower after the river. Unfortunately I don’t have time to change, which means my dress blues are about to get soaked.”
“What do they do to the wife?”
He laughed. “You get presents. Typically candy bars or bags of M&Ms, sometimes fancier chocolates like truffles and chocolate-covered cherries. It’s considered good luck to give something sweet.” He heard sleigh bells in the distance. Gold crew would arrive carrying dozens of the bells to make a nice racket as they approached.
“Our ombudsman, Amy Delheart, will be the one to knock on the door and offer the first gift,” he told her swiftly. “She’ll stay with you and make introductions to the crewmen and their wives. I’m sorry about this. I thought I’d have another day before they could get things together.”
Gina wasn’t ready yet, he thought, to take on the commander’s wife role, with gold crew wives looking to her for friendship, advice, and help with Navy concerns. He’d known he would have to finesse things, lean on his ombudsman to help her out. He’d planned on introducing his wife but in a smaller setting.
Yet Gina didn’t look worried. “I’m getting candy. I don’t mind my side of the surprise,” she said.
“Amy won’t leave your side. If you have any speech difficulties, she’ll be right there and send someone to find me. She’s aware it’s a concern.”
“Okay.” She tugged his head down to kiss him. “Commander Bishop, who is getting me a photo of you being tossed in the water?”
“You’re enjoying this,” he said with some surprise.
“Absolutely,” she said with a smile.
“That photo’s going to be plastered on the gold crew bulletin board by morning.”
“You’re embarrassed.”
“I’m going to look like an idiot.”
The sound of the bells grew loud, and then the doorbell rang behind them. Mark held her coat for her, buttoned it. “Remember that coffee.”
“I will.” Gina moved to open the door.
“Mrs. Commander Mark Bishop?” Amy asked, a twinkle in her eye, holding out a foil-covered chocolate bar with a bow on top.
Gina grinned. “Yes, I am.”
“I’m Amy Delheart, your ombudsman, and on behalf of Nevada gold, we would like to welcome you to the family.”
“I’m pleased to join it.” She stepped out to take the gift.
A song broke out toward the back of the crowd, a raucous one about sailors going to sea. Mark wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist from behind and stood with her as Nevada gold came forward to be introduced. Amy neatly set their gifts, one by one, onto trays brought for that purpose.
“Hey, Commander. Congratulations.”
Mark’s smile couldn’t be contained. “Kingman.”
He was aware the 15 officers of Nevada gold were slowly encircling him.
Gina’s hands covered his, and he felt her slide his wedding ring off, move it to her hand for safekeeping. Moments later, Mark laughed and didn’t fight it as he was hoisted off his feet and carried toward the river amid the chaos and more laughter. Certain things a groom accepted with some grace, and getting dunked after his wedding was a long and respected tradition.
“What do I put in the family-o-gram to Jeff?”
; Mark rubbed still-damp hair with a towel and leaned over Gina’s shoulder to look at the form. He’d taken a second shower after the gold crew and families left since the chill was still in his bones. The form was short. Personal transmissions to a sub while at sea were limited. “You don’t have to send one now. You can wait for a port call when you can send a longer email or phone him.”
“I’d rather tell him now, before he hears it from someone else.”
Mark turned over an envelope and wrote down a message for her. “Send this.”
Jeff, I married Mark Bishop. Be nice to him when you get to shore. Gina.
She smiled. “Maybe. I was thinking more like this.” She turned a scrap of paper, so he could read her draft.
Jeff, I married Mark Bishop. Don’t say it was your idea. Gina.
He laughed. “Nice.” He took her pen and draft and marked out a few words. He handed it back. “Send that.”
Jeff, I married Mark Bishop. Gina
“Short and sweet,” she remarked. “Very sweet, actually.”
Mark kissed her. “He’ll call, first chance he gets. Can I have my wedding ring back?”
She slid it off her finger and back on his left hand. “You like wearing a ring.”
“Absolutely.” He spread his fingers to look at it, then dropped his damp towel across her shoulders. “You handled Nevada gold just right. They liked you.”
“I like them too.”
“Give yourself time to fit into the role of a commander’s wife. You’ll be at my side for the commander’s barbecue after the May patrol, and that will be the right time to take on hostess and commander’s wife duties.” He rested his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed. “And don’t borrow trouble thinking ahead, worried there’s a lot of work to do for one of those events. Most of the details are simply a repeat of what we did the year before. Preparations are basically a shopping list and a credit card, a few calls to arrange extra tables and chairs, and some serious praying that it doesn’t rain.”
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