by Natalie Dean
“I think you’re on the right track for that,” she said with the kindest smile that had ever been turned in his direction. “I’m really glad that we’re gonna be able to heal together.”
“Yeah?” he asked, his throat squeezing so tight that he was surprised he could even speak.
“Yeah,” she said, leaning over slightly and pressing a kiss to his cheek before returning to her seat.
Huh.
He had one heck of a future in store for him, didn’t he?
23
Keiko
Six months, two weeks and four days was all it took for Keiko’s life to completely turn upside down in all the best ways possible.
Her mental health was at an all-time high, with her experiencing fewer rituals and fewer compulsions. She still went to Dr. Hyleir because it never hurt to be vigilant. She also had more support than ever, with Bryant becoming just as close with her as Dani, and the Millers becoming stronger and happier as a whole.
In fact, the only reason that she was feeling slightly down was because Bryant had been on a necessary business trip for the past week and, while they talked every night, it wasn’t the same as his usual visits.
She didn’t even want to think about how much money on gas he spent going between his place just on the other side of the city and hers, but it had to be a large number. Especially since he had taken to driving her to church every Sunday.
Even if he complained every Sunday about having to wake up so early.
Her phone rang and she answered it without looking. The only people who ever called her were Bryant and Dr. Hyleir, so she had taken to just accepting the call by default.
“Hey there,” Bryant’s voice came over the line, and even though they had just talked the night before, she still felt a flutter in her chest.
“Hey there. How was the rest of your travel?”
“Exhausting. But I got in at six a.m. this morning, so I had enough time to nap.”
“Considering it’s three o’clock in the afternoon, I would say that was more than a nap.”
“Hah, basically.”
It was nice to just listen to his voice, knowing that he was a little over an hour away. It was much better than him being fourteen hours away.
“Want to catch some dinner? At a restaurant. A new steak place opened in the city, and my CFO won’t shut up about it.”
Oh?
In all their time hanging out together, going to church, paintball matches, smash rooms and fast food runs, they’d never gone out to another restaurant together.
She supposed it was a bit weird, but it made her feel pretty good that Bryant respected that she wasn’t ready to date yet. Sure, there were strange moments of electricity where it felt like they were irrevocably drawn towards each other, and occasionally he looked at her in a way that made her shiver and acutely aware of her body and exactly how much heat her face let off, but he never pressured her.
“Sure. I wouldn’t mind that.”
“Okay. It’s fairly stuffy so wear something nice if you want.”
“If I want?”
“Well, if you want to show up in a velour tracksuit, I’m sure I have enough money to bribe them to still let us in.”
Keiko laughed. It seemed that Bryant grew funnier and funnier the more they got to know each other.
“You would really spend that much money just for me to go into a five-star restaurant in a sweat suit?”
“I would spend that much money just to eat with you in general.”
She flushed at that. He had such a matter-of-fact way of saying compliments so easily, and it never failed to make her cheeks color.
“Wow, such a sap.”
“You know it. Pick you up at seven?”
“Seven works for me.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
She disconnected the call then held her phone to her chest, enjoying the excitement that bubbled through her. But after a few moments, she realized something that made her whole stomach jolt.
She only had four hours to pick an outfit and get ready.
Keiko looked around in awe at the restaurant they entered into, her arm looped through Bryant’s. The ceilings were high, and the lights were all incredibly fancy chandeliers, and the seats were all high quality leather.
Bryant had been right about the clientele being pretty fancy. She spotted a news anchor she saw on the TV when she was prepping coffee Sunday mornings, and she was pretty sure a model from a magazine in her dentist’s office. It made her feel insecure, but then Bryant would look at her and the rest of the world faded into a dull roar.
It was a far cry from their last fancy restaurant meal, with the two of them slipping into casual conversation quickly. He told her all about his trip. She told him about the new setup she was trying for Vacation Bible School that year.
“You know, if someone would have told me a year ago that I would be sitting across from the smartest and most beautiful woman in the entire state, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.”
“Oh, well I don’t know about all that,” Keiko said, flushing slightly.
“Well, I do. And the more I get to know you, the more baffled I am by why you would ever want to hang out with me.”
Her toes curled inside of her shoes. “You have your own positives, you know.”
“Yeah, I guess I’ve been doing a little polishing on myself.”
Keiko laughed, how could she not. “I wouldn’t exactly say it was a little.”
“What, are you saying that I needed a ton of spiffing up?”
“Well, I’m not saying it was a weekend job.”
They had gotten so comfortable with each other that they could joke in a way she couldn’t with anybody else but Dani, and they both shared a laugh at that.
“You’re right, though. It’s been a long road, but I’m proud of the man I’ve become. Of who I’m becoming. I suppose the challenge is now to make sure I stay on the right path.”
Keiko smiled as she sipped at her drink. “I understand. Falling off the wagon happens from time to time. The important thing is that you get back on.”
“I hear that.” For some reason he seemed to tense.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose.
Bryant continued, “Speaking of paths and things like that, I have some big changes coming up.”
“Oh?” she asked.
Like most humans, she hated change. But it also had a tendency to trigger issues with her OCD. Maybe it was the anxiety, maybe it was control issues, but either way she couldn’t help the twist in her stomach.
“Yeah. I’ve gotten into land preservations recently.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And I want to build a conservation of sorts. Or a rescue of sorts. Basically, a large plot of land that I can grow trees on and cultivate native plants that have been threatened by invasive species. Take in old racehorses and abused animals, maybe wild animals that have been hurt by humans. I want to make a real difference in the world.
“And maybe, once everything is settled, we can look into training some of the rescues to be service animals.”
“Wow,” Keiko said, leaning back, utterly impressed. “That’s… that’s amazing, Bryant. I can’t wait to see you do all of that.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty excited too.”
“I can imagine. I bet your family is too.”
“Oh yeah, they definitely are, but that’s probably because I bought up a huge plot of land just beyond their land so technically, we’re going to be neighbors. Granted, neighbors who are really far apart, but neighbors nonetheless.”
Keiko stared at him, more than a little slack-jawed. “What! Why didn’t you lead with that?”
“Because,” he said, a far too clever smile on his face. “I like messing with you sometimes.”
“Yeah, you really do, don’t you, you jerk.”
“Jerk, such strong language!”
“You’re lucky I’m a woman of the Lord. Otherwise
your ears would be on fire right now.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” They were both grinning like goons, but he sobered again. “But it should put me at about twenty minutes outside of town instead of an hour thirty.”
Keiko clapped her hands, not understanding why he sounded so intense. “Oh wow, you’re going to be sick of me then!”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m going to be over all the time. The only reason you ever got a break before is because we lived so far apart.”
“What if I never wanted a break?”
“What?” she said.
His response had been so quick and subtle that she almost missed it.
“I said, what if I never wanted a break from you?” He reached across the table and took her hands in his. They were so big and warm compared to hers, covered with little burn scars from glue guns and cuts from other creative projects.
“Keiko, you’re the best thing to ever happen to my life. I’ve learned and grown more than I could ever imagine because of you. You gave me my family back.”
His eyes were locked on hers, and her blood pressure shot right up from that.
“So, since I’m going to be around enough for you to be able to rely on me for support in a much timelier fashion, I would really like to date you. Officially.”
Keiko stared at him, eyes wide and heart pounding. Sure, they had been growing closer and closer with each day, but he had been playing it so cool that she had thought he only saw her as a fellow child of God and not as any sort of romantic interest. Only recently had she allowed herself to accept that she had romantic feelings towards him.
Her whole future played out in her mind for a minute, all the trials and tribulations. All the victories. All the failures. All those beautiful bright points that they could share together, making memories to last for generations.
She was flooded with so much, her brain feeling like it was lit up from its core and her heart doing its own special rhythm in her chest.
“Yes,” she managed to whisper breathlessly. “I would like that very much.”
He squeezed her hands lovingly, his smile going even broader than she thought possible. “Well then, that’s the biggest stamp of approval I could ask for.”
“You say that now,” Keiko said, feeling like if she let go of him, she would just float off into the sky and never come down. “But wait until I show up at midnight with a Bible because I’m stuck on trying to figure out the perfect conclusion to my study.”
His eyes glinted at her. “You’re always welcome at my place, but perhaps it would be somewhat cruel to have me pass such a difficult test when I’m trying to be good.”
Her stomach tightened. “Test? Oh!”
By the way he was looking at her, she was able to infer he meant showing up at his place of residence that late into the night. Although he and Keiko spent plenty of time together, he’d never stayed in her apartment too long after sundown.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, keeping her eyes down. “I wouldn’t want to be a bad influence on you.”
At that he really did tilt his head back and laughed. “The day that I manage to corrupt the indomitable Keiko Albryte is the day that all hope is lost for my soul.”
“Indomitable, what a strange thing to call your girlfriend.”
She didn’t miss the jump in his expression as the words left her lips.
“Say that again,” he said and leaned toward her.
“What, that indomitable is a terrible adjective for your girlfriend?”
He flashed a grin at her, and it was easy to see how he had charmed so many women before her. But that was in the past and it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was in the moment with her, the best version of himself yet.
“Yeah. You know, a guy could get used to hearing that.”
“Well, behave yourself, and I just might let you.”
Epilogue
Keiko
“All right, who’s down for a ring-toss!”
Keiko sipped at her bottle of water while she glanced at Dani. “I’m so happy I put Chastity in charge of my engagement party. How did she come up with all these fun ideas? And where does she find the energy?”
Dani laughed. “I think Chastity takes this pretty hardcore.”
“Did you do all this at yours?” Keiko asked.
“She was in another country when I had mine. That might or might not have been planned.” Dani winked.
Keiko decided to sit out the ring-toss and take a break from all the activity. Sharing a moment with her future sisters-in-law was just as fun. Besides, Keiko was happy to be able to watch her friends and future husband enjoying themselves.
“What about you, Missy?” she asked, turning her head to the blond who was draped over the patio love seat at the Miller Ranch.
“Back when I got engaged, Chastity was my only friend, so I wouldn’t have had anyone to invite. So we didn’t bother.” She rubbed her hands over her large belly, her stomach even bigger than Chastity’s had been when she was pregnant. “But it worked out all right, didn’t it, Junior?”
“I thought you said you didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl?” Dani said, her hand on her own stomach.
That action made Keiko raise her eyebrow, but she tucked that factoid in the back of her mind for another day.
“We don’t, but I started calling the little bean junior, and now it stuck. If she’s a girl, I’ll probably just call her June or something. Anyways, Ma would like that because we can say we’re naming her after Juniper, one of the Miller ancestors from so long ago.”
“Ma is going to be absolutely beside herself. Little Benny is just starting to walk on his own, and there’s gonna be a new baby in the house.”
Keiko wrinkled her nose. “I love all of you so much, but I can’t imagine all the crying.”
Missy snorted, trying to sit up to grab her water but unable to get the momentum up with her belly weighing her down. After a few tries, Dani took pity on her and handed her the glass.
“Thanks. But anyway, your house with Bryant is about a ten-minute drive away from where I’ll be, so it’s not like it’ll bother you.”
“It’s not my house yet,” she countered, face flushing. Keiko found it difficult to think about how it would be after the wedding in a year and not also have her mind wander to what other things would change between her and Bryant.
It was no secret that she was inexperienced and that she had a few hang-ups with her body. But when she thought of sharing her marriage bed with the handsome and kind Miller son, she felt more excitement than fear.
…which was also pretty embarrassing, but she would have time to get over all the blushing.
A car arrived and parked in the guest area. Then the driver got out and waved. “Hello! Sorry I’m late!”
Keiko stood to see a familiar redhead arriving.
“Rosa! It’s so good to see you!”
The redhead rushed forward, enveloping Keiko in a hug. “My class ran over, and my professor was just not the kind you ditch out early on.”
“Man, is this the same professor who was giving you problems before when your babysitter fell through?”
She nodded. Wonderful Rosie had actually reached out to her a month or so after the club incident. Keiko hadn’t expected that, but she’d asked if they could meet and talk more about what she had said. One thing led to another, and the next thing she knew, she and Rosa—her real name—were friends.
After that, Rosa had gone on to a GED program and then enrolled in college. She and Keiko still didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but it was so wonderful to watch Rosa grow, become more confident, and demand respect for herself. She’d even started to come to Bible study right alongside Bryant, and every time Keiko saw them there, she was so proud that she thought she might burst.
“Uh-huh,” Missy said from her spot on the loveseat. “Does anyone have a towel?”
“Oh, did you spill?” Keiko asked,
hurrying towards the kitchen.
“Not a paper towel, a towel-towel,” Missy called, her voice rising. “And I didn’t spill my water so much as I think it just broke.”
Keiko had never whipped around so fast in her entire life. “Wait, what!”
Keiko paced back and forth just outside Missy’s hospital room, her heart in her throat, her stomach somewhere in China, and her head who knew where. She was beside herself, and it was only Bryant’s presence in the same hall that kept her level.
“I haven’t seen you this anxious in a while,” he said calmly, his voice warm and soothing. Like honey over her frayed nerves.
“Yeah, well that’s because normally things aren’t this dangerous or important. Do you know that America has the worst birth mortality rate of any first world country? Or all the complications that can happen? Breech birth, umbilical cord around the neck, tears, hemorrhaging!”
“Hey, hey, come over here and pray with me.”
She looked back to him and he had his arms open wide for her. She went to him, resting against his chest as he enveloped her.
Gosh, his hugs had to have sent by God because it made her feel so much safer.
“Come on, close your eyes and let’s talk to God.”
She did just that, his heartbeat the perfect background tempo to her prayers. Her mind raced through them at first, slowly leveling out as she calmed.
Until, of course, there was a sharp slapping sound and then a squealing cry that filled the air.
“Did she?” Keiko asked, her eyes going wide.
“I think she did,” Bryant answered with a smile.
A moment later a nurse opened the door and peeked out. “The mother says that you can come in now.”
That was basically enough to trigger a stampede, and the entire family that had been stuck out in the hall raced in. And there they were, little June or Junior and a very exhausted looking Missy, covered in a sheet.
Of course, later on, there was a round of pass the baby around as everyone cried and took pictures and things like that. Keiko stood back, uninterested in holding the child but just beside herself with happiness to be included in the moment.