This is unreal. The coffee table and the end tables on each side of the couch are cast iron base with a glass top. In the furthest corner of the room beside the only window outside is a camouflage rocking recliner, but that's not really what blows me away.
The room is a man's dream, but what gets me the most is the attention to detail scattered throughout the room. The lamps and chandelier are made from deer antlers with beige, twill shades. Light switch covers, picture frames, and wall décor are all done in a hunting or camp theme. She has framed pictures hanging around the room of hunting trips over the years with Pops, Dad, and my brothers. I didn't know she had even seen any of these photos. All of my mounted deer heads are also hanging throughout the room in a neat fashion.
The picture that stands out the most is the one on the end table. It's of me and Kinzleigh squatted side-by-side holding up the head of a buck by the antlers: her first kill. The ritual is to smear blood of your first kill somewhere on you, maybe for good luck, I am unsure of the reason. I had spread the deer's blood on her cheeks and thought she was going to throw up, but my little city girl pulled through and actually got excited when she stopped thinking about the blood and realized she actually killed a deer.
The photo was taken a month ago. I had begged Kinzleigh to go hunting with me when rifle hunting opened for deer season. She turned her nose up at first, but I wanted to be the first and only person to take her. I want to always make new memories with her. She finally agreed to go, so I gave her basic instructions on how to use a gun and took her to my tree stand at the back section of pops' property. We sat there for about thirty minutes before that buck walked out in the opening. My heart was pounding. I helped her hold and stabilize the rifle, then told her to try aiming behind the shoulder, so the bullet would penetrate straight through the heart, but she did the rest. She set her scope and pulled the trigger all by herself, laying it down with one round.
I pick up the frame as I remember how excited she was. The head and cape is at the taxidermist now getting mounted as a surprise for her. When I saw her walk out of the bedroom that morning fully dressed in Camouflage I thought I was going to come on myself. It doesn't matter what she wears she's beautiful. "I know it's your man cave, no girls only rule and all, but I just thought it went. You can take it out if you don't want it in here."
She can't be serious. I can barely speak from what I've seen already. I look up at her standing off to the side giving me space. "It's fucking perfect and it's staying. This right here is the best part out of all of it. I always want you present in everything. Don't ever forget it."
I don't know why, but I'm tearing up a little as I look around. No one has ever done something this thoughtful for me. I never expected something like this from her. It's the most perfect and unselfish gift she could have gotten me, but that's Kinzleigh though. That's who she is.
A lot of girls would bitch about a guy wanting a little bit of space to himself. A guy grows up with sports, hunting, and fishing among other things. He's raised to be tough and to embrace the testosterone, but then he meets that one girl that he can't live without and marries her, getting thrown into a woman's world and completely pushing aside all of those manly things he's always had. Most of the time guys try not to complain, but only to hope for a small space he can go when he needs to surround himself with those manly things for a little while.
I bring it up to Kinzleigh one time, treading lightly so I don't hurt her feelings. Instead of bitching about it and asking unnecessary questions she praised it, constantly asking how it was coming along when I added it to the plan of the building. She gets it, because she gets me. I'm the one that kept putting it off because I felt guilty for asking for it.
Two steps and I'm standing in front of her, cupping the back of her head. "I swear on everything, Kinzleigh, if you ever leave me I won't survive. It hurts to think of us ever being apart again. I need you like I need my damn heart. I love you. Do you understand? I fucking love you with everything that I am. I can't explain it, but you have made me the man that I am. Your love has given me worth and made my life valuable."
That emotional buildup surfaces, now expelling a tear. At least I'm not crying as hard as she is. "I will never leave you, baby. Ever. Our love is infinite. I will be with you for the rest of my life."
I press my lips to hers, kissing her with a need to express myself. She tries to pull away, but I can't. My feelings are overwhelming me, trapped inside my body. I need a ground. I need something to be my outlet, releasing some of it from within. "Baby," she mumbles against my lips.
I part my lips from hers. "Can it wait?"
"You have one more gift."
"On top of all this?"
She nods. "There are two keys..."
I turn around and there are two doors on the opposite end of the entertainment center. One is a small bathroom and the other a small walk in closet. I choose the closet.
I turn the doorknob and pull open the door. All of my hunting clothes and gear occupy the hanging space, but against the wall inside is a fireproof gun safe. These things are like a thousand dollars or more. I've always wanted one, but never bought one. It's huge and weighs a ton. I clench my teeth trying to pull myself together.
"Open it," she says, as if this isn't even the present.
I look at her. Her eyes are so clear, holding purity in them. "What did you do?"
"I get to stun you for once. Nothing more, nothing less." I shake my head from side to side, barely able to contain the feelings that I'm harboring inside. My hands are shaking, but I have no idea why. Maybe it’s from not knowing what's on the other side of that door.
I insert the other key and turn it to unlock the door. I push down the handle and pull the door back to open it, and that's when I see the letters carved into the wood, causing me to slam the door and take a step back. I clench my hair in my fist. "Fucking shit. Is that what I think it is?"
Tears are streaming down my face, but it's because of the history behind what’s resting inside that safe. One late night storytelling session at Mims and Pops' house and Kinzleigh recovers a family heirloom from it. My face feels splotchy. I can't even open the door. "It's okay, baby. You can wait if you want."
I press my hands against the edges of the black safe, staring at the gold brand logo on the safe door. I've heard this story since I was a little kid. It was always Pops' biggest regret in life. His dad, my great grandfather, had this rifle, a Remington 30-06. He lived on this very land that Pops lives on today. Back then they were poor, so it was his most prized possession, used to ranch this land and feed his family. He hand carved his initials in the stock. Since Pops is John Gavin Abercrombie Jr. he was senior with the same initials, JGA.
When he was older he got terminally ill and gave the gun to Pops. Pops was still in medical school when he died, living off of the bare essentials. My great grandfather died with nothing but this land that meant so much to him. Pops wasn't making any money yet, so he had to sell everything he could just to give him a proper burial, one being the gun. On top of that he had to keep the land up and the cattle fed until he finished school.
The only thing Pops' dad asked him for on his deathbed was to keep the land in the family, because one day it would be worth something. To this day Pops has every single original acre plus some. The number count I last knew of was two thousand acres, give or take.
When Pops' career took off he went and searched for the gun, but had no luck in finding it. I have always wanted to look for it, but it's only ever been a thought that was quickly dismissed. After all, that was like thirty plus years ago. How in the hell a nineteen-year-old girl found it I have no idea.
There is no way that is the same gun. In disbelief I open the door again and grab ahold of the barrel, pulling it out. The wood is dull, showing its age. I run my hands down it, admiring it. The initials JGA are carved in a jagged instead of smooth texture, verifying it was carved with a pocketknife instead of machine. I turn it over thinking any
second it's going to vanish and this is all a dream.
I look at Kinzleigh. "Has Pops seen this?" She's crying, still holding Bryce, and watching me. She nods. "How?"
I can't say anything else, but she fills in the sentence. "One day when you were at school I went and talked to Pops after that night we were over and he told me that story. I couldn't think of anything else. I already had to get all of the photos to frame for in here from him and your Mom, so I got him to tell me everything he remembered about selling it. I won't lie. I got Mom to help me. Somehow she was able to track down the name of the original buyer and found a contact for his family since he passed away several years ago. They really weren't far. They lived around the Petal area. Anyway, I called and spoke to his wife first. When I started asking questions she handed the phone to her husband. He told me to stop by and gave me the address, so I did. It was in the possession of the original buyer's grandson. His dad inherited it and had recently passed away, but he had no use for it. He was about to have an estate auction and it was one of the items that he was planning to sell. I was prepared to pay him anything for it, but when I told him the story and showed him the name on my license he said he would never feel right selling me something that belonged in the family and gave it to me. He was a really nice man, maybe a little older than your dad. He told me his grandfather was a picker of sorts, always buying junk, and his dad never got rid of anything after he acquired all of his grandfather’s belongs when he passed, so he didn’t think it was anything special to hold onto."
I run my fingertips over the initials. "I can never top this." I cannot believe she did this. I don't even know what to say. Just when I think she can't surprise me anymore, she does, always keeping me on my toes.
"I don't want you to try. I didn't do this to show off or to outdo you. I saw something that was important when I watched your face as he told that story. What's important to you is important to me. A gift from the heart is the most valuable of them all. You can't put a price tag on this reaction. Seeing you today from my point of view is priceless and will embed itself in my mental photo album forever."
This is one of the many reasons I love her. She is one of a kind...and she's all mine. I place the gun back in the safe and lock it, placing the key ring in my pocket. "Thank you...for everything. This is the best Christmas I've ever had and you made it special in every way. I will never forget this, Kinzleigh."
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, leading her towards the door. "It's my turn to watch you open your present, but first we need warm clothes for where we're going."
Chapter 21
Kinzleigh
I put on a top, a pair of skinny jeans, flats, and a hoodie. Bryce is sleeping in his car seat in the back seat of Breyson's truck as we drive through the field to the barn. We pass the Gazebo that is being built for the wedding. It's going to be beautiful. It's a little extreme to build something like that on personal property, but with the money my parents are saving on a venue it's worth it and we can use it for birthdays, family gatherings, or just to picnic in the future. This will always be our home, so to us it adds value. Where some have photos only of their special day I will have the entire venue plus the photos to admire when feeling sentimental.
"Looks like they have the foundation and pathway poured. Now they just have to build onto it. Are you excited to dance with me at our wedding?"
"As long as I get the first one." He winks. I love dancing with Breyson. He's the most amazing dancer. I remember the first time he showed me his real dancing skills at the New Years Eve ball. I was blown away that an eighteen year old could dance like that.
Most kids our age don't get past the guy holds girl by the waist and girl wraps her arms around his neck, swaying in a robotic side-to-side motion. Not with Breyson.
Dancing with Breyson is an art. When I'm in his arms on the dance floor no one else exists. He holds my hand and the small of my back, gliding me around the floor with precision or simply remaining within a box around us. The only way I can even begin to describe it is when Cinderella is dancing with the Prince at the ball, twirling in the midst of everyone but not realizing they are present, because she's completely lost in the arms of the man she loves from first sight.
I slightly knew what I was doing from dancing with the older generation as a child, my dad, but Breyson has a grace and confidence about him. It makes you feel magical in a world that has left romance behind, making you feel even more special.
We pull up at the barn directly in front of the entrance to keep the truck in view. The snow starts to fall again, calling for you to touch it. He puts the truck in park and turns the heat down to the minimum level on fan and warm but not hot in temperature, so Bryce doesn't get too hot.
I jump out before he can say anything. The only time I've been around snow is the year my parents took us skiing in Colorado when I was fourteen. I run out in the open and start twirling around with my arms straight out to my sides. As each snowflake hits my warm skin it melts, leaving behind a small water droplet in its place.
His truck door shuts and I can hear his boots squishing against the icy snow stuck to the ground. It's not the powdery snow I've been around out west. This is more like ice or slush, but the white landscape is still beautiful. "You know, you kind of look like a lost angel."
He has my attention. I start fluttering my arms in the air, enjoying the cool air against my skin and drifting specs of white falling through the air. "Oh yeah? What do you mean by lost?"
"I mean Angels are supposed to be pure right, constantly at the hand of God? Imagine if one got lost on earth for a little while in the midst of humanity. Don't you think it'd be like a blind man gaining his vision? They know the things that are here, but the experience of it is new. I'd picture them looking like you just looked, as if they've found something never before seen and unfamiliar even though you know it exists."
I laugh. My beautiful blue-eyed boy is getting deep. "I guess you could look at it like that. I have only been around snow once. I kind of like it. We traveled abroad or to warm climates usually. Mom hates the cold and Dad loves Mom, so you understand why.”
I tilt my head back, now looking up at the sky. It's clear, making the white flakes more visible. I twirl again, enjoying something different than constant heat. Who knows when it will snow here again. It could be years from what Breyson has told me. He said he was a kid last time it snowed like this.
A hand links with mine. Breyson pulls me against him and wraps his arms around me, looking down to meet my eyes. "So you've never made a snowman?"
I look up at him. His serious demeanor is just as beautiful as when he wears a smile. I shake my head. "I've always wanted to when I watch Christmas movies, but I've never been anywhere for a white Christmas."
He smiles and kisses the tip of my cold nose. His chilled lips brush against my skin, drawing a line from my nose to my ear. "We will have to rectify that. I like being your first. I think I may start making a list and checking it twice. I want you to experience everything the world has to offer. We have our entire lives to make that happen." The roughness of his voice always drives my heart wild. "But first I want to show you something. This present is more for Bryce, but since he's not old enough to enjoy it yet I wanted it to be a surprise for you."
I've learned to never try and guess Breyson's surprises. I end up wrong every time. Surprises are definitely his thing. He always blows me away. Who knows what he has up his sleeve for the honeymoon. I suddenly get a wave of nervousness. "Okay. Let me peek in on Bryce first."
I open the door to ensure Bryce's airways aren't covered by fabric and that he's not too warm. He's sleeping soundly and sucking on his pacifier. Closing the door quietly I take the hand that Breyson now has extended out for me, letting him lead me into the barn.
Just before he gets to the end stalls for Divinity and Hendrix he stops at the one that stays empty. I look inside and throw my hand over my mouth. In the corner on a bed of hay is a reddish brown col
t looking straight at me. "You bought him his own horse! It's the cutest thing I've ever seen! Can I pet it?"
I can't hide the excitement in my voice. I was overwhelmed when he got me Divinity last year, but knowing that this is for our child is on a completely different level. Breyson has that knowing smile on his face; the look saying he knows he did good and it's inflating his ego a little. "What do you think?"
"Was my screaming not enough of a clue?"
I start jumping up and down in place clapping my hands together. "Open the gate, Brey. I want to pet it. It's so little."
"This is his first separation from his mother. He's going to need some extra love. Are you up for it? I know you have a lot going on with school coming up, the wedding, and Bryce."
"Yes!" I squeal, completely unashamed. "When is he rideable?"
"Not for a couple of years. Every person needs their own horse though. All of our kids will have one. That's why I bought a colt instead of an adult horse. By the time he's rideable we can sit Bryce on his back and walk alongside the horse holding onto the two of them at the same time. They can learn together."
My heart is about burst at the seams. He has his hand on the gate ready to open it. I kiss him. "You're the most thoughtful person I know. Bryce is lucky to have a father like you. You never stray from the person that you are and I love that about you."
"Baby, I'm open to follow you anywhere. We can live in the city or we can live in the country, even somewhere in between, but the south is where my roots are. I want our kids to know where they come from. This will always be our home even if only half the year. This is where we first built a life together. I never want to forget that."
When I think there isn't room in my heart to love him more, my love for him grows. He is the thing that makes my world continue to turn. I know that no matter what trials and tribulations we go through we can always come out on the other side as long as we continue to face them together.
Lasting Fate Page 31