Love Entwined

by M. C. Decker

  “I’ve missed you, too,” I said, turning to face him. “But we should probably keep this PG-rated because of our audience.”

  “I’m sure there’s a broom closet around this place somewhere,” he suggested with a wink.

  “You’re crazy! I’m not doing it in a maintenance room at my work function with children—including YOUR son—in the next room! Actually, on second thought—you’re not crazy, you’re disgusting!” I laughed.

  “Fine! But just know that every time I look at you, I have disgusting thoughts running through my mind.”

  Smacking him on the chest, I said, “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. And, where is Tanner by the way? I haven’t seen him.”

  “We’d barely made it through the door when he saw a group of his friends from school. I gave him some cash and told him he could find me on the bumper boats with you.”

  “Why the bumper boats?” I questioned.

  “I figured it would be my best chance at seeing you in a bikini,” he said, shrugging.

  “You don’t wear a bikini on bumper boats,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Wet T-shirt then?”

  “No,” I smirked.

  “Well damn. But, you can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said, pulling me toward the climbing wall.

  “Where are we going?” I asked. “You know I’m not climbing. I hate heights.”

  “Come on. I’ll be right behind you. I won’t let you fall, and you’ll be strapped in a harness anyways.”

  “Can’t we do something on the ground? Like the go-karts, or putt-putt?” I whined, sticking out my bottom lip.

  “But if we do something on the ground then I won’t have the chance to look up your shorts.”

  “James Bentley! You’re on a roll tonight.”

  “I can’t help it. I’ve been without you for two weeks. I’d been dreaming of a car quickie all day until you texted me with the change of plans.”

  “I think you can wait a few more hours,” I said, giving him a peck on the lips. “Besides, your son is walking about with what appears to be a little, lady friend.”

  “Hi Ireland,” Tanner said, waving at me.

  “Hey bud, what’s going on? It’s been a while.”

  “Not too much. Just getting ready for school to start. We still need to have that Madden rematch.”

  “You name the time and place and I’ll be there. I’ll even bring the snacks.”

  “Awesome! Dad, when can Ireland come over?” he said, looking up at Bentley.

  “Anytime she wants, Son. But, first, why don’t you introduce your friend?”

  “Oh right, Dad this is Sierra. Sierra this is my dad.”

  I knew I’d seen this girl before. She was one of the twins who I’d talked with the weekend following Katie’s wedding. I didn’t recognize Sierra right away because, fortunately, from what I’d read in her case files, she’d been placed in a good home with her sister following the death of her parents and we weren’t required to intervene any further.

  “Hi Sierra,” I said. “Do you remember me? I’m Ireland. I was the caseworker who met with you a few weeks back. How’s everything been for you and your sister?”

  “Hi Ireland. I do remember you,” she said with a slight smile. “It’s actually been OK. We’re living with a really nice family now. Thanks to you. I think they’re actually going to try and adopt us.”

  “That’s fantastic news,” I said.

  “I didn’t know you knew my dad’s girlfriend,” Tanner interjected. “That’s really awesome that you were able to help Sierra, Ireland.”

  “She’s actually helped most of the kids in this room, Son,” Bentley said with pride in his voice.

  “How do you two know each other?” I asked the kids.

  “Sierra just started at my school and she’s in my grade. I saw her as soon as we got here. Sierra thought she recognized you so we thought we’d come over.”

  I could tell that Tanner was crushing over this girl while it seemed that his father was totally oblivious to the entire situation.

  “Well, we’re glad you two came over,” I said, patting Tanner on the back. “Your dad and I were just about to go play a game of putt-putt, so would you two like to join us?”

  “We were? I thought we were rock climbing,” Bentley said.

  “Definitely putt-putt,” I chuckled.

  After talking it over in a whisper with Sierra, the two decided to join us.

  We decided to break off into a girls’ team and boys’ team. As we were nearing the end of the course, Sierra and I were beating the boys by an extremely wide margin.

  “Dad! We can’t let Ireland win again!” Tanner yelled from across the green.

  “Yessssssssss!” I shouted, as my ball rolled through the clown’s mouth and into the hole.

  “Hole-in-one,” Sierra shouted, jumping up and down. “Ireland, you’re so good at this!”

  “I can’t take all the credit. My best friend is pretty competitive. She’s the one who taught me the art of putt-putt.” I laughed. “It all comes down to the windmills. If you can master those then you pretty much have a win in the bag.”

  “Is that all it takes?” Bentley said, pulling me into his side. “Why don’t we let the kids finish our game. I have something I want to give you anyways.”

  “Well, you know I love presents,” I laughed.

  “You kids got this?” Bentley asked, as we started toward the bench just a few feet away.

  “We’re cool, Dad,” Tanner shouted in our direction.

  “If you ask me, I think Tanner has a little crush,” I said, sitting down.

  “I don’t even want to think about it,” Bentley said, rubbing his temples.

  “Relax, Dad. You’ve done a good job. He’s a smart kid.”

  “I hope so, but enough about the kids,” Bentley said. “I saw this in one of Mom’s boutiques and it had your name written all over it.”

  Bentley pulled a velvet box from his pocket. Knowing it wasn’t the right size to hold a ring, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As much as I was enjoying my time with Bentley and was warming up to the idea of spending my life with him, I knew it was still too soon for something so serious.

  “Open it,” he encouraged, placing the box in my palm.

  I opened the box and inside lay a beautiful platinum locket, similar to but more extravagant than the one Bentley had given me when we were kids.

  “This is beautiful, but you didn’t need to get me anything,” I said, softly.

  “I know I didn’t need to, but I wanted to,” he responded. “Take a look inside.”

  I opened the latch and inside were two pictures of Bentley and me—the first taken inside the photo booth at Katie’s and Greg’s wedding and the second taken inside the cabin just a few weeks back.

  “I love it so much!” I said, smiling from ear to ear. “Seriously, Bentley, this is the best gift you could’ve ever given me.”

  I cuddled into his arms as we sat under the stars watching Tanner and Sierra finish their game of miniature golf.

  “Young love,” I cooed. “Isn’t it the cutest.”

  “You’re really trying to kill me with that, aren’t you?” he laughed.

  Six months later

  I was enjoying my Saturday morning, lounging in bed and watching old reruns of Friends when I heard the doorbell. Rolling out of bed, I padded to the door without even stopping to check myself in the mirror.

  “Who is it?” I yelled through the door.

  “It’s your bestest friend in the entire world. Now open your damn door because my hands are full and I’m about to spill your latte all over.”

  “All you had to say was latte and I would’ve opened the door even if you’d told me you were a serial killer,” I laughed, helping Katie with her haul.

  “Holy shit. Why do you look like you just got your ass out of bed?”

  “Because I did,” I shrugged, sheepishly.

  “You kno
w it’s after noon, right?” she asked.

  “Yeah, what’s your point?”

  “My point is you’re over thirty and you’re still in bed at nearly one o’clock in the afternoon. I didn’t think that was acceptable behavior after college.”

  “Eh, you only say that because you have a small alien growing inside you who probably got you up to pee before the sun came up,” I said, placing my hand on her tiny baby bump. “Am I right?”

  She chuckled, “Yes, sadly, you’d be correct. I just hope my bladder returns to normal after this child arrives. I’m only two-thirds done and I already feel like my body will never recover.”

  “You know you’re not the first woman to give birth, right? Never mind, don’t answer that.” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Shut up!” Katie retorted. “I’m so going to laugh at you when Bentley knocks you up! At least then you’ll understand what I have to put up with.”

  “Well that’ll never happen. Sorry, sister.”

  “That’s what you told me when I said you were going to marry the man six months ago, too. Do you remember that?”

  “And, I’m not married, or even engaged. Bentley and I haven’t even talked about it. We’ve only been together for six months. You’re acting all sorts of crazy today.”

  She cleared her throat before responding, “First, don’t ever call a pregnant woman crazy. Secondly, you might want to get used to the idea of marrying that man and pretty quickly, because I believe your boyfriend has big plans for tonight. He asked me to bring you that box and made appointments for us at the spa. The dude even handed me his credit card and didn’t set any limitations. It’s a platinum card, too. I think he means serious business.”

  Until she pointed it out, I hadn’t really paid much attention to the big white box she’d brought in and set on my couch. “Are you going to open it, or are you trying to burn a hole in it with your eyes?”

  Lifting the lid, I carefully pulled back the white tissue paper. I gasped at the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen.

  “Have you already seen this?” I asked Katie, as I carefully removed the gown from the box.

  “I mean there’s a possibility that I took a peek,” she said with a wide grin. “Your man has better tastes than I would’ve ever given him credit for. I guess he can design more than just buildings.”

  “Seriously, this dress is really more like a piece of art than clothing. I want to frame it. Should I even wear it?” Bentley really had outdone himself. The fitted dress was a black chiffon, floor-length evening gown with cap sleeves and a scoop neckline and featured stunning silver beading. The same beads embellished the sheer, plunging open back.

  “Don’t be ridiculous! You are most definitely wearing it. And, then you’re going to keep it safe until I’m skinny again and can wear it.” I eyed her ginormous boobs suspiciously without saying a word.

  “Fuckin’ A! They’re never going to be a normal size again, are they?” she sighed, throwing her head back in a dramatic fashion.

  “Afraid not, beautiful.” I said, patting her on the shoulder.

  Katie and I spent a refreshing afternoon at the spa. She used Bentley’s credit card to treat herself to a prenatal massage while I enjoyed a hot stone massage. We both indulged on a mani-pedi, but Katie just watched as I got my hair and makeup done—saying she didn’t want to have to hand over her firstborn after Bentley caught a glimpse of his American Express statement.

  Returning to my place, she helped me into the black gown from Bentley. I was in the bathroom touching up my makeup when I heard her call out from the bedroom.

  “Where did all this bling come from?” she yelled, rifling through my jewelry box.

  “I bought most of it for myself through the years,” I shrugged, walking back into the bedroom. “A few of the new pieces are from Bentley. He got me the diamond studs and matching bracelet for my birthday.”

  “You must have like twenty necklaces in here. I didn’t think counselors were paid that well. I need to look into changing my career,” she chuckled.

  “Ha! Trust me, it’s really not that great. I just don’t spend all my extra cash on shoes and purses like other people I know. I never thought I’d have a boyfriend to buy me sparkly things so I just saved and bought them for myself.”

  “Well, soon you’re going to have a huge, sparkly rock to wear on your finger,” she squealed.

  I exhaled deeply before responding. “We don’t know that for sure. Can we please talk about something else? Like what shoes am I going to wear with this dress?”

  “You are going to say ‘yes,’ right?”

  “I need a purse, too,” I yelled, as I started throwing shoes, hangers and belts from the bottom of my closet.

  “Ireland, you need to cool it. Just sit down and take some deep breaths,” Katie encouraged.

  “Why am I not ready for this? I love him,” I cried, placing my head in my hands. “I’ve always loved him. This should be the happiest day of my life and instead I’m terrified.”

  “You aren’t terrified of spending the rest of your life with him, sweetie. You’re afraid of losing him. Trust me, you aren’t going to lose him so just be happy,” she said, rubbing large circles on my back.

  “I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but you’re right,” I said.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly. Can you repeat that, please,” she said with a playful wink.

  “You heard me, asshole. Seriously, though, you’re right. After all, we aren’t even sure what Bentley has planned for tonight. I should just go and enjoy my boyfriend and this beautiful dress,” I said, standing to twirl around, while admiring it.

  As I walked into Iridescence, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at everything that Bentley was trying to do for me tonight. This was the prom that he should’ve escorted me to nearly twenty years ago. He’d thought of everything including the purple and silver balloon archway and twinkling, white lights.

  As I waited for Bentley to arrive, I took a moment to take in the view of the city below me and accepted a glass of champagne from the maître d’. I hoped it would help to calm my nerves as I anticipated the big question that Katie was expecting Bentley to ask me tonight. Was I really ready to marry him? Was I willing to finally let my heart become completely vulnerable? I did love him—I was sure of that. I just wasn’t sure I could actually accept his proposal right now. We’d only been together for six months. What about Tanner? He’d accepted me as his dad’s girlfriend, but would he accept me as his stepmother? Where would we live? Would I have to sell my house? Would he sell his?

  “Calm down, Ireland. If he gets down on one knee then you’ll know the answer,” I said out loud. “You’ll have to know the answer.”

  I looked down at the diamond-encrusted watch that I only wore on special occasions and noticed that I’d been waiting almost an hour. Bentley had texted me while I was in the limousine that he had to make a quick stop at the construction site, but that he’d only be a few minutes. He should be here by now. I opened the black clutch that I’d borrowed from Katie and pulled out my cell phone, assuming I’d just missed a text message from him—nothing.

  It wasn’t like Bentley to not tell me if something had kept him and he’d be running late. “I guess he just wants to be fashionably late,” I mumbled to myself, as I scrolled through my contacts before clicking on his name. Straight to voicemail. I tried again thinking that maybe he’d tried calling me at the same time. Voicemail again. After three failed attempts, I was starting to worry. Just as I was picking up my phone to try again, I saw Katie’s face flash across my screen.

  “Hey! I didn’t expect to be hearing from you so soon. Is everything OK with the baby?” I asked.

  “Ireland! There’s been an accident. You have to get a taxi and get to Mercy Hospital immediately,” Katie screamed into the phone.

  “Who? What? Katie you’re scaring me! Who’s been in an accident?”

  “Ireland, it’s Bentley.
He was at the construction site with Greg and he fell from the scaffolding. Greg called for help and the paramedics were there within minutes, but he said it’s not good. He thinks he hit his head pretty hard, probably broke some bones and there could be some internal bleeding.”

  I didn’t hear much after Katie said Bentley’s name. It was happening to me all over again. I was losing the one person who I finally had let myself love. Why was every person I’d ever loved taken from me? What had I done to deserve this?

  “Is he alive?” I asked, swallowing back my tears. It was the only question running through my head.

  Katie paused and I feared the worse.

  “Katie, just tell me. I need to know.”

  “They were able to find a pulse, but he’s very critical right now. Do you need me to come and get you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I said, trying not to hyperventilate.

  “I don’t believe you. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I said, disconnecting the call.

  I crumpled to the floor and sat there sobbing—flashbacks of their accident playing through my mind.

  “Mom, can I get a ride home with Bentley?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ireland. He just got his license and I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you riding with him yet. Besides, you just spent the last two hours at the movies with him. Uncle James and Aunt Char came over to take us out to dinner anyways. We’ll just come pick you up at the theater on our way to the restaurant.”

  “Fine, but can Bentley meet us there?”

  She sighed before answering, “Ireland, I really think you’re spending too much time with him.”

  “Mom, we’ve always spent a lot of time together. How is this any different than when I was ten?” I questioned, even though I knew very well how it was different. When I was ten I still thought of Bentley as my best friend who still possibly had cooties. Now I think of him as my boyfriend who I like to kiss—a lot.

  “Ireland, it’s different and you know it. Please don’t argue with me.”

  “Fine, but he’s insisting on staying here until you get here.”

  She sighed before answering. “I wouldn’t expect any less of him. I may not like the idea of you having a boyfriend, but I’m glad that Bentley seems to be such a gentleman. We’ll be there in about ten minutes. We’ll meet you in front of the building. I love you, Ireland.”