Outside the Box

by H. M. Montes

  “You okay?” he asked me.

  I wiped the tears away, “Yeah, I didn’t realize how much I missed this place. I’m not sure I can go inside though.”

  “I’m here with you, you can rub that big green snot ball on my shirt if you want.”

  “Oh my god I do not have a big snot ball.” I laugh cried.

  “Come on.” He kissed my cheek then we both got out of the car. He held his hand out to me and walked with me to the front door. I fumbled through my purse for my keys, took a deep breath and unlocked the door. When I opened it Harold and Carol were standing in the entry way. “SURPRISE!” They both said with a laugh.

  I looked at Spencer, back at them, then ran and hugged them both. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling when I felt their arms around me. “Hey kiddo, you’re okay.” Harold whispered while trying not to cry. Carol sniffled then pulled away, “You look radiant, my goodness.” She wiped her tears away and smiled at me.

  “Is something baking?” I asked after I had composed myself.

  The timer went off, “Yep, supper is almost ready.” Carol turned and went to the kitchen and took a casserole out of the oven.

  “Wait, how did you know we were coming?” I asked then looked at Spencer. He smiled at me and placed his hand against my back while we walked to the kitchen.

  “Lexi, show him around real quick while Harold and I finish up getting the table ready.”

  I showed him the small two bedroom one bath house, he kissed me long and hard in my room. “I wish I could have met them, they did an amazing job raising you.” He told me causing me to start crying again. He pulled me into a tight hug, “I love you Alexia.”

  “I love you too, thank you for bringing me home. You’re not planning on leaving me here though are you? Are you tired of me is that why we are here?”

  His laugh vibrated his chest, “Nope, you’ll be going home with me tomorrow.”

  We walked out of my bedroom, when we were about to the kitchen Spencer grabbed my hand and turned me to face him. He knelt down on one knee and looked up at me, “Alexia Dawn Davenport, since the very first kiss we shared I knew that I couldn’t live my life without you in it. I fell in love with you so fast and hard it scared the living hell out of me. I can’t stand the nasty ranch and ketchup sauce you eat with your fries, but I would rather eat that than go another day not having you in my life forever. Will you please say you’ll be my wife? Marry me Alexia.”

  I stood there staring down at the man that I had fallen in love with, the man that I was so scared was going to break my heart, but this man…this man knelt down in front of me was the man that showed me what true love is.

  “Alexia?” Spencer said with a nervous tone.

  “Yes Spencer, I’ll be your wife.” I said. His smile lit up the room, he slid a massive silver ring onto my finger. The center stone was a large glistening square with three small squares down each side. Through my tears Carol’s movement caught my eye, she held her camera to her eye and started taking pictures.

  Over supper we talked about the changes that were taking place around town, Harold and Carol told us about the vacation that they had been on in Arizona, and I told them about beauty school and college. After supper Spencer and Harold went onto the back patio to visit while Carol and I did dishes.

  “Spencer called about a month ago and asked Harold for his permission to marry you. Imagine the shock when he told us you two have been together for a while, we didn’t meet him when we were there.”

  “I know, there was some things going on I wasn’t sure of. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth.

  “How did you two meet?” she asked with a big smile.

  “Well…I don’t think you really want me to share that story.”

  “Sure I do…”

  I interrupted her, “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me you won’t think differently of me.”

  “Sweetie I would never think differently of you.”

  So…I broke down and told Carol the entire story from day one with Spencer, the fight between Spencer and Derrick, up to where we were currently in our relationship.

  She was quiet for a few minutes, I wasn’t sure what she was thinking or what she thought of me. Carol cleared her throat, “That has to be the most, how should I put it, out of the ordinary, drama filled, best love story I have ever heard. It makes Harold and I’s meeting at the local town hall dance pretty boring.” She finished with laugh. “Lexi I don’t want you to ever think you could do anything that would change my opinion of you, you are a smart woman and have blossomed into a beautiful woman since you moved. I can tell that you are deeply in love with Spencer, let that man spoil you and love you until your last day.”

  I wiped away the tears on my cheeks and nodded my head. Spencer wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder. “Everything okay in here?”

  “Yes, are you ready to go to bed? I’m wore out.”

  Carol and Harold hugged and kissed me then hugged Spencer, they congratulated us then locked the door behind them when they left.

  The following morning as we started for the airport I asked Spencer if he would stop at the cemetery first. I found mom and dad’s headstone and knelt down in front of it, I spoke no words, I just closed my eyes and let all the years of wonderful memories flow through my mind. I could feel Spencer when he walked up behind me, he knelt down beside me, “Mr. Davenport and Mrs. Davenport, I promise to love your daughter until I take my last breath, thank you for making our paths cross and bringing this beautiful woman into my life.” He said.

  I started bawling, the ugly kind of cry, the kind where you snort to catch your breath, and hiccup between snorts. I kissed my hand, touched the headstone and whispered that I loved them.

  On the flight back, Spencer told me he had a couple more surprises waiting for me at home, “You’ve already done too much.” I looked down at my ring, back at him and smiled.

  “I’ll do whatever I want as long as it puts a smile on that beautiful face.” He told me.

  We slept most of the flight home, through the turbulence Spencer held me tightly against him in the bed.

  I couldn’t wait to get home, I wasn’t sure what was going to top the beautiful ring he had put on my finger but I knew it would be something I loved.

  Jocee and Victoria were standing on the front steps of the house waiting as we pulled up in front of the house and greeted us both with hugs and kisses. They cried when they looked at the ring, but they both admitted they knew he was going to be asking me. We walked in the house, there was a little tiny black kitten with a diamond shape patch of fur on the end of it nose sitting on the floor with a pink ribbon on tied loosely around its neck.

  “Oh my goodness!” I squealed and picked it up.

  “That’s Casper.” Spencer said from beside me, I turned and there was Spencer holding a large floppy eared dark gray almost blue looking dog that was about the size of a baby calf. “And this is Tiny.” He scratched the dog’s head. “I figured until we get started on those twelve kids, these would have to do for a while.” He smiled at me.

  “Thank you so much! What kind of dog is that?”

  “It’s a Great Dane.” Spencer smiled proudly.

  I laughed, “People are going to think we are crazy when they ask our pets names.”

  ****

  Destiney screamed with excitement and cried when I showed her my engagement ring, she told Spencer, “You’re an asshole for not asking me, THE lifelong best friend!”

  “Right, like you would have been able to keep your mouth shut. One glass of wine and you would have ruined the surprise.” He told her.

  She gasped, “I most certainly would not have!”

  He raised one eyebrow at her, “Okay maybe I might have.” She said and laughed.

  I continued going to school and working at the salon, I had researched dress after dress online, but couldn’t find anything I liked. Carol and Harold flew out one weekend so she could go with
, me, Destiney, Amber, and Julie. Spencer insisted that he pay for the dress and shoved his card at me, “Don’t come home without one.” He told me.

  I tried on forty seven dresses, and hated every single one of them. “You guys, he’s going to think I’m doing this on purpose. I can’t find one dress in this city? Who has that problem?!” I flopped down into the car.

  “You’ll find something, when you find the right dress you’ll know.” Carol patted my leg. We went out for supper before returning back to the house. All of the guys were out back around the pool listening to music, playing poker, and drinking beer. Derrick yelled, “Fucking cheaters!” and threw his hand of cards into the pool, Tiny the not so tiny Great Dane jumped in after them. Harold and Spencer were both laughing so hard they were in tears, Derrick walked around the table. Grabbed Spencer by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the edge of the pool then pushed him in. Tiny had three cards in his mouth and swam over to Spencer that was still laughing.

  “Oh my god, you’re really going to marry into this family?” Amber asked.

  “Yep, if you’re lucky maybe you will too.”

  “Oh no no no…that’s the furthest thing from my mind. I’m good with dating.” She was staring at Derrick and biting her bottom lip. I elbowed her in the ribs then walked over to the pool edge.

  “Cheating huh?” I asked Spencer.

  He had his arms resting on the edge of the pool, with his hair spiked up, drops of water streaming down his face, and the blue pool lights he looked like a model ready for a photo shoot.

  He crooked his finger at me so I knelt down, “Did you buy a dress?” he asked.

  I shook my head ‘no’, before I could say anything I was being pulled into the water.

  “You…you dickhead, my phone was in my pocket!” I sputtered when I surfaced.

  “So, you needed a new one anyways, why the fuck won’t you buy a dress?”

  “Because I don’t like any of them, isn’t that usually why you don’t buy something?”

  He had me pinned against the far side of the pool, “Keep it up with the mouth and I’ll be shoving something in there to shut you up later.”

  “Get out of the pool you can bang her when we all leave!” Derrick yelled. I pushed Spencer away and swam to the ladder.

  He caught up with me and pinned me against the ladder, “I love you, you’re making me nervous since you haven’t bought anything. Talk to Jocee and Victoria, their other sister is a seamstress maybe she knows of a good place.”

  “I love you too, honestly I have hated everything I’ve tried on. I’ll ask them about it Monday.” I kissed him then climbed out of the pool.

  Around midnight everybody left except Harold and Carol, they were staying in the pool house so they didn’t feel like they were intruding on our privacy. With the size of Spencer’s house that wasn’t even possible.

  Monday morning Victoria and Jocee walked in and straight for me, “Upstairs, we need to measure you and take picture.” Jocee demanded.

  After spending and hour taking my measurements and them taking pictures of me with their phones, they told me that their sister would have me a few different designs with a few days. “Promise me you guys won’t let Spencer see.”

  “No no he can’t until that day. I quit cooking for him if he tries to look.” Victoria told me. I knew she wouldn’t quit but she sure as hell wouldn’t let Spencer see my dress if her sister designed one I liked.

  By Thursday I was being ushered into my bedroom with pictures they had printed off, their sister Cheryl had designed three different dresses.

  “Oh my god, she is amazing!” I was speechless. I looked over the first picture, put it to the side, looked over the second dress, the third picture almost made my heart stop. “This one, I want this one!” I waved the picture in their faces.

  “You owe me fifty dollar!” Victoria told Jocee.

  “What do we need to do? I love it.” I stared at the beautiful dress, and traced the lines on the paper.

  “Those sleeves are called cap sleeves, those are jewels that are hand sewn on to make it sparkle. Each gathering, (Jocee pointed at the picture) is a cluster of jewels. The train will trail behind you five feet, detachable for the reception.”

  “I love it, I need it. I’ll get you his card.” I started to move off the bed.

  “No, it’s gift from us. You made Spencer happy, so so so happy. He smiles all the time now, his ex-wife broke him, you fixed our boy. You make a perfect princess for him on your special day.” Victoria told me and wiped at her eyes with her hanker chief, “So happy he is happy now, he will be happy for the rest of his life now.”

  I knew there was no arguing with them, I hugged them and we all three cried. Jocee gathered up the pictures, and told me she would take them with her so he didn’t start getting nosey.

  ****

  The bachelor party was a big surprise to Spencer, we had planned all along to meet up with the guys at “The Square”. Spencer was not happy about going out, he said he wanted to spend the night with his beautiful fiancé, he was even more pissed when I told him I was staying with Destiney that night.

  I wasn’t even nervous the following morning, I was hyper and ready to put my beautiful dress on again. I had to keep it in Destiney’s room so Spencer wouldn’t find it. He had snooped through every inch of his house looking for it, finally Victoria convinced him that I indeed did have the perfect dress.

  Julie came over to do my hair and makeup about mid-morning, my bridesmaids and I would do pictures before Spencer and his wedding party arrived at the harbor that Spencer insisted we get married at.

  Destiney and Julie were my bridesmaid, I asked Amber but she wanted to be able to get pictures. “I’m sure it’ll be the only time I see Derrick dressed up, he’s been bitching for weeks that he has to wear a tuxedo.” We all laughed when she told us.

  Derrick and William were Spencer’s groomsmen, and Harold would be walking me down the aisle.

  I was admiring my dress in the mirror when Clancy buzzed up that he had a delivery for, “The soon to be Mrs. Alexia Scott.” I had written a letter for Spencer but hadn’t had it delivered to him yet so I gave it to Clancy and asked for him to have it taken to him.

  “Lexi, you’ve blossomed into a beautiful woman. Congratulations and don’t forget to come see me from time to time.” Clancy said and hugged me before leaving the apartment.

  Julie handed me a tissue, “These are always what makes the bride a blubbering mess, I guess we’ll see how waterproof that makeup really is?”

  I pulled the letter out of the black envelope, there was a post card just like the two that I had been given by the homeless guy after I moved here. I smiled at the small holographic square and traced it with my finger, on the back was a message from Spencer;

  Ember ;) Alexia

  I’m going to try not to make you cry while you read this, so I’ll keep it short and to the point. Thank you for coming into my ‘box’ but most importantly, Thank you for falling in love with me ‘Outside the Box’. See I told you, short…simple…now please for the love of god come marry me. P.S. If you actually have anything on under your wedding dress, do me a favor and take it off. I love you so much Alexia…you should be leaving soon. I’m waiting!

  Love Always,

  Jasper ;) Spencer

  I cried and laughed at the same time, Julie and Destiney read the note next and both started crying.

  “I just can’t believe that in such a short time you found a man that would move mountains to be with you and see you happy. Your mom and dad would be so happy for you.” Destiney told me.

  “I sure hope so, I was so worried about what they would think for taking the job. It all happened for a reason.”

  Julie reapplied my makeup, looked at her watch and told us it was time to leave.

  Spencer

  ****

  Joe had delivered the letter to the apartment building for me, because if I would have tried, no doorman or door w
ould have kept me from getting in to kiss Alexia. I was a nervous fucking wreck, pacing back and forth as guests started to arrive at the harbor. I chose the harbor because when you looked out at the horizon the water seemed endless, to me that was how far my love stretched for Alexia.

  “Stop pacing, you’re going to burn holes in the soles of your damn shoes.” Derrick told me from where he was leaning against the door way of the reception area.

  “What if she changed her mind? What if…”

  “Oh shut the fuck up, you can’t be serious.” He said.

  “Well…”

  Joe interrupted us and brought me an envelope, the writing on the outside was Alexia, “See what if she’s telling me to fuck off?” I said as I toyed with the flap of the envelope.

  “Hey, I tried to win her over…”

  “Fuck off.” I told Derrick. Him and William both laughed. I opened the envelope and pulled out the postcard that was exactly like what I had sent over for her. On the back she had written;

  Dear Spencer/Jasper,

  I don’t even know where to begin, (I bet you’re worried I’m not going to show up…I’m on my way I promise). It was because of 2 postcards just like this that changed my life forever. Not exactly the dream I had pictured but life never goes like we have planned out in our minds anyways. I wouldn’t change a thing about my time here, meeting you, falling in love with you, denying that I was in love with you, then falling in love even harder with you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. You’ve showed me what true love is, and I hope that for the rest of our lives we can still make each other smile even when we really just want to strangle each other. Thank you for inviting me to your ‘Box’, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for falling in love with me. ‘Outside the Box’ (yes I cried writing this, I hope you get maybe just a little misty eyed? LOL) Anyways, I love you and I will see you shortly. P.S. One of the surprises I have for you is…the menu for tonight is hamburgers and or chicken with French fries. The only dipping sauce that will be served is…you guessed it Ranch with ketchup or vanilla ice cream.

  Love Always,

  Ember/Alexia XOXO