Coming Back to You

by Devon Youngblood

  Locking up for the day, I enter the truck and head to my therapy appointment. I’m not sure what he will think of me being back in the bedroom, but it's important that I tell him about it. My nightmares have been less violent, I am less afraid of closing my eyes at night, and I can actually sleep most nights. The nightmares do come, but it’s only about once or twice a week now.

  The session goes well and I head home. As soon as I open the door, a savory aroma reaches my nose. While I've been busy talking to my therapist, she's obviously been busy in the kitchen. It smells divine. “Welcome home. How did your day go?” She asks after greeting me with a kiss.

  “Good. I’m more concerned with what you’re making.” I say, dipping my finger in the sauce and tasting it.

  “Hey hey hey,” She says, swiping my hand away. “I’m making chicken parmigiana, one of your favorites if I remember correctly,” she says.

  “Your memory serves you right. I will go shower real quick,” I say.

  Back in the kitchen we eat and talk about each other’s day.

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Thursday morning comes in a flash and I’m ready to get this week over with. At least the weekend is near and I can relax and have more of Maura to myself. Mentally I plan the weekend in my head. Maybe this is the weekend. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe Maura will freak the hell out and run out the door as fast as she can. I just can’t imagine a life without her in it, but it makes sense to continue our forward progression I just don’t want to rush anything. Great, I've given myself a worry headache. I put my thoughts on the back burner for now.

  Having run the shop for a third day, I have finally found my groove. Checking the schedule, taking phone calls and managing the shop by myself isn't nearly as hectic as it was on day one. Don is doing well and his health is improving. I think I will visit him after work.

  Today is going to be busy since everyone wants their cars done for the weekend. Pushing my concerns about Maura and the little box to the back of my mind, I welcome the busyness of the day.

  *****

  After work, I lock up and head to straight to Don’s place to check on him. On the way I stop and grab him a few snacks and a newspaper to keep him a little busy. I know Doris will appreciate it.

  Upon greeting me at the door, Doris leads me to the den area. Don is watching television.

  “Hey old man,” I say shaking his hand.

  “Hey buddy. How are you holding up at the shop?”

  “Good, I have everything under control,” I reassure him.

  “Don’t get too comfortable there young man,” he says pointing his finger and cocking his eyebrow at me.

  I laugh at his comment.

  An hour and ten minutes later I am home. Once inside I find Maura on the back deck enjoying a glass of wine. She has a book in her hand and is lounging on the chaise. I grab a bottle of water and join her on the deck.

  “Hey beautiful. Something smells good,” I say, leaning down to kiss her.

  “Hey babe. I have meatloaf in the oven. How is Don doing?” She asks, setting her book down.

  “He is doing great. He even told me not to make myself too comfortable at the shop,” I laugh.

  “Sounds like he is back to his usual self. I’m glad he pulled through. How are you doing?” She asks.

  “I’m doing good. I have finally found my stride at the shop and I’m not going crazy with the work load. I’m happy the weekend has finally arrived though. I’m ready to kick back and relax,” I admit as I lounge back on the other chaise.

  “I still have one more day but it’s a light schedule so I may be home by noon."

  “That would be fantastic. We could do whatever we want since we have most of the weekend together.” I reach over and grab her hand and kiss it. “I need to grab a shower.”

  While the water washes away the day's grime, Maura fills my thoughts. I am irrevocably in love. We have been living together for over a week and I absolutely love having her here with me. I especially love when I get a glimpse of my dog tags around her neck, but I have been keeping something from her and it has been weighing heavily on my mind. I’m afraid of revealing it and losing her for good, but I want us to be happy and plan a future together, but I'm not sure if I should risk revealing my secret so soon.

  Now that I'm garage grime free, I dress and find Maura in the kitchen getting dinner together. She's perfect, I think, glancing at the baked macaroni and cheese and meatloaf. It's my second favorite meal. We make our plates and head back out on the deck to eat.

  “This is so good. I believe it is better than my mother’s meatloaf, but don’t tell her I said that,” I tease before devouring more.

  She smiles at the accomplishment and the compliment. "Your secret is safe with me.

  “Do you have room for dessert? I made a cherry cheesecake,” she asks, knowing that is my favorite.

  “First of all, what are you up to? You’re making all my favorite meals and desserts. I’m starting to think you’re up to something.”

  “I’m not up to anything. Can’t I show my man a little appreciation by cooking his favorite meals and desserts?” She smirks.

  “Well I am never one to turn down good food,” I tell her. She gathers the plates and puts them in the sink as I grab the dessert out of the fridge and wrestle up a few small plates and forks.

  Back outside I refill her glass with wine and I grab bottled water. We decide to lounge around for the rest of the evening, enjoying the quietness of our secluded back deck.

  “Why do you love me?” I ask.

  “Pierson, why do we keep going over this? There are dozens of reasons why I love you. Ever since we were kids, it has always been you. I tried to forget you and date other people but it never worked. It always came down to you. You are the love of my life and you always will be. If you hadn't come home, I wouldn’t be my happy self. I would be depressed, lonely and throwing myself into my work like before, but you’re here and you're alive and well. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my days with you".

  Her response floors me.

  “You know the nightmares will never go away. Are you prepared for that? I’m not perfect by any means. Having you in my life has made living better. You have helped me through so much. I know we have had some uphill battles, but we came through stronger. I know there will probably be many more struggles down the road, but as long as we are together, I think we will be fine.”

  I kneel down in front of her and pull the little black box from my pocket, opening it to reveal the ring inside.

  “With all that said, you are the love of my life. I would love nothing more than to make you my wife.” I am nervous, as I wait for her response. My heart pounds so loudly, a million miles a minute. Sweat starts to form on my forehead. She cries. I’m not sure if that is good or bad. This is it. She will either run or stay. She buries her face in her hands and cries uncontrollably I have no idea what to do, so I simply take a deep breath and ask.

  “Is this a good cry or a bad cry?”

  “It’s a good cry,” she says through the sobs.

  “So is that a yes? You will marry me?” I ask with baited breath.

  “Yes I will,” she says, gazing into my eyes. Holding out her trembling hand, she sniffs back tears of joy and I manage to slide the ring on. It is a perfect fit.

  “I love you. You just made me the luckiest man on earth.” I take her face in my hands and kiss her.

  “I love you too.” She holds her hand out and looks at the ring. Her eyes sparkle with happiness. “It is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen,” she says, wiping her tears.

  “I’m glad you like it. Does it look familiar to you? It was my mom's ring. She gave it to me when I went to visit her the other day. She knew you were the reason I was home and she couldn’t stand it being in the jewelry box, so she gave it to me, to give to you."

  “I love it so much and it has so much meaning behind it,” She gleams.

  The antique ring looks e
xactly how I imagined it would look on her. I’m so glad that she agreed to become my wife and I'm thrilled that she appreciates the true meaning behind my mother's old ring. It’s something we can pass down through the generations.

  “There is no rush. We can have a long engagement if you want. We have plenty of time,” I tell her.

  “I have to call Ruby right now to tell her,” she says with excitement.

  “I should call my mom right away too.”

  We make all our phone calls and are excited about spending our lives together. This is what both of us have wanted for so long.

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Ruby congratulates us on the news. Maura has already informed me that Ruby will be her maid of honor. Of course I hadn’t given much thought as to who would stand with me. I'm not close to very many people. Maybe I'll ask Trevor since we hit it off and he seems like he has his head together.

  Maura and I spend Thursday night in bed, so it is super late once we get to sleep. That night, Dean haunts my dreams but he is smiling at me and he won’t stop grinning. I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.

  I wake up early and think about the smiling Dean. Confused, I stretch and yawn. Maura is already up and she's staring at me.

  “Yesterday really did happen right? You did ask me to marry you?” She asks, flashing her ring at me and grinning.

  “Yes it really happened, silly,” I say, pulling her into my arms and giving her a bear hug.

  She laughs into my chest. “You were tossing and turning like crazy last night.”

  “Yea, I had a dream about Dean. Only he was smiling at me and he wouldn’t stop. It was weird.”

  “Maybe he was communicating to you that he is happy for you. I don’t know,” she says.

  “Maybe.” I shrug my shoulders. I miss Dean a lot. He was my best buddy in the war and we had each other’s back, no matter what. I just wish he hadn’t passed. It still haunts me though, knowing he should be alive. I try to remember my mom’s wisdom to honor Dean by living. I’m trying to do that. He would definitely be standing at the wedding with me if he could, but I know he will be there in spirit. I find a little peace in knowing that.

  “Better get ready before we are late for work,” I tell Maura, kissing her on that pouty mouth I adore.

  “Yea, we better. I can’t wait until this weekend. We might as well start thinking about when and where we'll get married,” she says.

  I know the perfect place.

  On the way into work I contact Doris about Don. She says he is back to normal and is hoping to come back to work soon. She has her hands full keeping him home.

  “Tell him not to rush. I have the shop under control,” I tell her.

  At the shop I put the key in the door hole and jimmy the knob to get it open. Inside, I glance over the schedule. It looks like a jam packed day with oil changes and car repairs. Lots to keep me busy. Around lunch time Doris comes in.

  “Doris, you didn’t have to come in,” I tell her while eating a quick lunch.

  “Oh sweetie I appreciate you running the place while I was occupied with Don. That man can be a handful. Just thought I would come in and handle the phones for a bit. The weekend is almost here and you deserve a break,” she says.

  I swear that woman is selfless. I get back to work.

  *****

  As is typical on two nights a week, I head straight to my therapist's office immediately after work. I swear every time I see him I have something new to share. This time is no exception. I’m eager to tell him about my recent engagement. Just the thought makes me smile. She is mine and it will be official.

  Forty five minutes later I emerge from the doc's office. Of course he gave me a lecture about taking things slow, but once you’ve been in war and come back home, things change and your perspective changes. Taking things slow sounds like a good idea but I just don’t work that way. You never know when something will be ripped from you. I am trying to enjoy and live my life how I want. You never know what tomorrow will bring. My mission now is making Maura happy and keeping it that way. How can you love someone this much? I have no idea, but I do.

  Back home, I walk inside and greet my bride to be with a hug and kiss. I can tell she is still as over the moon about the engagement as I am.

  “Some clients noticed my ring and they couldn’t help but gush over it. Everyone is happy for us and there is a slight change to the weekend plans,” she says.

  “What kind of change?” I ask.

  “Ruby informed me that she is throwing us an engagement party this weekend at the community center.”

  “Damn, that girl works fast,” I smile.

  “Tell me about it. Remember she works in a nail salon and that is gossip haven. So I’m sure everyone in town knows by now.”

  “You’re right. I keep forgetting that. How about we have a celebratory dinner tonight, just us? Before all the craziness starts,” I suggest.

  “Sure, I can be ready by the time you’re out of the shower,” Maura’s eyes brighten.

  After a quick wash down, I sift through my closet, picking out a pair of black dress pants and a green dress shirt. I hate ties so I just leave the top buttons undone. I splash on some cologne and greet Maura in the living room.

  “My, you look beautiful,” I say. She has on a simple black dress paired with, a cuff bracelet on her wrist, and the ring on the opposite hand. She has the dog tags tucked inside of her dress.

  “You look very handsome, babe. I love that color green on you. It matches your eyes perfectly,” she beams. “Oh and you know what cologne does to me,” she says after hugging me.

  I open the truck door and guide her inside. Once inside she straightens her dress.

  “Where we headed?” She asks once I position myself in the driver seat.

  “You’ll see,” I grin, playfully tormenting her.

  Chapter Thirty Six

  I pull up to the restaurant where we had our first date. It’s an Italian restaurant and the food was fabulous the last time we were here. I give the host a nod and he guides us to a secluded room away from the rest of the diners.

  “Surprise!” Everyone yells.

  “What the hell is all this?” Maura looks at me with a shocked look.

  “It’s a surprise engagement party. I asked Ruby if she could do it here since this was the place we had our first date after I came home. It was her idea to do it tonight,” I tell her.

  She gives Ruby a look of glee and hugs her tightly.

  “Oh, my gosh I am stupefied. Thank you all for coming,” she says, looking around the room.

  We greet everyone with hugs and handshake. Ruby invited her co-workers, her parents as well as my mom, a few of my aunts and uncles, old classmates, Maura's employees, and of course, Trevor. Seeing everyone all in one room is a little overwhelming.

  The room is packed with people, conversation, and laughter. Sitting side by side at the dinner table, she and I make eye contact and share a silent moment between us. She is blissfully happy and we enjoy the company of our family and friends.

  Over dinner, Maura and I toast everyone and thank them for coming.

  “In addition, I just want to toast my bride to be. Thank you for sticking by me through the tough times. We certainly have had our share. My military mission may have come to an end but I have a new mission, a mission to make you as happy as humanly possible. Because of you Maura, I am the most fortunate man on earth.” I hold my glass of champagne up and everyone clinks their glasses together. Lastly, I clink mine with Maura’s and we drink in unison. The next two hours pass by too quickly.

  Outside, Maura hugs Ruby goodbye and we thank everyone for coming again. Maura informed me of a secret while we were eating dinner. I go over to Ruby and wrap my arms around her. “Congratulations on your news. I’m happy for you,” I say, whispering in her ear and congratulate her on her pregnancy. No wonder she didn’t sip on the wine.

  “I was very adamant that Maura not make a big deal abo
ut it during your engagement party and it’s still early. In time everyone will know, but you two are the first,” she glows.

  “I am very honored,” I tell her.

  Walking back to Maura I wrap my arm around her and we walk toward the truck. Leaning over, I kiss her head. “Did you have fun?”

  “Yes, I was so surprised,” she says. “And hearing Ruby’s news was even more surprising. She wasn’t going to tell me, but I knew something was up. I’m happy for her and Trevor,” she beams.

  “Me too, that will be us one day.”

  She smiles as I help her in the truck. “Thank you for everything and that toast was very sweet.”

  “I meant every word of it,” I tell her.

  Back at the house, Maura flings her clutch on the table by the door. “Do you have any thoughts on when you want to get married?” She asks.

  “I’m ready whenever you are. It can be tonight, tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. I will be there anytime, anyplace,” I say.

  “You sure know how to woo a girl,” she says smiling. “I’m seriously asking though.”

  “And I was serious as well, but if you want a definitive answer, I would love to do it in the fall when the leaves are turning colors. I was thinking we could have it at the gazebo.” I bombard her with my thoughts.

  “That is a fantastic idea. The colors outside would be beautiful and it would be cool enough to have it outdoors. I’ve always pictured an outdoor wedding,” she beams with joy.

  “Then it’s settled. Does October sound good?” I ask.

  “Yes, but not too close to Halloween. I’d say earlier in the month. I’m not sure what Ruby will think about being pregnant and in the wedding.”

  “It’s a date,” I say, planting a kiss on her lips. Her mouth invites my tongue inside. Her dress needs to come off, I silently muse while sliding my hands underneath the fabric. She's wearing a thong and the feel of her bare ass against my hand arouses me. She lets a moan escape as I slip my finger inside of her. I walk her backwards to the bedroom, kissing her lips the whole time. She tugs the tail of my shirt from my slacks and starts unbuttoning it frantically. Sliding the shirt off my arms, she starts on my belt buckle. I help her along. Next, I yank her dress up and off in one swift move. She is standing bare breasted with only a thong on. I pull her up and wrap her legs around my waist. She takes my face in her hands, kissing me. Moving back, I lay her on the bed and slide my hands and lips all over her body. I take my time with each breast, paying close attention to each and then I kiss my way down her stomach and feel the wetness between her thighs. I slide her thong off and she arches her back and flips her hair, causing it to splay across the bed.