“So, what happened?” Zeke presses.
“Your granddaddy was in the Army,” I say with a smile. “And so was his daddy before him. It’s in your blood. When the attacks happened on 9/11, your daddy decided he had to go fight to protect his country, his wife.”
“What about me?”
“They didn’t know your momma was pregnant. She was so mad at him for leaving. She couldn’t understand that he was fighting for your freedom.”
“But if he loved her so much, why didn’t he come back?”
For a moment, I can’t think of a way to answer his question. How do you explain to a child the horrors of war? I decide the explanation is best left to his father. “I don’t know, sweetie,” I admit, leaning over and brushing a strand of blond hair off his forehead. “I suppose he couldn’t, for a while.”
“Do you think he’d tell me, if I ask?”
I smile. “You know what? I’ll bet you’re the only person he wants to tell.”
“Really?” Zeke asks, his eyes full of hope.
“Really,” I affirm, nodding eagerly. “But you’ll have to come home and ask him yourself.”
“All right,” he says with a tremulous smile. “I’ll give it a go.”
I can’t help but lean down and give him a tight, quick hug around his shoulders. But I’m surprised when he latches on to me, hugging me tight. “Thanks Shan,” he says, his voice muffled against my shirt. Tears spring to my eyes at the breakthrough. “It’s gonna be okay,” I whisper, placing a soft kiss against his hair.
Normally, I’d be craving a beer by now, but not tonight.
I’m standing on the back porch, staring up at the clear night sky. The rain is gone, and the sky is lit up with a million diamond-like stars.
The voices in my head are quiet, and my body is relaxed. I don’t know how she’s done it, but Shannon has brought my son home. When I picked her up from the stables, I was shocked to find her with Zeke. I was even more shocked when she told me he wanted to come home. He had a lot of questions, but I held nothing back. For the first time in my life, I wanted someone other than Keets to know about my past. I held back the worst details, glossed over them so as not to frighten him and ruin any kind of improvement we’ve made. I think he sensed it, but he didn’t say anything. Shannon sat right by me, holding my hand as I revealed details about my life that, until now, had remained a mystery. She tightened her grip as I spoke about the young girl, and cried for me when I spoke about the torture I’d endured for so many months.
As if my thoughts had somehow conjured her up, I hear the glass sliding door open and, a second later, the squeak of the wheels on her chair. “How are you doing?” she asks, looking up at me.
I smile and move to sit on the couch at the other end of the porch. “Better, I think,” I respond, glancing up as she wheels toward me. “How’s Zeke?”
“Sleeping,” she says with a smile. “Listen, Stone. About everything you told us tonight. I—”
“Ahh, I really don’t want to talk about it,” I cut her off.
“Why not?” she asks. “Stone, you can’t keep this bottled up forever. Dr. James said—”
“Shannon,” I interrupt again, a little sharper than I intend. “Please, I don’t want to talk about it.”
Her eyes search mine for a few minutes, and then she finally nods. “Okay,” she agrees gently. “It’s okay.”
“Look.” I sigh, raking a hand over my head. “It’s late, and I’m tired. We can talk about this tomorrow.” I stand up and move past her.
I’m almost at the door when her voice stops me. “Stone?”
“Yeah?” I ask, turning to face her.
She turns her wheelchair around and lifts her head to look at me. “Last night, at dinner . . . when you . . . you . . .”
“Proposed?” I prompt gently.
She nods. “Were you serious?”
“I was.”
She’s silent for a few minutes, not looking at me. I’m ready to turn around and walk away again when she finally speaks. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry?” I say. “Did you say ‘okay’?”
She nods again. “I’ll marry you.”
I release a shaky breath. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” I ask, watching her carefully. A part of me is screaming for joy, while the other, more rational side is telling me not to get my hopes up too much.
“Yeah,” she replies with a small smile.
I’m at her side in three steps, squatting down in front of her, gripping her hands. “Look at me,” I say quietly. She looks up, and I free one hand long enough to brush the hair out of her face. “Thank you,” I whisper, brushing her forehead with a feather-light kiss.
“For what?” she asks, sounding confused.
“For trusting me,” I answer. “I promise with every fiber of my being that I’ll take care of you.”
“You’d better,” she says with a shaky smile.
I enfold her in my arms. She rests her head against my chest through my t-shirt, and I bury my face in her hair. She smells so damn good, like a combination of vanilla and passion fruit. My cock stirs in my jeans, but I fight down the urge to take her into the bedroom and make love to her all night long. Now’s not the time for thinking those sorts of things.
She leans back with a smile. “What will we tell Zeke?” she asks.
I grin as I glance up and see his face pressed against the sliding glass door, wearing a huge smile. I nudge her and point in his direction. “Something tells me he already knows.” Shannon laughs, and I can’t keep my own smile from spreading. Her laugh is so infectious, it seems to light up her entire face, giving her a relaxed, carefree look. I want to keep that look her face for the rest of her life.
The rest of the week passes by much too quickly and before I know it, it’s my wedding day.
My wedding day. I still can’t believe it. In another hour, I’ll be Mrs. Shannon Stone. Ethan’s wife.
Ruth smiles at me as she adjusts my veil and steps back, allowing me the opportunity to see myself for the first time. “You look beautiful, Shan,” she says quietly. For the first time in my life, I have to agree. I stare at my reflection in the full-length mirror. I’m wearing my mother’s wedding dress, with its layers of tulle and lace and the delicate sweetheart neckline. My fingers lightly touch the simple sapphire necklace around my throat as Ruth fixes my lace veil at the back. I should be excited, but something feels off. “Am I doing the right thing?” I ask her.
Ruth raises her eyebrows to me. “You’re asking me that now?” she asks in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet.”
I shake my head. “It’s nothing like that,” I promise. “I just have this unnerving feeling that something bad is about to happen.”
“Don’t say that,” Ruth admonishes. “Nothing will happen to spoil today.”
“I just wish Daddy was here to walk me down the aisle.”
“I know you do, babe,” she says, dabbing at my damp eyes with a handkerchief. “But you know he’s here,” she continues, placing her hand gently over my heart. “Your momma, too.”
“I don’t think Daddy’s accident was really an accident.”
She freezes and moves her hand slowly away from me, her eyes searching my face in disbelief. “What the hell do you mean?” she gasps, a little too loudly.
“Shhh,” I admonish, hoping no one overhears us. “I think someone set those dogs on Lady.”
“Who?” Ruth whispers, her eyes wide.
“I don’t know,” I admit, shaking my head. “It’s just something Effie said to me the other week.”
“Shannon Marie Harper,” Ruth laughs, throwing her head back as her eyes sparkle in amusement. “Since when do you listen to idle gossip?”