Bring on the Rain (48 page)

While Ruby set out dinner she said,
“Yes, but, I can’t believe it shows.”

Ruby’s brow went up. “Oh? Take a look
in the mirror, your skin is flushed, your eyes are glowing, and
your body is moving like you know you got something.”

She sat down. “We’re getting engaged
Friday.”

“
I know. He called
me.”

She stared at Ruby. “He
did?”

“
Yep. Said he loved you,
didn’t intend to change your life, your friends, and wanted me to
know whatever was in the past with Jude and me made no difference.
He said Jason liked me, and I was a good friend to you—”

“
He said that?”

“
Um, said when you two
married, he expected me to be in his face all the time.”

Madeline chewed a French fry. “I can’t
believe... I half thought maybe Mitch was only sexually
interested.”

“
He loves you,
Madeline.”

“
I know.” Madeline admitted
it, still astounded.

“
And you love
him.”

“
I do.”

Ruby offered, “Get married, you can
always have a big wedding when Brook and Max are here to share it.
But don't let go again. Look at me? Hell, look at Jenna. We only
wish we had what you do.”

“
What would I do? My
life?”

“
I’m sure he’ll want you to
do what makes you happy.”

“
But, this thing with Brook
and Coy.”

“
Hey, the family isn’t blind
to who was at fault. Karla’s going to have the baby. Coy will raise
it, true. Jenna will pick up the pieces of her life. Tony will get
caught, and I will come and get you for girl’s night. If you work,
the gang at the Tavern will always be interesting and screwed
up…”

Madeline sat in silence as they ate.
Finally, she admitted, “I’m scared.”

“
I know, it’s the Chicken
Little thing, it’s been a rough year, and things with you and Mitch
have been like a roller coaster.”

She played with the straw in her cup.
“I’m afraid to let go of the life I made, in case…something goes
wrong.”

Ruby shook her head. “I’m not going to
let you screw up. I am going to toast your engagement Friday, at
Jason’s. I’m going to plan your wedding while you sleep with Mitch,
and take care of practical things like the house.”

“
I want to keep
it.”

“
Of course you do. Brook
will need it. Shit, her car?”

“
It’s locked in the
garage.”

“
What about
work?”

“
I like working,” Madeline
admitted, they were her family, as odd as that sounded; the Tavern
had been her sometimes dysfunctional and fun family, her home
even.

“
So, take some time off, go
back.”

She grimaced. “I feel…. I don't know
Mitch, his habits, and the way he likes things. It feels weird, old
and new, familiar and not.”

“
He told me, he built the
house after Ronda, because he’d always pictured the two of you in
it. Said he didn’t decorate the four bedrooms.”

“
It’s only half done.
“

“
Well? The man knows y’all
will have to build a life together. Heck, spend a couple of nights
there.”

She grunted. “The way his family is?
God, I’d be afraid to wake up and find them all in the bed with
us.”

Ruby chuckled. “Madeline, you are
sitting here trying to make excuses when there isn’t
any.”

She looked at her. “All right, plan the
wedding at the Tavern, One month from now. I’ll tell him
Friday.”

“
Will do.” Ruby got up and
got her things together. When they were on the porch, they hugged.
“I’m happy for you. Please don't back out, I know you, you will
find all sorts of reasons. Because you’re afraid, this love will be
like the last. But, honey, that man is going to prove you wrong.
Let him.”

After Ruby left, Madeline called Mitch.
“I’ll marry you, in one month, at the Tavern.”

His deep voice came over the line,
“This is the kind of phone call I like getting.”

“
I’m scared to
death.”

Silence, then, “I’m calling the family
before you can chicken out.”

“
It sounds to me like you’ve
already called everyone.”

“
I tried to martial my
forces, to cover my bases, in case you were going to give me a hard
time.”

“
Mitch I... I’m afraid to
let go of what I have.” How could she put into words? The only
security in her life, ever, had been what she’d done with her own
two hands.

“
Madeline, I love you. I
want you to do whatever makes you happy, makes you secure. I…I’m
calling you every day and telling you I love you.”

She laughed. “I’ll see you
Friday.”

“
Madeline, call your son,
our son, tell him.”

She swallowed. Just hearing him say our
son, made her heart soft. “I will.”

~*~

Madeline called Max and told
him.

“
I figured it was coming.
Sorry I can’t be there. I’m heading to Cleveland in the morning and
after that, Florida. Tell Ruby to take plenty of
pictures.”

“
Max? I... I love
you.”

“
I love you. Now, calm the
hell down, and chill out.”

She laughed. “Do I sound that
afraid?”

“
Yeah, chill. You and Mitch
are right for each other.”

“
I hope.”

“
I know, now hang
up.”

She did, smiling and shaking her head.
Everyone seemed to think it was so right, so obvious, her heart did
too. It was just, she wished all the fears she had, and the past
hurts hadn’t happened, because she listened to her heart too
often.

~*~

Friday at Jason’s, Madeline was
surrounded by Coburns. She had been swarmed at the door and walked
all the way to the pool with someone hugging and smiling at her.
She wore a sundress over her bathing suit, and was trying to get a
look at the beautiful in ground pool, the stained glass French
doors, and tables scattered everywhere, but the family was happy
for them, even Renee who hugged her.

Then Mitch was there, in casual
clothing, standing back and watching her handle all the
attention.

Someone noticed him, the bodies parted
and he walked toward her. Reaching in his pocket, pulling out a
ring with one diamond, and two pearls. Getting down on one knee,
while the family yelled and clapped.

“
Madeline, will you marry
me?”

She was such a sap. She was crying.
“Yes. Yes I will.”

Mitch stood, kissed her lush enough to
curl her toes in her flip-flops. The family converged, picked her
up—, and tossed her into the pool, clothing, and all.

She surfaced, gasping, ready to throw a
fit, when they tossed in Mitch, and he made a huge splash going
down. He surfaced, laughing and reaching for her.

“
Love you.” He kissed her
with passion.

When he pulled back she panted, “Do you
know, they’re all barmy. And they’re all standing around the pool
watching.”

“
Oh, any minute now someone
else will get thrown in too.”

They did, screaming and yelling, until
only a few who had taken off through the house or out the doors to
the yard were safe.

They escaped with the help of Jason,
who provided towels, made it to a table, and drank wine, watching
the horseplay in the water. The rest of the evening was similar,
fun, and crazy, with practical jokes and high spirits, and plenty
of beer and BBQ ribs and cornbread.

“
You’ve built a beautiful
house,” she told Jason later, when she was leaving.

“
Thank you. I love what Ruby
did.”

“
She’s enjoyed doing it, and
getting to know you.”

He smiled, having walked outside to her
car, with Mitch and her. “I’m very glad you’re going to be my
stepmother. You’re going to be with Dad, and y’all have finally
found each other again.”

Oh hell, he was just too sweet. “That
means a lot to me.”

He hugged her. He hugged his father. He
looked between them. She should have known when that twinkle
entered his eyes, but he said, “I’ve made a privacy sign, neon, for
you to hang on the porch, next time.”

Her mouth dropped open.
“We—di—”

He laughed and shook his head. “Yeah?
You shouldn’t have put your shirt on inside out after y’all did it
in the house.”

He was walking away when she groaned,
and buried her face against Mitch’s chest.

Mitch was chuckling as she hit him,
told him he should have said something, “Dammit…that’s too
embarrassing.”

“
Madeline, it’s one of those
crazy things we’ll look back on and laugh about.”

She pulled back after a while, looking
at her ring and telling him, “We’re not sleeping together again,
until we say our vows.”

Mitch shrugged. “All right.” Then
pulled her to the truck.

“
What?”

He opened the door, urged her in, and
held up a hand, saying, “Listen…”

She heard it, a boom of distant
thunder.

He gazed at her while the patter of
rain started on the windshield. Mitch leaned over, kissed her, and
slid his hand up her thigh. Against her lips he said, “It’s
raining, Madeline.”

She sighed as he touched her
intimately. Pulling back enough to reply, “Yes. Yes it
is.”

His tongue traced her lips. The sky
opened and the cocoon enveloped them.

Epilogue

Sunny gave Madeline away. Ruby picked
out the wedding dress, slinky peach satin, with a low back and
small train. Having a fresh, new hairstyle, Madeline admitted she
looked striking with her peach summer skin and below the ear
haircut. She wore earthy hued make up that allowed her natural
features to show. She felt like a bride. She felt… as if she had
waited her lifetime to have this day, with this man…

Mitch wore blue and silver. Jude was
best man, and Renée stood up with her, dressed in a flowing
midnight blue gown. Madeline was keeping an eye on the Coburn men
though, who threatened all month to play a bluegrass version of Who
Let the Dogs Out as her wedding march. However, they behaved and
dressed handsomely.

The strains of the song Mitch had
written that summer was played in the background.

She would later find out that their
wives and girlfriends had threatened to cut them off if they pulled
anything. The unmarried ones were kept in line by mothers, who
brought bare butt baby pictures of them to show, if they got
tempted to cut up. To a macho Copper Creek man, that was serious
stuff.

The vows were spoken, and the Coburn’s
got to cut lose in the back room of the Tavern. It was a par-ty
time, with too much food and lots of music and dancing.

Brook sent a video from Paris. She
looked changed, sophisticated and grown up in a stylish dress and
heels. Her hair smoothed and classic-chic. A couple of Mrs.
Dupree’s younger family members were in the background, holding a
banner that said Congratulation in several languages. Madeline
glanced at Coy, to see him staring, listening as if he were a
thirsty man eyeing water.

Max came on the screen, having added
his part after getting the video from Brook.

He looked rakish in his fedora and
trench coat, standing atop some high rise somewhere in Cleveland,
telling them, as Brook had, how happy he was, sending his love, and
a fifty-pound bag of corn muffins for the wedding
reception.

Madeline had a good sappy cry and felt
Mitch squeeze her hand. While the others were still chuckling and
talking about their new cornbread brother, she saw Mitch wipe a
tear out of the corner of his eye.

Madeline was, at last on the floor in a
slow dance with her husband, as the sounds of happy talk, male
laughter, and female chuckles mixed with the music. This I Promise
You, by N Sync, about healing the hurting and love, begun long ago,
was Mitch’s message to her, his quarters in the jukebox

Today was the day he had been living
for, and he had said, every day, every night on the phone, and with
every kiss that was hard to end when they went back to their own
houses. Mitch couldn’t take his eyes off her since she’d appeared
from the side room wearing her wedding gown. Holding her now, it
was no different. His eyes were a little damp, his expression, he
knew, unashamedly showing her his love for her.

Lost in her eyes, he murmured, “I love
you.” Swallowing thickly, he leaned and kissed her on the lips,
laying his cheek beside hers. He felt damp on her skin, their tears
mingling. They both knew what a miracle it was they had gotten a
second chance, what a gift their deep love was to each other.
Without it, nothing was whole inside them.

The past few weeks had been good,
filled with lazy talks and a lot of laughter while both of them
were trying to hold to her hasty promise of not sleeping together.
He was inventive, but still, today, they would go home, and lay
down together in the big bed, neither would have to get up, and
leave the other. It would be their bed, the marriage bed, where
they would begin their life-long promise to be lovers, friends,
husband, and wife. At this moment, the depth of love overflowed, it
couldn’t get any fuller. Feeling the brush of their bodies. He was
content to stay this close forever, hold each other this way for
the rest of their life.