Summertime Dream (32 page)

“Hi, Stephanie. I’m Christopher and hope to be your brother-in-law.”

Warm astonishment flooded Margie. That meant he wanted to…but he’d never said…

“Really?” Stephanie chuckled. “Wow, step out of life for a year and miss everything. Sorry to meet you like this all falling apart.”

“I’m just glad Joe’s going to be okay.”

“Thank you.” Stephanie pushed to her feet. “Okay, I need to go back to him. I know you want to see him. It won’t be long. They’re being strict about visitors.” She hugged Margie. “I’m so happy for you. Later, when things are calmer, you two have to tell me everything.” She hugged Christopher. “So glad she has you.”

Dad and Mom returned a few minutes later, holding hands. They’d been crying, but they were smiling. “He wants to see you both now. He’s going to be okay.”

Hospital odors and noises dizzied Margie as she walked with Christopher past blue-curtained bed cubicles and sent bad memories churning. Behind one of the closed curtains, a woman hoarsely moaned over and over, “Help me. I’m sorry.” The hairs on the back of Margie’s neck rose, and the urge to escape walloped her, but Christopher’s arm around her kept her grounded and she swallowed back the swell of bile.

They found Joe in the last bed, all hooked up to the monitors and an IV bag. His eyes were shut and exhaustion pinched his face. What she could see of his bandaged right hand was all swollen. Stephanie was sitting by his side, holding his good hand.

Stephanie brushed a kiss over his temple. “Margie’s here, hon.”

He gave a twisted smile and opened his eyes.

“Oh, Joe.” Margie hugged him gently.

He patted her shoulder. “Love you, sweetie.” He released Margie, and then focused on Christopher for a long quiet moment before nodding somberly. “You’re back?”

“For good.”

“That so?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then.” Joe squeezed his eyes shut with a pained breath. “Have a seat, Margie. Steph and I have to tell you something. Told Dad and Mom already. And it’s really important for you two. Now.”

Joe’s thin, anguished tone spiked cold fear through Margie, and she sank into the empty chair. She fought to hold onto Stephanie’s promise that Joe would be okay. Christopher laid his hands on her shoulders and gave a comforting squeeze.

“We broke apart because we didn’t talk. You two remember to talk, okay. And if I don’t make sense, they gave me some…uh, don’t remember what, and I’m a little spaced.”

“And much more reasonable.” Stephanie kissed his cheek. “I like these drugs.”

“Yeah. Good stuff.” His eyelids drifted half-closed, then he winced and focused on Margie. “Okay, what happened. Back when things went wrong. Before you got sick. That car accident.” Grief twisted his face. “We lost our baby.”

Margie gasped. A baby! Why hadn’t they said?

Fresh tears tracked down Stephanie’s cheeks as she squeezed Joe’s hand. “I miscarried at seventeen weeks.”

“Just when we were going to tell everyone when we got home. A little girl. I blamed myself.”

“None of it was your fault.” Stephanie spoke firmly. “Not the accident. Not the miscarriage.”

“Felt like my fault. I was driving. We didn’t talk. Didn’t tell anyone. It hurt too damned bad to talk.”

“And I went into a depression.”

“Then you got sick, Margie. And I lost it. I wasn’t there for Steph.”

“We both lost our way.” Stephanie stroked his cheek.

Joe nodded. “Lost. A lot. So, you have to talk, okay? Promise?”

“I promise.” Margie felt Christopher nod with her. “We will.”

“Real important. Don’t bottle shit up like I did.”

Stephanie dabbed at her tears. “Mom finally talked me into counseling. Talking was so hard, but it has helped so much.”

“I didn’t want to talk. I was too angry.”

“But he promised he’ll go to counseling with me now. I’m holding him to that.”

Joe smiled wearily. “Yeah, going to fix us right up. I don’t want to lose you, babe. I’m just such a mess.”

“Yes, you’re a mess, but you’re not going to lose me now.”

“So, I needed to tell you, Margie. Why, and everything. I’m sorry. Christopher’s a good guy and I’m happy for you. Okay?” His words slurred. He frowned. “Damn, floating a little here.”

“We’ll let you rest.” Margie stood, and Christopher slipped his hand around hers.

Joe, nodded, eyes shut. “Don’t hang around worrying, okay? Go home. Do stuff. Talk. And stuff. I’ve got Steph. Gonna be fine here.”

Stephanie hugged Margie and Christopher. “I’ll call you as soon as we know more.”

Mom and Dad were waiting for them and they’d been crying again. Dad was the hardest on himself, how he should have seen something was terribly wrong after the traumatic vacation. How he should have seen the mood changes, the antacids, headaches, and insomnia as part of something worse than overwork. “Joe, he’s so strong. We never saw him as needing help. If he’d only talked to us. Stephanie, she should have known she could talk to us.”

After a round of hugs, they promised to have supper at the restaurant later, and then headed for the car.

A surge of exhausted relief hit Margie as they walked along the sidewalk. Her shoulders slumped. “What a day...”

“He’s going to be okay. They’re going to be okay.” He halted in a patch of shade and tugged her into his arms. She sagged against his chest, grateful for the sturdy haven of his embrace.

He took a deep breath and tipped up her chin to look into her eyes, his face somber. “Back at the house, we started to talk about us. I want to finish that talk.”

“Okay.” Her pulse skittered as nerves and hope jumbled together. He’d come back for her, he’d told Stephanie he hoped to be her brother-in-law.

“I should have told you I wanted to marry you before I left. I love you, but I didn’t want to rush you into anything, so I was stupid and just asked for more time together.”

“I love you and I’m sorry too. You had to leave for your job. I understood. You weren’t stupid. The fault’s mine also. I should have called and emailed you, too, and not childishly let the separation fester into this hurt. I knew how busy you’d be. I shouldn’t have assumed it was like Eddie all over again. It wasn’t and I know it, but it felt…” She flushed and dropped her gaze away. She’d been a foolish, self-centered coward. “I should have had more faith in you instead of listening to my fears.”

“Ah, shit, honey, I didn’t even think. I’m so sorry. I’d never do that to you.” He hugged her tightly. “I screwed up in so many ways. I couldn’t get my head around how to make it work for us. I loved you, but I couldn’t take you away from here. Then I got to my apartment in LA and found my tomato plant was dead and everything started falling into perspective. Coming here, meeting you—I’d found what I didn’t even understand I had been searching for, what I really needed. I lived in LA out of convenience. Before that, it was San Francisco, and Austin. I just lived where the whims of business took me. Furnished apartments. Long stay hotels. I moved so much growing up, I never stopped moving. College has been the longest I ever stayed in one place. Four years in one place? Felt like forever.” He laughed half-heartedly. “I figured that one out for myself while I was away. Every time I got attached to a place, a school, a thing, a person, they got left behind, taken away. After a while, it was just easier to...not to. And here you were. Attached to this town, that house, the restaurant, your dog. I got attached, too. I was sure it was a mistake. I fought it hard.” His mouth twisted bitterly and he inhaled sharply.

“But…”

“Then I got back to my apartment and one dumb dead tomato plant knocked sense into me. I used to think Lloyd was strange, living in Oregon his entire life. But turned out Lloyd had what I always wanted. A place he was attached to. A place to truly call home.” His voice roughened and he gazed steadily into her eyes. “But what really makes his home isn’t the place, but the woman he loves. I love you. Margie, marry me. Live with me. Please. Be my home.”

Flying on elation, she cupped his face. “Yes. I love you. Yes.” She kissed him, long and slow and sweet and hot. She’d missed him so much, missed kissing him, missed his strong hands on her. He came back!

They broke the kiss to breathe, and she reined in her dizzy thoughts to finish answering him. “But I can’t move in with you yet.”

He jolted softly away, brows wrinkling. “Why?”

“Because I signed a lease for my own apartment this morning.”

A sharp laugh broke from him. “And if I’d just taken the time to call you last night. Maybe you can get out of the lease?”

Resolve filled her. “No. This is a good thing. I’ve only ever lived with my family and roommates in college. I want to live on my own, in a space of my own, if just for a short time, before we make our space together.”

“You’ll have plenty of space in the house. You can decorate, remodel, do whatever you want to make it yours.”

His fervent desperation sent her spirits soaring. “I want to make the house ours. And we will. I’ve given this decision tons of thought.” She pressed a kiss to his somber mouth. “I said yes. I’ll marry you and I promise, staying in the apartment won’t make me change my mind.”

His concerned look only slightly eased. “Where’s the apartment?”

“In Collingswood, the same complex where Debi and Baxter live.”

He groaned.

“It’s not that far. And think of it this way. That house is going to be a messy renovation zone sooner than later, right? Plumbing, electrical, the foundation problem. Wallpaper stripping. Painting. Floor refinishing.”

“I was planning to get started as soon as we decided on a contractor for the work.”

“And neither of us will be able to get much work done in a noisy mess, right? Not to mention interruptions in the power and water for however long.”

“True. Hiking pails of water up from the pond one day was enough.”

“So eventually, the apartment will be handy, right? Better than staying at the Wander Inn.”

The twinkle returned to his eyes. “Very true. But there are donuts there. Makes the decision kind of tough.”

They broke into laughter and fell into a joyous hug.

“Now, about a ring. I thought you’d want to pick the bands together. Does Falk’s Bend have a jeweler or where can we go? I’d like to get you your ring, if we can find one you like, before we see your family again.”

Happiness fluttered into a soaring rush at his wanting her to share in the decision. “There’s a nice place here in Collingswood. Mom and Grandma Em trust them with their jewelry.”

He slipped his hand around hers. “Then that’s where we’ll go.”

****

The rush of homecoming as Christopher pulled into his driveway was just as full and strong as this morning.

Margie grinned, eyes sparkling. “Okay, let’s move you in now.”

He caught up with her at the corner of the car, and took her hand. “Later. Tomorrow. I have a better idea.” Several better ideas, in fact, as he looked into her beautiful eyes and none of them involved lugging boxes into the house. Oh, yes, no regrets over the crazy past week and making the wild changes in his life. He backed her against the car, stroking his finger over the simple yellow gold and diamond solitaire she’d fallen for at the jewelers, and teased kisses over her lips, filling himself with her sweetness.

She slid her hands around to his chest and leaned back with a dreamy sigh. “Oh, yes, I like the idea very much, but how about at least your clothes and things like that?”

He groaned. If he didn’t get his hands off her, he could guarantee not only would nothing make it inside, they probably wouldn’t get to the restaurant either. “You’re right.” He released her after another short, hard kiss. “You’ll laugh once you get a look in that trailer though. Beyond my office equipment, I own three pieces of furniture.” He dug out his keys and headed to the trailer.

“Really? You’re pulling my leg, right?”

“Nope.” He lifted the trailer door and hopped in. He unwrapped the first moving blanket, revealing the rocking chair, and moved on to the table and cabinet.

Margie’s laughter rang out. “You weren’t kidding.”

He grinned. “Good thing the house came with some furniture, huh?”

“Good thing you put off shipping the things you wanted from the house.”

“Very true.”

They set to unloading the trailer, and thanks to Margie’s organization, they ended up unloading more than his suitcases into the house. She found the perfect places for his liquor cabinet in the office and his little table and rocker in the sitting room and broke into giggles when she discovered the rocker’s rude face of leaves. “That’s so fun!”

Christopher came in with the last box of clothing and nudged the door shut with his shoulder. “All that’s left is office stuff, books, and camping equipment. Let’s leave all that for tomorrow. I’ve locked the trailer. I’m not working any more today.” He set the box beside the three old boxes from his mother Margie had left stacked inside the door.

“Okay. Where do you want those three boxes?”

He caught Margie into his arms and stole a quick kiss. “They can wait. They’re all from Mom. I think she’s been decluttering again. Making sure I have
stuff
.” He glanced around from parlor to living room. “As if I hadn’t inherited enough stuff.” He laughed and clapped a palm to his forehead. “Aw, shoot, I forgot to call and tell her they arrived. I was a little distracted that day. Heck, I had better call and let her know I moved.”

Margie laughed. “You didn’t even call
her
? I suppose I feel a little better now. You better call right now, before you get distracted again. Moms tend to want to know that sort of news.”

“Good idea, because I plan to be real distracted very soon.” He was distracted enough now with the plans he had in mind for once they carted his clothing upstairs.

She blushed. “I like that promise.” She slipped away and scooped up his garment bag. “Be right back. Call her. Now.”

Mom answered her cell on the second ring. “Hello, Chris! How are you?”

“Hi, Mom.” He paused, so full of news to tell her, he hardly knew where to start.

“Chris? What’s wrong?”

He laughed. “Sorry about that. Life has been crazy—Actually, everything’s great.”