The Promise of Rainbows (33 page)

“I’m Monty,” he said, taking her hand, but not shaking it. “Don’t listen to any of these guys—except for Jake. He’s the only one who doesn’t tell tales or talk out of school.”

“You don’t either now that you’re married, Monty,” Randy said with a pointed glance.

“You’ll know why when you get married yourself, Randy. If any woman ever decides to take pity on your sorry ass.”

“Oohhh,”
Darren cried out, dancing back a few steps, grabbing Jake, who was laughing.

“Jake, I said ‘ass.’” Monty turned back to look at him. “Is that a swear word?”

“If you have to ask…” Jake said in an aggrieved tone, but he was smiling. “Ready to run yet, honey?”

She shook her head. Sure, they were giants. But they were Jake’s giants. “I don’t intimidate easily. Besides, they’re your friends, and I hope that makes them mine.”

There was an odd light in Jake’s eyes when their gazes met.

“She’s an angel,” Monty said, finally dropping her hand. “Just like you said, Jake.”

“She sure is,” Jake replied. “Why don’t you yahoos finish your game? Then we can go eat. What can I get you to drink, sugar? White wine? I was so excited to have you meet the guys, I forgot to ask upstairs.”

“I’ll have a beer to show my solidarity with y’all,” she told him, earning her a kiss on the cheek from the man she loved.

“I’ll run and get it,” he told her and hurried off.

Everyone was looking at her, so she smiled at them, resisting the urge to fuss with her shirt. “Please go back to your game,” she told Darren and Randy, who grinned and picked up their pool sticks, brandishing them like
Star Wars
Jedis for a beat before resuming their contest.

“You might want to stay out of their way,” Monty told her. “I was sitting on the couch if you’d like to join me.”

She followed him to the couch and took a seat beside him. “I’m so glad y’all could come out on such short notice. It means the world to Jake to have you here.”

“He’s a good guy,” Monty said, rubbing the skin above his prosthetic.

Susannah debated whether to ask him if he needed anything. “Jake tells me you’ve been married almost a year now,” she said instead.

“Yes, to another angel named May,” Monty said, the corners of his mouth tipping up. “I’m pretty lucky. After I left the Army, I wasn’t sure I’d find someone who wanted to end up with me. I mean I’m handsome and all, but the prosthetic is a mood killer.”

He was being self-deprecating, but Susannah sensed raw pain underlying his words. “You
are
handsome,” she said, not knowing how else to respond.

“Aren’t you smart for noticing?” Monty gave her a playful wink, and for a moment, he looked years younger. “Jake mentioned you decorated this behemoth of a house. It looks real good. Nothing like that last lady.”

She blinked.

“Jake texted us photos of that train wreck. The dead deer? I’m only from a small town in Alabama, but even I know that’s not classy. Sure as shi…hell ain’t classy enough for Jake now that he’s made it big. I couldn’t be happier for him. And now he has you. Seems like good fortune is finally starting to become his friend. For a while…we all wondered how life would turn out.”

“Did you know what you wanted to do when you left the Army?”

Monty gripped his pant leg, and her heart clenched in on itself. She wished, belatedly, that she could take back what she’d said.

“When I got out of the hospital, I didn’t have a clue. All I knew was that I had a lot of rehab ahead of me. People kept telling me how lucky I was to have made it. I owe these guys my life—although I wasn’t too grateful at first.”

Her breath seemed to have stopped in her chest. “Jake and the others…”

“Dragged me back to the Humvee after I stepped on that landmine,” he said, his voice harsh. “If they had gotten me to a medic any later, I would have died.”

Her throat thickened. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you.”

“Bless your heart for saying so,” he told her, patting her knee. “Some people have no trouble telling me they know what I’m going through. I usually want to punch them in the face.”

His sidelong glance was filled with wry humor, but once again, she could sense something simmering beneath it. “People can be stupid sometimes.”

He gave a quiet laugh. “But I’m married now and have a decent job working as a mechanic. The only thing I was ever good at—besides being in the Army—was fixing things. When I was in high school, my baby brother and I rebuilt a ’56 Mustang we found in a junkyard some thirty miles out of our town. Man, that baby could run.”

“Do you still have her?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Nah. I had to sell her to pay some of my medical bills. The VA didn’t cover everything, if you can believe it.”

Even though Susannah had heard horror stories about veterans’ medical bills on the news and from her mama, it still shocked her. “I don’t understand how that could be allowed to happen.”

“Bureaucracy,” Monty said, looking up. “Lover boy is coming back. It’s good to see him so happy. I don’t know that we’ve ever seen him quite like this.”

Jake sauntered forward with an enormous grin on his face—the one she was used to seeing.

“Like what?” Jake asked, handing her a beer.

“Sappy,” Monty said, lifting his bottle. “Happy. Look, I rhyme like a rapper.”

Jake raised his brow and reached for his beer. “To being happy and to the women who help remind us to smile,” he said, extending the bottle.

“To being happy and the rest,” Monty repeated and clicked his beer bottle with Jake’s before turning to do the same with her wine glass.

The men shared a look, and Susannah’s breath caught. It was like watching two retired warriors making a pledge. She felt honored to witness it, knowing it was yet another bond these men were forging, on top of many more.

Chapter 25

For the next couple weeks, Jake felt like he was walking on a cloud even though he kept an eye out for rain. With each passing day, Susannah was buoying him with hope. Being with her and expressing his feelings for her hadn’t triggered another episode and neither had the visit from his friends. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe he was completely cured, but he felt more balanced.

She was a stabilizing force, there was no doubt. And their love…well, it could move mountains. That he believed.

It was time to move another mountain, and today he planned to discuss his idea with Louisa. He was a permanent member of her church now, and while he hadn’t completely made his peace with God, he wasn’t as angry as he’d been.

During fellowship every Sunday, Louisa had been introducing him to other people living through hardships. One family in particular, the Hendersons, seemed to have everything—good jobs for the parents and three beautiful kids. But their five-year-old son had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since the boy was a big fan of Jake’s, Louisa had asked if he’d be willing to meet him. He’d ultimately spent over twenty minutes talking to Frankie. While it had tugged mightily at his heart, it had helped remind him that he wasn’t the only person who’d struggled. This little boy was fighting for his life, and he’d done nothing to deserve that. Jake still didn’t understand why bad things happened, but meeting Frankie had helped Louisa drive home a particular point. God hadn’t been punishing Frankie or him or Booker or anyone else.

For the moment at least, he’d stopped asking The Big Why. And he felt more peaceful for it.

Like always, Louisa gave him a warm hug when he arrived for his session. “Each time I see you, you look even happier than before.”

He was like one of the songs he was writing. With every new lyric added to his life, he became more complete. Love was making him complete. He was too much of an artist to dismiss the notion as corny.

“You were right. Love changes everything.”

“I’m glad,” she said, gesturing to the couch for him to sit. “How did your homework go?”

He unfolded the piece of paper after removing it from his denim jacket. “Good. You wanted me to think about the top three things I want most in my life. Let me read them in reverse order.”

He gave her a smile since these items had been pretty easy for him. She responded with a wink.

“Number three. I really believe in the music I’m writing right now. I think it’s going to resonate with a lot of people about hard times, redemption, and changing their lives.” Rather like he was doing. “I want to win the CMA for Best Album of the Year next year.” Before his music had been real and soulful, but it hadn’t been filled with a lot of hope.

But now, between Susannah, Louisa, and these sessions, he was seeing the world differently. For a long, long time, he’d been asking the wrong questions. Rather than ask why bad things happened in the world, he would ask how more good things could happen from them. That revelation had unlocked something deep inside him. He wanted to help make more positive things happen both in his life and in the lives of others.

“That sounds like a wonderful goal. From all I’ve heard of your music, I think it’s only a matter of time until that happens. What’s next?”

“I want to help more people. Once we finish today, I’d appreciate you giving me Frankie’s phone number. I’d like to send him to Disney World or somewhere of his choice before he…while he’s able.” His brain tumor was inoperable and too far gone for chemotherapy.

She gave him a beaming smile. “I expect that would mean the world to him and his family. I have a few other people who need some help if you’re interested.”

The knowledge that he could make a difference filled him with light. He might have originally believed the only lives he’d changed by being alive were his fans, but now he knew better. A purpose in life wasn’t something you
had
. It was something you gave to the world.

“Just give me a list, and we’ll get it done.”

She looked about as happy as she did around her family, and he was thrilled to be the cause. He hoped that would continue when he told her his final wish.

“You’ve got it. And the last?”

He took a deep breath, striving for calm. “I want to have a family. Truth be told, I want to have one with your daughter.” He checked to see how she was taking the news, but her smile hadn’t dimmed, which encouraged him. “I know we haven’t been together long, but she’s home for me. I don’t want to be with anyone else, and quite frankly, I don’t want to wait. I love her, and she loves me. Louisa, I’ll abide by your thoughts, but I’m asking for your permission to marry your daughter.”

She pressed a hand to her heart. “I was hoping you weren’t going to draw that out. I think y’all getting married is a wonderful idea.”

His breath whooshed out. “You do? You don’t think I need to wait any longer to see if I’m okay?”

She shook her head. “Jake, how many times do I have to tell you that you’re not broken? You have PTSD, but you’re managing it. Yes, you have things you’re still working through, but the less you lock yourself away in some self-imposed tower, the happier you feel. Am I right? Deciding to love my daughter has been one of the biggest decisions of your life. You have chosen life for yourself.”

He
had
chosen life. It still amazed him how much that decision had changed everything.

“I’m so glad you approve,” he said, wanting to pretty much grab her and hug her. “Louisa…I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everything you’ve done.”

She rose and held out her arms. “Come here.”

Embracing her got him all emotional. He was going to marry Susannah. He could hardly believe it. “You’re the best. Do you know that?”

“You’re pretty wonderful too, sugar,” she said, giving him a final squeeze. “It’s going to be a joy to have you as a son.”

Crap. Now he was really choked up. “I couldn’t think of a finer mother-in-law.”

“This doesn’t change anything about what we’re doing here, though,” she told him, stepping away to pour them both some water. “We keep plugging away. Talking about what comes up. Getting married tends to bring up other types of issues.”

She must have seen something in his face because she immediately added, “For
everyone,
Jake. Getting married is a big deal. But for you and Susannah…well, it seems like something you’ve both been moving toward all your lives.”

She understood him so well. “I couldn’t have said it better. I might have to use that in a song.”

“Imagine that!” She laughed. “One of my comments in a song.”

“I plan to talk to J.P. too. About marrying Susannah.” It was only right.

“I suspect I know what he’s going to say,” she said, her mouth twitching.

All that mattered was what Susannah was going to say. He’d bet his whole career that she felt the same way he did. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep from making love. They’d been pushing the boundaries a bit, but she seemed to want him as much as he wanted her. He couldn’t wait to remove that final obstacle between them.

“I’d like you to do your pre-marital counseling with a preacher friend of mine,” she told him.