Get Well Soon Page 4

  “Awww, c’mon you had to know I was joking with you all those other times.”

  Becca responded with a blank stare.

  Keane shrugged. “No? okay. I’ll work on my delivery.”

  To which, Becca smiled.

  They were silent, and it was the most comfortable Becca had ever been with Keane. He quickly said, “You’re a beautiful bride,” kissed her on the cheek and made his way to the door. Right before opening the door he winked and said his parting words, “Don’t tell Donovan I kissed you. He gets jealous when it comes to you.”

  At her response of laughter, he added, “I finally got the delivery right,” and slowly closed the door behind him.

  Appropriately, Donovan was the one who tipped the scale in favor of her believing the fairy tale. When she first walked down the aisle with her father, Donovan was in the middle of a conversation with Keane. As he turned to watch her come to him, the softening of his facial expression was enough to capture Becca’s full attention. At first, Becca had to ask herself if those were tears in his eyes. When he wiped one away, it was as if he simultaneously pushed her worries to the side as well.

  Her father leaned in and whispered, “If that isn’t a look of love, I don’t know what to tell you.”

  All the other faces in the room faded, and his became the only one that mattered to her. She kissed her father who passed her hand from his to Donovan’s. Through the nervous chatter inside her head, she heard the prompting from the pastor and said the right words.

  When Donovan finished saying “till death do us part,” he leaned in to kiss Becca.

  The pastor stopped him before his lips connected with Becca’s. “We’re not at that part yet.”

  Donovan’s cheeks turned pink, and he said, “Sorry, I’m kind of excited to be married.” Their friends and family laughed at his apology.

  The swirl of butterflies dancing around Becca’s belly calmed when they kissed. The touch silenced all the concerns she had about being a fraud. A gentle voice within her whispered, “This is real,” and her heart sighed as if it had been relieved of a burden almost too heavy to bear. The tenderness of the kiss traveled to a place—a place deep within her nobody else had ever reached, and she never wanted the feeling to end. Donovan was the first to break the kiss. He kept his eyes on hers as he grinned in response to the hoots and hollers from their small-town family.

  They walked hand in hand down the aisle. Beaming with joy, Donovan kissed her again at the end of the aisle and then whispered, “We did it. We really did it.”

  THEY WERE ONLY STAYING at the hotel for the evening and then they were headed on a plane for their honeymoon to Hawaii. After Donovan's confession of them waiting to get married to experience the more intimate side of marriage, her father insisted on paying for the room. Becca wanted to die when Donovan told her father the truth, and she was sure she was going to collapse from the loss of blood to her brain when her father said it again.

  The verity of situations hits people at different times. For Becca, it was when they stepped into the honeymoon suite. They were married. Pretty soon, married people things were going to happen. What if he saw her undressed and was repulsed by her? What if the reality of being with him was nowhere near what she imagined? Like the complete opposite of pleasant. She glanced at the door. There was no turning back now.

  Donovan sat on the end of the bed. The only bed in the room.

  She must have made a face because he asked, “What’s wrong. You don’t like it?”

  “No, I like it. It’s just. There’s only one bed.” Prior to the wedding, Donovan made sure to keep any signs of affection between them to a minimum. She justified the distance as evidence of their marriage being in name only. This one bed situation was not in line with anything they'd experienced before the wedding.

  He joined her where she stood paralyzed with nervousness and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to guide her further into the room. “It would be bad for business if they had two beds in the honeymoon suite. We are married after all.”

  “I. It’s just.” Becca stammered. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

  “I know it’s awkward.” His arm went from her shoulder to her hand. “In normal circumstances, I would have done things differently. You know go out on dates, and hold your hand, and push my luck. We’ll go slow.”

  What could she say? They were married. Based on what she experienced at the wedding and reception, there was no doubting his feelings for her.

  Becca loved Donovan. She had for quite some time. However, the discussions over the three weeks preceding the wedding centered around the ceremony and not how she and Donovan actually felt about each other. She came to the safe conclusion that he wanted the ceremony to provide the validation the lawyer required. Consequently, she buried her feelings of love or any expectations of reciprocity. Now she had an even larger problem. What if she buried her feelings so deep they never came to the surface? Or worse, they came back not liking him.

  Either he was oblivious of her hesitance, or he expected it and read some “How To Be A Newlywed,” blogs. His response was perfect. “We can just take it easy. It’s been a long day. You know hang out on the deck, play a game of cards, go for a walk. Whatever you like.”

  To her relief, he didn’t say anything about consummating their marriage. “Is it okay if we just put on some pajamas and hang out in the room? After being around people all day, I want to relax.”

  Donovan exhaled a deep breath. “I’m with you there.” He unbuckled his belt, sat on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes. After setting them neatly at the foot of the bed, he slid out of his pants to reveal his athletic boxer briefs. Across the band, it read, “Just married.” If pressed, she’d have guessed that he lost a bet.

  Becca wanted to ask what he was doing, but it was obvious. Part of her wanted to object to the strip tease; the other part was too busy peeking at the striations in his leg muscles. She slipped and asked, “Have you been working out more?”

  “No, I walk a lot. But thank you for noticing.” His smile showed he was just as nervous as her.

  Donovan began unbuttoning his shirt and stopped on the third button down from the top. “Aren’t you going to get into something more comfortable?”

  “Oh, yes.” Becca shook her head to bring her back to reality and went to roll her travel case into the bathroom.

  She didn’t get too far when Donovan objected, “Wait a minute. I gave you a show. Don’t you think it’s fair that you do the same?”

  “Maybe, next time.” Becca hurried to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Through the door, Donovan called, “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  For the remainder of the night, they lounged around the room. He in his boxers and t-shirt and her in a feminine version of the same outfit. Her bottoms were pink tartan plaid.

  “Did you see Keane with Hannah?” Becca asked.

  “No, to be honest, you were the only person I really paid any attention to.”

  It was a lie. But it was one she appreciated him making. He had spent half the night with his groomsmen playing drinking games. It was no wonder he was able to stay awake as long as he had.

  His eyes drooped to give away the effects of the excitement. Becca stood on what she’d say was her side of the bed and pulled back the covers. Donovan moved enough on his side of the bed to pull back the covers. He crawled beneath them and waited for her to do the same. Becca got in on her side of the bed and turned off the light. The next thing she knew, Donovan wrapped his body around hers. He kissed her on the neck and whispered, “This is our first night as a married couple.”

  Becca hadn’t taken him for a cuddler. Sure, he liked to hug, and he was friendly. The affectionate man laying beside her was a complete and pleasant surprise. She relaxed into him and tried to sleep. It didn’t work.

  In another attempt to calm her nerves, she listened to his steady breathing and tried using the rhythm to settle down. His cologne worked
her senses into overdrive. After years of convincing herself that dreaming of Donovan was not right; actually being with him was more than her mind was able to reconcile.

  As his sleep deepened, Donovan’s arm grew heavy. Becca, on the other hand, was still as alert as if it were the first thing in the morning. Her mind refused to be comfortable with the idea that not only was she married to Donovan Garrison, but she was also sleeping in his arms.

  After laying there for what felt like hours, she carefully extricated herself from his grip. He sighed, rolled over to his other side and fell back into a comfortable sleep.

  Remembering that she packed her favorite blanket, Becca got it from the suitcase and made herself comfortable on the couch that was on the wall facing the bed. From there, with the help of the moonlight, she watched Donovan sleep until her mind drifted into its own state of slumber.

  She slept fitfully until the sun shone in her eyes compelling them to open. Her eyes traveled to the bed to find it empty. Becca sat up to search the room for Donovan’s whereabouts. The open bathroom door told her he wasn't in there. Her next guess was that he went to the buffet for coffee. She looked down to step onto the floor and found him there, beside the couch, sleeping with a pillow and the comforter from the bed. Not wanting to disturb him, she laid back down and placed her hand on his back.

  A subtle softness joined the stirrings within her. With them, she relaxed and allowed herself to consider Donovan’s vision of this being their happily ever after before drifting back to sleep.

  My Wife

  Now that they were married, Donovan regretted not doing so sooner. They had the paper to validate what he’d felt about her all along, and the intensity of pride filled his chest. His only regret was waiting so long. All those years ago when he made the pact with her, he should have proposed. It would have saved the both of them years of frustration.

  What was worse—she had no idea how long he had pined for her. If she did, Becca would understand the depth of his love. Time would prove it, and Donovan was fully prepared for the day to day, test by test approach. In the end, she would understand they were meant for each other.

  Donovan feigned interest in an alert from the weather channel when he was really watching her dress. Becca was prettier than she realized and until she was comfortable with their situation, he allowed her some space. Intent on being comfortable for the six hour flight to their honeymoon, his wife chose loose fitting capris, a long sleeve t-shirt, and a light jacket. The outfit emphasized how comfortable she was in her own skin.

  It took everything for him to hold back the exhilaration that came from knowing that she was his wife. Now that he had her, nothing would come between them. He’d make sure of it.

  His first test came quickly at the airport coffee shop. In one-minute, Donovan was perusing through a magazine at the novelty store. The next minute, from across the walkway, he watched a complete stranger approach his wife. A surge of anger rushed through him. Can’t the man see she’s wearing a wedding ring? Oblivious of the man’s attraction to her, Becca, his wife, entertained a conversation with the stranger. It took everything in Donovan to not walk over there and snatch her away from the man. Instead, he casually approached them. By this time Becca had her coffee.

  “Do you know that man?”

  “Yes. We were in the same economics classes in college.”

  That wasn’t the answer Donovan wanted. “Oh. How well did you know each other?”

  “He dated a girl from my dorm named Jenny.”

  Her answer settled him.

  She stopped to study his face. “Are you mad at me?”

  The problem with them having such a strong friendship was her ability to hear the moods in his voice. “No.” He began his lie and corrected course. There was no point in lying. She was his wife, and it was better if she knew his feelings for her. “I’m not mad. I just don’t like it when it’s obvious that you’re married and men talk to you. They need to get on with their business and leave you alone.”

  “You’re jealous?”

  “No.”

  Her eyes scrunched and asked the question, “What was that about?”

  An uncomfortable feeling came with the look. He couldn’t pull off acting cool. “Okay. Fine. Yes. Are you happy?”

  She replied with a pleased smile that extended to her eyes.

  “What?” For some reason, the smile added to his discomfort.

  “I wish I could go back and tell my fifteen-year-old self about this. She would never believe me.”

  “Why fifteen?”

  “She was madly in love with you and swore she’d never have a chance.”

  This he liked hearing. “You were in love with me when you were fifteen?”

  “C’mon. Who wasn’t? Running back with the most points. Scoring triple doubles during basketball season. And, you wrapped up the year by being the anchor for the four by four hundred relay.”

  All this time he thought she hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t like she said much about it when they went to school. He targeted on one specific point she made. “So. This is a dream come true for you?”

  In that instance, he saw it in her eyes. She withdrew in anticipation of something. He had no clue what it was.

  Donovan redirected to comfort her. “Just so you know, it is for me too. It killed me all those years seeing you with those losers.”

  Her brow wrinkled as though this was news to her.

  “None of that matters now. I have you, and you have me.” He leaned in to kiss her.

  “Look at the newlyweds!”

  Both of them startled in reaction to the interruption. Lloyd, one of the extension agency officers in the community affairs office where he worked, tapped Donovan on the back. “How are they going to function with two of us being out of the office at the same time?”

  “You’re on vacation too?”

  “Sure am. I planned this trip five months ago. I’m on my way to Hawaii. Where are you going?”

  Donovan apologized to Becca with his eyes. He already saw where things were going and there was no way to stop the horse once it got out of the barn. He answered, “Hawaii.”

  “Nice,” Lloyd exclaimed. “I’m meeting my girlfriend over there. Maybe we can go on some excursions together. Having you along will give her a chance to get to know people from where we live. You know, convince her to make a move farther north.”

  Donovan nodded. In his head, he imagined himself honeymooning with his wife, not convincing some woman to spend more time with Lloyd.

  What Are The Odds?

  The wedding demanded more energy than a week of CrossFit training. While the occasion was one that went off without a hitch and brought her more joy than she ever imagined, it tapped into Becca’s reserves. She was in a constant state of vacillation. In one moment, overstimulation from the excitement made it difficult for her to stay on any one topic. Within the next, exhaustion implored her to just sit down and allow sleep to do its magic.

  With the constraint of being refined to one seat for six hours, Becca gladly surrendered to the fatigue. However, her first attempt to lean on the head rest offered her comfort one degree short of being able to sleep. She tried twisting to her side. That didn’t work. Her body clashed with the armrest between Donovan and herself.

  A thought struck her. The boundary lines had changed. They were more than friends. She could raise the bar and rest on Donovan’s shoulder. It wasn’t an invasion of boundaries. Better yet, without the bar, they both had more space and no hips were injured in the process of getting comfortable.

  At first, Becca leaned into Donovan’s shoulder, but something was off, so she loosened the seat belt to reduce the space between them. No matter how she moved her neck to make an adjustment, she found that his shoulder was too high for her. Resigning to herself that the first position wasn’t going to work, she raised his arm and rested her head on his chest. Sighing in relief, she nestled into him.

  Donovan’s chest rumbled to mi
rror the purring of a cat. He sank into his seat and set his cheek on the top of her head.

  Being this close to him woke parts of Becca that had remained dormant for so long she forgot they had influence over her decisions. Her eyes popped open with the new awareness. She laid still while taking an inventory of the rest her body. It followed her heart and was open to the possibilities of being married.

  “Becca,” he whispered.

  “Am I too heavy?” She hoped the answer was no. Granted, the closeness made it difficult to sleep. Regardless, Becca preferred the current arrangement to sitting in her seat alone.

  “No,” he tucked his head to speak directly in her ear. “In less than half a day we’ll be at the hotel and can play husband and wife games.”

  Being with him alone in close quarters erased the shyness. The time had come to tear down the boundary she had used to keep him at arm's length. Becca wrapped her arm around to reach his other side. “I know I have to, but I cannot wait.”

  He kissed the top of her head and whispered. “I love you.”

  She smiled and whispered back, “I love you too.” It was the first time they said it, and she believed it to be true.

  THEY MET LLOYD AGAIN at the baggage carousel. In the crowd of tourists, he wasn’t too hard to miss. The man was at least six-foot-tall and wore his typical Montana wear: a short sleeve button down plaid shirt tucked in to show his massive belt buckle. His sometimes overly truthful, yet affable nature, combined with how he presented himself made it easy for Becca to find herself in agreement with the women who took a liking to him. In his own way, Lloyd was an attractive man, but he couldn’t hold a candle to Donovan.

  Rested from her five-hour nap, her conversations skills returned. So, when Lloyd raised his hand in greeting from across the carousel, she wandered in his direction. “How was your flight?”

  Lloyd cricked his back. “Long. The seating doesn’t work well with my size.”