Chapter 2
Connor
Ican't believe I have a bride coming over for a trial run. We met online through the Perfect Bride Agency’s website. And we really clicked. She's shy, but she's gorgeous.
I take out the pictures I've printed of her and look at them once again. My body responds to her immediately.
Do I really want a wife? I mean, being a park ranger is a solitary endeavor. Sure, I have my team, but in the dark of the night I wish I had someone to turn to, someone to talk to, someone to confide in.
Would I be a good husband to this woman? I keep asking myself that over and over again. I go back and think about the first contact we had. She sent me a note saying that we were a match, and that she wanted to get to know me better.
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just started talking about something silly like the weather here in Hunter Peak. She was interested in my little mountain, and I couldn't stop talking about it.
My days are boring, but they are spent doing an important job here and in the mountain. Our town is a good size town with everything you need to have a good life.
The door suddenly opens and my coworker Brody comes in. I put away the pictures quickly, hoping he can't tell that I'm ogling my soon to be bride.
"Hey Connor, how are you doing? Are you still drooling over those pictures of your soon to be bride?"
How did he know that's what I was doing? I blush at his words. I'm a grown man, but I can still blush. That's pretty embarrassing.
"She's supposed to come next week."
"Really? That soon? That's pretty awesome."
"Yeah, but I don't know if we're gonna have the same chemistry we have online in real life, and that's got me worried."
"You're a good man, Connor. Just be yourself."
"Is that good enough? I haven't had a long-term relationship in forever. How do I even know that I can give her what she needs in a relationship and in a marriage?"
"You're going deep there, Connor. I didn't know that about you."
"I mean, I need to ask myself those questions if I'm really gonna make this relationship work."
"Where is she going to stay? Is she renting a room somewhere, or is she staying with you?"
"I have the guest room ready for her, but it feels a little weird having someone new in my space."
"How much did you tell her about yourself and your past?"
"Just that I was ex-military and that I love my work here. I don't see why I need to bring in all the ugliness from the past."
"Will you tell her if she asks?"
"Of course, I need to be honest with her because I would like her to be honest with me."
There are no calls for the rest of my shift, and I keep thinking back to all the conversations that I've had with Freya during the past few months. She seems fantastic, and I hope that I'm not disappointed when I see her.
Have some PTSD problems and I don't know when the right time to tell her about them would be.
I had a tough time in the military and that's something that I really want to forget, but if she is going to live with me, she might be able to sense that something is wrong sometimes, so I'd rather come clean to her about this.
Now that I acknowledge that I'm keeping some secrets from her, will she be keeping secrets from me as well? It's only natural to put your best face forward when you're dating online. The truth only comes out when you are face-to-face and forced to show the other person the truth.
When I get home, I have a surprise. All my colleagues are celebrating my end of my bachelorhood, and they brought beer, pizza, and even some alcohol.
I'm thankful for them, but it takes me a while to make sure that everybody goes home safely.
Now I'm left with a mess in my house. Thank God that Freya is coming next week and not today.