Chapter Sixteen #2
He kisses the top of my head and walks out.
Buddy comes barreling onto the bed again, laying down beside me waiting for his pets.
I pet him mindlessly while I open my kindle app on my phone and begin reading the next book in the series I started the other day.
I lie in my bed, completely at peace and happy for the first time in what feels like a lifetime.
Cass is safe, our friends are safe, life feels right.
It's moving on at a new pace, with a new tune.
The sad and solemn song of the last year becoming a distant memory, replaced by a song that makes me feel groovy and alive.
I let myself escape reality and disappear into the world inside of my book so deeply that I only know Cass is back when Buddy bolts up and bails out of the bed, running to greet Cass at the back door.
I lock my phone and toss it on the bed, following Buddy's footsteps into the kitchen.
Cass is taking the bags of boiled shrimp and snow crab out of the brown paper bag and putting it into two of the crawfish trays that we have stowed away on top of the refrigerator.
He pours out each of our bags of seafood and the sauce around it pools in the bottom of the tray, making the house smell delicious. He removes the ear of corn from his tray and places it on mine. "You can have that," he says with distaste.
I open the refrigerator and make my favorite dip, which consists of mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together in almost equal parts.
I like mine with a hint more mayo than ketchup.
Since Cass and I have been together, he doesn't need a dip for his seafood but if there is one available, he will utilize it so I always make a little extra so he can use it too.
"Want to eat out on the patio?" he asks.
I nod. "Nothing sounds better to me in this moment than going to sit outside on our patio and eating this delectable meal with my future husband."
He grabs his tray and sets the bowl of dip on it while I pack my tray, following behind him. Buddy follows closely on our heels, too, waiting for any opportunity for a dropped crumb. We sit down at the table outside and I start peeling shrimp, eager to scarf down the aromatic food in front of me.
The sun has set and we've got the string lights surrounding the patio on, illuminating the table.
The blue sky quickly turns to black night, and I find myself grateful to be on this beautiful back patio with Cass, alive and well.
I try not to think of the treacherous fate he almost met on side of the interstate last week, but it does plague me.
Haunts me in my sleep. Just how close I was to living a life without him.
"What's on your mind, pretty girl?" he asks, staring at me across the table.
"Just thinking how wonderful this is," I say softly.
"This was a good idea I had, huh?" he says, shoving a bite of boiled potato in his mouth.
I nod and do the same. "This is the best seafood boil I've ever gotten from a restaurant."
"We will definitely be going there a bit more often," he says.
We finish eating dinner and I scrub the seafood boil seasoning from my hands with salt.
Extra added bonus is how soft your hands are after exfoliating them with salt.
Cass washes the trays and tosses Buddy a few spare bites of leftover sausage from the bag of leftovers we peeled.
I'll be making something delicious with those in Oklahoma since we leave tomorrow.
I think Cass said we're leaving tomorrow evening, but I'll con him into heading up early.
We must stop and get the best pies in the world on the way to the clubhouse.
I put away the leftovers in the refrigerator inside and pop open the freezer in search of a sweet treat.
I opt for a Snicker's ice cream bar and grab a second one for Cass. They're his favorite.
He walks in through the back door, and I toss it to him without warning. He catches it with one hand, as per usual. This time it's even more impressive because it's his left hand, with his right arm still being a little out of commission.
We sit down on the couch and Cass turns on the TV, one hand resting on the inside of my thigh and the other pressing buttons on the remote.
He stops on the news channel and they're reporting on a dead body that's been found hanging from a tree in a field.
The footage shows news crews at the road, zooming in from a good distance away, trying to gain better visual of the crime scene.
There's a van near the tree, and authorities blocking the scene from prying eyes of the news cameras.
I never understood the public's fascination with death.
Maybe it's the taboo nature of it. Maybe everyone is just a little deranged, whether they choose to admit it or not.
Whatever the reason, it's a little scary.
There aren't many details to be seen from this angle.
I stare intently at the scene and something about it looks oddly familiar.
Then I see the shape and know immediately why I recognize it.
There's a cut-off nailed to the tree and I know that patch.
It's a Moccasin patch. I know, without a doubt, that the dead body in question is Gater.
And I know that he became a dead body likely at the hands of the man I love.
That should make me feel uneasy. Nervous.
Uncertain. But it doesn't make me feel any of those things.
Instead, I feel relief. Free from worry.
At ease. At peace. Justice, no matter how right or wrong in the laws of modern society, has been served.
Neither one of us says a word. Once the news switches to someone else for the sports segment, Cass changes the channel.
I smile warmly, pride swelling in my chest at the honorable man I'm marrying.
"Can we leave a little early tomorrow? I'm going to need to stop for pies," I request, staring at Cass with my best version of puppy dog eyes.
He chuckles, nodding. "Yes, baby. We will get you some pies on the way."
We curl into bed in the early hours of the morning after watching a few episodes of our favorite crime show.
When Cass's alarm sounds, it startles me but somehow Cass is still snoring through it.
I reach over and push his shoulder, making sure it wasn't the bad shoulder before I pressed a little harder to try and wake him up.
He turns the alarm off and is snoring again in ten seconds.
I don't know how one human can sleep so hard.
Buddy comes walking up from the foot of the bed like a baby giraffe on trampoline.
He's so wobbly and nearly falls ten times in the span of three steps.
I laugh at his clumsiness as he plops between Cass and I, resting his large paw over Cass's shoulder.
He sniffs Cass's ear and Cass jolts at the intrusion.
I giggle as Cass rolls toward Bud and pets him softly.
Buddy seems pleased with himself and rests his head on Cass's chest with a contented sigh.
"What a life," Cass says, his voice thick with sleep.
"Best good boy," I say in my best dog mom voice, running a hand down his back.
I climb out of bed and get in the shower, ready to get the day started.
My body is alight with the thrill of traveling today.
Once my hair is blow-dried, I head into the kitchen to make a quick breakfast while Cass gets in the shower.
I opt to make him something simple, so scrambled egg sandwich it is.
I make sure to pay the cheese tax to Bud as I melt the cheese into the scrambled eggs.
He gets a slice any time we open the cheese drawer, mainly because his hearing is impeccable and he comes running when he hears the crinkle of the cheese wrapper.
I pop two pieces of bread in the toaster and wait for them to have a little crispiness before I pop them out and add some mayo, then the eggs.
I cut in half diagonally and pour Cass a glass of orange juice.
I set his plate on the table and pop my head in the bedroom.
He's dressed and ready, lacing up his boots.
"Breakfast is ready," I tell him.
He rubs his hands together with way too much enthusiasm. "I love it here."
I laugh at his playfulness. I've missed this. He's so much more...alive now that we aren't constantly looking over our shoulders, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
I clean up the mess in the kitchen while Cass scarfs down the sandwich I made him. "Is it just us heading north?" I ask, closing the door of the dishwasher and turning it on.
"No. There are a few of us going," he says.
"Okay. Are we about to head out?" I ask, treading carefully. I'm not interrogating him and I don't want him to feel that way.
"Yeah, I just have to load the truck, and we'll be on our way."
I give Buddy extra snuggles before heading out to the truck to crank it and make sure the air is on cold. We're nearing the end of the summer months, but that doesn't mean much here. We'll have "summer" temps well into October and November.
I connect my phone to the Bluetooth in his truck and play my music on shuffle before he has the chance to connect his.
It's about to be a car concert kind of road trip and Cass has no idea what he's signing up for.
Cass opens the driver side door and stares at me as soon as he hears the music playing through the speakers.
I offer him a sly grin and he climbs in, laughing.
"Let the torture begin," he says, putting the truck in gear.
We spend the next eight hours laughing and singing and eating road trip snacks. Cass has a bag of sunflower seeds he's been working on for the last three hours. We exit and I immediately recognize the pie building. I made sure not to eat too much because I want to eat my weight in these pies.