23. Chapter 23
Glenda
After an emotionally charged and full day, we ended up cooking frozen chicken nuggets, getting my boxes inside, then calling it a day.
I woke up refreshed and calm. No nightmares. A tad hot, since Leigh was velcroed to me, but I liked it. I liked him wanting to be near me even when I was dressed. Although it was strange. He was very over the top. At least it felt that way. Maybe he was normal? Maybe he really did like me.
He loved me, and I believed him, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy my company. Even when we sat outside with our oven-baked chicken nuggets and a couple of beers, he sat close, watched me, and would occasionally tuck stray hairs behind my ear.
And last night when I went to bed with my jammies on, he didn’t try to peel them off or push me away. He pulled me into his little nook and we watched TV until we both passed out.
“Good morning,” he mumbled as he pulled me closer against him.
“Good morning. What time is it?” I asked, just thinking aloud. I reached over to check my phone since the clock was on his side. “Nine. Dang.”
He tucked his face through my hair and nipped at my neck. “Mmm, I gotta let Bruce out. I’ll make some coffee.”
“I set the timer last night,” I told him as he climbed from the bed and walked to the bathroom. I grimaced at the marks on his back. Fucking Hammer.
The door was cracked. “You mean take the fun out of my morning suffering while I wait?”
I stretched then sat up. “I don’t like waiting.”
He walked back over, leaned down, and kissed my temple. “Well, I’ll go get you a mug ready.”
I climbed from bed, went to the restroom, then met him in the kitchen. Boxes still littered the living room. It wasn’t many, but enough to be noticeable.
He handed me a mug then opened the back door and we went out to sit.
“Brr,” I said as I climbed into his lap. “It got chilly.”
“Hop up.”
I stood up and he went back inside. I walked to the railing and looked over. Bruce was sniffing around, marking his spot.
“Here,” Leigh said behind me.
Turning around, I grinned. He’d grabbed a hoodie. “Thank you.”
“Mmhhmm.”
I put it on and he sat, so I took my spot again, sitting sideways so we could chat.
“What’s on the agenda today?” I asked.
“You’re gonna call the shrink lady. Other than that, nothing for today. Hammer said to be on standby, though.”
“Okay. I need to get those boxes put away. Where do you want me to put them? Also, I think I’ll cook today. Maybe Philly cheesesteaks? I don’t want those hoagie buns to go bad.”
He squeezed me. “Slow down, woman. What do you mean?”
“When you get bread from the deli area, it goes bad faster. Also, maybe Linny and them can come for dinner. I miss Sofie.”
He moaned. “I meant the boxes. Why aren’t you unpacking them?”
“Oh. Well, it’s my stuff, so…”
He put his mug down, both arms wrapping around me.
“Glenda, you’re my woman. This is your home now.
You don’t need to shove your shit into a closet.
Unpack your clothes, hang ‘em up, put ‘em in the drawers, whatever you normally do. All your little trinkets or whatever, find a place for them. All your bathroom stuff, put it where you can get it easily.” He gripped my chin, his dark eyes studying my face. “Move in and toss the boxes.”
“Oh.”
He grinned. “Do I need to put your name on the title, or something? When I told you I wanted you here, I meant literally. I want you to live with me, with us,” he said as Bruce came moseying up the stairs.
I was going to keep arguing that I could just get out my clothes, or even just a few things.
He jiggled my chin a little. “Is that okay? That I want you to live here?”
Shrugging, I said, “I’m just not used to that. As a kid, I didn’t have much, anyway. In the military, we didn’t get to really have a lot of personal stuff around. And then when we were moving place to place before we got the clubhouse, it was just easier to keep it boxed up.”
“Did you not unpack at the clubhouse?”
Looking off to the yard, I said, “No.”
Silence dragged for some time.
“Glenda, I want you to feel like this is your home. Because it is now.”
Looking back at his handsome face, I melted. “I think deep down, no matter how hard I tried to lie to myself, I knew that wasn’t real. Wasn’t forever. I just really wanted to think my future was planned. We never had our own place. I never really have, I guess.”
“I can’t say exactly what the future holds for us,” he said. “But I do know we’ll be doing it together. And your place is here with me.”
“Jesus Christ,” I said with a giggle. My face got hot.
“What? What did I say?”
“Leigh, why do you keep saying these things? I can’t take it. It’s too perfect, it's almost cringe.”
“I’m gonna keep being cringe when it comes to you. Eventually there will be a day you get used to being loved right, Glenda.”
“Oh my God! You did it again!” I covered my face.
He tickled my sides and my hands went to his, trying to pull them away.
“Leigh!” I squealed as I squirmed in his lap.
Bruce started barking, going side to side.
Leigh stopped tickling me but wrapped me up and peppered kisses over my neck and cheek. “Alright. Enough for now. Let’s have coffee. Then you can show me where to carry the boxes so you can unpack them, since this is our home now.”
***
After breakfast, I called and scheduled an appointment with Dr. Stanley. She said I could still attend group, but was glad I took the step to contact her. I was, too. A little bit of weight had been lifted. Then I got to work.
It only took me a couple of hours to unpack everything and that was only because I wasn’t sure where to put it all.
It was sad how little I actually owned. Leigh made space in the closet and his chest of drawers for me.
Again, not an array of clothes, but enough.
Since it was cooling off, though, I left most of the shorts, tanks, and sandals packed away.
But I scattered a few things around the place.
I’d collected mugs and shot glasses at different places I’d been.
My unit encountered very little combat, but I did spend some time in the Middle East when I was in the military.
I had a few small things like incense and jewelry, but I never took them out of the packaging because it was so pretty.
I also had a few small pieces of gold in keepsake boxes. Again, tiny, but so pretty.
There was only a small pile of pictures, not even enough for an album. Most were times I didn’t care to reminisce on, but I didn’t want to toss them just yet, either. I tucked those away with the summer clothes.
“I talked to Bama. They’ll be here after they pick Sofie up,” Leigh said, poking his head into the bedroom.
Pushing my sleeves up, I blew out a heavy breath. “Sounds good.”
He came inside, then wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Get it all unpacked?”
“I kept summer stuff packed and shoved it in there, but everything else is unpacked, boxes broken down, and on the front porch.”
“I thought you’d have more stuff.”
I turned in his arms. “I travel light.”
He pecked my lips. “Well, no traveling anymore. You can do what you want with the house. I don’t know shit about decorating.”
“I can decorate?” I asked. I was so used to the hotel room, I’d never even thought about decorating a house.
“Yeah. Whatever you like. Just don’t toss my recliner. A man needs his chair.”
“I would never.”
“Why you biting your lip?” he asked.
“What? Was I?”
He nodded, pulling me closer. “What’s on your mind?”
“Just… I’ve never had my own, well, anything.” I never had my own home, never had a dog, and most definitely never really had a man that was all mine.
“I’ll give you the world, Glenda. You just gotta take it.”