Chapter 48
T he newlyweds lay in bed in what had been Dalia’s room and was now their room. She cuddled in her husband’s arms as they relived the day, marveling at what a perfect wedding it’d been despite the deluge.
“We already know our marriage can weather any storm.” Brody kissed his wife’s forehead.
“And you’re the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
“Aw, that’s sweet. But, believe me, I feel like the lucky one.”
“We’re both lucky.”
“That we are. And you know what? As bizarre as our wedding was, that was the most fun wedding I’ve ever attended. I think everybody had a ball. Nobody will ever forget it, I bet.”
“I agree. You know what else?” He shook his head, not venturing a guess. “We discovered we can accommodate half the county in our barn anytime we want.”
“Think we’ll ever want to do that again?”
“Well, the whole thing got me thinking.” She sat up, gesturing as she talked. “What if in the summertime on Saturday nights we hosted a dance? Square dancing and western dancing. We could alternate weekends. There are local bands, we already have a fiddler, and we have the space.”
“Whoa. I love to dance to old-time rock and roll and country.” He chuckled. “I’ve never square danced.”
“That’s okay. I’ll teach you. It’s easy to learn and everybody can do it. Mama and Poppa used to take me with them to their square dance club in Dexter. I love to dance, and this is far more my style than what you saw when you first met me.”
“I knew that wasn’t the real you up there on that stage.”
“That’s because you’re a very smart man, unlike most of the bozos in that place.” She tapped a finger on his forehead. “We could give lessons the first half hour and have an hour and a half of dancing, with a break in the middle.”
“Life with you is never going to be boring, is it?”
“I hope not. What do you say?”
“I think it’s a great idea. Will this soirée be free?”
“No, maybe five bucks a person and eight bucks a couple. After paying the band, the money could go to local charities. I’m sure Mama will love the idea. You know Mama. The more people around the merrier.”
“I’ll have to work some Saturday nights when I get the weekend night shift. So, I won’t always be able to be there, but I say go for it.”
She burrowed into him again. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Your parents hate me.”
“ Ummm , I wouldn’t say hate. My mom is a bit impulsive with her opinions. Dad doesn’t care as long as Mom doesn’t bug him about it, but she will. My brothers loved you. And my sister-in-law had a great time, so I think she’d good, too.”
“Thanks for trying, but your mom hates me.”
“We’ll work on that. But we won’t waste much time on it. She hates a lot of people, including my sister-in-law.”
“Poor girl. Hey, I love how Kenyon taught Rose to call you Daddy. And she started doing it right away. I thought it would take her a while to adjust to the idea, but she was more than ready.”
“I confess, my heart melted. I became a husband and a daddy all in the same day.”
“And I became your wife. Am I a lucky girl or what?”
“I’m the lucky one.” Brody lifted up and covered his wife’s naked body with his. “Shall we do a little test to see who gets lucky first tonight?” He kissed her hairline, her cheek, her mouth.
“Oh, yes,” she cooed. “I’m aching to see which one of us that might be.” She reached down to fondle him.
“Oh my god, it’s gonna be me.”
“Maybe not. Race ya!”
They both got lucky, reaching the finish line at the same time. It took only minutes for them to fall asleep in each other’s arms, the big day having taken its toll.
Dalia dreamed of two-stepping with Brody to I Cross My Heart , George Strait singing just for them.
Even in her sleep, she felt the rhythmic sway of her body cleaved to Brody’s as they danced to the sweet love song, the beat of their hearts becoming one with the music.
Her heart soared with love, knowing that she and her husband would be there for one another for the rest of their lives.
She slept well that night in the arms of the man she loved with every bit of her being. The future held the promise of hope, where hardships would be shared to ease their burden, good times would be celebrated with abounding joy, and love would grow forevermore.