Chapter 18 #2
The newlyweds took themselves off to the house where the team was staying, in order to have a short but private ‘honeymoon’ afternoon and evening.
Cody took Tamsyn by the hand and led her away from the dining room toward the stairs. “You’re beautiful,” he said. “This color suits you.”
She was blushing but didn’t care. “I’ll be glad to change into normal clothes. I feel out of place in a fancy dress. Especially nowadays. Where are we going, by the way?”
“The mayor has a nice rooftop garden which he’s letting us use exclusively so we can see the sunset,” Cody said.
After ascending three flights of stairs, they reached a corridor which opened out onto the roof and sure enough there was a small seating area with patio furniture and planter boxes of sadly deceased greenery.
“I guess no one has time to water the plants anymore,” she said with a chuckle, touching one brittle leaf with a fingertip.
“It’s pretty up here though, if you concentrate on the hills and the sky.
” She kicked off the scavenged heels and sank onto a gaily patterned couch.
“My feet are so much happier now. I never had much use for anything but my boots on the ranch. Wore heels to my senior prom and I think that was about the last time until today.”
Cody went to his knees in front of her and as Tamsyn blinked in astonishment he held out a small black velvet box, open to reveal a stunning gold and gemstone ring. “I wish I’d known you then,” he said, “But I’m grateful to know you now. I want you in my life for always. Will you marry me?”
She was at a loss for words but quickly recovered her poise and said, “Of course, I will. Now, today?”
Cody extracted the ring from the box. “I don’t want to overshadow the captain’s and the doc’s special day but for sure we need to take advantage of the Mayor’s hospitality.
Jeff wasn’t the only one who was allowed to go through Ruger’s stash of gold and jewelry.
” He slid the band onto her ring finger and it was a close enough fit.
Tamsyn moved her hand this way and that, admiring the way the light made the colors within the large gemstone ripple and shine.
“Do you know what this is?” she asked in awe.
“No idea,” was his prompt answer. “I hope you won’t tell me it’s glass. When I saw this one it reminded me of your ranch and the colors in the hills there and the sky. I thought it was a perfect stone for making you a promise.”
“Oh it is, I love it.” She gave him a hug and a kiss. “But this is a Randalian opal, found only on this planet and so rare, I can’t even fathom owning one. It must be worth a fortune.”
Examining the ring as it sat on her finger in its golden setting, Cody shrugged.
“Nothing’s worth anything these days except for the value you and I place on it as a symbol of our love.
That’s priceless.” He joined her on the couch, pulling her into his lap.
“We can ask the Mayor to marry us this evening, privately, if you want. Never know when we might run into another person certified to perform marriages. I picked up a pair of gold bands too.”
“The Mayor must be feeling really grateful,” Tamsyn said. “To share his stash of trade goods.”
“Oh he is and he should be. Without us and the firepower of the APC’s his town would have fallen to Ruger and without Melly—and you—a lot of people would have died, not to mention his baby might not have made it into the world.
Kid may not thank her if things don’t improve.
” He made a wry face. “It’s a risky enough world for us, let alone a baby. ”
“Do you want children?” she asked, realizing they’d barely discussed the topic. “I guess that’s one of a million things we probably should have compared notes on in more detail before we decided to get married. I know we both said we wanted kids but in this world everything is so unsettled.”
“We’ll figure it all out,” he promised. “Having children wasn’t on my sensors. Hell, being lucky enough to find a woman I loved and wanted to settle down with wasn’t a prize I ever expected to win. But yes, I’d like children if we can get the world here straightened out.”
“I feel the same,” she said, staring into the ring and watching the fires of color dance.
“Growing up I expected to get married and have children—more Wendovers to carry on the legacy of the Double Comets ranch, you know. But then the years passed by and I never met anyone I could love, much less have a family with. Then you came along.”
A rush of love and desire spread through her. Pulling him closer, she said, “I think we should have a preview of the honeymoon right now and then later we can track down the mayor and make it all official. How does that sound to you, husband?”
“Like a perfect plan, Mrs. Wayne.” He took her lips with a demanding force, holding her tight.
They kissed, tongues dancing, savoring each other and their love.
After the kiss ended, he said, “By the way, I have no idea who my father was or if I have any of his family anywhere. I know the Wendover name means a lot to you—all that unbroken history going back to the First Landing. If you want, I could change my name to Wendover, so our kids could be little Wendovers.”
Tamsyn couldn’t speak for a moment and her eyes filled with tears. “That’s the most beautiful offer I’ve ever had. It’s probably silly but yes, if my children could be Wendovers I’d be so happy.”
“Consider it done then. We’ll explain to the Mayor when we have him do our ceremony later.” He raised one eyebrow and asked in a teasing tone, “Wait a minute, are you saying my taking your name is a better offer than me asking you to marry me?”
She slapped his chest playfully. “Of course not. The proposal stands by itself above all else. But the name means a lot to me.”
“I think you should demonstrate how much it means to you,” he said, sliding one hand up her leg under the silky dress and pushing aside her thong to touch her. “I have a few suggestions…”
“I bet you do,” she said with a laugh, rocking her hips against his hard cock, straining to be free of his utilities. “No one is going to bother us up here, right?”
“The Mayor said it was all ours for the night.”
“Well then, what are we waiting for?”
Early in the morning Tamsyn walked out of their borrowed house hand in hand with Cody, her new husband, as evidenced by the matching gold bands they wore. She was tired and happy. Buddy brushed against her leg as he and Mike sprinted ahead to APC1 and Cody steadied her.
“You’re welcome here in Millersville anytime,” the Mayor was saying to Jeff and Melly, as his wife stood by his side with their baby. “There’ll always be a place here for you—for any or all of you.”
“I can’t predict what the future will hold,” Jeff said tactfully. “But speaking for my team and my wife, we appreciate the offer. We’ll be in touch.”
Melly reached out to run her hand gently over the sleeping infant’s silky hair. “And remember you can com me with any questions about the baby or health issues in general. You’ve got our private link.”
She and the mayor’s wife embraced while Jeff and Derek shook hands. Cody tugged Tamsyn inside APC1 and led her to her seat. “The captain’s impatient to get going,” he said. “Can’t have him leave my new wife in the dust because she didn’t board the vehicle fast enough.”
“You wouldn’t let him,” Tamsyn said. “But yes, I hear the impatience in his voice all right. Nothing new there!” She took her seat and Cody climbed the short ladder into the megacannon operator’s perch.
Zach was at the controls, ready to initiate the drive and start them on the next phase of their journey across Randal Four.
Melly came inside, with Jeff on her heels and the portal closed behind them. “Move out,” Jeff said even before he’d taken a seat. “We’ve got places to be and things to do.”
“Yes, sir.” Zach glanced at the doctor to be sure she was safely in her chair and then he set the APC rolling forward, Ryan following right behind in APC2.
“Spent a lot more time here than I’d planned on,” the captain said, addressing all of them. “But it was worth it. Good people here. I hope they can hold out against the infected.”
“I hope we can figure out how to make a difference when it comes to that,” Melly said and Tamsyn heartily agreed.
Being married, having had the discussion about children someday, she was even more invested in solving the problems and creating a future where those dreams could come true than she’d been when she started this journey with the team.
Truthfully she’d been lacking purpose and drifting, all alone there on her ranch in the midst of the devastation but now her life had changed yet again thanks to Cody and hope was growing fragile tendrils in her heart.
As if he could read her mind, Cody leaned down and squeezed her shoulder and they exchanged a smile.
Ahead of the APC’s the town guard was moving their barricades out of the way and as the convoy passed the gates, Zach sped up, Ryan following suit, and they raced into the unknown ahead, seeking answers and searching for solutions.
Thank you for reading JOURNEY! I hope you enjoyed the adventure (and, of course, I’d love a review if you have time and the inclination to write one. Even a few sentences would be much appreciated. Or a rating! Authors relish reader feedback).