Chapter 11 #2
He groaned. “I’m sorry, but you will never hurt like that again. When I leave, take a warm bath, and take it easy. Even though your father will be around tomorrow, it’s not going to stop me from bringing you your birthday gift.”
“He won’t remember it’s my birthday,” she said.
Tate leaned over, kissed her one last time, and then got up. “I forget nothing about you. You’re in my blood,” he said, and went into the bathroom.
She heard water running, and when he came out, he pointed at the open door behind him.
“I’m running you a bath. Get in it and soak. I’ll lock the front door behind me when I let myself out.”
Then he held out his hand and she took it. Once again, they were standing naked before each other as if they’d been this way a hundred times before. Tate kissed the garnet ring on her finger, then stepped aside.
Briar walked into the bathroom and closed the door. She didn’t hear Tate leaving, but later, she felt his absence as she started down the stairs.
One day before her eighteenth birthday, and she’d just become Tate Bandy’s lover. She’d already found her footing with a career path, and Tate had solidified her place in his heart.
For the moment, life was just about perfect.
* * *
Tate took the shortcut through her neighborhood, and as he was crossing the city park, he saw his dad in the open doorway of Curly Gibson’s garage, lying on one of the mechanic’s dollies, working on somebody’s truck.
It was ninety-two degrees and there wasn’t a breath of moving air.
It was just a reminder to Tate of what a man does out of love for his family. How hard he works without complaining.
This would be Tate’s path, as well. Finding a place to belong and building a reputation that would support him and Briar. He was so ready for that to happen, but neither of them was ready to be out on their own.
Waiting was going to be the hardest part.
He was almost home, wondering if what had just happened between him and Briar would be visible for the world to see. He damn sure felt different. Fate finally opened the doorway between them. There was no more wondering to be had, and much to look forward to in the months to come.
It was getting close to sundown when he walked into his house.
“I’m home,” Tate said.
“In the kitchen,” Lilith answered.
He walked in, grabbed a cold drink from the refrigerator, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Is Briar over the moon about her good news?” Lilith asked.
Tate nodded. “And then some. Now that I know where she will be, I’ll be heading to New Orleans after graduation. We won’t see much of each other, but at least we’ll be in the same city. Big decisions being made for both of us,” he said. “How long until supper?”
“Oh…maybe an hour. Your dad should be home soon.”
He nodded. “I’ll be in my room.” He picked up his laptop and headed down the hall. As soon as the door closed behind him, he called Briar.
She answered with a breathless hello.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Then his voice softened. “I love you.”
He heard her sigh. “I love you more.”
“Sleep easy tonight. Dream of me,” he said, and hung up.
* * *
Briar was still smiling when the call ended. Then she pulled up the tracking app to check her dad’s current location. He was on the way home, but still an hour away.
She wandered into the kitchen to look for something to eat and settled for a bowl of microwaved soup and some cheese and crackers. It would be at least another week before the new cookstove was hooked up. The glass top on their old one had shattered when the tree landed in their kitchen.
So many things came undone that day.
Homes. Lives. Trust.
Her parents’ marriage ended that day, it just took longer to die.
Tate nearly losing his life to save her.
The stove was just another thing that broke in that storm.
She read in a book somewhere that time heals all wounds.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Even at her young age, she knew healed wounds left scars—even those you couldn’t see. While physical things that were destroyed can always be rebuilt, sometimes relationships can grow from tragedy, and sometimes a tragedy is the last straw to what was already coming apart.
Like a locked door being the last straw.
Or making love for the first time, solidifying all of the hopes and promises of the life ahead of them.
* * *
It was long past sunset when Roger Lowe drove into Star Ridge, then wound his way through the streets to his house.
Seeing the lights still on downstairs was a welcome he hadn’t expected.
He parked in the driveway and got out, his steps dragging as he went up the porch and unlocked the door to let himself in.
Briar was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, watching a Hallmark movie. When she saw him come in, she muted the TV and put her popcorn aside.
“Hey, Dad, you finally made it home. Want something to eat? We still have some microwave soups.”
“Thanks, honey, but I have to shower before I do anything. God only knows what I brought home with me from the woods.”
She grimaced. “Don’t forget to check yourself for ticks.”
“Right,” he said. “Everything go okay here today?”
“Spectacular,” she said. “The crews are all working overtime. You can check their progress on the clipboard.”
He started toward the kitchen then frowned. “Do I hear the dryer running?”
She nodded. “Wonder of wonders, the washer and dryer are both operable now. I’ve already done your bedding.
That’s why I’m not sitting on the sofa. I already made up your bed for you.
Now I’m washing my sheets and the comforter too.
We’re finally going to sleep on clean bedding tonight, and I laid out a clean towel and washcloth in my bathroom. ”
Roger sighed. “Thank you, and congratulations again on your scholarship letter. Did you accept it?”
“Absolutely. Not about to waste such a wonderful gift,” she said.
He nodded. “I thought you might have already gone to bed.”
She shrugged. “I waited up so you could have the shower. And…I still have to make up my bed after the dryer goes off, so…”
“Right, and thank you for being so thoughtful.”
She nodded, aimed the remote to unmute the sound, and went back to watching her movie as Roger left the room.
But her mind was not on the movie, or the fact that her father was finally home. She was still thinking how absolutely perfect making love with Tate Bandy turned out to be.
* * *
Briar went to bed and dreamed of Tate, then groaned when her alarm went off the next morning, but there was no sleeping in.
Workers would be arriving soon. And then she remembered today was also her birthday.
Legally, she was now an adult. Emotionally, she was just beginning to learn how to be a woman.
She jumped out of bed, raced into the bathroom to wash up and get dressed, and went bounding down the stairs.
But the house was quiet, and when she looked into the living room, Roger’s bedding was folded and lying on the back of the sofa.
He was already gone. No note. No card. No nothing. She sighed.
Happy birthday, Briar. Thank you for remembering, Daddy.
It wasn’t an actual disappointment, but she’d hoped. And when she wandered into the kitchen, saw his coffee cup in the sink and toast crumbs on the counter, she shrugged off the last of her expectations and was reaching for the bread when the doorbell rang.
“Wow, the guys are early,” she muttered, and hurried through the foyer to unlock the door.
But it wasn’t the work crew. It was Tate.
“Happy birthday, darlin’,” he said, and swooped her up in his arms. “And a kiss for good luck,” he said.
She was still laughing when he put her down. “Be right back. Hold the door for me,” he said, and stepped back out onto the porch. This time when he came inside, gift bags were hanging from his arms, and he was carrying a long white box, obviously from the deli bakery.
She shut the door behind him and followed him into the kitchen. He’d already removed the lid from the box and was unloading the gift bags from his arms. He pointed to the big sheet cake.
“Eighteen little pink roses, one each for your eighteenth birthday. A candle to make a wish on, and presents. I come bearing gifts.” He pulled a big stack of dessert-size paper plates out of one sack, and a large handful of plastic forks with them.
“It’s birthday central here today. You can save a piece of cake for your dad if you want, and then you and the workers can eat cake all day until it is gone. ”
Briar was caught between tears and joy. It felt like a party. “What a wonderful idea! I get birthday cake for breakfast, and the guys are going to love you for this, but not as much as I do.”
He grinned. “They’re putting your home back together, and anyone who’s taking care of my baby is okay with me. Now for your presents,” he said, and handed her a royal-blue gift bag with a gold bow dangling from the handles.
Briar was so excited she was shaking as she pulled a box from beneath a plethora of sparkling tissue paper.
The Build-A-Bear box was a giveaway, but she would never have imagined the midnight-blue bear with tiny gold stars embedded in the fur.
The bear’s arm was reaching up, and in its paw was one gold satin star, as if it had just plucked it from the heavens for her to make a wish on.
“It’s called a Star Wishes Bear…for you to make a wish on. Now open this present,” he said.
Briar tore into the wrapping and pulled out a framed certificate. “What is this?” she asked.
“It’s a map of the heavens, pinpointing the star I named for you. See there…that’s now the Briar star, with a certificate of authenticity to prove it.”
Briar’s eyes widened. “You named a real star after me?”
He nodded, then pointed to the little gold satin paw print on the little bear’s other paw.
“Press there,” he said.
Briar pressed the paw print and heard Tate’s deep voice from within the bear: “Love you forever.”
Briar was still clutching the bear when she threw her arms around Tate’s neck and kissed him.