Heather
After a long day at work, it was nice to come home to the man she loved. They were so close after just a short time, it was hard to believe they’d spent so many years apart and the years before that, carefully avoiding being honest with each other. It was an even nicer surprise when Rone offered to drive them down to the pier so they could watch the sunset.
They sat on a wooden bench near the end watching couples stroll arm in arm, joggers come and go and below that, on the water, boats float in and out. Even those jogging at a brisk pace didn’t seem to be in a hurry. The atmosphere was so relaxed.
Heather melted into Rone’s side. Though he was only wearing his usual t-shirt and jeans, he looked like a prince to her. He smelled good too. The bruises were fading and his smile made up for the rest.
“Obviously you have something you’re dying to tell me.”
“You know me too well,” Rone admitted.
“I can see that your eyes are shining and you’re grinning like a fool. It’s a big change from this morning even, when we were both so reserved.”
“You’re very observant.”
“Is that why you love me?” She held her breath as their gazes locked. They hadn’t really used that word before. Love. Rone didn’t bat an eye.
“Yes. That’s why I love you.” His eyes dropped down to her chest. “Though it’s just one of the many reasons.”
Heather swatted him in the shoulder playfully. “Okay. Seriously though, why are you smiling like that? What secret do you have up your sleeve?”
“I talked to Jay.”
“What? And you’re… smiling?” Rone nodded and Heather’s hopes soared.
“I went and talked to him before you got home last night. I went to his house but he wasn’t there so I tried the bar. He was pretty drunk. I think maybe the alcohol mellowed him out. He was actually feeling pretty sorry about what happened.”
“He should be!” Heather blew out a hard breath. “God, what he did was awful. I’ve wanted to go and talk to him since it happened, but I was afraid of what I would say. Maybe I would have been the one to dish out black eyes.”
“Which is exactly why I wouldn’t let you go over there.”
“Sometimes…” Heather’s sigh filled up the space between them. “Sometimes I want to cut my family off. My brother is an asshole and my mom doesn’t like me anyway.”
Rone took her hand and squeezed hard. “Don’t say that. Leanne tries her best. I really think she does. She just doesn’t know how to relate to you.”
“She pushes college applications on me every single time I talk to her. I stopped going home for holidays because I was just so tired of hearing about how horrible my tattoos were.”
Soft dark eyes swiveled to her face. “You’re perfect to me. You don’t have to go to school or stop getting tattoos. As for us, your mom and Jay might not like it, but they’ll come around. It will just take time. They’ll accept us one day and be happy for us. I’m not going to stop trying or stop loving either of them and I hope you won’t either.”
Heather’s nose burned with unshed tears. She blinked hard, clearing them away so they didn’t spill over. Her heart overflowed with love. Her chest felt so full that she thought it could burst. “Rone, you’re too good for me.”
“Hardly. Your family means the world to me. They were my family growing up too. You and Leanne and Jay were the only reason that I’m where I am now. I hope that this coming Christmas, we’ll be welcome at home.”
“I…”
“You need to try and make peace with your brother. I think he’ll be open to talking it out, at least in the future. Your mom- well, like I said, she loves you. You’re her only daughter. She probably has some stories of her own, if you want to hear them. Maybe all you need to do is ask. Or, if you want, I’ll ask for you.”
“Might as well. She always did like you better.”
Rone snorted. “I wouldn’t go that far. I think she was pretty damn mad at me a couple times. I got Jay into some real scrapes over the years.”
“And got him out of them more often than not. She knows that too.”
“Maybe I just need to get a few more tattoos of my own. Finish off my back, and she’ll like me less.”
Heather’s tears evaporated along with any lingering anger she held towards her brother. Even thoughts of her mother and her nagging ways didn’t bother her as much as it normally did.
“You know, Rone, you’re good for me. You’re good for us all. I don’t think everything happens for a reason. I hate the way you were raised. It breaks my heart, but I’m so glad that you were a part of my life growing up. I love that even though we’ve only really been together for a short time, we’ve spent so many years learning about each other. Even though neither of us was able to say that we loved the other, we knew it.”
“We’ve spent years perfecting it.”
“Perfecting it. I like that,” Heather laughed.
“So will you try and let them in? Just a little? Will you give them a chance the way you gave me a chance? They’re your family after all. The only one that you’re ever going to have, especially given the lack of family on my side.”
“That’s only assuming that I’m going to marry you one day.”
“You talked about fulfilling your fantasies. You can’t lie to me and tell me that you never imagined us one day married with at least five kids.”
“Five!”
“So you did imagine it then?”
Heather shifted on the bench. She leaned into Rone and wrapped her arms around his neck. She drew his face down to hers. Even with two discolored eyes, a split lip that was still healing and bruises marring his cheekbones and jawline, he was still the most beautiful man alive.
“I’m not going to say anything to incriminate myself. Five kids! I don’t know about marriage, but I certainly know about the five kids.”
“We have all the time in the world to talk about the future. Just kiss me now and…” he lowered his voice. “When we get back home we can finish our conversation about fantasies.”
To think, under that rough exterior, he had a heart that was kind and tender. It was hers. All hers. She melted against him and stared at the parted lips she was about to kiss. There was nothing else in the world she loved more than kissing him. Almost nothing… she closed her eyes and tilted her chin up. Her lips parted, waiting for the instant Rone’s touched hers and ignited the fire burning in her heart, her body, her soul. “Fantasies,” she whispered. “That sounds like a very good thing to talk about.”