The next afternoon
“Why are you nervous?” he asks, laughing at me and my twitching legs.
I look at him like he’s dumb. “Why am I nervous?”
He parks in front of my parents’ house and turns to look at me. “M.K., I know that this is scary for you, but what about it is bothering you? It’s not like your parents don’t know me. Bennett and I have met, and we hit it off great. So, what’s going on in your beautiful head?”
“You aren’t just you anymore, Reece. You’re a part of us. We are walking in there, announcing to everyone that we’re together. That is what scares me.”
“My parents have known for a long time that I’ve wanted you. I’m sure your parents have, too. This will not be as shocking as you’re making it out to be. I’m sure they’ll be expecting it. After all, I called your daddy Thursday, asking him to keep Bennett last night.”
“You did what now?!”
Reece gets out on his side of the truck and walks around to my side, opening my door for me.
“Reece! I can’t believe you did that! My God, he must be thinking—”
He pulls me by my neck and leans in, kissing me sweetly and succinctly, shutting me up.
“Shh, Maci baby. We’re a family now. Bennett, you, and me. This is right, how it should have been from the start. Don’t worry about the small things.”
He kisses my forehead, and then touches his to mine.
“I love you, Maci Kate.”
“I love you, too, Reece.”
Pulling back, he stands at his full height and gives me a giant smile. “Love hearing that come out of your pretty mouth. You ready now?”
I nod and let him pull me from the truck. With my hand held snugly in his large one, we walk up to my parents’ driveway. I wanted to just walk in—I never knock on my parents’ door—but Reece stopped me and knocked. When my dad opens the door, he doesn’t say anything at first, only stares at our hands and how close we’re standing.
“Took you long enough, Reece. You better treat them right, or I’ll beat your ass, and I’m sure your daddy will join in and help me.”
“Yes sir, I’d expect nothing less from the men who made me into who I am today. You have to know, they’re my world. You’ve got nothing to worry about from me.”
Daddy opens the door for us, holding it open as we pass by him.
“Alright. Maci, your boy is in the kitchen with your momma. Reece, let’s go have a beer.”
I make a move to walk towards the kitchen, but before I take my first step, Reece spins me around so I’m facing him.
“Give your man a kiss.”
I smirk at him. So demanding, this one. I fist his shirt in my hand and pull him down to me, where I’m on my tiptoes waiting for his lips. He pulls our bodies flush against each other and swipes his tongue across my lips, not taking the kiss deeper, only teasing me. He pats my butt and pushes me towards the kitchen, following me in.
“Oh, Reece, I didn’t know you were coming by, too,” Momma says with a curious twinkle in her eyes. She’s not fooling anyone.
“Reece!” Bennett screams and runs to him, hugging him around his legs. “Momma said you had to work, that this week was too busy for you to come over. You said you’d play with me, though. You said we’re best friends, right Reece?”
Reece’s eyes flash with irritation before he buries it. He picks Bennett up and places him on the counter, where he sits with his legs dangling over the edge. He puts his hands on Bennett’s shoulders and squats down to his level.
“I’m never too busy for my best friends, Bennett, and you are one of my very best friends. Your momma and I had some things to work out this week, but we figured it out.”
“So, you’ll come over and play with me?”
“Yes, we can go play in a little while. We’re here visiting your Nana and Papa right now. You want to come and hang out with your Papa and me?”
Bennett pumps his little fist into the air. “Yes!” He jumps from the counter and starts to run from the kitchen.
Reece lets a sharp whistle fly and Bennett stops in his tracks and looks back at us, focusing on Reece.
“Bennett, we don’t run in the house. Go tell your Nana sorry and that you will do better.”
Shocked, he nods, “Yes sir.” I don’t think anyone besides my daddy has ever gotten onto Bennett like that. David usually lets him do whatever he likes until it becomes too much, and then he yells and sends Bennett to his room.
“I’m sorry, Nana. I won’t run in the house.”
With tears in her eyes, she looks down at him and ruffles his hair. “Of course you won’t, little man. Go with Reece and watch the game with your Papa.”
Before he walks away, I snag him around the middle and give him a tight hug and kiss the top of his little boy head. “I love you, Bennett.”
“Love you, Momma,” he says distractedly as he trails after Reece, who’s making his way towards the living room.
After a few moments, my mom turns to me with big, happy eyes. “He’s gonna be a great daddy to Bennett, Maci Kate.”
God, that sentence is loaded with so much.
I let out a slow breath that I’d been holding, still a little worried about my parents’ reaction to us.
“He really is.”
She pulls me into her arms and holds me tight.
“It’s all going to work out the way it’s supposed to, Maci. You must believe that. I know it’s been a long time coming for you two, but can’t you can see how much he loves the both of you already? It’s in his words and his actions. Don’t turn away from this out of fear. I know you won’t be disappointed this time.”
“I know, Momma. I’ve missed him for so long. He used to be everything to me. Then he went away and I wouldn’t let myself think of him. It hurt too bad, thinking about him, worrying if he’d come home, worrying about who he was spending his time with. I had to shut the idea of him out. Now it’s like, he’s here, suddenly wanting to be a big, huge, part of my and Bennett’s life. I’m giving in. I’m letting him consume me. I want him to take over our lives and bury himself deep into every crevice he can find.”
“You take care of that man. He has his own set of demons he deals with. You give him all of you and hold onto him tight, and he will be everything you need.”
I think back to last night and how he became restless in his sleep, mumbling incoherently. I’ve been so caught up in Bennett and me that I haven’t delved deeper into the shadows behind Reece’s eyes. Momma’s right. He has demons, and I’m sure they are from what he saw over there during the war. He’s got me now, and I’ll help him shoulder whatever he needs me to.