“GRAB YOUR END,” I GRUNT.
“Wrong angle!” Justin complains.
“Justin, man, what good are you?”
“Dude! If you had any strength, I wouldn’t have to carry the whole damn thing.”
“You wanna see strength?” I grab my crotch to show him what real strength is.
“It’s true!” Dee says, laughing as she comes up to my side, wrapping her arms around me while giving me a loving kiss. We see each other daily but we still can’t stand to be apart and when we are together, we can’t stand to not be touching each other.
“It’s magical. Steel can’t even compare,” she brags proudly and I smile. That’s my girl!
“Eeew, Dani!” Justin protests, with what sounds like a combination of a groan and a whine. “TMI! I don’t want to know about Ean’s junk.” We both laugh.
Dee and I are moving into a new rental in Manhattan Beach, not far from my old house while we’re building our new home. I bought the house I was renting and the plans for the rebuild are almost ready to be submitted to the city for approval so we can start the building process. We’re tearing down both houses and combining the plots of land. We plan on having more kids and want more rooms. We drew up all the plans together; every aspect was collaborative. I’d say we fought through it but our tastes have always been so similar and we think so much alike that it was a no-brainer.
We also agreed to keep calling each other Dee and E. It’s who we are to one another, our special name, our term of endearment. I’m extremely possessive and only want Dee and I using our special names. Our friends understood and I was very happy when they agreed not to use it.
“Chance, grab my end of the sofa, will ya?” I shout. “I have to go upstairs and show my girl here what I have hidden under the duvet on our bed.” I grab my crotch again for emphasis.
Justin moans yet again and Chance shouts, “I call bullshit!”
All our friends are at our new home helping us get situated. Nobody could really wrap their heads around our story. Hell, we can’t even wrap our heads around it let alone expect anybody else to. We’re still being asked a million questions and it’s been weeks since the engagement party.
We’ve also reconnected with a bunch of our old friends, some old clients we both knew well, and I’ve reconnected with many of my old neighbors. It was difficult moving back to this area, but with Dee by my side, literally, I’m okay. Everyone understood, joy replaced pity; they were all too happy to have us back in their lives. All our neighbors have come out with food, making it an unofficial block party. That’s how the people down here roll. It’s what makes this area so special.
“Big Mike’s for everyone!” I announce.
Dee and I didn’t go upstairs even though I really wanted to. We drove down the street instead, to our favorite sandwich shop, Big Mike’s Philly Steaks and Subs. The owners are originally from Philadelphia and it’s seriously the best cheesesteak you can find west of the Mississippi.
After we finish getting everything moved in and set up, we hang out on our patio with all our friends, relaxing, drinking, and laughing about everything and nothing while the sun slowly leaves the day behind and the moon lights up the night’s sky. Having lost this, I appreciate and cherish every minute of this second chance.
Once everyone has left and Chloe is asleep, Dee and I head into the family room to just…be.
“Wine?” she asks.
“Absolutely, I think we deserve it.”
“You’re not kidding,” she replies, handing me my drink and cuddling next to me on the sofa.
I put an arm around her and bring her in close to my body. I lift my wine glass and look at her with all the love we both share.
“To our love, to our future, to us…Dee and E, forever,” I toast.
Dee repeats my toast and we clink glasses before we savor the Far Niente cabernet I bought for our first night in our new home. It’s our favorite wine, full bodied, rich in flavor with a hint of oak, so I knew it’d be the perfect thing to celebrate the start of this next chapter in our journey.
We drink, talk, plan, cuddle, and kiss, living in the moment and reveling in each other’s company. I never thought I’d be this happy again.
“What do you think about the business idea?” she asks, her eyes shining with determination.
We’ve been going back and forth about the idea of starting our own design business. On paper it’s the perfect fit but…
I turn toward her to look her in the eye. “You really want to do this?”
She mirrors my position and places her hand on the back of my neck. “Yeah, we need to do this and you know it.”
I lovingly squeeze her thigh and sigh thinking about the many, many times she’s said those exact words to me. When I tell her she’s pushing, she tells me I’m stalling. Some things will never change. Even though I’m in a different place in my life, I’m still hesitant about making waves.
“I do, it’s just such a big jump though.”
She lovingly massages the back of my neck, instantly relaxing me; Dee always knows what I need and I melt into her touch.
“Not really,” she answers. “People have been asking us if we’re going to get back into it again, especially the Endicotts. You saw what they did just so we could take over their project.” When Jonathan and Tracey heard our story and that we were designing again, they stopped all work to hire us. It turns out, they knew of Dani and Scott’s work and had planned on contacting them to design their landscape before the accident. “They’ve been working off your original blueprints so taking over the project will be really easy.”
I take a sip of my wine and nod in agreement. “I know. I still think what they did was insane. The amount of money they’re spending just to have our input is crazy, but who are we to complain.”
“I know, right?” She laughs before taking a sip of her wine, still lovingly caressing the back of my neck. My Dee, always showing her strength and support. “Also, with the house we’re building, it makes sense.” I didn’t think about that but as usual, she’s right.
We’re building a very traditional Cape Cod style house, with gray siding, white trim, dormer windows, and a portico entry with pillars on each side of the front door. We’re using an open floor plan and incorporating many traditional elements such as wainscoting and hardwood floors throughout the entire space. The kitchen will be separated from the great room by a breakfast bar and the house will have open beam ceilings and a large window wall that opens to the backyard. We’re keeping everything warm and casual with a “homey” feel where everyone can come and hang out.
“I agree. Let’s do this!” I say, leaning in for a kiss.
The kiss starts off soft but quickly escalates and before she knows it, I’m carrying my laughing Dee upstairs over my shoulder.
With our future planned and our love firmly in place, she happily goes along for the ride.