Redemption

by Brent, Amy

  Ben placed a tender kiss on my lips while I unlocked my ankles. He gently lowered me to the floor as he panted. I stood unsteadily as my body still undulated from the erotic release which weakened me. Ben hit the faucet lever and reached for a bathrobe. I wrapped myself tight, and he looped a towel around his waist. We sauntered back to the bed and slumped next to each other. I pulled open the robe and pushed my naked breasts against Ben. He smiled when he pulled me tighter, right into his embrace.

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I love you!” he said, beaming a smile that told me it was true.

  Our satisfied bodies relaxed against each other and we embraced while we dried. We slowly began to drift off. I looked at his perfect face and saw he was half-sleeping. He looked so sweet, and I didn’t want to wake him.

  My fingers caressed his cheek while I kissed the other. I was the happiest I’d ever been in my whole life. This was what I’d always wanted, and I knew now it was also what Ben had always wanted too. We were lucky, very, very, extraordinarily lucky. We wanted each other, and we always had.

  Lindsey, it’s up to you now. Make him proud.

  I drifted off, feeling safe and loved by my man.

  My man. Yes, that’s perfect.

  Ben

  I opened my eyes, and Lindsey was wrapped in my arms with her leg draped over me. She breathed gently, and I felt her naked body rise and fall. I pulled her closer, and now that I had her, I never wanted to let her go. It took what seemed to be a lifetime to get this far. As couples go, we’d appeared to have gone through all the crap, and now there were only good times ahead. Seven-year itch, this was rubbish. It came and went while we were apart.

  “Good morning,” Lindsey said as she lifted her head. “I was listening to your heart beating.”

  “So long as it keeps beating, that’s all that matters,” I quipped. She rested her head back on my chest and ran her hand under the bedsheet and over my stomach.

  “I could get used to this,” Lindsey replied, now teasing the lines between my abs. She lifted her head when there was a bang down the hallway. Lindsey looked under the bedsheet and saw we were both naked. “Jacob!” she exclaimed.

  She leaped from the bed and pulled on the bathrobe and vanished into the bathroom. The door creaked open, and a small head peered inside. “Morning, Dada,” Jacob said while he walked to the side of the bed. I reached down and lifted him up. “Where’s Lin-see?”

  “Why do you ask that?” He knew she was here last night but why was he asking this morning? “Her shoes are at the bottom of the stairs. Did she go home without them?” He rubbed his eyes, and I noticed he wasn’t fully awake.

  It was time to come clean with Jacob. He might be sleepy, but now was the best time to tell him about all what had been going on. I slipped from the bed and said I’d go and make breakfast, and that I had something very important to say to him. He held my hand until we reached the stairs and I threw him up to my shoulder. I added he was becoming too big to carry, and he held his arm out to show me his bicep. He growled like he was a bodybuilder, making me laugh.

  I sat him at the kitchen counter and pulled out his favorite cereal. Fruity loops all around because there was nothing left apart from a couple of slices of pizza. The coffee was on, and Jacob started shoveling cereal into his mouth. His cheeks puffed, and he turned when Lindsey walked down the stairs.

  He waved while he finished his mouthful. “Hi, Lin-see.”

  “Good morning, Jacob. How are you this morning?”

  He filled his mouth and dropped the spoon in his dish. He gave Lindsey a double thumbs up while he chewed. She ruffled his hair, and he playfully scowled at her.

  Jacob finished another mouthful and pointed toward the stairs. “Your shoes are there,” he said.

  “Jacob. This is what I want to talk to you about,” I started to say. “Lindsey stayed here last night.”

  Jacob spun in his chair and looked at the couch. He could see it hadn’t been slept on. He looked puzzled and asked where she’d slept. I explained she’d been with me in my bed and that she’d be spending a lot more nights and days with us.

  I rested my elbows on the counter and waited for his response. Jacob looked at me and then turned his attention to Lindsey. He thought for a moment before he spoke.

  “You have a bigger one than me.”

  Jacob, I have no idea what you mean. Nearly everything of mine is bigger than yours.

  “Bed, your bed’s huge. She can’t sleep with me! She has to sleep with you.”

  “Is that all you have to say?” I asked when he lifted his bowl and drank the last drop of milk.

  “Aah! Very tasty,” he said, wiping a drop of milk from the corner of his mouth. “Nope! Is Lin-see my new mommy?”

  Lindsey sat on the tall chair next to Jacob. She pushed the empty bowl over to me and explained she’d be whatever he wanted her to be. She loved him, and she loved Dada too. Lindsey smiled and rested her head on her arm.

  “What do you think about that?” she asked Jacob.

  I stood and watched, and it wasn’t very often I had a tear in my eye. Maybe at some soppy movies but this was a man’s world, and I was an ex-SEAL. I choked back whatever was stuck in my throat and turned to face into the kitchen. I pretended to yawn and stretched my arms. When I lowered my arm, I rubbed my eye. It was a definite tear.

  “Are you crying?” Lindsey asked.

  “Crying, me? Why would I be crying? I’ve yawned, and it made my eyes water, that’s all.”

  I don’t think Lindsey believed me. Even Mom never believed me when I was a kid and used the same trick. After twenty years of failing to convince anyone I’d yawned, I still tried it.

  One day it’ll work.

  I was overcome with emotion at being overjoyed with the interaction and the genuineness of Jacob and Lindsey together. It was hard enough to tell a child of Jacob’s age he’d woken up with a new mom, but when they loved each other as much as these two did, I saw it, and that was irreplaceable.

  Jacob stretched his arms out. Lindsey saw what he wanted, and she leaned forward. Jacob wrapped his arms around her neck and planted a massive four-year-old kiss on her cheek.

  “I’m glad,” he said.

  Lindsey hugged Jacob and picked him up from the chair. She swung him to sit on the counter. His legs hung and his feet rested on her legs. Lindsey tugged at his pajamas and straightened them while she talked.

  “I’m glad too,” she added. “High-five!” She held her hand up to Jacob’s height, and he slapped her hand.

  “HIGH-FIVE!” he screamed. He turned to me. “Dada, I’ve got a mommy now.”

  I looked at Lindsey. I saw it, and it was her turn to stretch and pretend she’d yawned. A tear of joy filled her eye. She smiled at me, and I noticed how her lips trembled with happiness. Jacob let her go and said it was time for him to play, but because he was all grown up, he wanted to color.

  “Can you help me, Lind-sey?” he asked, beaming a smile.

  “Well, look at that, you can say my name properly!”

  “Lind-sey, Lind-sey, Lindsey,” Jacob repeated happily, walking to his coloring set. He sat at the coffee table and pulled out a couple of his books. He asked Lindsey which one she wanted. He was going to color her a picture.

  He’s coloring a picture for his new mommy.

  I turned back into the kitchen and stretched and yawned. I filled the sink with dirty dishes and let them soak. We forgot to get the remains of the pizza sauce off, and it was stuck like super-glue. I folded the pizza boxes and took out the trash like any good man would. Overnight, I’d gone from a good dad to a good partner, but what extent would that be? I stood outside and breathed in the fresh air. It was good to be alive, and it was good to be me on a day like this. I’d never been happier.

  I walked back into the kitchen. Lindsey was standing and making her way to the kitchen. I decided to wash the dishes, and Lindsey could wipe and put away. I hated drying, and it was what Mom always made
me do when I was younger.

  I was deep in thought while I was washing and Lindsey was wiping. It’d only been the first morning, and I already saw how well we gelled together. When I thought of it, Lindsey and I always gelled well, but we’d been too damned stubborn to speak to each other when it mattered. I decided it was pretty much my fault as I washed the last plate and began draining the water, and I promised myself that it would never happen again. I was going to do my utmost to ensure we spoke to each other in the way we should. With open honesty and respect.

  Mom always said I was a stubborn pain in the perineum when I was a kid. She never said what it meant, but I knew she meant ass. Stubborn, focused, and I would never take no for an answer if there was something I wanted. It so happened, there was something I wanted, and that something was standing right next to me drying the dishes.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked.

  Lindsey put the plate on the side and leaned her back against the counter. She crossed her feet, but not her arms, and then her hands rested on the counter. Body language. I spotted it straight away, and she was relaxed. Lindsey stood in an open stance, so she was the opposite end of the scale to being defensive. She began to explain she was thinking of a couple of things and nothing about what had gone on. That was sorted and best forgotten; we now needed to think of the future.

  Right with you on that one.

  She spoke about the camps and how both had changed in such a short time. Her place was an excess if everything was moved up to mine, and the therapy could all be done in one unit, rather than being fragmented. The camps were the last thing on my mind. I was thinking in an entirely different direction, but it made sense, and it showed Lindsey was thinking long-term.

  “What was the other thing?”

  “My place, that’s not going to be needed now.”

  “Anything else?” I asked.

  “There’s one little thing.” She leaned closer and whispered. “That flowery tablecloth, don’t take offense, buts it’s freaking horrible.”

  “Again, I agree. Don’t you just hate it when you get something, and it turns out worse than it should’ve?” I replied. I’d be glad to see the back of it, but I wasn’t sure how Mom would take it once it had gone. She’d given it to me. “Mom gave it to me. Maybe use it when she comes for dinner?”

  “Yes, and only then!” We both laughed.

  I stood quietly for a moment while Lindsey looked me up and down. Therapist mode must’ve kicked in, and she was gawking because I was too.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  “Me, you’re asking me what I’m thinking about?” I smiled and stepped closer. I widened my feet and stood either side of Lindsey as she leaned against the counter. I took hold of her hands and stared deeply into her eyes.

  I smiled, wider still. “I was thinking of you.”

  She looked back and made a mock puking gesture and laughed. “You’ve gone all soft on me.”

  “Okay! I’m not going to tell you.”

  “Ben, you know you want to.”

  “You win,” I said. “Why don’t we.” I paused and looked over at Jacob.

  “Why don’t we what?”

  “Why don’t we get married?”

  Lindsey pulled her hands from mine and shouted that I was “full of shit.” Jacob yelled “bad word,” so Lindsey needed to shove a coin into his plastic pig. Lindsey turned back in my direction and stared into my eyes. “You’re serious? You’re really serious about this?”

  “Lindsey, of course, I am. Will you please marry me?” I got down on one knee.

  Lindsey stood and looked at me. She raised her arms and threw them around my neck.

  “Of course, I'll marry you! I can’t even believe my wish has come true!” Her eyes sparkled.

  I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her from the floor. Lindsey screamed with excitement, and I kissed her. Jacob walked past the end of the counter holding his plastic pig. His arms were outstretched.

  “Dada and Mommy, I need a bigger pig. This one is definitely full.”

  “Definitely!” said Lindsey and I, in unison.

  Epilogue

  Lindsey

  10 Months Later

  It took us a while, and we’d been through thick and thin, but we managed it. Love did eventually conquer all, and Ben and I were living proof that anything was possible.

  I sat looking at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was perfect, and now it was time for makeup. And because we’d chosen a rather low-key affair, I decided to do it myself. I might’ve found it easier if my hand stopped shaking, but it wouldn’t. I was nervous as anything, and I was fluttering like a bee in a glass of lemonade.

  “I can’t freakin’ do this,” I muttered, feeling my butterflies growing worse.

  “Can't do what?” Nicole asked when she stepped into the room from the hallway holding a bottle of champagne and a couple of glasses. “Not having second thoughts, are you?”

  “Are you kidding? God, you know I’ve waited nearly seven years for this. The very last thing I’m going to have is cold feet.”

  Nicole said she was glad to hear it while she filled the glasses and handed me one. I took a sip and said she needed to do my makeup. Nicole told me not to be so nervous. It was no big deal. The first day of the rest of my life.

  Yeah right! No big deal.

  Nicole picked up my eyeliner pencil and lifting it to my face, she began giggling.

  “What’s wrong with you?” I asked her.

  She explained she wasn’t nervous about any of it because this was her second bottle of champagne. Nicole was on the tipsy side, and her hand swayed more, compared to my shaking.

  “Now isn’t that charming!” I replied. “I can’t get my makeup done.”

  We turned our heads when there was a knock at the door. I hoped it wasn’t Ben because that was unlucky. Nicole opened the door, and Ben’s mom stepped into the room. She mentioned she felt a bit of tension and asked if everything was okay.

  “I’m nervous as hell.” I held my shaking hand in front of me. “And Nicole here, well, she has decided to drink one too many, today, of all days.”

  “What’s the problem?” blurted Nicole, still giggling.

  I pointed to my eye and said I looked like a damned panda, one eye with makeup and one without. Ben’s mom tutted and reached for a pack of baby wipes. She told me to wipe it all off. She dragged a stool over and set all the makeup in front of the mirror.

  “It’s a mother-in-law's privilege to do her daughter-in-law's makeup on her big day. Not that you need much. You’re simply stunning.”

  “Thank you!”

  “Yeah, you look like a pretty panda,” added Nicole. “Okay-okay, no more vino!” Nicole spoke from the couch, tapping her foot as she did. “She’s right you know. I never told you this because I was jealous. Still am, by the way. You’re marrying the hottest guy in town,” Nicole said. “You’re the hottest broad in these parts. You make a real prom queen.”

  “Now I know you’ve drunk too much.” Ben’s mom told me to hold still while she was holding an eyeliner pencil to my eye. I froze and sat motionlessly, looking at my reflection.

  Ben’s mom did a fantastic job on my makeup, and she mentioned she used to do it years ago for the girls in the pageant. I was so glad she had the skill to do it. Nicole was going to be an interesting maid of honor.

  “My Ben’s so lucky. You’re beautiful—don’t you think Nicole?” We turned to Nicole who’d dozed off. It was for the best. She didn’t want to have too many drinks before the ceremony.

  “She’s tired. We were up so early this morning.”

  “I’m so glad you’re going to be my daughter-in-law. I always told Ben how much I liked you, even all those years ago.”

  “What about when I was supposed to have cheated on him?” I asked.

  “He’d frown on me for saying so, but that was bullshit. I knew you’d never do anything like that to him. But he was stubbor
n, always has been.”

  “He’s never been stubborn with me,” I said, and Rita raised her eyebrow. “Well, maybe he has. I suppose not speaking for six years is pretty stubborn.”

  “You’re as bad as each other, and that’s why you deserve each other so much. It’s not often a couple find real love in a town of this size. And if they do, they’re either pushed into it by their parents or dare I say it—pregnant!”

  “Rita,” I started to say.

  “Call me Mom. I’m cool with that and very honored if you don’t mind it.”

  “Mom, you shouldn’t say things like that! Of course, I don’t mind it.”

  We giggled and chatted. Mom said she always knew we’d end up married to each other. She’d even saved for the wedding night accommodation. She said it wasn’t much, but it was a gift from her, nevertheless.

  “Where?” I asked, eagerly.

  “You’ll find out later.”

  There was a knock at the door, and a voice said it was time. I picked up my champagne and sipped while Mom woke Nicole. It was her job to walk me down the aisle, so it was good that she had a nap. I stood in my dress, and the veil was draped over my face.

  No backing out now.

  The door opened, and we stepped into the lobby of the church. Music played, and the large doors opened. I peered past the guests, and the first thing I noticed was the stained-glass windows set into the far wall, and the purple silk which was draped over the altar. Two and a half figures stood to the side. There was Ben, his best man Paul, and Jacob who held a velvet cushion with the wedding rings. He turned and looked in my direction. His fingers waved while he kept a firm grip on the cushion.

  We slowly walked down the aisle, and I heard the mutters and mumbles of how beautiful I looked.