by Lisa De Jong
I do this for several minutes, wondering what kinds of things we can get into in the city now that Adrian’s home. One of the boy’s comments crashes through my train of thought consisting of sunshine and rainbows and butterflies.
“What did you just say, Archer?” I enunciate each word carefully so that he understands this is a rhetorical question.
“Nothin’,” he mumbles without looking at me.
“Archer, I’d better never hear that come from your little mouth again. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah,” he mumbles again.
“What?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says with respect.
“Thank you. Now, you owe us an apology.”
“I’m sorry, y’all. I shouldn’t have said that. Finn, Paris, don’t say that, OK?”
“OK, Archer,” Finn says, “I forgive you.”
I almost lose at it as I watch Archer’s jaw tighten. I’m sure Finn had pushed his buttons and now was trying to sound all innocent. I sober. “Finn Thomas?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I don’t know what you said to your brother,” I say as I make eye contact with him in the rearview mirror, “but you need to apologize for goading him. A person can only take so much.”
“Sorry,” he mumbles.
“Finn.”
“I’m sorry, Archer,” he says sweetly. Mmm hmm.
“Look, I know you are all very excited about Papa being home, but we don’t need to overload him with a bunch of bickering and fighting. I’m not saying don’t show your excitement. I’m just saying tone down the brotherly love for a bit and let him get used to being around us again before overwhelming him with the nuances of your relationships.”
“What’s a nuance?” Finn asks.
“Finer points, distinctions, what makes us—us,” Archer tells him.
I grin at him.
****
WE’RE EARLY SO I take the boys into one of the café’s to wait. After they’ve picked out their drinks and snacks, we sit quietly and each do our own little thing. Archer and Paris are doodling, and Finn is playing on my phone. I’d picked up a Southern Living and was absent-mindedly thumbing through it not really paying attention to anything except my fantasizing about finally being able to make love to my hot Marine husband tonight.
I glance up when I hear the little noises the boys were making go silent. They’re staring over my head awestruck. It’s probably one of our famous New Orleanians. I turn around and immediately start grinning and weeping.
Standing behind the glass is a vision—a beautiful vision of a wonderful man. I can’t believe it. I hear the boys rush around the table and watch as his eyes and his smile follow them until they all latch onto him at once. Their display of happiness causes lots of cheers and whistles. I can’t help but smile with pride.
Who could not be affected by a man who’s served our country being welcomed home by his children? I gather up our things, my gaze never leaving the sweet scene playing out in front of me. I’m dying to touch him, but once I start, I know I won’t stop so I’m giving the boys their moment.
He looks so good yet so different. His complexion is darker, which makes those gorgeous blues pop even more. His hair is even shorter than when I’d cut it. His face is leaner, and I’m pretty sure he’s gone up a size in uniform. His massive chest and arms fill out his BDUs quite nicely.
Once I have our things squared away, I make my way out to him, smiling the whole way. I cannot stop smiling. “Hi,” I whisper when I get close enough. The boys stand back and make room for me to get to him. I hear Archer and Paris arguing over who will carry his duffle bag, but I block them out.
“Wife, my God, I’ve missed you,” he says as his arms enfold me and he buries his face in my neck.
“Adrian, I’ve missed you. So much,” I mumble into his chest. He feels like a tree trunk compared to what he’d felt like when he’d left. “You’re huge,” I say.
“Nothin’ to do but workout when I was at camp,” he says.
I breathe him in deeply and I feel him shudder underneath me. “You smell so good.”
“Baby, I’ve been travelling for two days. No way.”
“Mmm hmm…You still smell like Adrian. Desert and ocean—hot and quenching at the same time.” I lean back to smile up at him.
He laughs and pushes my hair back before kissing me lightly a few times. I hear the boys snickering behind me, and I roll my eyes. I kiss him in earnest for a moment and pull back to murmur, “Is it bedtime yet?”
He just laughs at me.
****
“ARE YOUR EYES closed?” Paris asks Adrian.
Adrian laughs and says for the third time, “Yes, my eyes are closed.”
“Ta da!” Finn shouts.
Adrian lets his hand fall and his smile fades a little before becoming bigger than ever. “You made me a man cave?”
I look around and take in the gigantic TV that practically takes up an entire wall and the latest game system with a bunch of games shelved underneath. There’s a mini-fridge and a small bar with a microwave. All the guy stuff you could possibly imagine. It looks as though the New Orleans Saints’ merchandise stand has thrown up in here too, but the boys said Adrian would love that even if I thought it was over-the-top. I just wanted him to feel at home here.
“Do you like it?” I ask as I watch him move around the huge room that used to be a formal dining room.
“Do I like it? Babe, I can’t believe you did this for me. Did you get cable?” he asks with a look of disbelief. “And what about your dining room?”
I laugh. “I hardly ever used it, but I worked it out. And, yes, we have cable,” I confess with a groan. “The boys have a viewing schedule. Right, boys?” I get a bunch of begrudging “Yes, moms.”
“Yeah,” Archer jumps in to tattle on me. “There’s a giant hole in the kitchen where Mom is expanding and adding to the sunroom to have another dining room.”
“OK…So I’m still working it out,” I admit.
“Adrian, look,” Finn interjects, “this chairs rub your butt when you sit in it.” We all share a laugh as we watch Finn’s little body jiggle around in the massive massage chair.
After letting them all check out the foosball and air hockey tables, which were the only things I voted for in this room, I hustle the boys out to feed the pets and wash up.
Adrian grabs my hand and pulls me over to the loveseat. “And I’d like to know what this loveseat is intended for, wife.”
I grin. He’s seen right through me. “Lovin’,” I tell him as he settles me in on his lap. He leans and plants kisses on my neck that have me aching instantly.
“God, I want you so bad. Even just holding you is everything I’ve hoped for. But I need to be inside of you so bad right now.”
“I want you too,” I whisper. “I missed you, baby. I’ve missed your beautiful voice.” I run my fingers down his throat. “I’ve missed these lovely crinkles that I’m able to see when you give me that genuine smile that I love.” I plant a kiss on the corners of his eyes.
I startle a bit when I hear the doors close to the man cave and Archer say, “Geez, Mom, close the door, why don’t you?”
Adrian and I both laugh. I bite my lip. “Oops…”
“Yeah, are you sure they’re cool with me moving in here right away?”
I shake my head at him. “Are you kidding me? They wanted to go over to your apartment and pack your stuff themselves. They’re thrilled,” I say laying my head on his chest. “I told them you needed to be the one to do all that. I’ve stocked up on all your favorite stuff to get you through the next couple of weeks until after the ceremony, and then we can get you officially moved in.”
He’s gone quiet and still, so I look up to catch a far away look in his eyes. He doesn’t even seem to notice I’ve moved. “You OK?”
Rubbing my arm up and down, he nods. “I just can’t believe this is real.”
Tears instantly fill my eyes. “What do you mean, Adrian?
”
He clears his throat and finally looks at me. I see tears swimming in his eyes. “Adrian?”
“I’m here. I’m right here,” he says before he kisses me. Pulling back, he stands me up and says, “Let’s get the boys fed.”
****
“ALL RIGHT,” I say as I hand Adrian his tea and sit down with him on the couch, “we’re all set for tomorrow night. I’ve only invited our close friends over. Nothing too big, right?” He nods at me. “The other Dog Tags and their dates, Louis, Farah and Matthew—”
“I thought you said they were separated,” he interrupts.
“They were for about five minutes. Matthew came to his senses, though. She’s so excited. They’re already trying to get pregnant.”
“Good for them.”
“I know. I want everyone to be as happy as we are,” I tell him.
He runs his hand over my thigh. “Me too, baby. You know what would make me happy right now?”
“What’s that?” I glance up to see desire shining in his eyes, and I smile a little before biting my lip in anticipation of what I hope he’ll say. I’m not disappointed.
“I want my sweet wife to put all this,” he raises his hands to all of my plans for tomorrow and for the house, “away and take me to bed.”
I giggle and bite my lip again. “It would be my pleasure, sir. And all this,” I wave my hand over the pile, “can stay right where it is.”
I grab his hand and lead him into our room. He closes the door behind us and pulls me in. I kiss his neck and hum. “Oh, Adrian, I’ve missed you so much. I can’t believe you’re here and you’re mine and you’ve moved in with me. And I don’t have to say good night.”
“I can say with absolute certainty there is nowhere else I’d rather be and no one else I’d rather be with,” he says before kissing me into oblivion.
Twenty-Two
When Things Go Boom
IT’S OFFICIAL. MY children are trying to drive me insane. “Archer,” I call.
“Yes, ma’am?” he answers as he enters the bathroom.
“What is this?”
“Umm…mud.”
I take a deep breath. “This isn’t just mud, son, it’s mud and grass and water. And a huge mess. Why is this in the guest bathroom that I just cleaned yesterday?”
“I don’t know.”
“You just went outside and now this is here. Did you not do this?”
He shrugs at me. Shrugs! Is this normal teenage behavior? I wouldn’t know since we weren’t allowed to have opinions and bad days around my house. But this is ridiculous. “Don’t shrug at me,” I say after a minute of stewing. “Go get the broom and the mop.” He turns around to march off. “And loads of paper towels,” I call after him.
Everyone is going to be here soon, so I’m running through the house, tidying up real quick. I walk from room to room checking the vases and the candles and the candy bowls. I enter the kitchen to find Adrian and Paris making his favorite Buffalo Chicken Dip.
I smile at them. They make a pretty picture. I slide my phone out of my back pocket and snap one. They both roll their eyes at me. I’d probably taken a couple hundred pictures of them today. They’ll get over it.
“I told you that I’d do that,” I tell Adrian. “I want you to relax.”
“I got it, babe. This is one of the only things I can make,” he jokes.
Archer stomps through the kitchen, getting all of our attention on the way to the laundry room.
“What’s going on with him?” Adrian asks.
“I told him to clean up his mess. Aren’t I awful?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “Teenagers.”
“I know, right? Archer, don’t forget the mop,” I call.
He reenters the kitchen about that time. “I got it. You don’t have to yell. And I’m not five. I can remember to get the mop.”
I can feel Adrian and Paris tense up from where I’m standing. This is not a side we’ve seen of my sweet little boy. Adrian says, “Archer, don’t speak to your mother like that. It’s disrespectful, and you’re not a disrespectful person.” Good job, I think. Firm yet respectful.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I just don’t like it when you’re redundant. I’m fully capable of cleaning a bathroom.” I have to pinch my lips together to keep from grinning. Did I really encourage them in using elevated vocabulary and building sound arguments? What was I thinking?
“I accept your apology, Archer.” I take his chin in my hand and tell him, “But that’s twice today you’ve gotten in trouble for that smart mouth.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says with a blush.
I let him go on his way and turn back to Paris and Adrian. “Paris?”
“Yeah, Ma?”
“Do me a favor. Stay ten, please.”
****
“ADRIAN’S QUIET,” BONNIE says.
“He’s always quieter than the other guys,” I reply.
Looking over at him, I think to myself that even though he’s usually quiet he never has that distant look in his eyes that he has now. He’s always present for people.
“Yeah,” she says, “but he’s quieter than usual.”
He is quieter than usual. “He’s probably just exhausted. I can’t imagine being in the situation he was in for the last six months. He told me last night that at one point they’d had to sleep on the ground for six weeks. Six weeks. And that’s when he was able to sleep. Sometimes he went two days without sleep. And all that while eating one or maybe two MREs a day.” I tear up again as I think about how hard things were for him and his brothers.
Bonnie shakes her head. “Geez, that’s insane.”
“It makes me want to do something, but I don’t know what. I feel helpless.”
We gather in my huge sunroom so that we can accommodate everyone in order to give thanks and get dinner started. Adrian pulls me in front of him to lean me back on his chest. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t leave my side again.”
Looking into those eyes, I see murky depths that trouble me. Putting my hand on his jaw, I ask, “Are you OK, baby?” He lets out a long breath and nods. I pull him to me and give him a soft kiss. “Are you ready to get rid of everyone?” He just nods again and I grin.
Louis gets everyone’s attention and makes a little speech about duty and service and how proud we are of Adrian. I can feel Adrian cringing under me with every word until I finally look back at him. He’s clearly uncomfortable. I grab his hand and squeeze it.
We move to start dinner and Garner stands up, which instantly makes me nervous. I’ve heard his rousing speeches before and there are children present. “Garner keep it G rated,” I joke.
He has the grace to hang his head a little and give a nervous laugh before popping back up and raising his drink to Adrian. “Dude, I’ve never been happier to have someone home from war. I know it’s tough listening to us talk about your bravery and honor, but just know that what you do, what you did, protects everyone and everything that we love. And I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get back to making music. I’d much rather make the world go around that way, wouldn’t you, bro?” Adrian nods and grins at him. “Oorah!”
All the Marines say, “Oorah!” My future Marines aren’t left out either.
****
I HEAR LOTS of shuffling around and shushing and know that they’re trying to surprise me. It brings an instant smile to my face, and even though I’m exhausted, I drag myself out of bed to join them.
Entering the kitchen, I take in my men. They have an assembly line set up for making French toast. How adorable. I ruffle their heads as I pass them. “Hey guys,” I mumble as I walk straight into Adrian’s arms and burrow. What a fabulous way to wakeup.
“Babe, you were supposed to be sleeping in. The boys and I were going to surprise you.”
I laugh and look up at him. He looks better today. More rested, refreshed. “I’m still surprised, Adrian,” I say, planting a kiss on his chest. “You made coffee?”
> “Of course. Go sit down. I’ll make you a cup.”
“Thank you.”
Sitting at the kitchen table, I pull out my organizer and start checking off the details for the official blessing of our marriage. Adrian puts a cup of coffee in front of me, so I look up to tell him thank you but catch him frowning a little. “What’s wrong?” I ask instead.
“It’s going to be small, right?”
I tilt my head. “Yes, just our close friends and whatever family approves and a small reception here at the house. We still have two weeks before all that, though. Is that OK?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“OK,” I murmur as he walks away.
“All right, boys, make sure you get it coated real good on both sides with the egg mixture.”
“Like this, Pops?” Paris asks.
“Yep, that looks perfect.”
I hear a little crash and the sure sound of a spill and look up to see Finn’s face crumple. Oh no, poor baby.
“I’m sorry,” Finn cries.
Adrian starts toward him to help him out, “Dude, it’s—”
“God, Finn, you’re so stupid!” Archer says and rolls his eyes.
I open my mouth to get onto Archer. Before I can, Adrian snaps.
“Archer, everyone in this house is sick of your bad attitude and your smartass mouth,” he growls. My eyes widen and I look at Archer, who looks like he’s about to cry. I’m speechless. “You know what, why don’t you just go to your room where no one will bother you? Cause I’m pretty sure we’d all like to eat in peace.”
We all freeze for a moment. My home is not perfect by any means; however, we don’t usually lose our tempers. The boys are certainly not used to me or even their dad, when he was alive, lashing out. Archer jerks out of his stupor first and slams his fork down and stomps away.
Adrian starts to follow him, but I jump up and say, “Adrian, how about you and me step outside for a second and cool down before we talk to Archer, OK?”
His gaze flies down to me and he says, “Did I do something wrong? Or are we gonna focus on that smart mouth that Archer’s suddenly developed?”
“Oh, we’re going to take care of that. I’d just like for us to be on the same page first,” I say calmly.
