by Gail Sattler
Shanna remembered Brendan’s words, and they echoed what his mother had said, in a different way. Marriage was a partnership.
Her parents’ marriage hadn’t been a partnership. It was her father’s way or no way. When she first started dating, her mother had told her that it didn’t matter about winning or losing, probably because she never won. Her mother said what mattered was that a woman had to find a husband who would have her for better or worse. Except that her father hadn’t stuck around for better or worse. He’d left for something better.
She didn’t have any examples of a good marriage in her family or in her own life. The only thing Shanna knew about what a marriage was supposed to be like was what she’d read or heard from the people she knew at church. Brendan had lived with good examples, and he still believed the same things and held the same values. He probably always would.
He would never strike out in anger. It wasn’t in him to do so, both by his nature and by the examples and teaching he’d grown up with. The way he’d dealt with Ray was proof of that. He would never bully or badger her or the children, and he would always be fair. And as he said, he would always love her; and to him, love meant a partnership. She couldn’t ask for more than that.
“I’m sorry. What did you want to know about John?”
“What’s he like? He asked me out to dinner, and I didn’t know what to say.”
“I don’t see him that much, but I usually see him at least on Sundays, because we go to the same church. Sometimes we go together, but not always, because of the kids. The kids like him, too. I don’t know him really well, but he seems very nice.”
Shanna leaned forward and peeked through the blinds. Speaking of John, she couldn’t see him, exactly, but the light was on in the family room, and she detected flickers indicating the television was on, and she could see occasional movements. Even though she didn’t know what he was doing, she knew he was awake and alone.
“Thanks,” Kathy said. “That’s exactly what I wanted to know. I’ll catch you next Tuesday, for Ladies’ Night at my church. Are you still interested?”
“Yes. Very much. Thanks for calling, and I really mean that.”
The second she hung up, she dialed John’s phone number.
“Hi, John. It’s Shanna, next door. This is nothing urgent, but I was wondering if you could come over and keep an eye on the kids for a while. They’re in bed, but I have to go out and get something. I’d owe you, big-time.”
John laughed through the phone. “You know I’m not doing anything important. I’ll be right there.”
She scribbled down the address from her files, grabbed her purse, and ran to the door.
By the time John’s foot touched the first step, Shanna was already on the porch. “I’ll be back in an hour, tops, not a minute longer. I promise,” she chorused as she closed the car door.
In record time, she had arrived at Brendan’s town house.
The door opened. In some ways, he looked exactly the same as he always did, but also entirely different.
Since he’d gotten his hair cut, he’d continued to shave every day, but she could understand what he’d said about his reasons for his former style, or lack thereof. After his new haircut, he’d gelled it up, and he had been keeping that up daily, as well as continuing to shave diligently. But now, later in the evening, he had obviously showered and washed all the gel out and not bothered to use more since he was home alone. His hair was now half flopped over on his head and half sticking out all over because it wasn’t combed. And he hadn’t been kidding when he’d said his five o’clock shadow started at two o’clock. It was now nearly eight thirty, and his chin was as scruffy as the “didn’t shave for a day and a half” look of some of the tough-guy movie stars. Only she knew Brendan didn’t work to achieve the look; it was just the way he was.
He was wearing a freshly laundered T-shirt. But if it hadn’t been for the fresh-from-the-dryer scent of his fabric softener she wouldn’t have been able to tell it was clean, because it was stained with paint of a dozen different colors. Likewise, his jeans. They were so old they were nearly white. From age and perhaps hundreds of wearings, they were worn thin in places, especially on the knees—one of which was ripped all the way through. If she wasn’t mistaken, she saw a few different colors of paint on his jeans, too.
She was curious to see if his socks would be in the same condition as the rest of his clothes, but his feet were bare.
Even though Shanna was wearing her shoes and he had nothing to add to his height, he still towered over her.
She looked up. Way up. Just as she had the first time they met.
His cheeks darkened. “This is a surprise.”
She held up a fast-food bag. “I brought food.”
One eyebrow quirked. “Food? But”—he checked his watch—“it’s a little late for supper, isn’t it?” He peeked over her shoulder with no effort. “Where are the kids?”
“They’re in good hands. May I come in?”
His cheeks darkened even more, all the way to his ears. “I’m sorry for being rude. I wasn’t expecting you. Come in.”
He stepped aside and then closed the door behind her.
She had never been to his home before, but it was exactly as she had pictured it would be. There was no sense of coordination or décor, yet for the all the mismatches, everything fit together to make a warm and cozy home. Fluffy cushions were strewn haphazardly on the biggest couch she’d ever seen. The coffee table was piled with newspapers, magazines, and a few fiction books, one spread open for lack of a bookmark, as was his Bible, the same one she’d seen him with in church.
Taking a guess, she headed in the direction of where she thought the kitchen would be.
She bit her bottom lip as she passed his bedroom, complete with an unmade bed and the clothes she’d seen him wearing earlier that day, lying in a pile on the floor.
He’d had a home-cooked meal; she could tell, because he hadn’t yet done the dishes. The dishwasher was wide open, still half filled with clean dishes waiting to be put away.
“I wasn’t expecting company,” Brendan muttered behind her. “What are you doing here?”
“I only had twenty dollars on me, so this was the best I could do on short notice. But if you want, I can take you out tomorrow for an expensive dinner and do this properly.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Please tell me you mean what I think you mean.”
She walked to him and rested her hands on the sides of his waist. “That’s exactly what I mean. I love you, and I’d be the happiest woman in the world if you’d marry me and my little family. If the offer is still open.”
His answer came in the form of a kiss, immediate, passionate, and all-consuming.
And she kissed him back in exactly the same way.
The hamburgers and fries never did get eaten. By the time they separated, she didn’t have time to sit down. She had to rush back home so John could go home and get to bed. After all, he had to go to work in the morning.
“Wait.” Brendan raised his hand and rested it on the door, keeping it closed. “Not that I think you’d change your mind, but when is this going to happen?”
Shanna shrugged her shoulders. “I hadn’t thought that far in advance.”
Brendan cupped her face with his hands and brushed a gentle kiss across her lips. “I don’t believe in long engagements. How about setting a date for Harry’s first open weekend?”
Her heart nearly burst with joy. “I could do that. I guess this means you want to get married at my church, not your own?”
His hands slid down to her shoulders. “I don’t know; I think it would be a tough decision. But I have an idea for meeting in the middle. Instead of having to decide between the two, let’s get married in the place we met.”
“The place we met?” She pictured clearly the first time she met him. Pastor Harry had brought Brendan to her home so he could give her an estimate. “We met for the first time in my bac
kyard.”
“Yeah. Your backyard. There’s plenty of room, and you’ve got to admit, your landscaper did a mighty fine job. It would be perfect for a summer wedding.”
Shanna giggled. “I think I’ll have to give that man a big, big bonus.”
“I’m sure he can hardly wait,” he said, then kissed her again.
Her yard would indeed be perfect.
Epilogue
A slight breeze rippled through Pastor Harry’s hair, which Shanna thought a perfect touch for a perfect day. Usually there wasn’t much wind around Seattle, but today was warm, and the slight breeze was refreshing.
“Mom! Come on! It’s time!”
Shanna smiled. They had planned to keep the guest list small because the wedding would be very informal and there would be limited seating capacity in her backyard. In keeping with a small guest list, they’d chosen only one attendant each. Since Brendan couldn’t have the pastor who was presiding over the ceremony be his best man, he’d asked his friend Thomas, who just happened to be the same man who had delivered and helped lay the sod they were standing on. It was only fitting that he should be part of the ceremony.
Shanna had chosen her daughter to be her maid of honor, a responsibility that Ashley had taken very seriously. Since Shanna hadn’t seen her father since her teenage years, she wanted the other man who was important to her to give her away, and that would be her son, Matthew.
Shanna patted a stray lock of hair into place and smiled at her son. “I’m ready. We can go now.”
“Mom, before we go, Ashley and I have a surprise for you.”
Ashley stood by the door, shuffling her feet, indicating to Shanna that something wasn’t quite right.
Shanna’s smile faltered. She didn’t want any surprises today, her wedding day.
Outside, the music changed to the wedding march.
Matthew led her one step outside then stopped. He pointed to Boffo, who was wearing a black collar, and a tie hung where his dog tags should have been. In his mouth he held a small basket with a pillow nested inside.
The ring bearer pillow.
Shanna gasped. “Boffo can’t be in the wedding party!”
Ashley giggled. “Me and Matthew been training him, just like you and Mr. Brendan.” Ashley’s giggle turned into a very serious frown. “Is we allowed to call Mr. Brendan ‘Daddy’ now? I think he’s gonna make a great daddy.”
Shanna looked to the front of the yard, where Brendan and Thomas stood waiting.
Even though the wedding was the most informal one Shanna had ever been to, Brendan was still a nervous groom. From across the yard, she could see one knee shaking, and he kept wiping his hands down the sides of his slacks.
“Yes. Brendan is going to make a fine daddy for you two. Now let’s get going and make this wedding happen so he can be your daddy.”
Ashley stiffened, blinked her eyes, then turned, ready to walk forward as they’d practiced.
“Okay, Boffo. You can give our new daddy the rings now! Go!”
The children had given Boffo the right idea, but the excited dog didn’t know the meaning of the word slow. He bounded through the yard, circled the playscape, took a running jump over one of the rock gardens, then ran full speed to Brendan. Unable to contain his excitement, with so many people in his yard, Boffo ran in circles around Brendan, all the while still holding the basket in his mouth.
“Boffo, sit,” Brendan commanded calmly.
Boffo sat. Quickly, Brendan removed the basket from the dog’s mouth, set it on the side of Pastor Harry’s portable podium, and gave Boffo the signal to lie down, which Boffo did.
A few people snickered quietly, while Shanna thought she’d faint with relief.
Since everything was quiet, everyone turned and watched her and the children, including Brendan.
And then Brendan winked.
All her nervousness dissolved. The man she loved was waiting patiently for her.
Shanna smiled. “Come on, Ashley, Matthew. Let’s go.”
Ashley walked beautifully in front of them, and Matthew very solemnly escorted Shanna to stand beside Brendan and in front of Pastor Harry. Just like a real man, he smiled up at Brendan, gave Brendan a brief nod of approval, then stepped back.
Because of the outside setting, they’d planned the ceremony to be very brief, and it was. During the short ceremony, Boffo remained still, lying as he had been instructed, at Brendan’s feet. He rose and sat, watching intently as they exchanged the rings, which brought smiles to everyone present, especially when Ashley started to giggle. They signed the register, and Pastor Harry had just begun to address the guests with his benediction when Boffo decided he wanted the basket with the ring bearer’s pillow back.
He raised one paw and scratched at the podium to signal his intentions.
Pastor Harry cringed, then kept talking to the guests.
“Boffo, no,” Shanna whispered, then smiled at Pastor Harry.
Boffo scratched the podium again, this time with an added whine.
“What is he doing?” she whispered to Brendan.
“I have no idea,” Brendan replied, also in a hushed whisper.
Boffo rose up on his back legs, leaning with his front legs high on the podium, his nose inches from the basket.
“Boffo! Down!” Shanna ground out between her teeth, trying to make everyone think she was just smiling, but Boffo didn’t listen.
Ashley tugged on Shanna’s skirt. “Mommy, Matthew and me put a doggie cookie under the pillow so he wouldn’t put it down and lose your pretty new ring.”
“Oh, no. . .” Shanna reached out to snag the basket, but when Boffo saw her going for it, he moved so fast it was as if he’d sprouted wings. The huge dog sprang forward to get it first, banging into the podium. It tottered, then began to tip.
Brendan made a grab for the podium, but he couldn’t reach it fast enough without knocking Matthew over.
The podium fell onto the end of the table where Kathy had set a few flower arrangements. With one end of the table going down, the other acted like a catapult, flinging the flowers into the air, pots and all. The women in the front dashed forward, scrambling to catch the flying flowers before the vases shattered on the ground. The men lunged to catch Shanna’s boom box and detached speakers, which were now airborne.
Boffo jumped high into the air, caught the basket, then ran helter-skelter among the displaced guests, clearly proud of himself for capturing his prize.
Ashley squeaked and pointed at Boffo, following everywhere he ran. Matthew ran behind Boffo, yelling Boffo’s name while trying to catch him.
“I now pronounce you man and wife!” Pastor Harry yelled over the mayhem. “Brendan! Please kiss the bride!”
Brendan nudged Shanna to step away from the center of the action.
Shanna looked up at Brendan. “I love you so much.”
Brendan drew her into his embrace. “I”—Brendan jerked as Boffo sideswiped him then kept going—“love you, too. And your kids. But I’ll get back to you on the dog.”
About the Author
Gail Sattler lives on the wet West Coast, where you don’t have to shovel rain, with her husband, three sons, two dogs, five lizards, one toad, and a degu named Bess. For three years in a row Gail was voted number one Favorite Heartsong Author, then was initiated into the Heartsong Authors Hall of Fame. Gail loves to read stories with a happy ending, which is why she writes them. Visit Gail’s Web site at www.gailsattler.com.
A note from the Author:
I love to hear from my readers! You may correspond with me by writing:
Gail Sattler
Author Relations
PO Box 721
Uhrichsville, OH 44683
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