by Alexis Gold
“I am a bit insane, aren’t I, Cal? I mean, would you have ever pegged me as someone who would join the freaking CIA?”
Jasmine spoke up. “I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion, but I have some questions. What is this, ‘Matthew'? What is going on between you and me?”
Matthew looked back at Jasmine, meeting her eyes. “Everything between us was real. I only left yesterday because I was afraid of putting you in danger with my job. Once all of this insanity with the gang finalized, I was going to decline the offer from the CIA and come back to you.
“I’m not supposed to be in a romantic relationship, but I couldn’t resist you. I know it looked like I was leaving you, but I was actually choosing you over the job; I had to keep you safe. I feel pulled toward you like a magnet, Jasmine. I couldn’t let you go, and I will never. I’ll always be here for you and for the baby.”
Her heart jumped. “You know about the baby?”
“Well,” his eyes flickered slightly.
“Oh, my god,” she gasped. “You are ‘Anonymous?’”
“I had to talk to you. I couldn’t talk to you as me because I would have blown my cover and compromised your safety. You needed to know that The Morning Bell was a potential target so that you could take measures to protect yourself, though it did not seem to matter anyway. I figured it would happen when you least expected it, so I decided to stand guard outside each night that you were not spending with me.”
“So, you were there tonight?” she asked, feeling overcome with a sudden realization that maybe she was not as crazy as she originally thought. “Anonymous” had said he pulled her from the fire, meaning it truly was her love who carried her out of harm’s way and to safety.
“Yes, I was there. I told you to trust me,” he looked deep into her eyes, not flickering for even a moment, confirming that he had been the one to save her.
“If I’m going to trust you, I need proof that you are telling me the truth. Tell me something about you that you haven’t told me. I’ve asked you this before, and I’m asking you again. What does your tattoo mean?”
Without a moment of hesitation he said, “It’s a Celtic knot. It means ‘inner strength,’ and was a symbol we used back in our army barracks when we fell upon hardships. Calvin and I used to draw it on the ground with rocks wherever we went to new areas in hopes that it would bring us luck. When he was discharged from the military, I got a tattoo of the symbol.”
She looked over at Calvin to confirm, and was happy when he nodded. She scooched closer to Matthew and placed her hands on his cheeks, which were scratchy with a slight stubble. His breath brushed her lips for only a moment before she closed the distance between them and planted a passionate kiss on his mouth. His fingers ran through her hair as he kissed her over and over happily.
As if only then realizing the two pairs of eye watching them, they parted slowly. Calvin grabbed Abby’s hand and said that they would be back later, allowing for Matthew and Jasmine to discuss the situation.
“So,” Matthew said once Calvin and Abby left out of the doorway, “you’re pregnant.”
“Yes. I’m at six weeks.”
“Wow.”
“Wow is right.” she laughed, and rested her head on his chest. “Are you okay?”
“Always,” he assured.
“Always,” she repeated.
The Final Chapter
A little over a month after the devastating fire at The Morning Bell, Jasmine and Abby walked through the town center of Rootsville, dressed nicely for a meeting with a local real estate agent. After the discovery that her beautiful café perished and would be unable to become restored, she decided that it was time to find a new place. She had already viewed multiple buildings, but none felt right to her.
She wanted her new café to have the perfect vibe, full of a welcoming warmth to ensure that she would keep the customers she had served for so many years. Abby accompanied her to each meeting, as she was recently promoted to the chef of the café – once she found a building for the café, of course. Abby was thrilled to accept the position and was constantly excited, though that could have also been due to the fact that she was head over heels in love with Calvin who loved her equally, if not more.
Calvin still worked at the local mechanic and helped find new building leads for Jasmine whenever he wasn’t down working at the car lot.
The two walked up to the bench in the middle of the town center in front of the pond. Beside the pond sat the beautiful clock tower that Jasmine always adored, as it was adorned by brick and made a delightful ringing noise each hour. Sitting on the bench was her real estate agent, and they shook hands before she asked where the latest building was located. So far, Jasmine had turned down six offers; she was being very picky.
Her biggest issue was due to her previous café being her home as well. She wanted a place that she could live and work. Staying at Matthew’s house was great, but definitely not a very good environment to raise a child. So, when looking for a building, she was also looking for an apartment to be directly nearby – figuring that no other building would have an apartment attached.
She knew she was being much too specific with her needs, but she couldn’t help herself. Typically, when she met with her real estate agent, the woman had an uncomfortable grin on her face, assuming Jasmine would not like whatever she picked. This time, however, the woman was smiling ear to ear.
“You are going to love this one, Jasmine,” she said as she pointed to a quaint two-story building directly across from the clock tower. As Jasmine walked toward the building, her heart filled with joy. The building, although professional, looked similar to a house but had enough room at the top for a business sign. Featuring a rustic design adorned with deep red brick walls, the outside of the building looked like something out of a storybook.
Rather than a soft and whimsical mermaid’s castle like The Morning Bell, this building looked fierce yet comforting – like a sturdy house that felt more like “home.” Bushes lined the building and were cut sharply to create sleek and perfect square designs. Walking up the steps and into the building, she stepped onto a shiny linoleum floor and looked up at the walls crafted from wooden panels. It looked like a beautiful cabin, made complete by a fireplace in the corner. A long counter stretched in the shape of an “L” along the right-side corner of the building.
She loved how the floor where the tables would be was the centerpiece of the building – the first thing one would see when entering. With the register and kitchen off to the side, she could create a homey atmosphere to allow people to come sit without feeling pressured to order anything at all.
The best part? The building had literally been a home before it was transformed into a pastry shop by the previous owner. The upstairs had not yet been renovated, meaning that the entire second floor had three bedrooms and a living area. When walking up the stairs, it was revealed that a door was installed with a lock so that not just anyone could enter the hallway of rooms.
When she looked over to Abby, she saw that her face was lit up with as much joy as her own.
“Now,” the real estate agent explained, “it is a bit more expensive than your original budget but I really think---”
“We’ll take it. This is perfect. I want this one,” she interrupted and smiled. In a matter of hours, Jasmine had signed the contract and the café was hers. After the real estate agent left, Abby called Calvin to let him know to come straight there to help them set up the tables. After visiting the local hardware store for tools for creating the wooden business sign, Abby and Jasmine sat on the floor and began painting.
They decided that a deep brown color as the background on the sign would add a gorgeous contrast to the red bricks of the building. Once the paint dried, they would draw the name of the café in an elegant, cursive scrawl.
“So,” Abby began, wiping a smudge of brown paint off of her cheek. “Are we still calling the café ‘The Morning Bell?’ It doesn’t really seem to fit anymore
.”
“I had a different idea. We faced such hardship over the last couple months after those terrible people burned our beautiful café to the ground,” she said as she felt tears well up in her eyes. “But in the aftermath of the fire, we didn’t give up; we rose from the ashes like the legendary phoenix. What do you think of the name: ‘The Phoenix Diner?’”
“That’s perfect, Jasmine! It is such a wonderful idea, and it surely fits the décor of the place,” she smiled. “I’m going to head to the store and grab the bulk groceries to start stocking the kitchen. Will you be all right here alone?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you,” she said, then watched Abby walk out of their new diner. She smiled and rested her back against the wall, rubbing her stomach which was now significantly bigger. At fourteen weeks, she had just found out more about her pregnancy, including the gender, earlier that day, and couldn’t wait to tell Matthew. They were doing much better now that she knew more about his past and his reason for being so secretive.
Shortly after the events that led to finding out that he was in the CIA, he was able to use the evidence from the fire at The Morning Bell to capture a member of the gang, who then revealed the leader to gain immunity from the government. Having completed the mission successfully, he was given a choice to continue with the CIA or part ways and decided on the latter.
Although he did not want a job quite that dangerous, he still needed a sense of adventure. So, he applied for a job as a police officer for Rootsville, hoping to create a better police force. Rootsville may have been a small town with petty crime, but it still needed to be protected by officers who were properly trained to deal with events – no matter how small.
Thinking of Matthew, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed his number. She listened to the phone ring several times before he answered and gave her butterflies when he asked, “Hello?”
“Hey, I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh yeah? What might that be?”
“I just bought the building for the new café.”
As she started to explain, the door to the newly established Phoenix Diner opened and Matthew entered, decked out in his police uniform, smiling at the beauty of the new place.
“Wow.” He smiled and hung up his cell phone. “Hey, love. Abby caught me on her way out and told me that this is the new café. ‘The Phoenix Diner,’ yeah? I love it. It looks so incredible.”
“Thank you.” She smiled back and stood up to give him a hug.
He hugged her tightly, then pressed a hand to her stomach and said, “You’re getting big pretty fast.”
“Yes, indeed I am.” She offered him a huge grin. She couldn’t wait to tell him about her visit with the doctor to reveal the information she had been waiting to give all day. As she started to speak, she noticed that his eyes flickered nervously as if he were contemplating telling her something. She raised an eyebrow at him to allow him to speak first.
“Thank you,” was all he said.
“For what?”
“For trusting me.” He brushed his lips to hers.
“Always,” she said, moving forward to kiss him, but he moved downward. His head was now at level with her stomach, where he kissed it gently. Then, looking up at her, she noticed that he was kneeling suspiciously on one knee and breathing nervously.
“Always?” he asked, pulling a ring from his pocket and presenting it to her. She felt tears fall down her cheeks and smiled down at him. She was breathless and could barely speak, so she simply extended her hand out to him and allowed him to slide the ring onto her finger. Her eyes glistened with excitement and her heart felt heavy, not with sadness, but with absolute adoration.
“Always,” she managed to whisper, repeating their sentiment, then dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck – bringing him in for a deep hug. Wiping her joyful tears away, she smiled and continued, “I have some news for you.”
“Could anything be better than the news that you will be my wife?”
“Possibly. I found out the genders today.”
“Seriously? Is it a boy or a girl? Wait.” He stopped. “Genders plural?”
She bit her lip and offered him a huge smile. “Honey, the doctors found out that we’re having twins. We’ll have both a boy and a girl.”
She somewhat-expected him to be shocked or overwhelmed, but he became unbelievably excited and wrapped her in a loving embrace. The two spent the next few hours discussing names on the floor of The Phoenix Diner. She wondered if she would ever be as happy as she was in that moment – with a new café, a new home, a loving fiancé, and two babies. Although life had its downsides at moments, it was definitely worth the incredible times.
As Jasmine lay in Matthew’s lap, feeling his strong hand rub her pregnant stomach, she closed her eyes to savor the moment forever – engraving it as a moment in the history of her life of which she would forever be grateful.
That night, when Jasmine and Matthew went to bed, she rested her head on his chest and smiled up at his sleeping face. Even through the darkness, she could imagine his handsome features as he drifted to sleep. The two had just had the most incredible celebration sex. He fell asleep rather quickly, but she stayed awake – not due to anxiety, but rather due to happiness and the comfort of relaxation. Shortly after he fell asleep, she noticed his heart began beating faster and wondered if he was having a nightmare.
Matthew’s mind raced as the sounds of bullets sliced through the air – missing his arm by only an inch or two. He felt lucky, though, as many suffered from brutal injuries and death from the horrific sneak attack. His face was drenched in sweat as he ran through the barracks, wishing to rip his heat-inducing military clothing off. Covered in mosquito bites and sticky with sweat, his only desire in that moment was to dive into an ice-cold lake.
When in a near-death situation and suffering from heat stroke, he often found it difficult to even want to survive; therefore, he constantly created scenarios in his head so that he would find the will to live. To keep his motivation heightened, he decided to promise himself that, as soon as he returned home, he would find a nearby diner and order the biggest batch of pancakes. He loved pancakes and would have killed for non-military grade food and a pitcher of ice water.
As he daydreamed, it made it easier for him to sprint through the jungle. Suddenly, the camp was quiet – much too quiet for comfort. He slowed his sprint to a hesitant walk and darted his eyes quickly around each bush along the camp. He eventually found his friend and fellow soldier, Calvin, with his back up against a large rock. Coming up beside him, he saw that Calvin was having difficulty breathing in the humid heat. His friend was several years younger – a new soldier who had not yet adapted to the struggles of surviving in different environments. He gave him a nod of understanding to comfort him.
To Matthew’s horror, Calvin took his empathetic nod as a signal to move and watched as he stood up and walked out into the open. He tried to whisper at him to come back, but the mosquitoes near his ears must have been buzzing too loud – or perhaps the sight of the dead bodies had impacted his judgment to double-check his orders.
Matthew did not want to yell too loudly, as he did not want to give away his location and get his entire camp killed. He would not have had time anyway because as soon as Calvin stepped into the middle of the camp, several shots of gunfire erupted from a nearby bush. His stomach lurched as the sound of Calvin’s shocked yelp of agony and, against his better judgment, he sprinted out into the open and began shooting into the bushes – his jaw tight as he angrily and ruthlessly shot each soldier, hiding in cowardice, who shot his best friend.
Once every threat was eliminated, he ran over to Calvin, who was clutching a photograph to his chest and weeping silently. He was in visible pain and gasping for breath between tears. He watched as his eyes closed heavily, fading away to the darkness – allowing it to overcome him because it was more comfortable that way rather than finding the strength to stay alive through
the pain. His friend’s leg was obliterated by the bullets and bleeding out. Matthew’s heart raced in panic as he screamed, “Calvin, Calvin!”
Acting quickly, he tore a long and thick piece of fabric from his uniform and tied it tightly around Calvin's leg. Hopefully, that would stop the bleeding long enough to get him to the hospital. He called in for backup and reported their need for a hospital helicopter, then sat next to his friend and waited for help to arrive. As a last hope for good luck, he picked up a rock and drew the symbol of a Celtic knot in the dirt next to Calvin, hoping for him to find the inner strength to survive.
Jasmine, who had just fallen asleep, was suddenly woken by Matthew’s gasp. He sat straight up and she sat up with him, placing a hand on his chest for support. He breathed gently to calm himself several times, then slowly laid back down next to her. He looked over at her and gave her a kiss on the mouth. He placed a single hand on her cheek and rubbed his thumb on her face while brushing his nose to hers.
