Robin's Nest

by Melissa Stevens

  She turned and patted Robin on the shoulder before returning to her table.

  I waited until she'd taken her seat and was out of ear shot before I turned back to Robin. "How many more do you think we'll have?"

  "I should have realized this would happen."

  "I knew it would. It's okay, I don't mind. If I did, I would have said not tonight."

  "It never even occurred to me." Robin shook his head. "I should have thought about it more carefully."

  "Babe, take it easy on yourself. You can't think of everything," I reached across the table and laid my hand on top of his, "it isn't bothering me, really. I'm glad to see some familiar, friendly faces. I think I needed this as much as the sob fest last night."

  "Are you sure?" He took my hand in his. "We can get our food to go and take it home if you want."

  That he was calling my house home warmed me inside, I smiled. "I'm sure, let's stay."

  A few minutes later Tyne came in with his girlfriend Heather. They stopped by our table on their way to grabbing one for themselves. "Hey, guys, how you doing?" Tyne asked. I hadn't seen him since before my accident, but I was sure he'd heard about the welcome home celebration at the bar from his brother Eddie.

  "We're good, just got back to town and I didn't feel like cooking tonight. How're you?" I said.

  "Doing pretty good. We're planning on having a game on Saturday, you feel up to it?" Tyne looked to Robin.

  "Where you playing?" Robin wanted to know.

  "Well," Tyne turned red, "we were kinda hoping for your place. I was gonna call and ask in the morning, but since you're here, I figured why wait?"

  Robin looked at me, I nodded and he turned back to Tyne. "Sure, plan on starting at what? About ten?"

  "That's the plan."

  "That works. We'll be ready."

  "I'm so glad to hear you're okay." Heather spoke for the first time since they stopped, "If something like that had happened to me, I'd have just fainted dead away!"

  I had to work not to roll my eyes, she was a bit of an airhead and not my favorite person to be around. She annoyed me. "Thanks, I'm just glad to be home and safe." I smiled, then turned to Tyne, "Is this a shirts and skins game or am I invited too?"

  "You're more than welcome. It'll be god to get you out on the court again."

  I would have said more, but Brenda arrived with our plates. "Great, I'll see you then."

  Brenda set our plates in front of us, asked if we needed refills and left us to eat. Alone again I looked at Robin. "Basketball sounds like fun. It's been way too long. I'm excited."

  "Me too."

  We finished our meal and left with only a couple more visitors and no real drama. The visitors I was okay with, the drama I was glad to avoid

  36

  The next evening, we had dinner at Aunt Sophia's. Robin's family always had Sunday dinner together as a family, but ours hasn't been a set day of the week in years. Mostly because of the rotating schedule that Nathan works. It's no big deal to the rest of us to move our family time around so that we can all be there, though we're not always so lucky with the significant other's schedules. That night, Becky was there but Erin was absent.

  "How are wedding plans going?" I asked Becky. "Have you set a date yet?"

  "We have, it took a little hunting to find one that we could both do and that the church was free."

  "So? When is it?" I was impatient to know.

  "October twenty-third." She said with a grin.

  "That's great!" I hugged her. "There's a lot to do between now and then."

  She agreed and we continued to talk about the wedding for a few minutes, until Robert came in.

  "Hey," I gave him a hug, "how are things going for you?"

  "Good. Keeping busy." Robert was a delivery driver for the Pepsi plant in Safford, it wasn't complicated work but it kept him in good shape with all the lifting and hauling he did. "You?"

  "Good."

  "I'm starting to think maybe we need to lock you in, just to keep you safe." He gave me a stern look.

  "Laugh it up." I rolled my eyes. "Where's Erin."

  "Erin had plans with her family but she sends her best."

  "How are things with Erin?" I knew I was being nosy, I didn't care.

  "Great, they're really good. I'm working my way up to proposing, but I haven't found the right ring yet."

  "So, you've been ring shopping?"

  "Yeah, I've been looking, but I haven't found anything that speaks to me yet. I'm thinking about going to Tucson to look. Maybe next weekend."

  I smiled. "I was wondering when it would happen."

  "What would happen?"

  "You'd fall too. I've been expecting you to do what Quinn did a couple weeks ago. I have for a while. Once he made the leap, I figured you wouldn't be far behind. I'm happy for you." I gave him a hug. "I'm glad you both found the people you want to spend your lives with." I looked across the room to where Robin was talking to Quinn and Becky. "I suspect I have too, but things are still new between us in a lot of ways." I turned back to Robert. "Maybe someday, we'll get as far as marriage, but I'm gonna enjoy every step until then."

  "Don't rush it. Be sure." He scratched his jaw. "I know it's taken me a long time to get to this point with Erin, but I also know that there's no one else I want to spend my life with."

  "Good luck with your hunt. I hope you find the ring you're after."

  "I'm sure I will, the question is, when and where?"

  I gave Robert another hug and moved to stand next to Robin, listening in as he talked with Quinn and Becky about wedding plans, but before long my head got heavy and I leaned it against Robin, wrapping one arm around him. He pulled me close and kept talking.

  36

  Saturday morning we got up, ate and headed over to Robin's to get ready for the basketball game. We got there early and tossed a bunch of sodas and water bottles into a cooler, then dumped the ice bucket out of the freezer over them. One major advantage to Robin spending so much time at my place was that his ice bucket was full.

  About fifteen minutes before we were supposed to start, people started showing up. Tyne and Heather were the first, then Eddie, Hank and Jason. We were all out on the court, shooting a few shots and warming up when another player arrived.

  Tanner pulled into the drive right at 10:00. He unloaded more water and several bottles of Gatorade from the back seat of his car and tossed them into the ice chest with the rest of the drinks. "Hey Rob, thanks for letting us use the court."

  "Not a problem, the game was a great idea. I've just been busy recently."

  "Yeah, we all know what you're thinking of recently." Eddie called.

  "Yep, plain to us why you haven't called." Jason added.

  "Are you saying it's a bad thing?" Robin sounded irritated.

  "Nah, man, not at all. I'm just surprised it took you this long to realize that Sam's a girl." Jason called the dig.

  "Duh. I've known longer than you that she's a girl, I just had the manners to treat her like the best friend she's been to me, and not just like a girl. At least until she decided she wanted to be treated like a girl. Sometimes."

  "Sometimes?" Hank frowned, confused. "What do you mean sometimes?"

  "Do you think Sam wants me to treat her like a girl now? Or like the ball player we know she is?"

  "She's on the court, she's a player." Hanks said it like it was obvious.

  "Exactly, but once we're off the court, once we go home, I can treat her like my girl. If I were to try it now, she'd hand me my ass, and probably yours too."

  Hank nodded slowly. "I see your point."

  "Are we gonna play or are we gonna stand around having a heart to heart about Robin and me?" I wanted to know.

  "Well, we're a man short, unless Heather wants to play?" Jason turned to look at the other woman, waiting for her answer.

  "No thanks." She shook her head. "Playing basketball with a bunch of sweaty guys isn't my idea of fun." She wrinkled her nose in distaste
. "I like being the cheerleader."

  We broke up into teams and were getting ready to give up and play four on three when George pulled in. We all took turns ragging him about being late and making us wait for him. There were even some threats to make him sit on the sidelines and be a cheerleader with Heather, but once we got started it, was a good game. We played for about an hour and a half before calling the game on a tie and heading into the house to enjoy the air conditioning while we sat around talking.

  We all made ourselves at home in Robin's living room, some of us sat in chairs, some sat or lied on the floor. I sat on the arm of the couch next to Robin. He wrapped one arm around my waist and let it lay there, as if it was something he always did.

  After a little while, we fired up the grill and tossed on the burgers that Hank and Jason had brought with them. Tyne and Heather had brought buns and Eddie and George had been assigned chips and dip. When the food came off the grill, we all gathered around the large picnic table in the back yard to eat. I looked around the group of our friends, laughing and teasing, and realized I'd missed it over the last couple of weeks. The crowd broke up by three o'clock, and it was just Robin and I left at his place.

  "How are you feeling?" Robin wrapped one arm around me.

  "Yeah, I needed this. It was great." I grinned up at him. "The game, the gang getting together, it was perfect."

  He bent down and gave me a soft, quick kiss. "So how do you want to spend the rest of the day?"

  "I don't know, we could just relax, maybe catch up on a little TV, the DVR is getting kinda full."

  We ended up going back to my place, I wasn't sure why but we seemed to always end up there. Maybe because he'd only been in his place for a year or two while I'd been in mine for almost ten. Add in the fact that my house had been my parents’ home, and I think we were more emotionally attached to my place because of it.

  "I need a shower first," I wrinkled my nose, "I don't wanna smell myself while we watch TV." I headed straight through the living room towards the bedroom and the attached bathroom.

  I came out of the bedroom, my hair still wet, to find that Robin had used the other bathroom and showered too. We curled together on the sofa, a bowl of popcorn in my lap, while we caught up on our favorite shows.

  37

  The next day was Sunday, so we went to Robin's parents' for their family dinner. After three weeks in a row, it was starting to become habit. We showed up early so I could help Janice cook and get things on the table. I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with his parents and catch up with anything we might have missed during the week.

  This week Bruce was much friendlier than he had been the last couple of weeks. I think he'd finally come to terms with the change in my relationship with Robin. I was glad, I'd hoped that his reservations wouldn't last.

  We sat around the table, Robin deep in discussion with Floyd about the management of the farm and some concern he had about crop. I had been asking Janice about her week.

  "Are you having any nightmares?" Bruce asked, out of the blue.

  "Nightmares? What's this about nightmares?" Robin turned away from his father in mid-sentence.

  "I was just asking Sam if she's had any nightmares. Sometimes people who've been through situations like she dealt with this week, experience nightmares and it can progress further, if unaddressed." Bruce explained.

  "Progress further?" I asked.

  "Panic attacks, anxiety, some even develop agoraphobia."

  "Agoraphobia, that's the fear of leaving your house, right?" Janice looked back and forth between Bruce and me.

  "That's exactly what it is, Mom." Bruce confirmed, still watching me.

  I felt everyone's eyes on me, waiting for an answer. "No, no nightmares. I've had a few 'Oh, my gosh, what if' moments, but who wouldn't?"

  "Good. If you had, or do in the future, I recommend seeing a counselor, it might not be a bad idea to see one anyway."

  "I'll consider it." I looked down at my plate for a second before meeting his gaze again. "Thanks for the concern, it means a lot to me."

  Janice turned to me, "Lizzie told me she saw the two of you in town this week. She said it looked like the two of you were on a date."

  "Yes, Ma'am," I turned to the other woman and smiled, glad she'd changed the subject, "we ran into her at the Cafe when we went out on Wednesday. I hadn't seen her in quite a while, it was nice running into her. What did you tell to her?"

  "I said you've been seeing each other for a few weeks now and that we're glad to see you both so happy." She paused for a moment. "I've been waiting for this for years. I think she was kind of disappointed not to be the one tell me, but that's how life is around here."

  I laughed. "That's true, and why we wanted to tell our families before we went out together. We didn't want you finding out from rumors."

  "Speaking of rumors, I hear Robert and Becky are getting married?" Janice said.

  "Yep, he asked her a couple weeks ago. It didn't surprise me, they've been seeing each other for next to forever. I'm happy for them. Becky told me Thursday that they were able to reserve the church and fairgrounds for October twenty-third. She and I will be busy planning for a big wedding."

  "That's wonderful. They make such a beautiful couple, you can see by looking at them that they're happy together. Maybe someday one of my sons will get married and give me grandchildren." She looked back and forth at Robin and Bruce, a hopeful look on her face.

  "Well, maybe one day they will." I smiled, knowing what she was hinting at, but playing along. "Would you rather they got married and gave you those grandbabies now, then over time, ended up unhappy and divorced? Or should they wait until they find the right one before you get your grandchildren?"

  "Definitely wait. I may be impatient for the little ones, but more than anything, I want my boys to be happy. Though, I must admit, after two boys, I'd love a granddaughter to spoil."

  I was certain that her hints were aimed at Robin and me, but I pretended to miss it. I really didn't want to get into the subject of kids, especially with our recent discovery that I wasn't pregnant. "I'm sure that would be fun. I'm certain you'll do a wonderful job spoiling any grandchildren you get, Janice. You did such a great job raising these two, you can only be as good of grandmother."

  After dinner, we took a bag full of leftovers home. Sometimes I wasn't sure if Janice sent the leftovers so she didn't have to eat them or so we didn't have to cook. I would have thought it was a ploy to get grandchildren from Robin and I, except Bruce took almost as much food home with him as we did. Robin and I curled together on the couch, each lost in our own book as we passed the time before bed.

  ***

  Monday morning Robin got up early and went to work while I continued with my job hunt. I hadn't had much luck but I was determined to keep trying.

  I also talked to Becky and got started with wedding planning. She wanted a big ordeal of a wedding, at least a hundred and fifty guests. Her colors were burgundy and copper which was perfect for a late fall wedding, only a week before Halloween. We had only five months to get everything lined up.

  The church was taken care of, as was the fairgrounds, which was one of a very limited number of places big enough for an indoor reception this size and the only one not in a church. I worked on putting together a list of things that needed to be done. Choosing invitations, picking out a cake, finding a photographer, the list just went on and on. Looking at the list, I'd created and decided one thing. When it was time for my wedding, whenever that may be, I didn't want anything big. Something small and simple, no more than thirty to forty people, and no meal, just cake. A big wedding had never been important to me, and even barely getting started planning this one, I knew that, to me, it wasn't worth the stress.

  I spent the entire week working on wedding plans during the day and spending the evenings with Robin. By Friday, I was ready for a break. I was thrilled when Robin told me he'd arranged to take the whole day off, but I wondered what he was up t
o.

  38

  "What do you want to do this afternoon?" I asked on our way home from running errands the next morning.

  "I don't know, what sounds good to you?"

  "Some that doesn't take much energy. I just want to spend some quiet time with you. I need to feel you near me.

  "How does a movie sound?"

  "Sounds good, do you have something specific in mind?"

  "I was thinking maybe Armageddon" He flashed me a grin.

  "Planning on building more anticipation?" I couldn't stop myself from grinning in return.

  "Something like that…" he trailed off as he parked the pickup in the driveway.

  "That sounds good. Why don't you set it up while I get changed." I opened the front door and left it open for him as I headed for the bedroom. "Do you want some popcorn?" I looked back at him before going down the hall.

  "Not right now, maybe later."

  "Okay."

  A few minutes later, we settled onto the sofa, in what had become our normal position for watching TV. I loved the feeling of him at my back and his arms around me. I snuggled closer as the first lines from the familiar movie began.

  When it got to the scene where Harry finds Grace's bra, Robin slid his hand up under my shirt. "Are you bra-less too?" He soon realized that I was still wearing mine. "This is unacceptable, we're going to have to do something about it."

  I felt his hand on my back for a moment then he eased the shoulder straps out the sleeves of my shirt and off my arms before pulling my bra loose and out the neck of my shirt. He tossed it to the coffee table and we settled back to watch the movie again.

  I laughed despite the foreplay when Harry told Rock Hound that it was all right, he was temporarily insane and we made several more comments about clothing and events in the movie as it played.

  When the movie got to the scene with Grace and AJ in the hanger, Robin started at my shoulder and slowly slid his hand down my arm until he reached my hand. He spoke in perfect timing with AJ. "Will you marry me?" Robin gently placed as small box in my hand.