“Oh.” Her eyes roamed over his face, settling on his lips, then coming back to his gaze. “Plus, you got laid last night. That’s gotta improve a man’s mood.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Absolutely.” He poured their coffee and pushed the bowl of sugar toward her. “Best mood enhancer ever.”
She chuckled and stirred sugar into her mug. “Back to my issue, though. I’ve wanted to talk to you about this since I got the call, and I need your advice.”
“All right.” He grabbed his coffee and moved around the island to sit beside her on the other bar stool. “What’s bothering you?”
“I’m not bothered, just uncertain.” She told him about the call she’d received from the Yale legal clinic, and how they wanted her to pursue a lawsuit.
“The people who work at the Yale law clinic are mostly students, right?”
“Mostly, yes, but there are also alumni who volunteer their time and work pro bono, why?”
“A person who goes to Yale has to be fairly competitive, right? Those students want to make a name for themselves, be the one to set that precedent, get written into the history books, and in the process, set themselves apart from the rest of the lawyer pool competing for a limited number of prestigious positions.”
“That’s true, but so? How does that help me make my decision? If I go through with a lawsuit, I’ll be written into those history books too. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a lot of pressure, and I don’t know if I want that kind of intensity in my life right now.”
“No, it’s not a bad thing. Stay right there. I just want you to have all the facts before you decide.” He headed for the second bedroom, which he’d designated as his office space. He grabbed his laptop and strode back to Cory’s side. “I want to show you something.” He opened his computer and went to the bookmarks, finding the article he wanted. It popped up on his screen, and he turned it toward her. “Look at this, Cory.”
She read aloud, “Fort Bliss, Texas, officer gets twenty years for sexually assaulting several female subordinates…” Her brow rose as she read the text below the headline. She shot him a questioning look.
“Policy is going to change, Cory. With or without you, the ball is rolling. You’re already written into the history books, honey, because you gave that ball the first push.” He squeezed her shoulders. “I’m proud of you. If you want to do this lawsuit for closure, then that’s what you need to do, but don’t let those lawyers make you feel like setting precedent and changing policy is entirely up to you. Just be aware of what motivates them.”
She moved his laptop closer and started looking at all the articles he’d saved on his desktop, articles about dealing with PTSD, what kinds of therapies were found to be successful in treating the symptoms, other suits involving rape in the military. She faced him, and the love shining in her eyes hit him square in the heart.
“How is it that someone like you would fall for someone like me?”
He opened his mouth to reply, and she shot up and kissed him. Placing her palms against his cheeks, she pressed herself close. He put his arms around her and held on tight.
“Don’t answer that, just keep loving me,” she murmured, mingling her breath with his.
“Deal.” He pressed his forehead against hers, overcome with the powerful surge of tenderness coursing through him. “You promise to do the same back?”
“Absolutely.”
They stood silently for several seconds, letting the newness of their shared promise sink in. Sighing, she backed out of his hold and sat back down.
“Here’s the other thing, Ted. They’ve offered to pension me off as if I’d served my full twenty, and I’m really tempted to take the offer. But if I’d stayed in, I would’ve continued to be promoted up the ranks. I’m insulted by their offer. I can either reenlist and be guaranteed a cushy stateside job or take the pension at my most recent pay grade.”
“You could ask for what you want. With the threat of so many lawsuits hanging over them, they’d be crazy not to settle.”
“Hmm. See, I knew talking to you would help.” She patted his cheek. “I’m hungry. Want to head for the truck stop for breakfast? I’m buying.”
“Sure.” He grinned. “Then we can stop at your place so you can change before Sunday dinner with my folks.”
“Oh, are we starting that routine today?”
“Yep. My nephew Ben is going to want to know that you’re finally my girlfriend.”
“I am. OK. Let’s go. We’re taking my truck.”
“Fine, but I’m driving. It’s a guy thing.” He turned off the coffeepot while she grabbed her purse.
“I know what I’m going to do, Ted.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to tell the army that if I’d stayed in, I would’ve made lieutenant by the time I was eligible for retirement. If they’ll pension me off at that rank, I’ll settle. Otherwise, I’ll pursue the lawsuit. No one should be cast aside and labeled disordered because they were victimized by someone in a position of power above them. That’s just wrong. If a lawsuit is what it takes to change that mentality, then a lawsuit is what they’ll get.”
“That’s my girl.” He took her hand. “I hope they settle, because you’re going to be pretty busy from here on in.”
She canted her head and sent him a sexy, sideways glance. “Doing what?”
“Loving me, of course. We have things to do, Cory, like playing poker on Friday nights, and going on real dates, starting a bowling league and making a life together.”
“That reminds me.” She started down the stairs. “You still owe me and my mom dinner from that night we beat you at cribbage.”
“Huh. You’re right. I forgot all about that. Let’s take care of that this week.”
“Great. She’s already expecting me, I’ll just have to tell her that me is now we.”
He put his hand over his heart, a smile of pure joy breaking free. “We. I like the sound of that.” And he knew he always would. She was his other half, the missing piece that made him whole. A lump rose to his throat, and he tried to swallow it away. Jenny was right. This was his year, and Cory was the rest of his life.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
TED TUCKED THE CARDBOARD TUBE under his arm and took the stairs up to his apartment. Halfway up, Cory’s laughter drifted down from behind the closed door, eliciting an answering smile from him. The sound of mock growling accompanied her giggles, and he imagined the scene that would greet him. He opened the door and stood on the threshold, taking in the sight that filled him with contentment that went bone deep.
Cory lay on their couch on her tummy, one of their Labrador puppy’s knotted tug-of-war toys stretched taut between her hand and the pup’s teeth. A pile of bridal magazines was strewn about the floor beneath her. The diamond he’d put on her left ring finger six months ago glittered and twinkled in the sunlight coming through the window as she engaged in a mock battle with their chocolate Lab. Daisy had pulled Cory half off the couch. One more tug, and Cory slipped to the floor, only to be pounced upon by Daisy in a flurry of puppy licks and tail wags.
Ted’s heart turned over in his chest, and his breath caught. He never got tired of seeing her so happy, of hearing her laughter fill their home. He couldn’t wait to share his surprise and anticipated her reaction.
She caught sight of him and gently pushed the dog off of her lap. “Look who’s here, Daisy.” Cory rose to her feet and crossed the room to meet him, with the puppy running and jumping in circles around her feet.
He leaned the cardboard cylinder against the wall and stood with his arms open. She walked right in and lifted her face for his kiss.
“Mmm, you taste good, like chocolate chip cookies. Is that what I smell in here?” He smiled and kissed her forehead before letting her go.
“Yes, and I might have tasted one or two.” She grinned back and took his hand. “Your mom, my mom and Brenda are going to be here in less than an h
our to help with the wedding invitations. Kyle said to tell you he’s bringing the carburetor for his Thunderbird, and he’s hoping you’ll help him install it while we ladies are doing our thing.”
“Good, that’ll keep the two of us busy until you and Brenda are ready to head out for dinner.” He let her lead him to the kitchen, where the cookies cooled on racks set up across the counter. Snatching one, he took a big bite. The still-warm sweetness melted in his mouth. “Yum. Beautiful and a great cook. Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“Just this morning, and I love you too.” She grabbed a plastic bowl and started putting the cookies away. “Pastor Schmidt called. He wants to know if we’d mind moving our premarital counseling session to Friday. Something has come up with his family, and he can’t see us on Tuesday. I told him I’d check with you and we’d let him know.”
“That’s poker night.” They’d joined the Perfect poker games shortly after becoming a couple. Cory always said he’d turned her life around, but the fact was, since they’d been together, his life had become so rich and full he had to pinch himself on a regular basis just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
“I think we can do both if we make the counseling appointment early enough.” She shot him an imploring look. “It’s important. I want to get this marriage thing right.”
“I’m not worried about getting it right, sweetheart.” He put his arms around her waist and drew her back against him to nibble on her neck. Daisy barked and jumped up on their legs, wanting either cookies or to get into their circle of affection. “Settle, Daisy.” He reached down and scratched her behind the ears.
Her therapist had recommended they get a dog, so Cory would feel safe when home alone. Cory had said she always felt safe out on the farm, but she wanted a dog anyway. Dogs were great with kids, she’d pointed out, and it would be good to raise the puppy before they started their family.
“That reminds me. I have a surprise for you.”
“You were reminded of something just now?”
“Yep. Holding you reminds me of how eager I am to start practicing the whole baby-making thing.”
She laughed, glancing over her shoulder at him. “Everything reminds you of sex.”
“Does that bother you?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“Heck, no. We’d be practicing right now if it weren’t for everyone coming over.” She turned in his arms and drew him in for another kiss, sighing against his lips. “You said something about a surprise?”
“It’s over there by the door.” Reluctantly, he backed out of her arms to retrieve the plans he’d had drawn up by the same architects who had done the remodeling on L&L’s first retail store. He moved the salt and pepper shakers off their new kitchen table and opened the tube to extract the blueprints. Using the shakers to hold down the curled sides, he spread out the plans for her to see. “Our house.”
She gasped and ran her finger over the first drawing of what the finished home would look like. They had talked about modern, with quite a few energy-saving features built into the design, like huge, passive solar windows facing the south and solar panels on the roof. Eventually he wanted to put up a windmill to generate all the electricity they’d need to power appliances and lights, and he planned to do a lot of that project himself, with a little help from his dad and a few of his friends.
He lifted the first sheet to reveal the plans for the inside. “It’s a multilevel with two bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs. We’ll have a master bedroom suite here, with a full bathroom, and another bathroom off the hall here.” He pointed to the spot next to the second bedroom. “And a living room with a wood-burning stove on this same level. We’ll have a nice big family room on the lower level with another fireplace, a laundry room, and two more bedrooms with a shared bathroom in between. On the entry level, there’s a nice size foyer with a large closet, our dining room and an eat-in kitchen. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect! Where will we build it?”
“Do you remember the rise where we had the picnic on my birthday last year?”
“Of course I do. I also remember what we did on the blanket after we ate.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“It’s the perfect place. We’ll be able to see the Ohio River in the fall and winter, once the trees drop their leaves, and we’d have a great view even without the Ohio.”
“It’s exactly what we talked about.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. “I can hardly wait to live there.”
“Your mom can have this place, Cory. I know you wanted to build a mother-in-law apartment over the garage, and we will eventually, but it’s going to be awhile before we can do that. If she lives here, she’d only be few minutes away.”
“She’d love it here, Ted. I know she would. I’m not sure she’s ready to leave where she is now, but when she is, this place would be just right.”
“No thanks necessary.” They studied the plans together, and she pointed out details she loved, and a few she wanted to change.
“This is it, Ted. This is where we’ll spend our lives, raise our children, and grow old together. Thank you, amazing man. Thank you. If it weren’t for you, who knows what would have become of me?”
“You have that backwards, sweetheart. You always have. If it weren’t for you, who knows what would’ve become of me? My life began the day you walked through the door of our conference room. One look into your pretty brown eyes, and I was smitten.” He drew her into the protective circle of his arms and leaned in for a kiss. “Now and forever,” he whispered against her lips.
“All ways and always,” she whispered back, sealing their promise with a kiss.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I WANT TO THANK MY family for their continued support and endless patience as I prattle on about make-believe people. I especially want to thank my daughter, Laurel, who is a major source of information for all things pertaining to psychology, PTSD, and TBI. As always, I’m grateful for the folks at Montlake for believing in my work, and also for my wonderful agent, Nalini Akolekar, for her support and encouragement.
Finally, I want to thank readers. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. Thank you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by © JP Photography, 2013
AS A CHILD, BARBARA LONGLEY moved frequently, learning early on how to entertain herself with stories. Adulthood didn’t change her peripatetic ways: she has lived on an Appalachian commune, taught on an Indian reservation, and traveled the country from coast to coast. After having children of her own, she decided to try staying put, choosing Minnesota as her home. By day she puts her master’s degree in special education to use teaching elementary school. By night she explores all things mythical, paranormal, and newsworthy, channeling what she learns into writing.
Ms. Longley loves to hear from readers, and can be reached through her website: http://www.barbaralongley.com.
A Change of Heart (Perfect Indiana#3) Page 28
