A Love Story

by Jean C. Joachim

  The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity. A group from a cleaning service cleaned rooms and rearranged furniture. All over town, guests fluffed and pressed their best clothes. Kitchen staff washed, dried and shined serving pieces while others polished silverware and buffed the crystal.

  * * * *

  At Mac’s house, Steve Michaels, his best man, tried to calm him down. Mac checked his tux for all the right pieces. Then he paced. He checked Jason’s clothes. He had a drink. He paced some more. Mac had his doubts, too. Is this fair to Callie? Will raising Jason be too much for her? Will she meet and fall in love with another student, a teacher, someone without a child? Although he succumbed to nerves, he never doubted his love for her. He knew she was the only one for him.

  Steve helped him get into his tuxedo.

  “Do you have the ring?” Mac asked Steve.

  “You forgot to give it to me,” Steve said.

  Mac went to his dresser drawer, and found it. He picked it up and put the small ring in the palm of his hand. For a moment, he thought about the other wedding band sitting in the chest in the closet, the one never to rest on Callie’s finger and, for the first time, he felt truly sorry for Kyle, who didn’t live to do what Mac was about to do.

  “Here it is,” Mac said, tearing his gaze away from the closet door and handing the ring to Steve.

  Steve’s wife Laura got Jason dressed. Steve drove carefully through the snowy streets to Eliza’s’ house to avoid killing the groom on his wedding day. Sarah called.

  The sisters stayed on the telephone for half an hour. Callie cried, for missing her parents so much and Sarah too. Eliza took over the styling of Callie’s hair. She wore a band of fresh white flowers in her hair falling loose and thick to her shoulders. She looked radiant.

  * * * *

  Finally, everyone was ready. John, in full military uniform, stood by to escort Callie. Evelyn Steers, head of the music department, perched at the piano. Callie put her arm through John’s as Evelyn started to play the wedding march, Mac looked up and a huge grin spread across his face as his heart did a flip.

  Callie was indescribably beautiful in her white satin gown, white veil, white flowers in her hair and her bouquet of pink and white roses. Then she saw Mac, looking handsome wearing the black tux he didn’t want to wear. She stared at him, feeling excitement welling up inside her at the idea she was about to wed this gorgeous man so totally in love with her. When their eyes met, all nervousness disappeared and Callie knew instantly this was the right thing. They smiled at each other as she came down the aisle. Their love and devotion was evident in the tender expressions on their faces, their loving gazes. Some in the audience wept, remembering those days in their own lives.

  John stopped for Susie to raise Callie’s veil, he kissed her on the cheek, and choked up, unable to answer when the judge said, “Who gives this woman?” Callie paused to give him a hug and touch his face gently so he could compose himself. In a minute, he answered the judge. Callie smiled at him and squeezed his hand before she turned to face Mac and begin her new life.

  Mac reached out his hand for Callie, she took it and walked up next to him. He folded her arm in his as they faced the judge. Mac was the first to take the vow. When it was his turn to speak he said,

  “I do, now and forever.”

  Mac’s hand was steady as he slid the wedding band onto Callie’s finger and looked deeply into her eyes. Callie’s hand shook with nervousness when she tried to slide the ring on his finger. She got flustered, so Mac put his hand over hers and guided it properly. The ring went on smoothly and fit perfectly.

  After Callie’s “I do”, and Jason chiming in “I do,” too, which broke up the spectators, Mac gave the bride a long, sweet kiss and everyone applauded. Rings were on fingers, the deed was done—Mac and Callie looked relieved.

  Soon all were happily feasting on a potluck buffet of everyone’s favorite recipes. Mac put “Unchained Melody” on for their first dance as husband and wife. Singing and dancing followed as all celebrated this happy union. Even John was able to get into the spirit of the occasion as he danced with Susie and met Callie’s new friends.

  * * * *

  It was nine o’clock before the wedding came to an end. Eliza took sleepy Jason back to Mac’s house and put him to bed. She waited there for them to arrive. Callie picked her way through the snow to the front door, taking care not to get the wedding dress wet.

  “What a wedding! I don’t remember a happier time,” Eliza said.

  “Thank you for everything,” Callie replied, hugging Eliza, who teared up.

  “It’s a shame Bill couldn’t be here to see this, Mac. He would have been so happy for you,” she said then Mac gave her a long hug before she left.

  Callie asked Mac to unfasten her dress. She put the dress away in the special garment bag and threw on her robe. Mac took off his tuxedo.

  “How about a cordial, Mrs. Caldwell?”

  They sat in the living room trying to absorb what they had done. Mac leaned over and kissed Callie slow and sweet. She looked up into his eyes and smiled.

  “Mac, about my name. Would you mind so much if I kept my maiden name for work and school? I’d be Mrs. Caldwell for Jason’s school and friends and all, but Richards is all I have left of my parents and if I give up the name…”

  “I understand,” he cut in.

  “I missed them today,” she confided.

  “I thought so,” he said.

  “They would’ve been so happy and…loved you, too,” she said, her voice shaking.

  She inched closer to Mac. He reached out and pulled her to him and she buried her face in his shoulder, crying.

  “I’m sorry. This is our wedding day. I’m supposed to be happy,” she said. “I am happy about us. But missing them.”

  He pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to her. Mac appeared to be in no rush to get Callie to bed as he sat, holding her until her sadness lifted. He kept quiet when she was upset, which seemed to help her the most. She relied on Mac to be strong physically and mentally. Callie relaxed and let the strength from his body seep into her bones.

  As the hall clock chimed eleven o’clock, Callie pulled him down for the sweetest kiss ever, her way of showing him how happy she was to be his wife. She got up and took his hand. Leading him into the bedroom, she said, “It’s time to make this marriage official. Come, husband.”

  While their craving was as strong as ever, the urgency died down some. They had the rest of their lives to spend in bed together, so they took their time. Callie was a little bolder, a little more aggressive, touching Mac first, kissing him, possessing his mouth, turning up his heat quickly and he seemed pleasantly surprised. She made it clear how much she wanted him and how much she loved him.

  Mac tried to take his time arousing Callie, but she stoked his fire to the point where he could no longer restrain himself. He quickly brought her to his level of excitement and their coupling ended in a powerful release.

  Their passion was increased by their commitment to each other, telling the world they were one. Callie was no longer afraid Mac’s love would vanish in the morning and Mac no longer afraid Callie’d leave him. With these barriers removed, the intensity of their lovemaking increased as they united in true love and devotion.

  They drifted off to sleep curled up together. This was their marriage bed and nothing could separate them now. Till death do they part.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jason woke up early Sunday, demanding attention and wanting to play. Callie went about getting breakfast on the table while Mac dressed the boy. They smiled secret smiles at each other when they passed the toast and butter. Jason banged his spoon on the table as he did not like their secret communications, leaving him out. Mac reprimanded him and Jason burst into tears.

  Callie tried to talk gently to him, but reasoning with a two-year-old can be an impossible task. After five minutes, he calmed down and reached out to Callie for a kiss.

 
“Now, about the house,”

  “What about the house? Don’t you like my house?” Mac asked, offended.

  “Of course I do. I love the house. Isn’t it our house now?”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “I do love it, but we might make a few minor changes. There’s a lot of blue and brown here. Maybe a little new fabric or pillows?”

  “Fine. As long as it doesn’t cost $50,000 and involve a lot of pink.”

  Mac presented her with two shiny new sets of keys—one for the house and one for the car, both sets engraved with her married name, Callie Caldwell, on them. She kissed him.

  “That’s a quick ‘thank you’ for the keys. But I promise a more appreciative one when Jason goes down for his nap,” she said, raising one eyebrow while shooting him a wicked grin.

  Mac looked at her and smiled back, his eyes glittering at the prospect of making love to her in the afternoon. Callie looked at her wedding band and couldn’t believe how happy she was. Sarah called and they spent an hour on the phone talking about the wedding and their lives. This was her last day to enjoy being a bride. Monday morning, reality would take over.

  Audrey showed up to claim Jason at four pm.

  “So you did it, Mac? You tied the knot?”

  “Now Jason has a complete family to be with, instead of a broken one.”

  “That’s mean of you.”

  “I don’t mean to be nasty, Audrey, but it’s a fact.”

  Callie brought Jason, in his snowsuit, to the door.

  “Well, well, here’s the bride. Enjoy last night? Oh, I forgot…wasn’t your first time with Mac, was it? In fact, you two have been sleeping together for some time, haven’t you?”

  “Want to know how much I love sleeping with Mac?” Callie asked, raising one eyebrow, staring hard at Audrey and ignoring Mac’s blush.

  Audrey’s face paled. Mac looked at her with raised eyebrows.

  “Didn’t think so,” she commented, turning her face away to hide her smirk.

  Callie ignored Audrey, bent down and gave Jason a good-bye kiss.

  “See you soon, Jason,” she said.

  “Don’t you kiss him!” Audrey yelled.

  Jason started to cry.

  Callie hugged him to her instinctively. Jason puckered up. She kissed him again, ignoring Audrey, who was fuming.

  “He’s my child,” Audrey said.

  “No one said he wasn’t. But when he’s with us, I will be affectionate with him. I’m Mac’s wife now…Jason’s step-mother.”

  Mac put his arm around Callie’s shoulders while Audrey stepped back and took Jason’s hand and pulled him to the car and drove away.

  “I’m sorry, Mac. She rubs me the wrong way,” Callie admitted.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “I don’t want to make her madder and more determined to stand in the way of our custody application.”

  He hugged her.

  “You can’t make her any madder than she already is. You can’t be responsible for her bad behavior.”

  Mac took Callie out to dinner at Doc’s diner. Doc made a big fuss over the newlyweds. Mary came out of the kitchen, a rare occurrence, to congratulate them.

  “They fell in love right here in my diner and they got married yesterday,” he announced to all his customers.

  “Mac, don’t you remember that Sunday night here with Callie? I saw you two fall in love,” the old man laughed.

  Callie and Mac were so embarrassed they found a table in the back corner and hid behind menus, but the patrons gave them a round of applause anyway. Doc treated them to a free piece of cake he referred to as wedding cake.

  * * * *

  At home it was their first night alone as husband and wife. Callie gazed at Mac’s left hand. She loved the way his plain gold wedding band looked though she twisted his arm to get him to wear it. At first he declared it to be jewelry, which real men don’t wear. But then Callie pointed out all men wear wedding bands, including John Lawrence, his boss, so he agreed.

  Now he’s totally mine, a little gold band tells the world he is a married man and he belongs to me. She stared at him from under her long brown lashes.

  “What?” he asked her, raising his eyebrows.

  “Nothing. Thinking how happy I am, now you are truly mine,” she said, “and the wedding band you’re wearing means everyone knows it.”

  “Hah! Now everybody knows you belong to me,” he said, pulling her close for a hug, “the miracle’s…a nerdy science guy like me has such a beautiful, smart wife.”

  They kissed. Callie worried so much their marriage wouldn’t take place, but her fairy tale did come true. Her handsome prince was undressing her in the living room because he couldn’t wait to get to the bedroom. After each layer he peeled off, he kissed and stroked her body then he claimed her mouth, running his tongue over her lips. He gazed at her breasts while she unbuttoned his flannel shirt and slipped her hands under his tee shirt, feeling his powerful chest. He unzipped her jeans and slid them to the floor. Callie unbuckled his belt and Mac stepped out of his cords. He pulled her close for a kiss and she felt his arousal press against her. His hands cupped her round behind and pulled her even closer. She could hardly breathe. Mac surprised her by picking her up.

  “I forgot to carry you over the threshold,” he announced, walking toward the bedroom.

  “The threshold to the bedroom?” she asked.

  “Its bedtime, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “Aye, aye…let’s go!” Callie called out, raising her arm in a salute to him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  At the office in the morning, Mac’s work piled up. Even though it was Christmas vacation and classes were not in session, there was plenty to do to get ready for the next semester. Callie was working full-time during the break.

  President Lawrence stopped by to congratulate the pair on their marriage. He kidded Mac about taking away tuition by marrying Callie. John Lawrence was grooming Mac for bigger things. Even as a new physics professor, Mac stood out through his strong rapport with students and extra efforts to help them succeed. John watched to see how Mac’s people skills developed.

  He was preparing Mac to take his place in ten years, when he retired. Mac knew this and got excited about the prospect. He often went to John for guidance and advice about his professional life. John knew little of Mac’s personal life, which suited Mac perfectly.

  John was a perceptive man. He saw Mac’s new wife was impressive, hard working, capable, and very pretty. He heard from others how much they liked Callie and her unprepossessing way. It was obvious to him she could be an asset to a man running the University some day.

  His wife, Annika, helped him immensely over the years by charming and entertaining contributors and faculty, creating a solid home life for him and being an excellent sounding board. Having a true partner helped John be a better president. He hoped Callie would provide the same support for Mac.

  * * * *

  Soon Callie was back in school. Mac started bringing paperwork home at night so when Callie was studying, he was working. This enabled him to be more efficient and to spend more time helping students during the day while giving her the time she needed to excel in school.

  Callie found new energy for school, her confidence boosted by her marriage. She started to participate in class and her grades went up. Determined to get all ‘A’s, anything seemed possible to her where only six months ago, she doubted she could get the grades to stay in graduate school.

  Life was bumpy sometimes, too. Jason went through a difficult period where he was refusing to have a nap or a bath or to eat and patience in the Caldwell house was tested.

  “Why are you forcing him to take a bath?”

  “Because kids need baths. They need routine,” she insisted.

  “Maybe. But it’s causing a big fight with him. Let him be a little dirty. It won’t kill him.”

  “But he’s not listening to me.”

  “Don’t say I
didn’t warn you,” he said as Jason began to howl.

  Callie compromised and Jason agreed to be washed off with a wash cloth. Callie put him to bed, glad have the ordeal over.

  The next morning, Mac tried to serve cereal to Jason.

  “He’s not eating,” Mac said to Callie.

  “So feed him something else,” she said, buttoning her blouse in the bedroom.

  “Feed him what?”

  “I don’t know. Toast? Eggs? You’re a smart man, figure it out,” she said.

  “He’s being difficult,” Mac said.

  “You’ll have to figure out how to cope with it. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for class.”

  “Running out on me?” Mac said.

  “You’ll have to deal with him on your own this time,” Callie responded, closing the front door.

  Audrey continued to be as unpleasant as possible, not caring who was there when she turned her venom on Mac, Callie or both. Jason cried when Audrey came to pick him up, either because Audrey was mean or he didn’t want to leave their house, making it a stressful day. Callie found herself dreading pick-up time instead of welcoming alone time with Mac.

  She tried to plan something fun for after Jason left, but Mac was always in a bad mood, so she gave it up. Sometimes she’d retreat to her studies, other times she’d bake his favorite cookies. It was hard to tell if he wanted to be left alone to brood or to be with her to forget. He was uncommunicative.

  She found a solution to the Sunday afternoon blues for herself by becoming a tutor to a football player having trouble in math. Callie was a whiz at math. On Sunday afternoons for two hours, she met with Josh Delaney at the library. Josh, twenty-one years old, six foot two inches of rock-hard muscle was one of the stars of the football team, so Callie helped him stay eligible to play while making extra money.

  At first, Josh couldn’t get over Callie’s looks. He flirted with her and avoided the math. But Callie made certain he understood why she was there, math being the only reason she allowed him to take up her time. After two weeks, it seemed like he got the message. Callie didn’t notice the dirty white van parked in the library parking lot on Sundays.