by CJ Murphy
Chapter Twenty-Three
OVER THE NEXT FEW weeks, Val had slowly been working into therapy. She and Laurel had gone vehicle shopping, where she’d purchased a new Jeep Scrambler pickup just recently released to the market. She was still learning how to get in and out of it without the use of her right arm. Most days, Laurel drove. They’d all settled into an easy routine of family dinners using the new deck furniture she’d ordered, and nearly had to cut her own switch for. Ree had conceded, eventually admitting that it was now one of her favorite ways to spend an evening. She spent time at the store, and touring around the area. Her new magazine articles were becoming part of her routine.
Val placed a call to her editor and waited for the secretary to put her through. Hearing the familiar greeting, Val spoke up. “Hey, Jenny, it’s Val. You should see my latest showing up in your inbox.”
Jenny opened Val’s latest submission. “Got it. The readers are loving this, Val. We’ve had great feedback. They seem particularly taken with Wunder and those hysterical questions. Several have commented on the recipes from Ree. I think we have a real winner here.”
Val smiled at the praise. “I’m glad it’s working. I’ve been basing all the routes from Cool Springs, trying to include a tidbit about the store, a recipe, a photo, or one of Wunder’s questions.” She’d seen the tremendous amount of light-hearted feedback. Wunder would beam as Val shared it with him. She’d even created a small icon of him with a glass of chocolate milk scratching his head to accompany the inquiry.
“How’s the bike coming?”
“Wunder and I’ve been working on Maggie May every evening before he goes to watch his niece and nephews.” Val marveled at his intuitive mechanic skills. “Bobeye’s turned out to be an unexpectedly good body man. He’s currently painting Maggie May’s tins. It’s slow progress, but we’re getting there. I’ll send some pictures with the next article.” Val listened to the characteristic creak of Jenny’s office chair. She could picture her leaning back and propping her feet on the desk, the same way she’d witnessed it many times in person.
“I’m glad things seem to be on the mend. You take care of yourself, Val.”
Val was grateful for her friend’s concern. “Thanks, Jenny, talk with you later.”
Val likened the bike’s restoration to her own healing process. Her body and head had been battered. She’d lost pieces of herself and needed replacement parts. Some parts still weren’t working like they should. Yes, she and Maggie May had a lot in common, but she truly believed that her two-wheeled love was on the mend and so was she. Her friends and her lover were restoring her, piece-by-piece. The rough edges were being sanded and smoothed and the mechanics refined and tuned. Her flashbacks were far less frequent, and it took very little for Laurel to bring her out of them. Sometimes just the touch of her hand and a reminder she wasn’t alone would do it. Laurel would have her focus on her face and that quickly made her realize she wasn’t in Iraq. Every day that passed, they grew closer. Today, Val had plans for Laurel. She planned an entire day of touring activities throughout the area to take photographs and write up a few segments for the magazine. She also had a special event for this evening that kept her grinning.
A week ago, she and Laurel had traveled back to Bethesda for a follow up with Cat. She shook her head as thoughts of the appointment and how it had ended came back. Val could now laugh at the memory. At the time, it was anything but funny. The possessive kiss Laurel planted on her still lingered in her memory, seared into her skin. Eyeing her outfit, she got dressed for their adventure. Laurel convinced her to buy a pair of hiking boots and even tried to get her to wear shorts, at least around the house. Val had never gotten to the point she’d wear them outside, though. She was a quiet person by nature and wasn’t ready for the questions or stares. Laurel tried to convince her that she was a hero, but Val didn’t feel heroic and preferred not to talk about her military service too much outside her close circle of friends. Today she decided on a pair of light hiking pants and a white tank top. Part of the adventure was actually walking to the top of Seneca Rocks.
Laurel was in the kitchen preparing their backpacks with some snacks and travel essentials. A few pieces of Val’s camera equipment would also be in there. Val was including a monopole she’d used occasionally in her work to avoid supporting the new camera body with her limited movement. The repair shop reported that the damage to her old one was too extensive to repair. She’d kept her damaged one as a reminder of all they’d seen together. It now proudly hung around the neck of the deer head wearing the Viking helmet with blonde braids at the store.
Laurel stood in the doorway, clad in hiking boots, a pair of pants that converted to shorts by zipping off the material at the knee, and a sleeveless shirt. “You about ready, baby?”
“Yup, I still can’t button my pants.” Val lifted one eyebrow. “Somehow, I think you enjoy doing that yourself. Interesting that the last jeans you bought me were button fly. Are you are taking advantage of my weakened condition?”
Laurel sauntered over and reached for the button at Val’s waist, sliding her hand lower to cup her first. Val took in a sharp breath. Laurel bit her lip. “Would I do that?”
“You most certainly would. You’ll hear no complaints from me. Although if you keep your hand where it’s at, we won’t be going sightseeing anytime soon.” Val kissed her and slid the tip of her tongue across Laurels lips.
Laurel moaned. “You taste like peppermint. I think I’m starting to be like Pavlov’s dog. Every time I smell peppermint now, I want to kiss you.” She squeezed Val’s backside and pulled the can out, opening it and using her finger to rub some of the peppermint balm across Val’s soft lips.
Val’s mother had found her grandmother’s brand of the rosebud/peppermint balm and was sending her some every few weeks. She carried a can of it with her in her back pocket no matter where she went. Her jeans sported large worn spots resembling a smokeless tobacco ring. Liz had determined that the can acted much like a security blanket that her psyche used to soothe her mind anytime the flashbacks became too strong. Val’s mother also sent along a card keeping her up to date on her own life. They got along much better now and communicated regularly with calls and email. She was even talking about coming to West Virginia for Christmas, if her schedule allowed.
Val kissed Laurel then pulled back. “Come on, I really want to climb today and if we don’t get going, we won’t be able to get to all the other things I want to see before we head to the meadow.” Tonight was supposed to be perfect viewing conditions for the Perseid meteor shower, and Val didn’t want to miss it.
Laurel’s jaw fell open in mock disbelief. “Spoilsport. I never thought I’d see the day you’d turn down getting naked with me for climbing a mountain.”
“There’s nothing more I’d rather do than make love to you. Don’t ever doubt that.” Val threaded her hand into Laurel’s hair and tilted her face up. She and Laurel spent a few hours last night exploring every inch of each other’s bodies before falling asleep with arms and legs entwined. They hadn’t slept a night apart since they had stayed at Liz and Jo’s the first time. On their last trip to Annapolis, Liz insisted on taking Laurel shopping, leaving Jo and Val to their own devices. Val used the time by taking Jo with her to do a little shopping of her own. “For now, this kiss is just a prelude to later.” She kissed Laurel again, pulling her into her embrace.
They gathered their things and headed to the truck. Val opened Laurel’s door, helped her in, and walked around to the driver’s side. They drove to Seneca first, where they climbed to the top. Val was more than grateful for the latest micro adjustments Daren made to her leg. Sometimes she completely forgot about the prosthesis. The new sleeve and socket were beyond comfortable and allowed her to enjoy whatever activity she was involved in, without being consciously aware of it.
After a good hike, they reached the tower of rock known as Gendarme. They took a break from the heat. The sun was out and large white clo
uds floated across a vibrant blue sky. Val took out her camera and captured photos of peregrine falcons as they flew below her. She’d also turned the camera on Laurel several times without her knowing. Just as she turned the camera away from Laurel, her lover turned and sent her a blazing smile. How many photos have I taken of her? And how in heavens name did I get this lucky? She’d fallen in love with this amazing woman and everyone at Cool Springs with each click of her shutter. A slide show of images flooded her mind. She realized for the first time in her life, frame by frame, she was truly at peace.
Laurel blushed. “What are you looking at?”
Val leaned on the monopole and grinned back at the woman who’d captured her heart and freed her own damaged spirit. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The woman I love.”
“You looked like you were lost in a memory.”
“No, love, just the opposite, I was found in one.” She watched as Laurel furrowed her brow, but she kept the rest to herself, grabbing Laurel’s hand instead and guiding her along.
They spent the rest of the day traveling to a few more sites before driving back toward home. They stopped at Hellbenders for supper on the way, enjoying the company of fellow diners while they watched the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds play baseball.
They finally arrived at the meadow Ree had named for her granddaughter. Laurel’s Meadow was a beautiful rolling pasture with lush green grass and mountain laurel growing at the edges among the oaks and maples. At one time, the meadow was home to the cattle Ree and her husband owned. After his death, Ree sold some of the cattle and butchered a few, canning and freezing a good portion for use at the store so that nothing went to waste. Now the meadow was brush hogged off a couple of times a year by Mule and used to make high-grade hay for horses. They chose a section of the meadow that gave them a panoramic view of the mountains around them.
“Here, you blow up the mattress,” Val said as she placed her camera on a tripod and adjusted the different settings to capture the meteor shower. She hoped to create something really special for Wunder and the kids. She’d grown fond of the three small children and found herself becoming the chief storyteller anytime the kids came by. She and Laurel had even taken them and Wunder on a few small adventures to places they’d never seen. They’d gone so far as to replace the Jeep Laurel owned, with one that could accommodate six passengers. She shook her head as she thought of Allie, Aaron, and Andru. She’d never thought about wanting children and there were days those three could try the sainthood of Mother Theresa.
Laurel set about making things more comfortable for viewing as they lay in the truck bed. “What are you smiling about?”
“I actually was thinking of the three musketeers.” Val had given them the nickname and even tried to teach them the motto, all for one and one for all. Most of the time, the phrase didn’t come out clearly or in the correct order as they tried to repeat it.
“What about them?”
“Just how much fun it is to watch their world open as we read to them.”
Laurel wrapped her arms around Val’s neck looked up at her. “Wunder, too. He hangs on your every word. Soaks it up like a sponge.”
“He’s a lot brighter than anyone gives him credit for. Not from education, I know. He’s got an uncanny intuition. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone like him.” She kissed Laurel, deepening the kiss by pulling her close.
As their lips separated, Laurel looked at her. “Wow. Where did that come from?”
Val pointed to her heart. “Here.” She pulled out her phone and brought up a playlist of songs her grandmother had loved. Ones she’d heard many times when she was a child. She hit play and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” came pouring out. “Dance with me?”
Laurel nodded.
Val slipped her healing arm around Laurel’s waist. She protested, only to be silenced by Val’s lips against hers. “It’s okay. There’s no pain.” Val pulled her closer and Laurel slipped both arms around her neck, her head on Val’s chest. They swayed as Nat crooned. Next came a series of songs by Patsy Cline.
Laurel smiled. “Who knew you were such a romantic, Viking.”
“Card carrying, for you and you alone.” Val kissed her softly, allowing her tongue to seek out the depth of Laurel’s mouth.
Laurel drew her tongue in and matched it with her own. As their bodies parted, she said, “I love the feeling of your body against mine. Just a few years ago, I could never have imagined loving anyone the way I do you. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to imagine a future with anyone. Now I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”
“Me either, love.” Val grinned at the way they’d settled into a relationship that filled all the voids in her heart and soul.
The music changed to a song by the band Halestorm, and Laurel leaned back to look at Val. “That’s a pretty big style swing.”
“True. Listen to the words closely,” Val whispered, feeling the pressure of the small box in her pocket as she pulled Laurel tighter to her body. They swayed, listening to Lzzy Hale sing I Am Beautiful With You.
Val felt the words begin to wash over her about feeling beautiful because the one looking at her saw her exactly the way she was. As the song got to the part about her lover seeing all of her scars and still making her feel beautiful, Val kissed Laurel and then pulled back enough so she could tilt Laurel’s head up to meet her eyes. She watched as tears rolled down Laurel’s cheek.
“I want you to know that when I hear this song, I’m the one who feels beautiful, despite all my scars and imperfections. I’m the one who feels blessed because you see me exactly as I am, broken and yet mending. You bring me back from a world of death with a simple touch of your hand. Pull me from my nightmares with only the sound of your voice. I’m so deeply in love with you that I can’t imagine a day without you in my life.” She pulled out of Laurel’s arms, reached into her pocket, and dropped to her good knee, feeling more confident about this than anything she’d ever done. “Laurel Anastasia Stemple, I’ve traveled all over the United States and places beyond our borders. I’ve never called anyplace home until I met you. I’ve never truly loved anyone until I met you, and I can’t imagine spending a day without you by my side. Will you marry me?”
Laurel brought her hands to her mouth.
Val stayed on the bended knee and looked at her. After several late-night chats with Ree, she’d come to a full understanding of Laurel’s fears. She and Laurel had talked about it, and she wanted her to have no doubts of how she felt. “I know your fears. I know you’re afraid you’ll develop cancer and leave me. Laurel, tomorrow I could do the same. I could drop over with a heart attack or something else. Whatever time I have left on this earth, I want it with you by my side as my wife. If that’s one more hour, one more day, or one more year, then that’s what I’ll have. Say you’ll fill those minutes, hours, and days with me.” She pulled the diamond ring out of the box and held it up. “Say you’ll marry me?”
Tears poured down Laurel’s face as she stared at the engagement ring. She raised her eyes to Val’s. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Val stood, her heart bursting with joy. The smile she felt was so wide it almost hurt. Against Laurel’s protests about her shoulder, she picked her up and swung her around as meteors shot across the blackened sky above them.
She kissed Laurel then yelled to the heavens, “She said yes!”
“Put me down, you fool, before you hurt that shoulder.” Laurel pulled her head down for another kiss.
She stopped spinning, allowing Laurel’s body to slide down hers. With sure and steady hands, she grasped Laurel’s left hand and slipped the diamond solitaire ring onto her finger.
Laurel stared at it and the tears began to fall again as Val’s arms enveloped her. She placed her hand over her mouth and cried into Val’s chest. “I love you, Val. I love you with so much more than I knew was possible.”
Tears fell down Val’s face too, a warm feeling spread from her chest a
s her resolve grew even stronger. “I feel the same, love. I spent years wandering around trying to find something I’d already found. I just couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge it. I’ve loved you from the first day I saw you serving hot dogs and chocolate milk.”
Laurel laughed and so did Val. “Oh, Viking, I wish I could have captured a picture of your face the second I offered you that combination.” She kissed her and wiped at the tears rolling down Val’s cheeks.
“It was a shock, I’ll tell you that, but it was just the first leap of faith I wanted to take with you.”
The two stared at the obsidian sky dotted with tiny pinpoints of light. For this one perfect moment, no more words were needed.
***
Laurel stood encircled in Val’s arms, her head resting against Val’s broad chest. The heartbeat below her ear was relaxed and steady. She looked at the diamond ring on her finger, closing her eyes against the rush of emotions she felt. Val asked her to marry her, to spend the rest of her life with her. It wasn’t something she’d ever envisioned. To be honest it’d rarely seemed more than a distant possibility. Now she was committed, heart and soul, to the woman who held her.
She whispered into the hollow of her lover’s neck. “I love you, Val.” She kissed the tanned skin as her own breath quickened at the salty taste on her lips, and she began to open the buttons on Val’s shirt, walking them backward toward the truck.
They crawled onto the air mattress and quickly divested themselves of the clothes separating them. Laurel settled herself on top of Val, straddling her and running a finger down her cheek, over her neck, and between the breasts that lay exposed before her. She kissed Val, sealing her lips to her lover’s. She moved her hands to Val’s breasts and rolled the nipples between her fingertips. Val’s hips arched. Laurel sat back, reaching for her own breasts, touching them for Val’s pleasure. She’d discovered this made Val’s eyes go dark with desire and in turn, increased her own arousal. She touched herself as Val’s hands roamed up and down her sides.
