Lauren went to him, fearless and unafraid. She was a confident little thing, and from her short height, she easily caught Beau’s downward stare. Her palm rested on his forearm. “We would have had your back. You were one of my best friends. Like family to me. I’ve missed you. Katie missed you. She won’t tell, I promise. We both hurt that you shouldered all this alone.”
The touch evolved into a handhold. His chin lifted a small degree as he stared her straight in the eyes. The move made me proud of my guy. He shouldn’t be ashamed of anything. “It was always about my father. Not any of you. He broke me down.”
“Hmm,” she said, strong enough to hold his direct stare which made me proud of her even though we hadn’t officially met. “He hurt you.”
“Yeah.”
I liked Lauren more and more as she took his other hand, holding it tight.
“He made me into a coward. I was ashamed. He had such a grip on me I couldn’t have friends. Nobody would understand what was happenin’ in my house.”
“You’re not a coward. Not ever. Only doin’ what had to be done to get by.” She finally turned my way. “Who’s this?”
Beau’s tear-filled expression landed on me. It was a challenge to stay on my feet with everything I read there. Relief, love, acceptance, and appreciation were all there. His shoulders released their tight hold, relaxing. My extraordinary guy sent a wave of tingles rippling over me, sharing the freeing beauty of his coming out.
“That’s Dash. I met him in Sea Springs.”
The welcoming and relaxed comfort of Beau’s old neighbors also applied to the ones he’d never met. The people who’d bought his parents’ house years ago allowed us to sit on his former boat dock late into the evening. The homeowners went so far as to bring out a space heater to help ameliorate the chill in the air so we’d be more comfortable.
Scott, Lauren, and Katie joined us. Katie arrived about an hour after we did. I sat to the side, keenly watching Beau’s expressions. The tension which I’d believe was his resting face most recently had begun to soften. In its place was a man who thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing over the shared times with his friends.
I found myself unusually quiet, rare indeed for a man who had an opinion on everything. Although Beau and I showed no outward signs that we were a couple, the implication of anuswas clear. A moment to celebrate. We had gotten so much further than I’d expected in such a short time.
Maybe my inner peace was thanks to the cozy jacket snugly hugging me tight. It belonged to Beau, who’d kindly shrugged itoff once the chill creeped into the night air. His captivating scent wove through every fiber of the cloth. A smell that touched the deepest part of who I was. It settled the churn constantly rolling through my head.
I was proud of his friends. No one asked more of Beau than he was willing to give. Especially about me. He only explained that he had discovered he didn’t want to hide after meeting me in Sea Springs and about the way his father rode in and ruined everything.
It felt good to watch him be honest with his friends and himself. The sarcasm he used with me was now gone too. Tiny bits of love began to peek through his now cracking barriers.
After a ton of conditions were issued by Beau, for example my commitment to be the DD tonight, or my promise to slow him down if anything he did looked out of control, he accepted a cold beer from Scott’s case of Bud Light. The alcohol loosened him up and staved off some of the darkness that got in his way. A true beer drinker was born. He had enough to get tipsy, maybe drunk, but not to a concerning level.
“I’m out of here. I stayed longer than I planned,” Katie said, abruptly standing. “I’ve gotta ace a finance exam tomorrow then we’re diving headfirst into the wedding plans…” She beamed down at Lauren.
“It was great to see you,” Beau said and rose. Even on her tiptoes, he still had to bend to accept her hug. His unsteadiness had him gripping a support beam to stay on his feet.
“Let me walk you to your car,” I offered, unwinding from Beau’s jacket. “The big guy over there would probably volunteer, but he may not be the best guide with the way those big feet are stumbling. We can’t risk his pretty face getting scratched up before the pictures on Wednesday.”
“I’ve got this,” Beau insisted then proved my point as he tripped over his feet and had to grab the bench to stay upright. The way he beamed at me proved Beau was a happy drunk.
“Bachelor party tomorrow night,” Scott called out spontaneously giving a solid whoop while lifting the beer. He’d definitely had a lot to drink.
“I promise, Scott never drinks this much. I think he’s nervous,” Lauren explained to me, but Scott was also a happy drunk and wrapped both arms around her, drawing her closer to his side. The can of beer in his hand sloshed onto the fleece blanket wrapped around her. His face nuzzled in her neck.
“I’m not nervous, I’m happy. I got the best girl in the world, gonna be my wife.”
“I can get to my car,” Katie said to me, stepping off onto the trail in the grass. “I’ve made the trip a hundred times.”
“It’s no problem.” I followed, sure to make my etiquette instructor proud. I tucked my fists in Beau’s coat pockets, fine to walk the entire way in silence. Probably even better that way. Who wanted to try to answer questions Beau might not like?
“It’s good to see him smiling again,” Katie said, once out of earshot of the others. “Are you good?”
“Sure,” I said, puzzled by the odd question. “I haven’t spent a lot of time in the countryside…”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said, slowing her steps but not stopping. “He’s been through so much, and you two are very different people.”
Maybe it was her approach because I certainly didn’t allow anyone to trample on my and Beau’s future, but I actually let her words simmer. Honestly, I never felt like Beau and I were that different—only on the surface. The minor aesthetics that didn’t matter.
“We used to be more in sync than now, but I’m crazy about him. None of that’s changed. I’ve been patient. I knew it wasbad for him, but he used to be so strong willed. I thought he could handle…” I stopped dead in my tracks, my gaze colliding with Katie’s. “I didn’t mean it the way that might have sounded. He was always nervous about his father. When we were in Sea Springs, he didn’t mind his absence…”
