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I lean down to kiss her forehead. “I could be fine with it for you.”
“NEIL, I THINK you went overboard,” Audra says as we look at all our purchases from todays shopping trip. The week has flown by between school, games, and work. I never knew that I could actually enjoy shopping. Well, I somewhat did. Audra ooh'd and ahh'd over every little thing we saw. That part was fun to watch.
“I didn't go overboard,” I laugh. Okay, maybe I did, but can you really ever have too many baby clothes? I didn't buy the entire store, so it's fine. Next time, we'll buy the other practical things she'll need. “Come sit.” I sit on the couch and pat the space next to me. When she does, I pat my lap. She doesn't even make a remark, which tells me she either really likes me doing this, or she really wants it. Maybe both.
I rub her feet and her calves over her jeans, earning an appreciative moan. “Y'all still coming tonight?”
“Yep. Ma's excited, which surprises me. I don't know why, but I think she likes you.”
“Hey!”
Audra smiles. “I didn't mean it like that. I just mean she hasn't really been around you enough to have a valid opinion of you.” Her hand goes to her stomach. “Do you still want me to go tomorrow?”
“If you're willing.”
“I am.” She swallows hard. “Are you nervous? I'm nervous.”
“Yeah, a little.” My honesty surprises her. “I'm not worried about how they are going to treat you or react because they are the best people I know. I'm more worried about myself and how you're going to feel. It has to be a little scary that you're meeting her family.”
She nods. “What about you? Why are you worried about yourself?”
With a deep breath, I answer, “Before I told you, I haven't talked about her since the funeral. It's...” I gulp, my throat tightening. “It's hard, Audra. My past and my present are clashing.”
She pulls her legs out of my lap, moves closer to me, and takes my hand. “Thanks for being open and honest with me, Neil. I really appreciate it.”
I smile at her, really wanting to get away from this topic. “Can I do something for you?”
Audra looks at me skeptically. “What?”
“Is that a yes?”
“You aren't going to tell me?”
“No, but I promise it'll be worth it.”
Reluctantly, she nods. I stand, and she follows me to the her bathroom. Wordlessly, she follows my orders when I ask her to take off her pants and get her legs good and wet. When she finishes, she puts the toilet seat down and sits. I grab her razor and shaving cream, sit on the edge of the tub, and pull a leg onto my lap.
“Really? You're going to do this?” she asks surprised.
“Yeah. You said it was too much work, and I figured it would make you feel better, so...”
“Okay.”
I lather up the shaving cream, rubbing it over the top and sides of her leg, and then lean back to rinse my hand under the spigot. I'll have to get the back of her legs later. Carefully, I begin to shave her legs. When I glance up at her, she's looking at me a bit strangely.
“What?”
“I just...I never thought you would be this type of guy.”
I grin. “It's amazing what you learn when you actually get to know a person.”
She sighs and frowns, making me stop what I'm doing to look up at her. “Don't make me feel bad, Neil. I feel like I always say the wrong thing to you anyway.”
“You're saying what you think. There's nothing wrong with that, Audra.”
That seems to satisfy her, so I go back to shaving her legs. It takes a while because of how we're doing it, but when I'm done, Audra surprises me by giving me a soft kiss on the lips.
“Thank you.”
