“Well, anyway, I’ll be glad for the girl time to get me through it as much as we can fit it in. Thankfully, I still have a thriving wedding business to run, so I’m sure that’ll help.”
I waved at a math teacher who’d just walked in, resumed my seat on the couch, and spoke lower now that I wasn’t alone. “I’ve heard distraction is the best tool for getting through a deployment. I’m sure you won’t have any problems staying busy.”
“Busy is my middle name.”
“It sure is. Okay, well, I’ll let you go if you’re okay, but like I told Shelby, I’ll call you tomorrow after they leave to check on you. Until then, enjoy your last night with your new hubby.”
“Thank you, I will.”
We got off the phone, and I dropped back onto the couch, busting into my Snickers and taking a huge bite. Yeah, this was good. Those commercials were accurate about Snickers fixing everything, it seemed.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I jumped, hoping it was a text from Zac. Relief coursed through me when I read the screen. It must have been a quick and uneventful call for him to be done already, and those were my favorite kind.
Zac: Back at the office doing my reports. Nothing exciting happened.
Me: Good.
Zac: Hey, exciting can be fun. Makes the day go by quicker. Beats doing paperwork, that’s for sure.
Me: I’d rather you be bored. Bored = safe.
Zac: If you say so. Hey, I was thinking we could go out on a real date this week. What night works for you?
Since I got up at four-thirty to get some me time, prep for the day, get ready, and arrive at school an hour early, I usually went to bed around eight. Unless it was summer or another break, I was a bit of a party pooper on weeknights. But with Zac’s rotating schedule, our version of a weeknight wasn’t always the same. I bit my lip, hoping it’d work out this time.
Me: Friday or Saturday?
Zac: Friday, it is.
Me: Great. :)
There was a long pause, and for a second, I wondered if he’d gotten called away again. I ate my Snickers, eyes on the screen, waiting to see if the little dots would appear to signal that he was typing again.
They did, and I held my breath.
Zac: Question.
Me: Answer.
Zac: I know where we stand with most of this starting over stuff, but what about saying I love you? Are we allowed to do that? Or are we pretending we don’t, and we’re starting over with that, too?
Air burst through my nostrils, and I shook my head. He was too much.
Me: Well, since honesty is a big part of trust, I guess we want to be honest. We’re taking it slow and being careful with Grayson, but we can still have real feelings.
Zac: Okay, good.
Me: Good.
Zac: Layla?
I smiled, looking down as I chewed my bite of Snickers so the math teacher didn’t see me over here swooning for this man.
Me: Yes?
Zac: I love you.
Me: I love you too.