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Sunday morning arrived too early. As soon as I felt Minty shift to move from the bed, I snagged her around the waist and pulled her back against my chest. “Stay here,” I demanded.
“Next Sunday, I promise, you can keep me in bed as long as you want. Today’s the last craft fair.” She nestled her butt back into my groin. “I’m only doing a half day.”
“Yeah? You’re coming with me to the barbecue?” Barrett and Willa invited the band over to their place around four o’clock. Because of the craft fair, Minty had planned to meet me there.
“Yes, Captain. After I drop the girls off at the house. You happy now?” she teased.
I hugged her closer. “I am.”
By three-thirty, we were packing my potato salad, Minty’s cookies, and my acoustic into the car.
“You’ll play tonight?”
I raised my eyebrows, surprised she’d ask, then realized she’d never been to one of these with us before. “Sure. Barrett will have his. Lenny and Bax might bring something. At some point, somebody will be playing something.”
A smile broke over her face like the rising of the sun. “That’s lovely!”
I took in her beautiful face. Before she came into my life, I believed I was happy. I wasn’t unhappy, but looking back, all the days ran into each other, a monotonous routine.
“You’re more beautiful than the breaking of the dawn,” I murmured, touching my finger to the softness of her cheek. “You make every day new.”
Always the flash of surprise, then she would duck her head for a moment before smiling, wonder and disbelief reflected in her gaze. I prayed for the day that flash meant happiness, the wonder and disbelief relegated to a thing of the past.
The properties in Bridgewater were generally larger than those in Milltown. Barrett and Willa’s home was no exception. Gardens, an outdoor fireplace, scattered nooks with comfortable outdoor seating, and a patio table filled out the space along with covered areas to shield from the sun.
I could not help but compare it to my own yard furnished with fold-up loungers and wondered what changes Minty might make when she moved in. Then I wondered when that might be. Something told me not to push. I’d never been an impatient man but wanting this the way I did made it difficult to wait.
Much like the first barbecue, I watched Minty from afar with her girls. It struck me anew how well she fit in although she held herself slightly apart. More so than she did with Amber and Ruby, although there appeared to be no lack of love between Minty, Junie, and Willa.
Complicated. An enigma. Layers upon layers.
I pictured a spectrum depicting Minty’s openness with the various people in her life and I wondered where I fit on the scale.
From the moment I met her, I'd longed to slip behind the veil and that had not changed. I wanted to know her mind, feel her body, hold her heart. More than anything, I wanted her to know that her heart was safe with mine.
She sat with her ankles crossed, her face soft, Rena cuddled against her breast. Between us lay the length of the backyard. I pulled my phone out and took a picture of Minty’s veggie sausages on Lenny’s hibachi, being sure to capture Minty’s blurry image in the background.
Hours later, our stomachs full, we gathered around the outdoor fireplace while Rena slept inside. A high-tech baby monitor the likes of which I’d never seen sat on the small table between Barrett and Willa, visible to both of them.
Even Bax stayed. I hadn’t expected that. Quieter even than Barrett, he was slow to integrate with the rest of the band, though he showed up for rehearsals religiously and there were no complaints about his performance. We were lucky to find him after the Sarah debacle the summer before.
Barrett refreshed drinks then sat down with his guitar. Willa lay her head back against the back of her seat and closed her eyes, a small smile on her face. I wonder if she knew how often Barrett’s gaze turned to rest on her face.
Bax joined in with a harmonica and tears sprung to Minty’s eyes.
I squeezed her thigh. “You okay?”
She smiled through her tears. “My dad used to play.”
I intertwined my fingers with hers and sat back in my seat, oddly satisfied that she had that sweet memory. I thought of my own parents, the photo albums stuffed with happy memories lining the bookshelves in the family room and knew I wanted to make those with Minty.
“You want to take over for a bit, Lucky?” Barrett tucked his guitar around behind him.
“Sure,” I cleared my throat.
Nerves. On the days Minty stayed at her place, I’d been busy. There were things I needed to say to her, but I had no words. In this way, I could borrow them.
“I’ve got two new ones. Three if you count the one Minty and I learned together.”
