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She glances at her wedding ring.
"I put all my hopes and dreams on David," she whispers. "I gave him my whole heart. And then he was gone, and I've been thinking ever since that...that maybe it was me. Maybe it was my fault that I didn't fight harder to make him stay, that I gave him permission to go."
"It wasn't your fault," I assure her. "It wasn't your fault."
"I know that. Or...rationally I know that," she frowns. "But...I might be overbearing, Evan. I might get worried and you canneverturn off your phone because maybe I'll panic and I'll want to call you and talk right away. Because I don't trust...I don't trust that you're safe..."
I wrap my arms around her as she dissolves, tucking her face against my chest. Her shoulders heave and she sobs, my t-shirt already wet with tears as she lets it all go.
She finally slows down enough to whisper, "I think I might need therapy."
I can't help but laugh, and she laughs through the tears with me as she looks up again. I stroke her hair back from her face and smile. "I'll always keep my phone on," I promise. "Rule number one."
"Okay," she says. "Thank you."
She leans back just a little to grab her wine, and gulps down a big swallow. I take her by the shoulders and squeeze gently. "If you're gonna be drinking like that, let's get you fed," I murmur.
"Chinese?" she asks.
"Sounds great," I reply. "Let me get that ordered...and then we can talk."
We spend the whole night talking.
We talk a lot about David--about what happened between them, what led to him joining the military, how she asked him to stay...and how she ultimately told him to go. We dig out pictures from their wedding and I'm struck by how young she was, how happy they looked.
I'll make her that happy when I put a ring of my own on her finger.
I already know it's going to happen.
Then...we start talking logistics.
"So about Alex," I start. "I know you're worried about him knowing, and I don't want that to be an issue. We should tell him as soon as possible."
She nods. "Honestly...I think he already knows. He's a smart kid."
"So we tell him tomorrow," I say. "If you approve, of course. You're his mama, I'm not gonna step on any toes."
"It will be such a relief to just tell him and stop hiding it," she says, brushing her hand back through her hair. "And then...wait, Evan. Where are you going to live?"
"I'm going to get my own place," I say. "Don't want to rush you."
"Right," she says, nodding. "Okay. That's good. And what are you going to do?"
"Work with my brothers on their contracting gigs around town," I say, "or...pick up some animal rescue work if possible."
She reaches out and takes my hand, her eyes wide. "You really thought about this, didn't you?"
I give her a confused smile. "You uh...you didn't think I did?"
"I just figured this was an impulsive,I love you, kind of thing," she says. "But you've been thinking about it for a while?"
I nod. "Yeah...I meant to tell you when I was at Safe Harbor the other day, but I got awkward and weird and it felt wrong to ambush you at work."
She laughs softly. "I would prefer not to cry this much at work, so...that was probably for the best."
We both go quiet, holding hands on the couch. The wine has made me warm and comfortable, and I feel that familiar pull to take her to bed.
But she swallows hard, meeting my eyes.
