ride with Micah and Gina.” She frowned. “I suppose we’ll be returning soon for the funeral.”
“Don’t feel like you have to,” I assured her. “Your schedule is busy, and it’s a long drive, a real time suck.”
Her frown deepened. “Nonsense. I want to be with you for something like that. That’s what people in love do, support each other.”
I suddenly recalled my army buddies, how we’d had each other’s backs no matter what. I’d lost most of my platoon before being captured and had mustered out with my head all twisted up, feeling a gaping hole at the loss of those brothers. But I had family now, my actual brothers, who I’d never really appreciated until recently, and Leah, soon to be my wife and partner for life, not to mention the mother of my kid. I had a wide safety net spread below me, a comforting quilt of love and affection wrapped around me. I wasn’t in a dark hole alone anymore.
I leaned to kiss her. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Leah rested her forehead against mine. “And I appreciate you .”
Behind her, Micah, who was standing on the other side of Gina, made a gagging sound as he glanced over. “I’m going to go into a diabetic coma if you two don’t cut it out.”
I flipped him off over Leah’s shoulder and resumed kissing my beautiful fiancée.
Chapter Ten
Gina
Two weeks later
I smoothed Micah’s auburn hair. A few wisps had escaped the slicked-back style he wore that day. “Are you gonna be okay?” I whispered, gauging his mood beneath his half-smiling exterior. I knew my man enough now to understand he was a “tears of a clown” kinda guy. A smile didn’t always mean he was happy. And this was the day of his father’s funeral. It didn’t matter that Jesse Wyatt was an absolute douche. That had to strike a chord deep inside more-sensitive-than-he-let-on Micah.
He chuckled. “Don’t be so dramatic. It’s a funeral we all knew was coming. I wasn’t close to the guy. It doesn’t affect me that much. Hell, I’d care more if it were one of your parents. They actually mean something to me.”
I brushed the front of his striped vest, though there wasn’t a speck on it. “All right. Just checking. But if you need one, I have a packet of tissues in my purse.”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to cry . Men don’t cry.”
“Okay.”
I got my jacket and purse from the bed of the motel room where we were staying this time. It had only been about a week and a half since our trip to Lexington for the wedding. I couldn’t really afford more time off work, but there was no way I’d let Micah go without me. As much as he claimed it wasn’t a big deal, I knew he needed me there.
We got Leah and J.D. from their room next to ours and drove to the cemetery in Sawville. The service would be graveside, no funeral home or church. Jesse had been gone from the area for years, and when he left, he’d angered a lot of people. The Wyatt boys didn’t expect a big turnout.
Besides the six of us, only one old friend of Jesse’s showed up. He happened to stand near me, and I had to turn my head to breathe, the stench of body odor and booze was so strong.
The minister said a few generic words about the value of every life. Hard to find anything positive in Jesse Wyatt’s, so he kept it simple, then invited the boys to speak if they wished. Jonah shook his head. Micah coughed. Only J.D. spoke up.
“Our father wasn’t an easy man to love. He didn’t give any of us much cause to celebrate his life. But these last few days, sitting by his bedside, I’ve had a lot of time to think.” He frowned and stared at the plain wood coffin poised above the open hole.
“I believe sometimes there’s a sort of grace in offering respect even when it’s unearned, a spiritual moment in joining together to say good-bye. We survived Dad’s neglect to become worthwhile men, so maybe we owe him a little something simply for making our lives possible.” J.D.
“Don’t feel like you have to,” I assured her. “Your schedule is busy, and it’s a long drive, a real time suck.”
Her frown deepened. “Nonsense. I want to be with you for something like that. That’s what people in love do, support each other.”
I suddenly recalled my army buddies, how we’d had each other’s backs no matter what. I’d lost most of my platoon before being captured and had mustered out with my head all twisted up, feeling a gaping hole at the loss of those brothers. But I had family now, my actual brothers, who I’d never really appreciated until recently, and Leah, soon to be my wife and partner for life, not to mention the mother of my kid. I had a wide safety net spread below me, a comforting quilt of love and affection wrapped around me. I wasn’t in a dark hole alone anymore.
I leaned to kiss her. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Leah rested her forehead against mine. “And I appreciate you .”
Behind her, Micah, who was standing on the other side of Gina, made a gagging sound as he glanced over. “I’m going to go into a diabetic coma if you two don’t cut it out.”
I flipped him off over Leah’s shoulder and resumed kissing my beautiful fiancée.
Chapter Ten
Gina
Two weeks later
I smoothed Micah’s auburn hair. A few wisps had escaped the slicked-back style he wore that day. “Are you gonna be okay?” I whispered, gauging his mood beneath his half-smiling exterior. I knew my man enough now to understand he was a “tears of a clown” kinda guy. A smile didn’t always mean he was happy. And this was the day of his father’s funeral. It didn’t matter that Jesse Wyatt was an absolute douche. That had to strike a chord deep inside more-sensitive-than-he-let-on Micah.
He chuckled. “Don’t be so dramatic. It’s a funeral we all knew was coming. I wasn’t close to the guy. It doesn’t affect me that much. Hell, I’d care more if it were one of your parents. They actually mean something to me.”
I brushed the front of his striped vest, though there wasn’t a speck on it. “All right. Just checking. But if you need one, I have a packet of tissues in my purse.”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to cry . Men don’t cry.”
“Okay.”
I got my jacket and purse from the bed of the motel room where we were staying this time. It had only been about a week and a half since our trip to Lexington for the wedding. I couldn’t really afford more time off work, but there was no way I’d let Micah go without me. As much as he claimed it wasn’t a big deal, I knew he needed me there.
We got Leah and J.D. from their room next to ours and drove to the cemetery in Sawville. The service would be graveside, no funeral home or church. Jesse had been gone from the area for years, and when he left, he’d angered a lot of people. The Wyatt boys didn’t expect a big turnout.
Besides the six of us, only one old friend of Jesse’s showed up. He happened to stand near me, and I had to turn my head to breathe, the stench of body odor and booze was so strong.
The minister said a few generic words about the value of every life. Hard to find anything positive in Jesse Wyatt’s, so he kept it simple, then invited the boys to speak if they wished. Jonah shook his head. Micah coughed. Only J.D. spoke up.
“Our father wasn’t an easy man to love. He didn’t give any of us much cause to celebrate his life. But these last few days, sitting by his bedside, I’ve had a lot of time to think.” He frowned and stared at the plain wood coffin poised above the open hole.
“I believe sometimes there’s a sort of grace in offering respect even when it’s unearned, a spiritual moment in joining together to say good-bye. We survived Dad’s neglect to become worthwhile men, so maybe we owe him a little something simply for making our lives possible.” J.D.
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