Word of Honor, Book 2 (36 page)

Everyone burst out laughing again, including Aaron who was blushing once again at his poor choice of words.

“If you need a helpin’ hand, I’ll become your assistant, your hired hand, your handyman and the foreman, too. If you can’t breathe, I’ll turn into the air; osmosis will commence.

“If you’re tired, I’ll lie down and let you turn me into a mattress for as long as you need. If you’re sad, I’ll be your personal jester until I get that beautiful smile outta you. If you’re hungry, I’ll catch a hundred fish, go huntin’ in the woods, pluck the freshest fruit from all the trees and bring them to you. If you’re scared, I’ll stand outside with outstretched arms and block the night and dare the boogey man to come mess with what’s me and mine. You will
never
want and need for nothin’! ’Cause what do I always tell you, baby?” He grabbed her by her waist, drawing a few ‘awwws’ and coos as he took command not only of her ears and eyes, but her body and soul, too.

“That you’ve got this…”

“You
damn
right!”

The crowd burst out in applause as he pressed his lips to hers, made her turn into putty in his embrace. After a few moments, he released her, and the minister pronounced them husband and wife. Trudy quickly grabbed the microphone and announced wedding reception details while the crowd began to murmur and get to their feet in order to extend their congratulations.

Mia suddenly paused, her brows furrowed as she ran her finger across her forehead.

“Did you feel that?”

“Feel what, baby?” Aaron asked, soon distracted by people coming up and shaking his hand, then doing the same to her.

“Rain… and there’s another one! It wasn’t supposed to rain until this evening.”

Sure enough another plop came and then another…

“Oh my God, we have to get out of here. My dress is going to be ruined!” Soon, light rain began to fall, and people hastened toward the nearby enclosure for the party, while others lingered to greet the newlyweds. Trudy once again grabbed the microphone and screamed into the thing, causing it to whistle and whine with static.

“Everyone, go on inside the hall, please! You can extend your congratulations to the new couple in
there
.” The rain came down harder and harder, causing pockets of laughter, muttered curses, and light screams as people raced inside, where music began to bellow and a lovely five tier black and white cake awaited them. Mia began to take flight, but someone caught her arm, causing her to boomerang and bounce right back.

“Where do you think you’re goin’?” Aaron pulled her close and they were soon drenched.

“Oh my God! Look at me?” she stated pitifully as she struggled in his grip, wishing to salvage the little bit of luck she had left.

“I
am
lookin’ at you… That’s why I still have you here.”

She looked around, realizing they were all alone. The rain was coming down so hard now, she was soaked to the bone, and as the drops collected across the man’s forehead and dripped off the tip of his nose, he tipped her chin upward. Then, he pressed his lips with a million years’ worth of passion on hers, moaned into her mouth and slowly, so slowly, as if they had all the time in the world, slipped his tongue inside of her mouth. He double fisted her ass, gave it a hard, possessive squeeze. After a short while, he released her.

In silence, he took her hand, intertwining their fingers, and they walked as husband and wife out of the raging storm, into the warmth and security of a promising new future that lay ahead…

T
HE EARLY EVENING
breeze ushered in the scent of the nearby river. The odors of damp moss, algae, and Earth intertwined, creating the intoxicating concoction he’d learned to love. The body of water was bursting with life, and he found himself standing out there often, trying to clear his mind. Aaron glanced up at the stars, barely in their full, sparkling glory as the night had not reached its true pitch-black potential. He slid his phone out of his pocket, glanced over his shoulder at the back of his home, then, on a sigh, turned back to dial the number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, uh.” Aaron slid his hand into his jeans pocket and began to slowly pace back and forth, causing the grass under his construction boots to flatten with each step. “Dr. Owens?”

There was a brief pause, and then light laughter on the other end.

“Well, my, my, my. What did I do to deserve this? It must’ve been pretty bad, whatever it was,” the man teased. Aaron broke out in a grin as he continued to walk back and forth, occasionally looking at the water that rippled from the fragrant zephyr.

“I just wanted to say hello and to thank you. I never actually thanked you, you know, for everything you’d done for me.”

“Aaron, you are welcome,” Dr. Owens said after a small pause. “Speaking of which, I did receive the wedding invitation and I’m deeply sorry that I wasn’t able to attend. I hope you and Mia enjoy the gift I sent nevertheless.”

Aaron shrugged. “Yeah, the gift card was nice, thanks, but the paintin’, well, you really made my day with that. Thank you; that was real thoughtful of you. I know you loved it.”

“I did. It was one of my favorites, but you needed it far more than I…”

“I’m uh, a little uncomfortable.”

“I can tell.” Dr. Owens laughed lightly.

“I have problems with stuff like this sometimes… Hope I didn’t disturb you, take you away from anything.”

“I just got back home from the grocery store, actually. I am putting things away.”

“Well, before I let you get back to that, I also wanted to…apologize to you for the shitty things I said to you… like makin’ fun of you for bein’ gay. You were right, by the way. I don’t really care about who you’re sleepin’ with, or anyone else for that matter. That ain’t none of my business. I was just trying to hurt you because I didn’t like what you were doin’ to me.”

“I knew you were, Aaron,” he stated calmly. “Also, not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but I am not a homosexual.”

Aaron stopped pacing at the declaration.

“Oh… well, I’m sorry for sayin’ it anyway. Didn’t matter if you were or weren’t. I said a lot of things to you that were uncalled for, and I’m sorry for all of ’em.”

“Thank you again, Aaron. I really appreciate you calling me and apologizing. I honestly do. The greatest thank you from you however is how you are living your life now. I cannot begin to express how proud I am of you and I wish you and Mia the best. I do hope that you stay in touch. Would it be okay if I emailed or called you from time to time? You know, just to see how you two are doing?”

“Oh, I’d love that, Dr. Owens.” Aaron’s lips curved in a big, satisfied grin. “Most definitely! You know, Mia talks about you all the time. I’m outside and she’s in the house or I’d put her on the phone right now, but…I think we’d both like to hear from you, and please come up and visit if you ever feel so inclined, too. You are our matchmaker after all, in your own sort of way.”

They both chuckled.

“I may just do that one day, Aaron. In the meantime, you take care of yourself and each other, okay?”

“I will. You kinda sounded like Jerry Springer when you said that.”

“What are you referencing?”

“He says, ‘Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other’ at the end of his trashy show all the time…like he’s full of untapped wisdom when he just let two half-witted cousins prance around his stage, fightin’ over another cousin they might be sleepin’ with! It’s a terrible show, Dr. Owens, but it entertained me when I was in the penitentiary.” Aaron tried to keep from laughing again, but it was no use. He was having a flashback of some of the antics he’d witnessed on television; sometimes, this had been a much needed distraction, despite the senselessness of the programming.

“Oh, I’m not familiar with his show.”

“I wouldn’t think you’d be… doesn’t seem your style. Never mind me. Just bein’ silly is all.”

“That’s fine. Sometimes laughter helps us survive another day… Aaron, before you go, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Darryl went to the nurse a few weeks ago and asked to see me. He wanted to voluntarily begin therapy with me. I can’t tell you how he’s doing, but… he was motivated by
you
, and I’ll just leave it at that.”

Aaron’s chest seized up as his eyes glossed over. He dropped the phone from his ear and glanced back out at the river as his emotions ran amuck within him.

I’ll love you always, my brother! Always!

After taking a few deep breaths, he placed the phone back to his ear.

“Thank you for tellin’ me, Dr. Owens. That’s good to hear. I miss ’im so damn much. I was happy to find out though that his case is going up for appeal, and there’s a chance the sentence will be changed to life in prison.”

“Yes, and I hope he receives that opportunity. Well, please tell Mia hello for me. I really must go. Company will be here soon.” Aaron could hear what sounded like plastic bags rustling in the background. His forehead wrinkled in confusion, and then a devious smile creased his face.

“…A lady?”

Dr. Owens burst out laughing. “Yes, Mr. Pike…a lady.”

“That’s… that’s great. You go on and have a good time. I’ll talk to you soon. Enjoy your evenin’, Dr. Owens.”

“Likewise.” And then, Aaron disconnected the call.

He looked back out at the river, taking notice of a large dragonfly zooming in a constant corkscrew pattern close to a tall, thin tree that looked as if it were trying to dip one of its fractured branches into the stream and take a taste of the flowing water. The insect moved to the far left, then the far right, repeating the process over and over, as if he were lost, not certain if it was coming or going.

I used to feel like that, movin’ around and gettin’ nowhere at all. But I know a little about huntin’ and fishin’. Sometimes I used dragonflies as bait, and they’re interesting little creatures…real fascinatin’. The dragonflies know exactly where they are goin’ and what they’re doing. All that zigzaggin’ ain’t them being lost and confused; it’s them trying to find a mate, by seein’ how she moves to determine if she is their type or not.

Sometimes, it’s them tryin’ to see some prey from multiple vantage points, to plan
their best course of action. Ain’t no shame in that, because they know their purpose and what they’re supposed to be doing, even if others that look at them don’t understand it at all. My old friends don’t understand me anymore. They see me as movin’ around like that – erratic, dazed and confused. But sometimes, you gotta zigzag to find where you fit in, to get to know yourself, to find the right lady for you and understand that when you thought you had the world all figured out, you didn’t know a damn thing at all…

Chapter Sixteen

…Two months later

F
LATWOODS
E
LEMENTARY
S
CHOOL
in Braxton County lacked the shades of the rainbow, the hues that Mia saw as the beauty of the world. It was startling when she walked into the place for an interview as a Special Education teacher, feeling as if she were the only drop of chocolate in the entire place.