Chapter Nine

The ensuing week was about moving forward.

Hunt carried the little rocking chair to the attic, and Lainie put a potted plant in its place.

After a last trip to Dr. Wagner, he declared her feet healed and cleared her to return to work. She was put back on the roster for the following Monday, but her car had been sitting in the garage for so long that Hunt took it to a garage to be serviced before she started driving it again.

"You're as handy to have around as a pocket on a shirt," Lainie said, when he came back and dropped the car keys in her hand.

"If I'm gonna be a pocket, I want to be the one on the backside of your pants," he said, and kissed her soundly.

She laughed and the Universe took her joy, bound it with a thousand others and sent it out into the world.

He was still reeling from the joy on her face as he stroked the tip of his finger along her cheek. "No bruises left."

"I know. I'm me again," she said.

"Are you ready to take another ride?" he asked.

It was the tone in his voice. "Where to?" she asked.

"The courthouse. To get that marriage license."

Lainie gasped. "Yes, oh yes, but my hair's a mess. I need to change clothes, and..."

He pulled a little black velvet box from the pocket of his flight jacket and opened it, revealing the diamond-encrusted wedding band inside.

Her throat tightened with emotion. "Oh, Hunt. It's beautiful. I'll brush my hair and get my purse," she said, then bolted.

He shouted down the hall, "I expect the same level of excitement when I take you to bed tonight!"

He could hear her laughing, and wondered what her reaction would be when she found out he would be flying choppers for the National Park Service in Denver. After their diligence in searching for Lainie, he liked the thought of being part of that.

TWOHOURSLATER, they were standing in the corner of the court clerk's office, before a justice of the peace. Lainie was holding a bouquet of daisies, still wrapped in the cellophane from the supermarket, while the lines of people in the clerk's office waiting to be served, now stood as witnesses.

They'd already figured out who the bride and groom were. Everyone knew her name. And their story. And now they were seeing them in the flesh, witnessing their marriage.

Phones were recording the vows. Pictures were being taken. And when Hunter Gray slipped the ring on her finger and kissed his wife for the very first time, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

"We're married! We're finally married," Lainie whispered.

"And I get to call you my wife," Hunt said.

"Gator's wife," she corrected. "We need another picture to send the guys!" She turned to face the crowd. "Wedding pictures! Will somebody take pictures of us?"

The volunteers were endless. Pictures were taken on both of their phones, and Lainie thanked them profusely when they gave them back.

"I'd throw my bouquet, but I'm pretty sure these daisies are on their last legs. All I'd do is make a mess for somebody else to clean up, so I'm going to take them home and let them shed on my table."

"And, without a threshold to carry her over, I'll have to settle for the exit," Hunt said, then swooped her up in his arms and carried her out the door.

VIDEOSANDPHOTOSwith accompanying stories were hitting the internet before they even got home, but they wouldn't have cared. Their plans involved making love, and opening that bottle of champagne they'd been saving, and making love, then emptying the bottle.

Their wedding dinner was pizza with everything, compliments of SliceWorks and served by DoorDash. There were no pictures involved. They weren't wearing enough clothing for modesty's sake.

BACKIN NEW ORLEANS, a little gray-haired lady named Millie Swayze was sitting in her recliner with her feet up, a laptop in her lap and a bowl of cheese puffs beside her, eating away as she scrolled through Facebook.

When she came to a post she'd been tagged in, she stopped and read it.

Check it out. Meant to be, her friend said, and attached a video.

Millie clicked it. The images of the people in the video were a little fuzzy, and the sound wasn't great, but when she realized what she was seeing, and who they were, she started laughing and crying.

"Praise the Lord! Good for you, babies...good for you! You beat them, and you beat the odds!" She licked the cheese dust off her fingers, then reached for a tissue to wipe her eyes. "Now I can die happy! But in the meantime, I'll be sipping a little wine cooler to toast your long and happy lives."

LAINIEPICKEDOUTthe best picture from the wedding and once again posted it on social media with the heading...

GATOR AND LAINIE GRAY

WEDDING FINALLY HAPPENED!

UNTIL DEATH DO US PART.

HOOYAH!

This time it was T-Bone who saw the post first, and quickly shared it to the team with a caption. This is how you do happy-ever-after.

WHENLOCALMEDIAin New Orleans picked up the final chapter to their story, both sets of parents saw it.

Greg and Tina were in the throes of a divorce, so the news only added to the bitterness between them. The acrimony within their lives had destroyed their marriage, destroyed their family, and coming from old money wasn't enough to save their name. And the worst blow of all was that in spite of everything they'd destroyed, they'd never been able to change their daughter's heart.

Lainie loved with a passion far stronger than their hate.

CHUCKAND brENDAhadn't changed their spots. He was driving a forklift at a warehouse down by the river, and Brenda was waiting tables four days a week. They came home angry and went to bed drunk, still following the path of least resistance. Knowing Hunt and Lainie were married was what they'd expected to happen. There was no coming back from their part in any of it. They'd lost his love when they broke his trust, but if their son was happy, then it was enough.

ITWASSTILLdark when Hunt kissed Lainie goodbye.

"Happy first day back at work," he whispered, and pulled the covers up over her shoulders.

"What time is it?" she mumbled.

"You still have a couple of hours before your alarm goes off. Love you, darlin'. I'll be late coming home."

"Doesn't matter, as long as you do. Love you forever. Fly safe."

"Always," he said, and then he was gone.

She listened until she heard his Jeep starting up, and then rolled over and closed her eyes.

WHENSHEWOKEup again, the house was quiet. She rolled over and stretched, then threw back the covers and headed for the shower. The rat race was on.

When she got into the car and backed out of the garage, it felt strange to be back behind the wheel, but that sensation quickly faded. By the time she got to the hospital and parked, she could have almost convinced herself it had all been a horrible nightmare, but for Hunt's presence in her life and the ring on her finger.

From the time she entered the building, all the way to the staff lockers, she was greeted with big smiles and warm hugs. When she got to her office, there were flowers on her desk.

She pulled the card and smiled: Love you, Hunt

After that, the morning flew by. When it came time for lunch, she headed to the cafeteria.

Charis saw her coming and waved, indicating she'd saved her a chair.

The moment Lainie sat down with her tray, Charis squealed. "Girl...you're all over social media, and you beat me to the altar. Let me see that ring!"

Lainie lifted her hand, eyeing the circlet of diamonds glittering on her finger.

"It's so you," Charis said. "Gorgeous, elegant and understated. I was kind of hoping Hunt would drop by with you."

"He left for work before I did. He sent flowers. They're on my desk."

"Oh, wow! What's he doing?"

"Flying helicopters for the National Park Service here in Denver."

Charis leaned in and lowered her voice. "Can we talk about Randall for a sec?"

Lainie frowned. "Only if it's bad news for him."

"He got ten years with no possibility of parole, and there are other women who've come forward to file similar charges against him."

Lainie picked up her fork and jammed it into the slice of meat loaf on her plate. "Shame they don't still hang people," she said, and popped the bite into her mouth.

Their lunch was quick, and they both headed off in separate directions—Charis back to the fourth floor, and Lainie to set up for an MRI. After that, time passed quickly.

Lainie clocked out and headed for her car. Winter hours made for short days of daylight, and she still needed to go by a supermarket before she went home. Even the simple act of shopping for Hunt was a joy. She had a husband she loved to take care of.

He liked Snickers bars and Pepsi, and big salads with everything in them. He didn't like anything to do with peppermint, and loved her soaking tub, and Creole blackened fish, fried a little on the crisp side.

She drove home in the dark, and was grateful when the garage light came on as she was pulling in. Once the door was down, she carried in the groceries, then paused to flip on the wall switch to the gas fireplace as she headed to her room to change. Within seconds, flames were dancing behind the glass.

It was habit that made her look toward the end of the hearth. Little bear had always been there to greet her, but no more. She sighed, then put her hand over her heart.

"It's okay, baby...you're in here now," she whispered, then went down the hall to change clothes.

She wasn't sure when Hunt would get home, but when he did, she'd be waiting. This was their new normal, and it was good. As soon as she changed, she hurried back to the kitchen and started making a roux. It would take a good thirty minutes to get the dark, rich flavors she was looking for. She'd bought shrimp that had already been cleaned, and had all of the other components on the shelf, or in the freezer. This was the perfect night for some Creole gumbo and rice.

A couple of hours later, gumbo thick with shrimp, okra and andouille sausage was simmering on the back burner, rice was in the steamer and a pitcher of sweet tea was in the fridge. She'd already had a shower and changed into warm sweats and fuzzy socks, and was sitting in the recliner with a glass of tea when she saw headlights flash through the curtains.

Her heart skipped. He was home.

HUNTCAMERUSHINGinto the house, trying to outrun the cold before it snuck in behind him. Even as he was closing the door, she was coming to meet him.

"Louisiana in the house!" he said, then kissed her soundly. "Thank you, Lord, for the woman I come home to," he said. "What is that heavenly smell?"

Lainie grinned. "You mean besides me? It could be the gumbo simmering on the stove."

All the teasing ended. The smile slid off his face, and then he hugged her.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"In Iraq... I dreamed of gumbo and rice, and endless glasses of sweet tea."

She shivered. "Talk about being on the same wavelength. That's our dinner tonight."

He hugged her again. "Is it done...ready to eat?"

"Yep."

"Lord, have mercy...give me a few," he said, and bolted down the hall.

"I'll just be in the kitchen," she said, to no one listening, and went to get the pot of gumbo off the burner.

She had dishes at the ready, glasses filled and rice in the bowls when he came back.

He leaned over to smell the gumbo and closed his eyes. "It smells as good as you look," he said, then kissed the back of her neck. "You worked all day, and then it's obvious you've been working ever since you came home. You sit. I can ladle gumbo over rice without making a mess."

"Deal," she said, and carried their glasses to the table, then watched the play of muscles on his back as he dipped and poured.

He carried the bowls to the table, then sat down beside her. "I gotta taste this before we start talking," he said.

"It's hot. Don't burn your mouth."

He winked. "Yes, ma'am."

Since he'd been warned, the first taste was tentative, but from the look on his face when he chewed and then swallowed, Lainie knew she'd hit a home run.

"Darlin', I'm not just blowing smoke here. This might be the best gumbo I've ever had. Thank you for making this. You brought us home."

"You are most welcome, love. Enjoy. We can talk later."

He nodded, and took another bite, scooping rice and gumbo, and going through two glasses of tea before his bowl was empty.

"I'm gonna want seconds, but I gotta sit a minute to let it settle."

She grinned. "So, what was your day like? Do you think you're going to like it?"

"Yeah, what's not to like? I'm in the air. No one's giving me orders. No one's shooting at me. I flew some people from the Department of the Interior in DC back and forth over a specific area they wanted to see. Something to do with new growth from an old burn zone. What about you? Did you make it okay? Did your feet bother you?"

"I was fine, and some sweet man sent me flowers. They were on my desk when I arrived. Thank you, honey. You are the best. Oh... Charis thinks my ring is beautiful, and she thinks you are, too."

Hunt sat, watching the way her expressions changed with what she was saying, and how green her eyes looked when she wore blue, and how soft her hair was against his skin when they made love. She was all soft and southern sweet until threatened or crossed. Unleashing the wild in a redheaded woman was a dangerous thing, but she was everything he wanted.

He ate that second bowl of gumbo before they cleaned up the kitchen. They made love on a rug in the firelight before taking themselves to bed. Even as she was curling herself against him, he wanted her again, but it was late, and there was always tomorrow.

THEREWASSNOWon the ground, and Christmas was in the air.

Hunt and Lainie had just put up their first tree together, and had two different Christmas parties on the calendar to attend. Their world was expanding—their lives growing richer—and fuller, in more ways than one.

LAINIEWASSITTINGon the edge of their bathtub, staring down at the test stick she was holding—waiting. The sensation of déjà vu was so strong she couldn't breathe without wanting to cry.

She kept muttering, "Please, God, please. Let it be. Let it be."

She kept glancing at the time, and was so scared at one point that she thought she was going to faint, and put her head between her knees. Afraid to look. Afraid not to. Then the feeling passed, and when she looked up, she had an answer.

"Oh, my God," she mumbled, and started to cry, then headed for the living room.

HUNTWASKICKEDback in the recliner with his feet to the fire, half-listening to the music Lainie had playing in the kitchen. The weekend was always the best, because that's when they had time off together, even though he'd been grounded for two days because of a blizzard, and it was still snowing. He was watching snow fall outside the windows when he heard Lainie coming up the hall. He glanced up as she walked in, saw the tears on her face, and was on his feet and moving toward her.

"Darlin', what's wrong? Are you hurt. Are you sick?"

She held out the test stick. "No, I'm just pregnant. We're going to have a baby, Hunt. Merry Christmas, love. You're going to be a daddy."

Hunt froze, then an explosion joy rolled through him. Seconds later, she was in his arms.

"Oh, my God, Lainie, this is wonderful! Are you happy? Please be happy."

She was laughing through tears. "Yes, I'm happy. I still dream of a little version of you."

He smiled. "Or a little version of you," he said softly.

She put her hand on his chest, feeling the steady hammer of his heartbeat against her palm. "It doesn't matter. All I know is you gave me another baby to love. You're my lifeline to joy. Merry Christmas, Gator."

"Merry Christmas, darlin'," he murmured, then lowered his head and kissed her.