Learning-to-Feel (27 page)

"Do you think your family could make it?" he asked with a suggestive smile.

Oh, fuck... "You want to get
married
in four weeks?"

He shrugged and laughed. And I laughed and nodded. "Yes. Holy fuck. Yes," I said with a laugh. "Ohmygod. I’m getting married."

Trent laughed. "So am I."

He smiled and kissed me then. It started out innocently enough, but soon heated up into something serious. His mouth opened wider, his tongue pressed harder, his hands held me tighter. I was soon moaning into his mouth, but then he pulled away from me.

"Take me home," he whispered against my lips. Then he added, "Fiancé."

I chuckled. "It will be my pleasure, Fiancé."

"Yes, it will be your pleasure." He grinned and pecked my lips. Then he closed his eyes and whispered, "It’s been a while since you've topped me."

Oh, fuck.

Suddenly very keen to leave, I looked back at the table with empty food containers. "Leave it, Nathan. Bridgette said she'll take care of it."

Ah, Bridgette. The assistant sent from heaven, who took his messes in her stride. "She knew you were planning this?" I asked.

"She helped me this afternoon," he answered with a smirk.

"Did anyone else know?"

He answered quietly. "Your mom."

My eyes widened in shock. He quickly explained, "She called in when we were taking the paintings down from the back room," he explained. "She saw the painting... of the rings. It took her a minute, and she didn't say anything, but I could tell she knew."

"So that’s why she was acting so weird," I said with a nod.

Trent smiled sweetly. "More than likely. When she left she was grinning like a mad woman."

This made me laugh. "Can I ask how long you've been planning this?"

He smiled shyly. "At Adam and Dani's wedding, Lucas joked that you and I would be next, and that got me thinking. But when we went back to Texas... I knew then... I just knew... I couldn’t live without you."

"I couldn’t live without you either," I told him, smiling. "I tried. For twenty-seven years. It was horrible."

He ginned, and pulled me in for a quick, hard kiss. "Take me home," he said again, "and have your way with me."

Oh, fuck.

"Your wish, my command, Fiancé."

He smiled and laughed quietly, took my hand and led me toward the exit. "Oh, wait!" I cried out, and quickly ran in to grab the painting from the easel. I passed the table on my way and grabbed the bottle of saki as well.

* * * *

"Hello?" I called out.

"We're out the back," Dad's voice called back.

The familiar sound of canine claws clicking on the floorboards greeted us, along with a slobbery tongue and wagging tail. "Hey Little Buddy."

Trent chuckled as Bentley bounded back through the house, showing us where the other humans were currently located. Taking Trent's hand, we walked out to where my family were.

Alana and Chris, her boyfriend of two years were there with Dad and Kat, while Brendan sat with his gorgeous daughter, one-year old Lily, on his lap.

Mom came out from the kitchen, grinning ridiculously. "Happy anniversary, boys," she said, kissing our cheeks. Then she asked, like she was privy to some great secret, "How was dinner?"

I looked at Trent, unable to stop from smiling. "Dinner was great."

Mom looked at Trent, her eyes conveyed some unspoken question. Trent's lips twitched in a tell-tale smirk, and Mom's eyes popped.

Yep. She knew.

I should do something before she had an aneurysm, I looked around at my family, and shrugged, and tried to play it cool. "Oh, I’m um, I’m getting married."

Eyes widened simultaneously, and Trent laughed loudly. He pretended to look surprised, "What a coincidence! I’m getting married too!"

There was a whole three seconds of utter silence, and then my mother screamed. She collected me in a hug-like tackle that would make a footballer proud, jumping up and down and squealing.

Then she left me, somewhat violated, only to inflict her assault on Trent. We were hugged and kissed, congratulated and hugged again.

"I thought that was what the painting meant," Mom said through her tears. "I saw the rings, and I hoped... oh, I hoped that was what it meant." Then she turned to Trent and asked, "Did he take long to get it?"

"I’m not completely clueless," I defended myself.

Trent laughed. "He thought they were wheels."

Mom looked at me like there was something wrong with me.

Oh, come on.

"Wait!" Kat exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You proposed? With a painting?" Trent nodded and smiled. Kat's mouth fell opened. "How romantic!" she swooned.

Kat collected little Lily from Brendan and hugged her. "Don’t you listen to your Dadda for advice on men, baby girl," she said with a kiss to her daughter's temple. "You listen to your two uncles."

"Listen to your Uncle Trent, Lily," I corrected her. "He’s the romantic one."

I told them we’d not made any plans, or set any dates. "It will be small, personal, just family and a few friends," I told them. "In a church, in a park, I don’t care."

Trent smiled, and his eyes danced. I kissed him, lightly on the lips. "As long as you're there."

We sat at the table for lunch, and talked, and planned, when Dad stood and made a toast. "Trent," he started, "when we first met you, sorry to tell you this, but it wasn't you that we noticed. It was the difference in Nathan. It was like night from day. You've made him so happy."

My father smiled fondly, proudly. "Trent, I'd like to thank you for saving my son." He raised his glass higher. "They say love is blind," he said with a shrug, "but I think it had perfect vision."

~
The End

About the Author

Who am I?

Good question…

I am many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer.

I have pretty, pretty boys who live in my head, who don't let me sleep at night unless I give them life with words.

I like it when they do dirty, dirty things… but I like it even more when they fall in love.

I used to think having people in my head talking to me was weird, until one day I happened across other writers who told me it was normal.

I've been writing ever since…

Website:

nrwalker.wordpress.com

Facebook:

N.r. Walker

Twitter:

@NR_Walker

Email:

[email protected]

Also by N.R. Walker

Blind Faith

Through These Eyes

Blindside: Mark’s Story

Ten in the Bin

Point of No Return – Turning Point #1

Breaking Point – Turning Point #2

Starting Point – Turning Point #3

Element of Retrofit – Thomas Elkin Series #1

Clarity of Lines – Thomas Elkin Series #2

Sense of Place – Thomas Elkin Series #3

Taxes and TARDIS

Three’s Company

Free Reads on
N.R.'s Website

Sixty Five Hours

Learning to Feel

His Grandfather's Watch (And The Story of Billy and Hale)

Translated Titles

Fiducia
Cieca
(Italian translation of Blind Faith)