“Seriously? That’s kind of romantic.”
Romantic? I’d never thought of it that way… but that was probably because of how rude he was to me after.
The expression on my face must have given me away. “What aren’t you saying?”
“We didn’t exactly hit it off immediately.”
“Really?”
“No, we actually argued quite a bit. I insulted him somehow by saying he had a southern drawl.”
She laughed. “Yeah, Gav has a bit of a temper sometimes.”
“That he does.” Hearing squeals of laughter, I turned to see a group of children running through a sprinkler. I envied them. Life was so much easier as a kid.
“What changed things?”
I paused. I definitely wasn’t going to give her the whole story. “I guess, in the end, we couldn’t stay away from each other. I think we both realized there was something there and decided to see where it went.” I held in a breath as a bee buzzed around me. I was pretty sure I was a magnet for them. I’d been stung more times than anyone else I knew. After a moment, the bee moved on, and I let out the breath.
“Well, I’m glad you guys decided to give it a go. I’ve never seen him so happy. I bet he’s already thinking about the ring and proposal. I’m sure he’ll make it really romantic.” She got this far-off look on her face.
I froze. “Proposal? Oh no, we are definitely not there yet. Maybe we’ll never be. We’ve only been together two months.”
“He brought you home. He’s planning on making it permanent. You’ll be engaged in no time. I can’t wait. Do you think you’re going to want to get married back home? Because if you want it here, Debbie, Annie, and I can take care of everything even though you’re far away.” She bounced along, seeming so much younger than her thirty or so years.
“Really, we are so not even close to that point yet.” I needed to get out of this conversation. “Shouldn’t we head back? We need to get ready.”
“Sure. I’m glad we talked. I can definitely see why my brother is so crazy about you.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled and quickened my pace.
I went right upstairs when we got back, glad Gavin was roughhousing with his nephews in the yard and didn’t see me. I was positive he hadn’t told his sister anything about us getting married, but I didn’t like them getting the wrong impression.
I laid out my dress. It was strapless and royal blue. I’d noticed that Gavin always seemed to like when I wore that color. I tied my hair up before taking a rinse-off shower. I was just stepping into my dress when Gavin came in.
“Need some help with that?” He pulled up the zipper, kissing the back of my neck.
“Thanks.” I paused for a moment to put on a smile before turning around.
“I’ve missed you. I feel like I’ve barely seen you today.” He looked cute in his red and green striped rugby shirt. I was used to the t-shirts he wore most of the time.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I slipped away from him and went into the bathroom. I brushed out my hair before pulling it up into a twist. I put on some minimal makeup while he watched from the doorway.
“Are you doing okay?” He wore a worried expression.
“Yeah, of course.” I moved to slip past him, but he caught my waist and turned me toward him.
“Tell me the truth. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“What are you hiding from me? Something feels off.”
I smiled. “Nothing’s wrong except that you’re going to be late if you don’t get dressed.”
“All right, all right. I’ll take a quick shower.”
“Good. I’ll see you downstairs.”
“You aren’t going to wait?”
“Somehow, I think you’ll manage.”
He kissed me lightly before releasing his hold on me. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
***
The Powells had a lot of friends, or at least a lot of people who wanted to celebrate their anniversary. They all knew Gavin and seemed excited to see he’d brought a girl home with him.
The most popular conversation topic was Gavin’s baseball career. I lost track of how many people asked him about it. He didn’t seem to mind until an old coach came over to talk to him.
“Hey, Gavin, how are you doing? You still in North Carolina?” He had a full head of gray hair and a weathered face that I guessed came from years of coaching under the hot Georgia sun.
“Yeah, I’m still there.”
“And who’s this?”
“This is my girlfriend Becca. Becca, this is my high school coach, Ned Wallace.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you.” I offered him my hand, and he accepted with a firm handshake.
“It’s nice to meet you too.” He turned his attention back to Gavin. “You’ve done well for yourself, huh?” He nodded toward me.
Gavin smiled. “Yes, I definitely have.”
“Have you been playing at all?”
Gavin stiffened, so I put a hand on his arm.
“No, nothing since the injury.”
“That’s too bad. I always hoped you’d be able to work through it.” The coach shifted his weight from foot to foot.
“It just wasn’t meant to be.”
“I guess not, but you look good, and it’s nice to see you again.” He walked off.
Gavin didn’t relax again for a while. It was obvious running into his coach bothered him, but I decided not to ask him about it. I figured he’d bring it up later if he felt like talking.
Gavin got into a conversation with some of his parents’ friends, and I let his nieces pull me off to dance.
I looked around the yard, marveling at the decor. Tea lights were everywhere, and a dance floor had been set up. There was even a DJ. I’d have expected it to have been a wedding, not an anniversary party. Evidently, Gavin’s family liked to celebrate big.
Gavin joined us, so I decided to ask him about it. “Is this typical for an anniversary party around here?”
“It’s all Amanda. She likes to make everything big.”
I smiled. “It’s nice, just surprising.”
“A good kind of surprising?”
“Yeah, a good kind.”
He took my hand and led me toward the center of the dance floor. “I’ve been waiting to dance with you all night.” Gavin could dance. He held me closer than necessary, but I loved the feeling of his strong arms around me as we moved to the music.