He takes them to a building where they were holding a Valentines
Dance. Cadie's jaw drops as she realizes what he was up to as he came
around the truck to open her door. He chuckles as he sees her face.
"That's why the girls went out and got you this dress and everything. I told them that I wanted to take you dining and dancing, and they took the initiative and went shopping."
"Um, James, I'm not sure if you know this yet, but I've never danced before."
"That's okay, Widget, There's a first time for everything. Besides, tonight's a first for me too. I've never taken a woman out dancing before."
She looks at him in disbelief. "You've never taken a girl out? As good looking as you are? Man, the females are stupid if they can't see what a great catch you are."
"Well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish expression on his face, "There were the school dances, and the requisite dates to go with them, but no, Cadie, I've never taken someone out that I really cared for. Boy, if my brother John could see me now, he'd tease me for doing the one thing I said would never happen."
"Haven't you learned never say never? It'll happen sooner or later."
"I knew that when I told him that. It was more a case of not being able to find the perfect girl. I always wanted my dates to be beautiful, charming, and intelligent. I didn't really care about how popular they were. How was I to know that I wouldn't find miss perfect until you came into my life?"
"How old were you?" she asks softly.
"I was twelve, and I hated girls at the time."
Cadie smiled as she imagined him at that age, telling his brother that there was no way he'd get involved with girls again.
"What happened?"
"She dated me just to get close to my best friend. She wanted him, and the only way to get close to him was to go out with me. That's happened more often than not, and that's one reason why I'm hesitant to get into a relationship with anybody, why I tend to stay to myself. Kinda like you, in a way."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's in the past." He leads her into the dimly lit building and into the ballroom. When they hear the next song begin, he leads her out onto the dance floor and starts swaying with her to the slow melody. His large hands easily span her tiny waist and one of her hands is on his hip and the other is on his shoulder.
"What I was going to say at dinner, my real confession, Cadie, is that somewhere along the lines, little Widget, I've fallen in love with you. You probably didn't know because I've never been able to show my feelings openly, and that's because I was taught that at an early age by my father. It has nothing at all to do with you. Whenever I see you exhausted like you were the other day, sick or wounded, I just want to get to you and protect you from the demons that I know are causing the insomnia, the illness or the pain. I simply want to hold you and keep you safe from harm. It's hard for me, because I know that you are the type of person who fights your battles by yourself."
"James, I didn't know you cared so much. I had no idea! The only reason that I fight my battles by myself is because I've never had anyone to help me fight them before. I don't know how to do it any other way. To tell the truth, I wouldn't know love if it walked up and slapped me in the face and knocked me down. My mother made damn sure of that."
Looking at the pain that she unintentionally showed in her eyes, he knew he couldn't stop himself, didn't even want to even try, and bent his head. He slowly took possession of her lips with his in a very soft kiss. Cadie opens her mouth under his and he deepens the kiss.
When they finally break from the kiss, he doesn't look away from her eyes. She looks at him with wonderment showing.
"I...I never knew that a kiss could be so incredible." She sighs. "It's just that I'm no good at it, I guess," she whispers.
"Probably because you weren't being kissed by the right person, Widget. I intend on making sure you get lots of practice over time," he explained. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black velvet pouch. He opens it and pours out a long silver chain with a silver teardrop shaped charm. The inside of the teardrop is filled with a blue-green swirl of stone.
He unhooks the chain and ever so slowly slides it around her neck, clasping it.
"This chain represents friendship, Widget, or whatever you want it to mean. The charm is a symbol of just how much pain that you've gone through to get to where you are now. This part," he says, tracing the upper part of the charm with his finger, "represents the fires of hell that you've been through, and this part represents all the tears you've shed over the years."
"Oh, James, it's beautiful. You shouldn't have."
"Actually, there's another meaning behind it," he mumbles, embarrassed.
"What is it," she asks, curious. Something clicks in her brain and she realizes something as the inflections of his voice become clear to her. "Uh-oh. You sound as if you had just gotten yourself into deep sludge."
"It's just that... well, it's a tradition on the base, that when a guy gives one of you girls something like this, it means that he's claiming her as his intended life companion. Basically, the guys on the base will think that I've claimed you as my girlfriend."
"What's wrong with that? Unless...you don't want me as your girlfriend?" She turns her head and looks out of the window. It didn't take a rocket scientist to hear the pain in her voice when she spoke. The rejection that she felt was clearly evident in her eyes and in her voice.
He pulls her closer to him, pressing her close against his chest. Then he gently grabbed her chin and turned her head to face his. "Oh Cadie! How could you ever think that? I would love for you to be my girlfriend. I've dreamed about it since you first came to the unit. I mean, if you're sure you wouldn't go off on me for the littlest reasons like you did with Sean."
"James, it wasn't a little reason for me going off on Sean. The day I went totally ballistic was when I found out that he'd been cheating on me...with another man! It hurt enough to know that he didn't care about me enough to cheat on me, but to have to learn the fact that he's bi, on top of that, at the same time. Not to mention the fact that he was sleeping with these guys in MY bed!" She feels the familiar pain welling up inside, and ruthlessly squashes it down. Nothing, but nothing, was going to ruin this magnificent night with this incredible man.
"Cadie, will you be my girlfriend? I want you to be so very much," he asks her tremulously.
"Of course I will, James. I just never thought that any of you guys would ever ask me that."
He senses her unspoken pain and hugs her hard. He bends down and kisses her again, this time with such possession and passion that he bruises her lips, sealing the pact that they had just made. They were now an official couple. The song that the DJ put on next was "Dream On", by The Oak Ridge Boys. It seemed to fit their relationship, so it became their song.
When the dance finally ended at midnight, they walk out to his truck holding hands. When they get there, Cadie stares in dismay. The truck had been broken into and set ablaze!
"That's why the girls went out and got you this dress and everything. I told them that I wanted to take you dining and dancing, and they took the initiative and went shopping."
"Um, James, I'm not sure if you know this yet, but I've never danced before."
"That's okay, Widget, There's a first time for everything. Besides, tonight's a first for me too. I've never taken a woman out dancing before."
She looks at him in disbelief. "You've never taken a girl out? As good looking as you are? Man, the females are stupid if they can't see what a great catch you are."
"Well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish expression on his face, "There were the school dances, and the requisite dates to go with them, but no, Cadie, I've never taken someone out that I really cared for. Boy, if my brother John could see me now, he'd tease me for doing the one thing I said would never happen."
"Haven't you learned never say never? It'll happen sooner or later."
"I knew that when I told him that. It was more a case of not being able to find the perfect girl. I always wanted my dates to be beautiful, charming, and intelligent. I didn't really care about how popular they were. How was I to know that I wouldn't find miss perfect until you came into my life?"
"How old were you?" she asks softly.
"I was twelve, and I hated girls at the time."
Cadie smiled as she imagined him at that age, telling his brother that there was no way he'd get involved with girls again.
"What happened?"
"She dated me just to get close to my best friend. She wanted him, and the only way to get close to him was to go out with me. That's happened more often than not, and that's one reason why I'm hesitant to get into a relationship with anybody, why I tend to stay to myself. Kinda like you, in a way."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's in the past." He leads her into the dimly lit building and into the ballroom. When they hear the next song begin, he leads her out onto the dance floor and starts swaying with her to the slow melody. His large hands easily span her tiny waist and one of her hands is on his hip and the other is on his shoulder.
"What I was going to say at dinner, my real confession, Cadie, is that somewhere along the lines, little Widget, I've fallen in love with you. You probably didn't know because I've never been able to show my feelings openly, and that's because I was taught that at an early age by my father. It has nothing at all to do with you. Whenever I see you exhausted like you were the other day, sick or wounded, I just want to get to you and protect you from the demons that I know are causing the insomnia, the illness or the pain. I simply want to hold you and keep you safe from harm. It's hard for me, because I know that you are the type of person who fights your battles by yourself."
"James, I didn't know you cared so much. I had no idea! The only reason that I fight my battles by myself is because I've never had anyone to help me fight them before. I don't know how to do it any other way. To tell the truth, I wouldn't know love if it walked up and slapped me in the face and knocked me down. My mother made damn sure of that."
Looking at the pain that she unintentionally showed in her eyes, he knew he couldn't stop himself, didn't even want to even try, and bent his head. He slowly took possession of her lips with his in a very soft kiss. Cadie opens her mouth under his and he deepens the kiss.
When they finally break from the kiss, he doesn't look away from her eyes. She looks at him with wonderment showing.
"I...I never knew that a kiss could be so incredible." She sighs. "It's just that I'm no good at it, I guess," she whispers.
"Probably because you weren't being kissed by the right person, Widget. I intend on making sure you get lots of practice over time," he explained. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black velvet pouch. He opens it and pours out a long silver chain with a silver teardrop shaped charm. The inside of the teardrop is filled with a blue-green swirl of stone.
He unhooks the chain and ever so slowly slides it around her neck, clasping it.
"This chain represents friendship, Widget, or whatever you want it to mean. The charm is a symbol of just how much pain that you've gone through to get to where you are now. This part," he says, tracing the upper part of the charm with his finger, "represents the fires of hell that you've been through, and this part represents all the tears you've shed over the years."
"Oh, James, it's beautiful. You shouldn't have."
"Actually, there's another meaning behind it," he mumbles, embarrassed.
"What is it," she asks, curious. Something clicks in her brain and she realizes something as the inflections of his voice become clear to her. "Uh-oh. You sound as if you had just gotten yourself into deep sludge."
"It's just that... well, it's a tradition on the base, that when a guy gives one of you girls something like this, it means that he's claiming her as his intended life companion. Basically, the guys on the base will think that I've claimed you as my girlfriend."
"What's wrong with that? Unless...you don't want me as your girlfriend?" She turns her head and looks out of the window. It didn't take a rocket scientist to hear the pain in her voice when she spoke. The rejection that she felt was clearly evident in her eyes and in her voice.
He pulls her closer to him, pressing her close against his chest. Then he gently grabbed her chin and turned her head to face his. "Oh Cadie! How could you ever think that? I would love for you to be my girlfriend. I've dreamed about it since you first came to the unit. I mean, if you're sure you wouldn't go off on me for the littlest reasons like you did with Sean."
"James, it wasn't a little reason for me going off on Sean. The day I went totally ballistic was when I found out that he'd been cheating on me...with another man! It hurt enough to know that he didn't care about me enough to cheat on me, but to have to learn the fact that he's bi, on top of that, at the same time. Not to mention the fact that he was sleeping with these guys in MY bed!" She feels the familiar pain welling up inside, and ruthlessly squashes it down. Nothing, but nothing, was going to ruin this magnificent night with this incredible man.
"Cadie, will you be my girlfriend? I want you to be so very much," he asks her tremulously.
"Of course I will, James. I just never thought that any of you guys would ever ask me that."
He senses her unspoken pain and hugs her hard. He bends down and kisses her again, this time with such possession and passion that he bruises her lips, sealing the pact that they had just made. They were now an official couple. The song that the DJ put on next was "Dream On", by The Oak Ridge Boys. It seemed to fit their relationship, so it became their song.
When the dance finally ended at midnight, they walk out to his truck holding hands. When they get there, Cadie stares in dismay. The truck had been broken into and set ablaze!