Chapter 24
"Ouch. Your friend here sure didn't study- Brandon Clarke. He got a 38."
Merrill took the quiz from Alicia that she was grading and sighed.
"Yeah. He cares more about impressing the ladies than paying attention in class. What's the highest one you've graded so far?"
Alicia dug through the pile and pulled one out.
"104. She even nailed the extra credit."
Merrill looked at the paper and said, "Kelly Wilson- I knew it. She's the prize pupil of the class. I have to admit, she's one of my favorites."
"Is she cute?"
"Honey, she's my student!"
"I was asking you if she's cute- not to marry her."
"She's cute in a little sister kind of way. She looks like that actress…the one who was in Star Wars."
"Carrie Fisher?"
"No, the new Star Wars."
"Natalie Portman."
"Yeah. Kelly looks like her. She always stays after class and helps me out with little things. I told her that she could be my student assistant when the fall semester starts."
Merrill continued eating the spaghetti that Alicia had brought him for dinner from LaStalla and she glared at him.
"Merrill, when was the last time you graded a paper?"
"Just a minute ago."
"I don't think you've graded a paper since I got here."
"Baby, I was starving. I haven't seen anything edible since 2:00."
"Well, the faster you grade, the faster we can go home."
The two of them were sitting in Merrill's office at around 7:00 that evening. Alicia had gotten off of work about 15 minutes before and they shared dinner as he finished up some last minute work- with Alicia's aid.
Alicia took a bite of the spaghetti and said, "We have a meeting with our wedding planner on Saturday morning."
"We have a wedding planner?"
"We do now? I hired her this afternoon. She did the wedding of one of our servers and I saw the pictures- she's good. Her name is Gisele Nichols."
"You mean, I have to sit there while you two giggle and coo over how cute a pink flower arrangement would be?"
"Of course not. Your input is just as important as mine."
Merrill sat back in his chair and took a deep breath.
"Wow, babe. This is really happening. I get nervous and anxious thinking about it now, so I can't imagine how I'll be on the actual day."
"I'm gonna be an emotional wreck, I'll tell you that. It's gonna be the happiest day of my life, but at the same time, it'll be sad because Colleen won't be there. But either way, it's going to be absolutely amazing."
"I already arranged for my time off- including the honeymoon and everything. By the way, where are we going for our honeymoon?"
Alicia froze and said, "I haven't even thought about it."
"Well, maybe we can discuss it after we meet with the planner tomorrow. What's her name- Jill?"
"Gisele."
"Same thing. Well, I'm stuffed and I just finished grading my last paper."
"Ditto. Ready to go home?"
"Yeah."
"I'll help you clean up."
"Well, I would hope so! You made most of this mess."
"Oh, whatever."
After Alicia finished organizing her share of the papers, she played with her cell phone by the door. Merrill collected the papers, put them away and then grabbed his keys. He turned off all the lights, with the exception of the small lamp on his desk. As he went to turn it off, he glanced up at Alicia. Just the sight of her made him stop dead in his tracks. Concentrating on nothing but her phone, she repeatedly brushed the same strand of hair behind her ear as it fell in her face.
How the hell did I get so lucky? Merrill asked himself.
He put his belongings down and walked over to Alicia. He took the cell phone out of her hands and she looked at him. The light in the room illuminated her hazel eyes in a way that made him melt inside.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
"This."
Merrill took his hand and ran it gently across her cheek, letting it slide down her neck. She leaned her head against his hand and closed her eyes. Then she opened them again and took a deep breath.
"Coach Hess," she said, "do you have any idea what your touch does to me?"
Merrill let his thumbs trace Alicia's lips, which were slightly trembling with anticipation of what he was going to do next.
"I love you," he said softly.
"I love you too."
"OK, let's go."
Alicia laughed and said, "Merrill! Why did you get me all worked up like that?! I thought you were going to-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Merrill grabbed Alicia and kissed her so passionately, her knees almost buckled. Then he pulled away, wiping some of Alicia's lipstick from his lips.
"Now that was a good kiss," Alicia said, almost out of breath.
"I was practicing for our wedding day kiss."
"Honey, we cannot kiss like that in front of everyone! We'll just do a simple, yet romantic and drawn out peck. No tongue."
"But French kissing is so much more beautiful."
"Do you really think our parents will want to see us make out right there?"
"Who said we had to make out? All we have to do is open our mouths, swirl our tongues together for like, a second, and we're done."
"We can talk about this when we get home, OK. Let's get out of here."
Merrill turned out the desk light and replied, "After you, love of my life."
When they got home that night, Alicia went into the main house to see if she or Merrill had gotten any mail. Graham was in the kitchen, cooking dinner.
"Hey, Ali. How was your day?"
"Long. And yours?"
"It was alright. I had two marriage counseling sessions today."
"Fun, fun. Is this all the mail we got today?"
"Yep."
"No new Victoria's Secret catalog?"
"No, but I heard that the inside of that Mastercard bill is pretty sexy."
"Very funny."
Bo ran into the kitchen with a piece of paper, trying to get Graham's attention.
"Daddy! Look at this! We're going to the zoo!"
Graham took the paper from Bo and glanced over it. Then he looked at Alicia with a smile.
"The kids between 4 and 6 at their summer camp are going to the zoo on Friday- a week from today. It's a permission slip."
"Can I go, Daddy?"
"Sure."
"Can you go too? I told everyone that you were gonna go!"
"Baby, I'm always busy on Fridays. I wish I could go, but I can't. There are people who make appointments to talk with me on Fridays. Maybe next time."
"But I want you to go with me."
Bo's spirits went from ecstatic to gravely disappointed. Then an idea popped into Alicia's head.
"If you want, I'll go with you."
Bo ran to Alicia and jumped in her arms.
"You'll go to the zoo, Aunt Ali?"
"Will you be there?"
"Yes."
"Then so will I!"
Bo threw her arms around Alicia and squeezed her.
"I love you, Aunt Ali. I love you more than the whole wide world."
"I love you that much too, sweetie."
Bo leaped down and went back to watching TV in the family room.
Graham snickered and said, "Thanks for making me feel like a terrible father."
"Graham, you know you're not a terrible father. We all have things to do sometimes. I'm just glad that I'll be able to go with Bo. I never get to spend time with her anymore."
"Thank you for volunteering. You have no idea how much she looks up to you and loves you."
Alicia smiled and said, "I learned from the best- her mom."
"Are you and Merrill hungry? I'll make extra if you are."
"We ate at Council Rocks- but thanks anyway. We're just gonna relax and watch a DVD. Call us if you need anything."
Alicia grabbed her bills from the dining room table and went back to the garage house. When she walked in, Merrill was on the floor- shirtless and doing crunches. She let him finish counting before she spoke to him.
"…195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200!"
"Merrill, you seriously just did 200 crunches?"
"Yeah- piece of cake. When I was playing ball, I did 500 twice a day- sometimes three times."
"I think that's why you have such incredible…stamina. Anyway, guess where I'm going next Friday?"
"Where?"
"On a field trip with Bo. I'm gonna be a chaperone on her field trip to the zoo."
"You, a chaperone?"
"Yes. Why do you say it like that? I am perfectly capable of being a great chaperone."
"It's gonna be so hot. And I thought you hated exotic animals."
"Not all exotic animals. Just large birds, reptiles, any mammal that lives in a tree...and big cats. Oh, and antelope too."
"Antelope?"
"They can run fast and trample you."
"You're a trip, Alicia."
Alicia approached Merrill and ran her hands up and down his bare chest.
"Damn, you're sexy," she said, "But I bet you hear that all the time."
"Hmm, not really. Just from one very important lady who I personally think is a million times sexier than I am."
"Me, sexy? Dream on."
"Everything about you is sexy. Your hair, those killer eyes, the way you smile, your body- don't get me started on your body. And then how could I forget the navel ring? Navel rings are incredibly sexy."
"Who has a sexier ass- me or J. Lo?"
"Well…"
Alicia shoved Merrill and said, "That question should have required no thought!"
Merrill grabbed her from behind and said, "You, my love, have the sexiest ass in the galaxy."
"Are you sure? What if there's some beautiful alien woman, walking around on Neptune with an ass like there's no tomorrow?"
"Well, if she looks anything like the aliens that paid us a visit, no thank you."
Without any warning, Merrill scooped Alicia into his arms and tossed her onto the bed. As she squealed with laughter, he pinned her hands above her head and straddled her.
"What are you doing?!" she yelled.
"Right now, right here, I want to have sex with you. Sex so amazing that the alien with the fantastic ass on Neptune hears us and is jealous."
As Alicia hysterically laughed, Merrill slipped her shirt over her head.
"That's funny," Merrill said, "I've never seen that bra on you before. Is it new?"
"No, I've worn it before."
"Too bad it won't be staying on long."
"Wow! What's gotten into you, cowboy?"
"What can I say? You bring out the best in me."
He kissed Alicia for a while and then lust took a hold of both of them.
* * * * * * * * * *
3:24.
Alicia woke up and the neon numbers from the bedside clock seemed blinding. She sat up and looked at Merrill. He was fast asleep, mumbling something to himself. She couldn't get back to sleep, so she got out of bed. She got a bottle of water from the refrigerator and turned on the TV, as low as possible. Suddenly, she heard Merrill say "Avery" out loud. She looked over in his direction and saw him grasping the pillow.
He'll be fine, Alicia thought to herself, He's just having a dream- he'll wake up in a second.
Little did Alicia know that Merrill was caught deep in a dream that would quickly turn into a nightmare.
Merrill and Alicia were outside, sitting by a pool. Graham was next to Merrill, reading the newspaper. Alicia took off her sunglasses and looked at Merrill.
"I would've never imagined we'd actually get to take a vacation..all of us together like this."
"I know. Everything's so perfect."
He picked up her hand and kissed it.
"I love you," he said.
"And I love you. Hey, I'm gonna go get a Pina Colada. Do you want anything?"
"Um…a Miller Lite."
"OK. Graham, do you want anything?"
"I'll go with you. I need to stretch my legs anyway."
Alicia stood up, adjusted her bikini bottoms, and said to Merrill, "Keep an eye on Avery and the kids, OK?"
"I will. Hurry back."
Merrill watched as Graham and Alicia left, and then he glanced around for the kids. They were over on the playground, chasing each other around and laughing. A few seconds later, Morgan ran up to Merrill.
"Uncle Merrill, we're gonna go find Dad and Aunt Alicia- we're thirsty."
"OK. Be careful."
Morgan dashed off, with Bo trailing behind him. However, a tiny little girl stayed behind and climbed on Merrill's lap. She had his dark hair with Alicia's hazel eyes and small frame.
"Daddy, can I go in the pool?"
"Yes, but wait for me, OK?"
"OK. I'm gonna go wait there for you."
"Alright, sweetie. Give me two seconds."
As Merrill put on his sandals, he heard the little girl run away. Suddenly, he heard a loud splash. He rushed to the pool, but no one was around.
"Ave? Avery? Honey, where are you?"
Merrill ran to the playground and frantically looked around.
"Avery, where are you? This is no time to play hide and seek! Avery?"
He ran to the bar area where Graham and Alicia had been, but suddenly no one was around but him.
"Where the hell did everyone go?!"
He looked at the pool again and saw something floating to the bottom. It was a body.
"Avery! Oh my God!"
He dove into the pool and swam to the bottom. Sure enough, it was Avery. She was lifeless in his arms as he swam to the top. He hysterically scrambled out of the pool and laid his daughter on the pavement.
"Baby, wake up. Come on!"
He massaged her chest and started CPR.
"Anyone, help!" he yelled.
Merrill kept performing CPR, but to no avail.
"Alicia!! Graham!! Help me, anyone!"
At this point in the nightmare, Merrill was literally screaming out loud in his sleep. Alicia rushed to his side and woke him up.
"Merrill, sweetie, wake up! You're dreaming!"
He snapped out of the dream and grabbed Alicia with all his might.
"She drowned. It's my fault," he said, on the verge of crying.
"Baby, what are you talking about? Who drowned?"
He looked at Alicia and then ran his hand through his hair, breathless.
"It was a dream," he said out loud.
Alicia turned off the TV and sat beside him.
"Merrill, what was the dream about?"
He sighed and said, "I can't remember where we were exactly, but all of us were on vacation. You, me, Graham, Bo, Morgan..and Avery."
"Avery? As in the baby?"
Merrill nodded and continued, "But she was about Bo's age. She was the most beautiful little girl you can imagine. I can still see her perfectly right now. She had dark, wavy hair- kind of like mine. And her eyes and smile were identical to yours. And she was so tiny. Anyway, you and Graham went to go get some drinks and the kids were all playing on a playground that was nearby. Morgan and Bo decided to follow you and Graham, but Avery stayed behind. She climbed onto my lap and I felt such immense love towards this little girl. She wanted to go swimming, so I told her not to go until I went with her. As I turned around to put my shoes on, I heard a splash- and everyone suddenly disappeared. I saw a body at the bottom of the pool and it was Avery's. I pulled her out of the pool, but no one was around to help me or call 911. She died right there in my hands."
Alicia stroked the side of his face and said, "It was only a nightmare, baby."
It was still obvious to Alicia that Merrill was still extremely shaken up. She gently kissed his lips and then embraced him.
"Everything's OK now."
"But it feels like I lost her all over again."
"We might have lost her physically, but she'll always be in our hearts. And even though another baby can never replace her, it will help us heal."
Merrill kissed Alicia and said, "I love you more than you'll ever know."
"And I love you just as much."
As they went back to bed, Merrill held onto Alicia the same way a child would hold to their favorite doll.
"Goodnight, beautiful," he whispered.
"Goodnight, stud."
Merrill kissed the top of Alicia's head and adjusted his arms around her body.
She said to herself, Don't ever let me go, Merrill.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning, Alicia and Merrill walked into a small restaurant in Doylestown.
As they looked around, Merrill asked, "What does this Gisele chick look like?"
Alicia looked at him and replied, "Did you just call her a chick?"
"Maybe. Now what does she look like?"
"That's her over there."
Alicia led Merrill to a table where a 30ish woman was sitting alone. When the woman saw them, she smiled brightly.
"You must be Alicia and Merrill. It's so nice to finally meet you."
They all shook hands and then sat at the table. Almost immediately, an attractive waiter approached their table.
"Can I get you all some coffee?"
Alicia said, "Can I actually get a glass of orange juice?"
"Sure. So coffee for you two and orange juice for the beautiful lady."
Gisele replied, "Yes. Thank you."
Merrill glared at the server and whispered to Alicia, "I think he was flirting with you, babe."
"No, he was just being nice."
"So when you served tables, did you talk like that to every attractive guy you waited on?"
"Stop, Merrill. We're being rude to Gisele."
Gisele smiled at them and said, "So, let's get the basics down first. What size wedding are we looking at? Andulusia could handle both a small or large gathering."
"We want something intimate and incredibly romantic," Alicia said, "We don't need 500 people there- just our close friends and family."
"Have you compiled a guest list?"
"No."
"How many people, as a rough guess, do you think you would invite?"
"I don't know…maybe 150 at the max."
"OK..now we're getting started.
The waiter came back and poured two cups of coffee for Merrill and Gisele. Then he handed Alicia her orange juice.
"Thanks," Alicia said.
"No, it's definitely my pleasure. Have you guys decided what you want yet?"
Merrill forced a fake smile and said, "I'm fine with my coffee- I'm not hungry, but thanks."
Gisele said, "I'll take the strawberry crepes. With whipped cream on the side."
"Alright..and for you, sweetheart?"
"Is the Swiss mushroom omelet good?"
"Very. I think you'll really enjoy it."
"I'll have that."
"OK. I'll go ahead and get that order in."
He winked at Alicia as he walked away.
Under his breath, Merrill said, "That's just ridiculous. Does he not see the ring on your finger?"
"Honey, like I said- he's just friendly."
"Well, he sure isn't offering omelet advice to Gisele like that."
Gisele slid a booklet towards Merrill and Alicia.
"This book will be your best friend during the weeks prior to your wedding. It has checklists, recommendations..you just choose what you want and I'll help you get it."
As Alicia read through the contents, she thought out loud, "I haven't even picked out my gown yet. Wow, this is a little overwhelming."
"It's natural for anyone to feel that way. Weddings are difficult to plan, but so worth it. How long have you two been dating?"
"A little over two years."
"Think about it- all those two years of getting to know and love each other will culminate at this ceremony- so it's OK to feel stressed about it."
Thanks, that made me feel so much better, Alicia thought to herself.
Gisele continued, "Over the next couple of weeks, we'll meet once or twice a week. We need to discuss things like the invitations, the cake, the flower arrangements, the music…everything."
After a few more minutes of discussion, Gisele's cell phone rang.
"It's my daughter. I'll be right back."
She left the table and Alicia sighed heavily.
"This is gonna be quite the challenge," she said.
"Yeah, but we can do it."
Out of the corner of his eye, Merrill saw their waiter staring at Alicia.
"That guy is undressing you with his eyes," Merrill said.
"What guy?"
"Our oh-so-charming waiter."
"Why are you getting so jealous?"
"I'm not getting jealous. I'm not a jealous guy."
Merrill put his arm around Alicia, as if he was claiming her for his property. Gisele came back to the table and sat back down.
"Sorry about that. Now, where did we leave off?"
Alicia replied, "You were going over what we need to plan for- an overview of things."
"That's right. Merrill, you've been quiet throughout everything. How does all of this sound to you?"
"It sure is a lot of planning and stress for one day. But that one day is going to be the most important of our lives. I want this day to be Ali's dream come true more than anything."
Alicia looked at Merrill and said, "You are so sweet."
They pecked quickly and then were interrupted by the waiter, who placed their food down in front of them.
"Can I get you anything else?"
Even though the question was for everyone, he directed his attention solely at Alicia.
"No thanks," Merrill said, wrapping his arm around Alicia again, "we're fine."
After they finished eating, Alicia got up and said, "I'm gonna run to the restroom. I'll be right back."
Gisele asked Merrill, "So have you been married before?"
"No way. Before I started dating Ali, I was terrified of commitment. The thought of being tied to someone for the rest of my life scared the daylights out of me. But now, I don't think of it as being tied down. I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with the most incredible woman I've ever known. That's why this wedding is so important. Ali has seen and experienced more pain than any person should ever have to- she deserves a fairytale wedding."
"I'm sure that's exactly what you two will have- I can just tell. I work with a lot of couples who don't seem very sure about jumping into marriage. And even though I've just only gotten to know you two over the last hour, I have this feeling that this is going to be something that'll last forever."
Merrill was touched by Gisele's sincerity and he replied, "I think it will too."
Meanwhile, as Alicia left the restroom, someone stopped her. It was the waiter from their table.
"How was your breakfast?" he asked.
"Fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation."
"No problem. By the way, I'm Trent. I didn't catch your name."
"That's because I didn't give it to you."
He laughed and replied, "Oh, come on."
"Alicia. Now, if you excuse me, my fiancé's waiting for me."
"He's your fiancé? I thought that maybe he was your brother or something."
Alicia rolled her eyes and walked away without saying anything. She sat back at the table and was met with a wary glance from Merrill.
"What's wrong?" she asked him.
"I saw you talking to our favorite waiter."
"He thought you were my brother."
"Ha! You're kidding me."
"Nope."
The three of them finished their meeting and after paying the bill, they stood outside in front of the restaurant.
"So when do you want to meet again?" Gisele asked.
Alicia replied, "Is the same time next week OK?"
"As far as I know. I'll check my schedule and call you back. In the meantime, go through that checklist and start thinking about things. That way, we can start making some concrete decisions next week."
"OK. Thanks for everything."
They said goodbye and parted ways. Merrill reached for Alicia's hand as they walked to the car.
"That was fun," Alicia said.
"Yeah- if you look past the homewrecking waiter boy, it was pretty enlightening."
"Merrill, you are such a little boy. You know that no man will ever, ever, ever steal you away from me."
"I know, but I can't help but get a little jealous sometimes."
"Well you shouldn't! Come here."
Alicia threw her arms around Merrill's neck and planted a big kiss on his lips.
Then she said, "I think I wanna go to Home Depot today. I have some ideas for what we can do to the bottom level of the garage house. You should really come with me."
"I want to, but I need to re-do some lesson plans and figure out how I'm going to incorporate alcohol and tobacco awareness into my curriculum. I haven't done stuff like this since college, so I'm a little rusty. Why don't we go tomorrow?"
"Sunday is our go-to-church-and-be-lazy day."
"You can go to Home Depot without me this once. Why don't you ask Graham to go with you? I'm sure the kids will wanna go too."
"Yeah, you're right. But it would be more fun with you."
"Oh, you'll survive. I'll make it up to you tonight."
"Oh really?"
"Yes really."
As they arrived at their car, Merrill opened the door for Alicia as she got in. Then he leaned inside and gave her a kiss.
"I love you, princess."
"Love you too."
* * * * * *
"I hate Home Depot. It's so boring! Aunt Ali, can I please go to Barnes and Noble? It's right next door."
Graham replied, "No, Morgan."
"But I asked Aunt Ali."
"But I'm your dad and I say no."
Morgan scowled and looked at the ground.
"Tell you what," Alicia said, "All I need to do is pick up some paint samples and look at refrigerators. If you help me do that, I'll go with you to Barnes and Noble while your dad finishes up."
"Can I go too?" asked Bo.
"No," Morgan said, "You stay with Dad."
Alicia replied, "No, Bo can come with us if she wants."
Bo stuck out her tongue and said, "Ha ha."
Graham said, "It's 2:30 now. Let's meet back at the car in an hour. Deal?"
"Deal."
As Alicia headed off with the kids, Graham went to go look at ceiling fans- he had been planning to put a new one in the family room, but had put it off since Colleen died. He stared up at the fans and without realizing it, bumped completely into a stranger.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't-"
Graham's heart skipped a beat when he took in how beautiful the woman was.
"I wasn't looking."
"It's OK," she replied, with a laugh.
"I guess I should've been paying more attention."
"It's not your fault. Ceiling fans are very…intriguing."
"I don't know if intriguing is the right word."
Alicia appeared at the end of the aisle.
"Graham, come look at this refrigerator! It's amazing!"
"I'll be right there."
The woman looked at Graham and said, "I think your wife desperately needs you."
"Oh, she's not my wife. She's my sister-in-law."
"I see. Well, I guess I should leave you alone before your wife does find you."
"Actually, I'm not married. I'm a widower. I just haven't brought myself to take off the ring."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. That's absolutely none of my business."
"It's OK."
"Well, I should at least properly introduce myself. I'm Meredith."
"Nice to meet you. Graham. So do you live here in Trenton?"
"Yeah. I just moved here from Rhode Island with my little girl. Do you and your family live here?"
"No, we live in Newtown. It's a small city in Pennsylvania- about 20 minutes from here."
"Oh."
Suddenly, Graham saw Bo standing at the end of the aisle, where Alicia had been earlier.
"Daddy! Come here!"
As she ran away, Meredith snickered and asked, "That's your little girl?"
"Yeah."
"She's so cute! How old is she?"
"4."
"Is she your only one?"
"No. I have a son who's 10- but he acts like he's 18."
"My daughter is like that. She's 6 and is like a grown woman."
They looked at each other for a few seconds and then Meredith said, "I shouldn't hold you up any longer. It sounds like that refrigerator is pretty astonishing."
"Yeah. Hey, if you need someone to show you around, I'd be more than happy to."
"That would be nice."
Graham took out his wallet and handed Meredith one of his church business cards.
"You're a pastor?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Wow, that's really awesome. I'll definitely give you a call. Maybe your daughter and my daughter could play together. Haven needs a playmate."
"Haven- that's a unique name."
"She's the only Haven I know."
"Alright. It was nice meeting you, Meredith."
"Same here, Graham."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Graham walked away and thought to himself, I can't believe I just had the courage to do that.
As he turned the aisle, he looked at Meredith and waved at her one last time. She smiled and waved back. He met up with Alicia by the refrigerators, and she glared at him with inquiring eyes.
"Who was that?" she asked.
"I'll tell you later. Now where's this refrigerator you were talking about?"
"I'm not showing you any refrigerator until you tell me who that woman was!"
He whispered, "She's just someone I bumped into- literally. And we started a conversation."
"Ohhh, I see. Graham the flirt? Interesting…"
"Alicia, just show me the refrigerator."
"Fine. It's this one over here."
Alicia took Graham by the hand and led him to the refrigerator she had been talking about. As she showed him its features, all he could concentrate on was Meredith's eyes and her smile.
No, Graham, he thought to himself, it's too early. It's only been seven months.
"….and then an elephant walked by and I asked myself, 'Is this Home Depot or the circus?'"
Graham snapped out of his thoughts and replied, "What?"
"I was seeing if you were paying attention."
"I was."
"You don't have to lie to me. You were thinking about that woman, weren't you?"
"Alicia, you're starting trouble."
"Oh whatever. So are you done? I'm bored already. I got my paint samples."
"I think I'm gonna browse around some more."
"OK. I'll take the kids to Barnes and Noble."
"No matter how much he begs, do not buy Morgan coffee from Starbuck's. It makes him so hyper, it's unbelievable."
"He's ten years old. Why would he want coffee?"
"He's Morgan."
"Yeah, you're right. We'll meet you at the car."
"3:30."
"Gotcha. See ya later."
The kids said goodbye to Graham and walked off with Alicia.
* * * * *
As Merrill turned off the car's engine, he glanced at his watch.
5:07. Maybe Ali and I can go to dinner tonight. It's still early enough.
He got out of the car and collected all of his paperwork, and then headed up the stairs of the garage house. When Merrill got inside, he smiled and laughed to himself. Alicia was curled up in a ball, beneath her favorite quilt on the bed. He set his things down and walked over to the bed. Sitting next to Alicia, Merrill kissed her cheek and brushed her hair out of her face.
"Hey sweetie, I'm back," he whispered.
Alicia rolled on her back and opened her eyes, squinting.
"Hey handsome."
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?"
"My gorgeous fiancé has."
"He's a lucky man."
Merrill leaned down and kissed Alicia's soft lips. Still craving more of the sensation, he kissed her again, only holding her lips in his longer.
"Did you have fun at Home Depot," he asked.
"I got the paint sample thingy, but I ended up taking Morgan and Bo to Barnes and Noble. They looked around and I picked up some bridal magazines. We got back here a little after four and I was exhausted, so I took a little nap. Oh yeah- I forgot to tell you! Your sly older brother met a pretty lady friend today."
"Get out of here."
"Yeah! I went to get him because I found this wicked refrigerator- and there he was, chatting up this woman in the ceiling fan aisle. I think they might've switched the digits."
"Are we talking about the same Graham here? My brother, flirting with a woman- in Home Depot, nonetheless?"
"Yep. Saw it with my own eyes."
"Hmm. I'll have to grill him about it later. But for now, is there any room for me under that quilt?"
"Of course."
Merrill took off his shoes and shirt. Then he buried under the quilt and put his arms around Alicia's waist.
"How was your afternoon?" Alicia asked Merrill.
"It was challenging. If I had known that putting together lesson plans and grading papers and all the curriculum stuff was this hard when I was younger, I wouldn't have been so bad in school."
"You were bad in school?"
"Not really till I was in high school. My friends and I would sit in the back of class and crack jokes the entire time."
"The jocks, huh?"
"No. Well…yeah, pretty much."
"I bet you were so cute in high school."
"Well, you knew me when I was in high school."
"I kind of remember you. I remember you a little bit from Colleen and Graham's engagement party..but you came in and out."
"Yeah. I had to be up for a game at 7 am that next morning."
"You were cute from what I could remember. But the last thing on my mind then was boys."
"I remember always thinking that you were the prettiest little girl I had ever seen."
"Little girl? Honey, you're only six years older than me. I was 11 when Coll and Graham got married..you were 17. I was not a little girl."
"OK, fine. You were the prettiest girl under the age of 15 that I had ever seen. And I don't mean pretty in a sexual way. You were pretty in an innocent way. Your eyes, your hair, the way you carried yourself…and I remember saying to myself, 'Damn, she's gonna be hot when she's older.'"
"You're such a nerd."
"Well, I wasn't wrong. But I never would've imagined that Colleen's pretty little sister would one day be the love of my life and the best friend I ever had."
"I've never thought about that."
"What?"
"You being my best friend. I mean, you're everything to me, but I've never examined it that way. Now that I think about it, you are my best friend in the world. Even if we weren't in love and getting married, we'd be amazing friends."
"Best friends."
"Exactly. But I can't imagine being just your friend."
"You know what? If we weren't dating, we'd probably just be sex buddies."
Alicia laughed hysterically and replied, "You know, you're probably right. Best friends and booty call buddies."
Merrill embraced Alicia tighter and kissed her on the lips.
"How about we take a nap and then maybe go out for dinner?"
"Ooh, that would be fun. Where to?"
"I don't know. We'll decide when we wake up."
"It's 5:20 and you still wanna take a nap?"
"I'm so tired, Ali. I've been staring at papers all day. I just need a quick one."
"Fine."
A quick nap soon turned into a long slumber. Eventually, Merrill woke up first. The entire bedroom was dark, with a touch of light coming from the crescent moon. He looked at the bedside clock.
"1 am?! How the hell did we sleep so long?"
He shook Alicia, who grumbled and moved a little.
"Honey, it's one in the morning."
She mumbled, "What? Wow…I didn't think I was this sleepy."
"Me neither. Come on, let's get under the real covers."
"No, baby. I'm so comfortable with the quilt."
"OK, OK."
"But will you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Will you stoke my hair so that I can get back to sleep faster? That always helps."
"Of course."
Alicia locked her arms around Merrill's waist and nestled her head into Merrill's chest. She rested her right ear against his chest, and the only sounds she heard were his heart beating and the air that went in and out of his lungs.
She closed her eyes as Merrill's hand ran through her hair and she whispered, "I love you."
Merrill kissed the top of her head and replied, "Love you too, sweetheart."
I never had no one
I could count on
I've been let down so many times
I was tired of hurting
So tired of searching
Till you walked into my life
It was a feeling I'd never known
And for the first time
I didn't feel alone
You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Everytime I look at you
I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend…
You stand by me
And you believe in me
Like nobody ever has
When my world goes crazy
You're right there to save me
You make me see how much I have
And I still tremble
When we touch
And oh the look in your eyes
When we make love
You're more than a lover
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
Oh we just get closer
I fall in love all over
Everytime I look at you
And I don't know where I'd be
Without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
You're my best friend…