Chapter 6

Taylor woke wondering what brick wall she was resting against. She opened her eyes, and realized the brick wall was a human back. 'Joe,' she thought as she wrapped her arm around him and closed her eyes.

Thoughts of last night ran through her mind. When she thought about what she would say if she ever saw Joe again, it was not what she had said. She had expected tears, yelling, and arguments about what she had done. She never had expected that he would give her another chance. 'Please, God' she prayed. 'Please let us have the chance this time. You know I love him.'

Joe rolled over, and slid his arm around Taylor. He still couldn't believe she was back and in his life. When he asked if she wanted to move forward, he had convinced himself that she was going to say no. He was overjoyed when she said yes. He just hoped this time she wouldn't run away again. He vowed that wouldn't happen again.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he said as he gave her cheek a kiss.

"Good morning, Handsome," she said as she opened her eyes. "I guess I'm not dreaming."

"If you are, I am."

She reached out her arms and wrapped them around his neck. She kissed him. "Thank you for taking me back."

"Welcome. You have to work today?"

"No. I'm on my 48 off."

"Me too. Why don't we go down to the Navy Pier later?"

"That would be fun. I haven't been there since the last time we were there."

"That long ago? How long have you been back?"

"Fifteen years. I got a job at Chicago Med in the ER and then transferred to UCAN when they had an opening."

"You like it?"

"Love it. It's fast paced and no two days are the same. What made you decide to be a firefighter?"

"I applied for the police academy and the fire department. The fire department called first."

"You like it?"

"I do. Except for when things don't turn out so good."

She let out a breath. "Yeah, that's always hard to take."

They walked along the Navy Pier eating corn dogs and playing the games. Joe carried a huge stuffed teddy bear that he was certain would grace Taylor's bed later. It felt good to be out with Taylor. "So, mini golf?" he asked.

"Of course. And the Ferris Wheel?"

"And the Ferris Wheel," he agreed.

They made their way over to the mini golf course, and Taylor held the bear as Joe paid.

"Is there a locker where we can store the bear?" Taylor asked the golf attendant.

"Not really, but I can babysit while you play," he said.

Taylor passed the bear over. "Might be longer than you think. We used to play all day."

"And we're still going to play golf all day," Joe reminded.

Taylor smiled as she walked happily behind him. The last time she had played, Joe beat her all but one game. She didn't care because she was with Joe. He had saved for two weeks for that date, and even though all they did was come down to the pier and spend the day, it still qualified as one of the best dates of her life.

Joe led her to the first hole and motioned for her to go first. "Thank you, Sir," she said as she set her ball down and tried to line up her shot. When the ball went into the hole, she looked at Joe. "You have to kiss me," she reminded.

He chuckled and stepped forward. "Yes I do." He was surprised that she remembered their silly deal from years ago, but he was also secretly delighted. Apparently, he crossed her mind as much as she crossed his. He bent over and gave her a gentle kiss. "Keep your lips ready because you're going to be kissing me again in a minute," he said as he picked up his golf club and lined up his shot.