He laughed as he too brushed a tear that fell from the corner of his eye.
And at that point, I couldn’t take it anymore as I vaulted myself into his arms, snuggling my face into the side of his neck.
Collins followed me and together we perched on Gage’s lap. And what I didn’t know was that one of the ole’ ladies had her camera at the ready and had caught everything.
Some of those pictures ended up getting blown up and the one that wasn’t staged, the one that was us, was a beautiful print in black and white. It was of both of us sitting with Gage and my hand that now adorned my ring finger was settled on the side of his neck.
That night after Gage fell asleep while we watched a movie, I had a hankering for some peanut butter.
Normally I would have thought that was weird since the only way I would even eat peanut butter was if it was mixed with something.
But eating it straight from the jar, yeah, that wasn’t me.
And if I wasn’t as tired as I was, I would have realized that it meant something.
After I had my fill of the peanut butter, I checked on Collins, and while I was leaning against her doorjamb watching her sleep, that was when I heard Gage call out, “No.”
I had hoped that all his nightmares were over. Seeing as how he hadn’t had one in weeks.
Rushing to the bedroom, I climbed onto the bed, and with my hand, to the side of his face, I murmured, “Gage. Baby, wake up.”
He calmed instantly and with his eyes still closed, he asked, “Where did you go?”
“Wanted some peanut butter, and I checked on Collins. Are you alright?” His forehead was damp.
He simply nodded and then murmured, “Don’t leave again.”
Getting under the covers was going to be a feat because now he had his hand over mine that was still resting on the side of his face, but I promised him nonetheless, “I won’t.”
“Sleep better when you’re in my arms.” He said as he snuggled his face into my palm.
With great difficulty, I somehow managed to get myself situated under the covers.
Though I ignored the sheen of sweat that immediately coated the front of his t-shirt I had confiscated tonight and sighed in contentment.
Within minutes, his breathing was even and not ragged like it had been when I had woken him up.
I laid there in his arms for hours, watching as the sun rose to start a brand-new day, trying to process a way to finally rid him of the nightmares. Of the guilt that he still carried after all these years.
My big strong man had something happen in his life that had tortured his soul.
Normally I was a passive woman, not much got under my skin, however, the mere thought of something bad happening to Gage or Collins had every protective instinct I didn’t know that I possessed come raging forward in a blinding wave.
And that fact has never been proven more true than a week later while we were at a restaurant for dinner.
We had just finished our appetizer when I heard a woman ask, in a snotty tone, “Is that a boy or a girl, do you think? I mean, he or she is dressed like a girl would dress, but why is their head shaved?”
My entire body stiffened when I heard what the woman said.
And I just knew that she was asking about Collins. I was scooting out of my chair to confront the bitch when both Gage and Collins grabbed my hands to keep me in place. Growling I said, “That bitch says one more thing, I’m knocking her lights out.”
They both looked at the woman in question, who didn’t seem to be the least bit apologetic that we had all heard what she said.
The woman thankfully hadn’t said another word. Not until the server brought out Collins’s potato soup.
Smiling when her eyes lit on the soup, I couldn’t help but lean down and press a kiss on her head, where she had patches that were now growing back in.
But all of that ended when the woman said, “I’m going with a little boy then. Her parents need to understand that you are either born a boy or a girl.”