“It’s past my bedtime.” Allison said as she stood.
One by one, couples started to leave, until it was just Boxer and me hanging out with Joni and Zip. He put another log on the fire.
“How did you find this place?” I asked.
“I talked to people in town,” Zip said. “That’s how you find all the best stuff. The owner lived out of state. I sent him a letter, and a few weeks later he called and sold it to me for what I offered.”
“It reminds me of the house inIt’s a Wonderful Life,” Joni said, brushing a kiss to Zip’s cheek. “Full of possibilities. We get to make it our own, which I love. But it feels like… I don’t know. It’s a home, right? But this house was here before us. It’ll be here after us. We’re just caretakers for a period in its life.”
Her poignant words struck my heart. I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the hours of spending time with Boxer and his Blue Angels family, but tears sprung to my eyes.
Joni leaned her head against Zip’s shoulder and stared into the flames. He placed his cheek against her hair and suddenly, I felt like I was intruding.
“That’s my cue,” I said, making a move to stand. I stomped my feet and rubbed feeling back into my tailbone. “You guys look like you want to be alone.”
Zip grinned. “You pay attention. I like that.”
Boxer stood up and grasped my hand in his. “I’m out too.”
Joni looked like she was about to get up, but I waved her down. “Stay. Enjoy the moment.”
She snuggled against Zip. “You fit in well, Linden.”
“Do I?” I glanced at Boxer and then back to Zip and Joni.
“Yeah, Doc. You’re okay.” Zip said.
Boxer and I walked hand in hand toward the house. “Did you have fun?”
“I did. A lot of fun. They’re special. All of them.”
“Yeah. They are.”
I followed him home. After parking on the street, I cut the engine and then climbed out. I hit my clicker and walked toward the front porch steps.
“Bed?” he asked, as he closed the door and locked it. He dropped his keys into the bowl on the dark wood table.
I pushed him against the wall, and then my fingers went to his fly. “Floor.”
* * *
We were on the carpet of the living room on a pile of blankets and pillows. The light of the hallway was still ablaze.
I propped up on one elbow so I could look down at him. I ran a hand across his scruff, enjoying the raspy feel of it against my fingertips. He turned his head and kissed my palm, but he didn’t say anything more.
“Every time I’m with you, the Blue Angels, the Old Ladies, I feel…” I trailed off.
“What?”
“Like I belong.”
He smiled. “You do belong.”
“I didn’t think I would.” I paused. “It’s not the clothes or the way of life. It’s what’s inside a person. They hugged me like I was one of them. Joni included me in her reveal of the nursery. That feels… I don’t even know how to put it.”
“It’s called tribe, Doc. You’ve got a tribe.”
“They hugged me. We were upstairs in the room that’s going to be the nursery when Joni told everyone the news. They pulled me into their group, Boxer. Like I was one of them. Like I belonged.” I snuggled back down. “They asked about you.”