Page 54 of Soaring and Saucy

“I can’t wait, husband…” she whispered tearfully.

“Let me finish here and I’ll call you in a few.”

“Okay.”

Stephanie waited… and waited – and waited some more. She was starting to get a little panicked that something happened or there was a problem because it wasn’t just twenty minutes, or an hour. It had been nearly three hours, and the worst was racing through her mind. Finally, her phone rang and she answered it quickly, not wanting to miss it.

“Hello?”

“I am soooo sorry,” Lance began in a rush – and her heart fell.

Something happened.

Something fell through.

Something went wrong… and then he continued speaking as she willed her heart to start beating again in her chest.

“I put down the deposit, had to go by housing to get my allotment toward the rent started, and then hurried to book my flight. How does next Thursday sound? I already had a day off scheduled on Friday to burn up some time, and then we have the entire weekend to get things packed, loaded, and moved,” he said in a rush as she sat there quietly. “Stephanie, is that okay?”

“I can’t wait,” she admitted. “I’m just stunned at how fast it’s going to happen – but I would leave this Friday if I needed to.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” he exclaimed quietly with a nervous sigh of relief. “I know it seems like a lot, but it’s more like figuring out a bunch of working puzzle pieces – the biggest being my duty rotation on ship.”

“Is there more to do?”

“Just to pack your things and rent a U-Haul,” he chuckled. “That’s it. When you get here, we’ll schedule you with a doctor and have your records transferred over. I don’t have any furniture, but if we need something, then we’ll figure it out together. I’m just so relieved and can’t wait to have you here.”

“Lance?” she whispered, just needing to shake off that tiny voice in her mind that kept filling the darkest recesses with so much doubt. “Is it me – or the baby that you want there?”

And heard his slight intake of breath as he hesitated before speaking.

“I don’t want to do this over the phone. I’d rather have this conversation in person, if that’s okay.”

“It’s fine,” she whispered painfully. “I was just wondering and…”

“There’s no privacy here, princess – but if you are asking what I think you are, then I want to look in those eyes when I say those words to you, my wife, the mother of my child,” he whispered, his voice muffled from covering the mouthpiece. “I want you both here, both of you, because I can’t imagine my world without either.”

“Same,” she sniffed, feeling stupid at her insecurities.

“We’ll continue this talk the moment I get to Louisville,” he promised. “I’ll forward my ticket to you, so you know when I land… and then we’re loading up your things and coming home.”

“Sounds good.”

“Please don’t worry.”

“I feel better now, and I guess I just needed to hear you say it, you know?”

“I want to see your soul, your essence in your eyes when I tell you that for the first time, because it means a lot to me. That’s not something I take lightly – and I promise that once we get it out there, you are gonna hear it a lot over the next seventy years.”

Stephanie laughed tearfully and heard his chuckle.

“Now, in seventy years, I’ll be over a hundred and won’t have any clue who that frisky wrinkled woman is that is always grabbing at me with no teeth in – but I’m such a pig that I probably wouldn’t fight you much… diaper and all,” and they laughed together knowingly.

“Just make sure my ‘pig’ stays in the ‘pen’ because he’s married now.”

“Very much so,” Lance whispered. “I’m not taking any chances. I promise.”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

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