Page 45 of A Simple Love

“About what exactly?”

She walks further into the room. “I know what Frank did, and back then, I didn’t agree with it. But now looking at where you both are now in your lives, I think it all worked out the way it was supposed to.”

“I agree, even though it killed me to hurt her that day.”

“Oh, I wanted to hurt you that day too,” she teases. “But then I realized you didn’t show up because of Frank, and then I wanted to hurt him.”

I laugh back at her.

“But I think you’ve more than proven your love for Victoria. You guys deserve your happiness now.”

I stare at Leslie in admiration. The same heart and sense of humor that I love about Victoria---I can see that it comes from her mom now. I guess I have her to thank for creating and raising the woman that I love, even more than her support for the both of us.

“How would you feel if I asked Victoria to move in with me?” I break the silence just as Leslie’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“I thought that’s why you were here and she was gathering her things?”

I laugh. “I haven’t asked yet, but I’m going to. I’m gonna marry her too, just so you know.”

“I expected nothing less, Michael. You’ve lost enough time. Don’t waste another second.”

Chapter 26

Victoria

The next morning, I woke up in an empty bed again. Mike rises before the sun, so I took advantage of the space and stretched across the bed before reaching for my phone to check the time, but I got distracted by something else. Next to my phone was a folded piece of paper. I quickly swiped it from the nightstand and opened it, immediately grinning from ear to ear when I saw what he had written.

Will you forgive me now? Check Yes or No.

Flashbacks from elementary to high school flooded my mind as I thought about the hundreds of notes Mike used to write to me like these. There were almost always yes or no boxes to check after he asked me a random question. Then I noticed the pen next to my phone I hadn’t grabbed yet. Clicking the tab down, I drew a heart inside the yes box, folded the paper back up, and took it out to the kitchen with me once I forced myself out of bed.

On the counter were wildflowers, what looked like a breakfast sandwich of some kind, and another note. This one was not folded though.

Good morning, beautiful. I’m already out in the shop working on an order, and it will probably be too loud for me to hear you. I made your breakfast and your lunch is packed in the fridge. Have a great day at work and I’ll see you tonight. I love you.

This man, I swear. Once we got back from my parent’s house, I pushed Mike to recall every detail from five years ago surrounding our date that never happened. He bared his soul to me, offering nothing but the truth. He explained how long he’d loved me, how excited he was at the idea of finally pursuing more, and how devastated he felt after my father confronted him. The image of Mike in his truck in a field, beating himself up after what my dad said to him, instead of being in that booth at the restaurant with me, made me ache for him. I know that if Mike truly felt worthy of me back then, he wouldn’t have let my dad chase him off. But Mike assured me, he knew he had decisions to make and growing up to do. He wasn’t ready to be the man he knew I deserved, but he was ready now. We held each other while we navigated our past and then cemented our future between the sheets until we couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Understanding my father’s decision will take some time, but I’m not mad anymore. I guess what I’m feeling is grief. We lost so much time that we could have been together. But as Mike said, we ended up where we are now and it all worked out.

I snag my breakfast off the counter, pack my lunch in a tote I brought from home, grab my teaching bag full of folders and notebooks, and make my way to my car to head for school.

After a long day of work, I arrive back at Mike’s house, where a home-cooked meal is waiting for me, along with a freshly showered man that I climb the second I walk in the door, making our food cold by the time we ate it, but completely worth it.

I repeat the same routine all week---waking up at Mike’s and sleeping there too---until Friday arrives and we make plans to join our friends at BJ’s to unwind from the long week.

“Vic, before we leave, I need to ask you something,” Mike states confidently as he comes up behind me in the bathroom. I’m leaning over the counter, touching up my make-up and doing one more fluff of my hair.

“Ok, what’s up?” I reply as I glide my lip gloss over my mouth.

“I want you to move in with me.”

I turn around to face him slowly, absorbing his words while the seconds tick by. “That wasn’t a question,” I finally manage to spit out.

He laughs at me. “Yeah, I guess not. But what do you say? Will you move in with me, Victoria?”

I jump in his arms and seal my lips to his in a sloppy kiss that ends too quickly.

“Is that a yes?”

---