Page 96 of Breathe Again

“He thinks you’re a beautiful soul.”

I’d never noticed before, but Rhys’ voice had the same effect on me as Zale’s, to a lesser degree, but the steadiness was there.

“I just wanted you to know that you have support, and you have fans, in Barrett and myself.”

I lost the fight with the tears, and they rolled down my cheeks. I wiped them away and looked at him quickly, he smiled at my tears, and turned back to the road.

“So much heart. You’re good, Mara. Zale is a lucky man, and you have friends around you who understand. Get that out of this if nothing else, okay?”

“Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary, it’s not hard.”

He pulled into my driveway. “Wait for a second and I’ll hand you down.”

I took off my seatbelt and opened the door, swinging my legs around as he came around and stopped in front of me.

“You and Rebecca,” he laughed ruefully. “I might need to get a shorter vehicle.”

I laughed. He took hold of my hands and supported me as I jumped down. He released me immediately, and I headed up the walkway to my house.

“Goodnight, Rhys. Thank you for the ride.”

“Goodnight, Mara.”

I stopped and turned to look at him, ducked my head before looking at him again. “Thank you.”

I saw his nod and his easy smile as I whirled and booted it into my house, happy for Bex that she had that kindness in her life.

Zale was waiting for me in bed but turned off the lights as soon as I came in.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yup!”

“Glad you’re home, baby.”

He conked out before I finished in the bathroom and I wondered, not for the first time, if I shouldn’t have held out for someone who saw me, someone who wanted me enough to pursue me, the way I’d seen both Rhys and Jack had wanted and pursued Bex. I thought, again not for the first time, that Zale should be free and not have to settle for whatever he had with me.

I slipped between the sheets, grateful that the day, while good, was over. A lot happened today, and my body, mind, and spirit felt wrung out like a wet dish cloth. I turned toward my husband who Iloved more than life, curled up against his warm back, and silent tears coursed down my cheeks, releasing the mix of emotions that threatened to drown me, and dropping me gently into sleep.

I Do, Too

Mara

I had our bag packed for later, with jeans and flannel, thick socks and hoodies, and Zale had put it in the car with our boots and Olivia’s two bags of happiness. It was definitely a two-bag day, being Rebecca’s wedding day, it would be a long one. Nintendo DS, iPad, and iPod were all charged to full battery status. Crunchy snacks and suckers were packed, and Rebecca called earlier to let me know she prepared a large Tupperware full of macaroni and cheese. Sweet. Olivia was calm and mostly looking forward to it.

Olivia liked her dress; we’d taken great care to find something comfortable. She already had it on with her charm bracelet jinglingon her wrist. She’d be happy to add a new charm today. She sat on my bed, watching me while I got ready.

I’d done my hair, piling it high on my head with long twists of chestnut and silver curling against my neck and over my chest. I applied my makeup and tucked it into a bag to bring for touch ups. My dress lay across the bed and the time of reckoning had arrived. Suddenly it didn’t look as good as I remembered.

I stepped into it and pulled the zipper up the side, settling it over my hips. I stepped into my high heels and turned to the mirror on the back of the door. Midnight black, velvety suede clung and draped in equal measure in all the right places. A sweetheart neckline dipped between my breasts and lay low across my chest. The cups covered only a little over half of my breasts, the swell above the neckline would have been indecent if not for the sheer material stretching from the heart shaped neckline to my shoulders and ending in tight half sleeves to the elbow. Fitted close to my body, a twist of material at the waist, it then fell in a straight skirt softly to the floor. A long slit up to mid-thigh ensured ease of movement, even if it meant my leg peeked half out of my dress every time I moved.

It was as beautiful as I remembered. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I walked out to show Zale.

He heard me clicking across the hall and turned to look over his shoulder with a half-smile on his face to greet me. He looked beautiful in his charcoal suit, dove grey shirt and striped tie, all that the perfect foil for his black hair with its touches of silver, his olive skin, and his dark eyes. Closely shaven, he looked like he’d just stepped away from a magazine shoot. He turned fully toward me,and the smile dropped from his face. He froze and I stuttered to a stop.

---