Page 43 of Midnight and Mine

Wynter,

I’ve been scared plenty of times in my life.

When Jess and Mav made us jump out of the plane before last year’s 5K run in honor of Mark.

When we camped at thegorge and the coyotes howled all night.

When you stole my paper in our high school creative writing class may have been the scariest. I sat at my desk, holding my breath, trying to act casual, but my heart raced with impending doom. It was just another paper to you, but to me, it held a secret—one I wasn’t ready to share. I didn’t mention you by name, hiding behind metaphors and speaking in generalities, but you and our friends would have untangled the truth.

If you would have read it, it might have been the end of our friends with benefits arrangement. You would have run as fast as you could in the other direction. We never talked about it but when you remember, I’d like to.

But you being in the hospital, unable to remember me, has been the most nerve-wracking experience of my life. Each section of my heart fighting for dominance.

Hope.

Fear.

Love.

Sadness.

Even if you never remember me, know that I will always love you.

Scott

I pull the open journal to my heart and a tear trickles down my cheek. How did I get so lucky to have a man love me so much and for so long? Concentrating on his written words, I close my eyes and imagine each little story he outlined.

Chapter Nineteen

Scott

With the monkey finally off my back, I thought I would be able to sleep soundly for the first time since the accident—I don’t. Instead, I worry if I had ruined her recovery by telling her that she is indeed married to me. My heart tells me I did the right thing, that at least she has a framework, but my brain insists that I take this slow. I want her to remember our friends with benefits stage that lasted five years. I want her to remember the two years we barely saw each other, and I need her to remember the night we went out on our first real date.

So today, I’m putting a new plan into action. I’m going to date my wife. When I walk into her room, she’s not there. I knock on the bathroom door, but then I hear her laughter coming from downstairs. I gallop down the steps to find her sitting at the kitchen island with her pink cast laid out on the other barstool next to her.

“What’s so funny?”

Her ponytail swishes through the air as she swivels around. Beaming, she says, “I had a dream… actually a memory.”

“You did? Of what?”

“Throwing up the casserole Mom made during my first trimester.”

I can’t help but smile thinking about that morning. Her parents brought us a breakfast casserole filled with veggies, sausage, and eggs. Wynter always liked cheese in casseroles but not on its own. Well, our baby girl had no use for it, and Wynter didn’t make it more than two steps from the table before she vomited all over her new, fancy workout clothes.

“That was an interesting day.” I wonder if she has any recollection of how I washed her in the shower and made love to her after. Kissing her on the cheek, I say, “We’re going on a date today. Are you up for it?”

She nods eagerly, biting the corner of her bottom lip.

“I’ll be back to pick you up around noon.” I give her a slow wink, and she blushes. This is exactly what I want.

When I go back to our house, I transfer her photos from the gorge to her phone. Then I mow the overgrown yard that I’ve neglected since the accident. It feels good to do something normal. As the blades whir through the grass, a thought hits me that I could bring Wynter home during the day. She could water her plants and tend to her flower garden. I’ll ease her back into our home.

After showering and splashing on some cologne that Wynter loves, I drive back to her parents’ house and rap at the front door.

Her dad comes to the door. “Why are you knocking? You always walk in.”

“Sir, I’m here topick up Wynter for our date.”

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