Page 29 of Forgive Me Father: For I Have Sinned

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have made plans without checking with you first. My mom called about my birthday while we were at the hospital and asked about you and one thing led to another. Next thing I knew she was making my favorite dinner and setting an extra place setting. I’m so sorry, I should’ve asked you first.”

“You told her about me?”

He kneeled in front of me, taking both my hands in his. “Of course, I did babe, a long time ago, but when I told her what happened to you, she went a little crazy and dove head first into protective mother hen mode. Now she’s insistent on meeting you and making sure you’re okay and that I’m not lying.”

“All right,” I said.

The smile I fell in love with reappeared. “Really?”

“Really, really.” This was the least I could do for my gentle giant who’d quite literally changed his entire world for me.

“Awesome,” he popped up into a standing position. “Let’s get you back to bed. I’m on, and I quote, ‘Jamie duty.’ A job I happily accepted from Daniel.”

“Ugh, speaking of protective mother hen,” but the familiar warmth I felt when thinking about my little family surged through me again.

“They love you, but I don’t start my new job until you go back to work,” he informed me when he returned from the bedroom with my pillows and blanket in hand. “Let’s get you comfy on the couch. Here’s the remote,” he said, handing it to me as he covered me up.

“What do you mean you don’t start until I go back?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you I’ll be working the same shifts as you. It starts the night you go back to work. I gave my boss my resignation this morning, but since I was suspended for telling that little brat and his parents off anyways, he wasn’t the least bit surprised. That gig wasn’t for me.”

“But, what about a paycheck?” I tried to get up but he wouldn’t let me.

“I have some money in savings, this will be a mini vacation for me. When you’re up for it, we’ll head to the island in the next day or two and spend a couple of days there with my parents. Have you been out to Whidbey before?”

“No, I haven’t been anywhere outside of the city.”

“You’re gonna love it. There’s so much to do,” he said, excitedly. Although I was nervous and afraid, they wouldn’t like me, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. Taking me to meet his parents made him far too happy, which made any pain I may have to endure from it more than worth it.

I was hoping to get back to work the following weekend. I had a lot of aggression over the attack to rid myself of. I was pissed off at that jackass for hurting meagain, and angry at my inability to defend myself. Needless to say, after two days at home I was going stir crazy and getting a bit snippy. So, Butch decided it was time for us to take a ride. When he told me we’d need to take the ferry across the sound to the island, it was my turn to be the giddy kid. Since moving to Seattle I’d wanted to take a trip on one, but life always seemed to get in the way of having any fun.

After hanging up with Liv, for the twentieth time since I got home from the hospital, we drove up to Mukilteo to catch the ferry. Mother Nature was on our side today, it was an oddly sunny day in springtime Seattle. Not a cloud came into view during the twenty-minute ride across the sound. I was in awe, staring out across the water on the front deck. The wind whipped through my hair,something I normally would’ve been irate over yet I found it to be invigorating. Like I was being reborn as I stood there, arms wide open picturing myself on the bow of the Titanic channeling my inner Jack.

“You’re adorable,” Butch said wrapping my jacket I’d left in the truck around my shoulders. “It’s colder out on the water so I thought you might need this.”

“Thank you, my love,” I leaned back against him, triggering his arms to find their place around my waist. Moments later, the captain made the announcement to return to our vehicles to prepare to disembark the vessel, pulling us from the peaceful serenity.

Once we were off the ferry, the ride to his parents place only took about fifteen minutes, but it was breathtaking. Nowhere near as populated as Seattle or the surrounding cities for that matter. The place was a great escape from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Two lane roads, no traffic. Fresh air and the scenery was justwow. I could see why his parents chose that place when they retired. Honestly, it was easy to see myself, well really Butch and I living there. He was the first man to ever appear in my dreams of a better future before the men in my fantasies had remained faceless.

“Oh Butch, see that red barn up ahead?” I yelled like a child spotting a new toy.

“Ha-ha yes, there are shops and a café in there. A section of it can be rented for parties and receptions as well. It’s called Greenbank Farms. They have a store that sells cheese, art galleries, wineall kinds of stuff.”

“Can we stop?” I turned in my seat, staring wide-eyed at him while waiting for his answer.

He laughed again. “I like this seeing this side of you,” then put his turn signal on and pulled into the gravel parking lot.

I was up and out of the truck before he could open the door for me. My inner child was on a mission to see every inch of that place. We stepped inside the barn storefront and were greeted by the gentleman behind the counter, welcoming us to their farm. There were rows of locally produced wines and to the right was a quaint café. Butch bought me a hot chocolate before selecting a couple bottles of wine for us to have with dinner while at his parents’ house.

We strolled along the walkway to the adjacent shops after watching the ducks in the front pond for a few minutes. There was an artist’s market, they had various items the local artisans created infused with the landscaping. The first shop we came upon was a food market. It seemed the theme was logan berry everything since they too were grown on the island. I bought some taffy and hard candies to munch on, and Butch purchased some cheese and crackers to have for snacks later.

The next three shops were galleries, filled with gorgeous glass creations, canvas paintings, drawings, and handmade jewelry. Unfortunately, all were out of my price range, but that didn’t stop me from oohing and ahhing over every piece.I wish I possessed talents like these…

“Everyone’s talents are different,” Butch said, squeezing my hand as if he’d just read my mind. “You ready to head out?”

“Yes, thank you for this,” I told him, “stopping here I mean.”

“Jamie, you don’t need to thank me for everything. You want to check something out, speak up. You need anything, let me know. We’re in this together, we’re partners, and you’ll always come first with me.”

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