Page 49 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04
“Hey, Jae,” she said, picking up the phone.Mae found herself humming as she arranged the chairs, adjusted the plants, and then centered a small tea table in between the seats.The cute ottoman she had found went well with the chairs and created the perfect reading nook, along with the lamp.
“Hey back,” Jae Weston said.“Daddy said you quit your job, got married, and moved.He said to Alton, so I assume you married that dude?”
“I married that dude,” she repeated.
“Mae, I dunno, you went about this really different,” he said.
“And you brought Sherryl to meet the family, and she refused to speak to you for three weeks after,” Mae said.“You had to propose to win your woman back.I wasn't going to expose him to my family for that kind of ridicule and nonsense.”
“So, you married him first to make sure he didn't get away,” Jae asked, laughing.
“No Jae, I married him because he's good, and honest, and loving, and giving.He makes me laugh and feel at ease, but more importantly, I can see this life with him of no fighting over stupid shit,” she said.“There are meals we share where we don't talk.There are meals we share and discuss the meaning of the universe.Even now, I’m making his favorite pie.His Aunt in Kansas showed me how to make this, and I'm even doing the crust from scratch.”
“Kansas?You went to Kansas to meet his family but won't bring him to meet yours?Better yet, when can I come down and see where you live?Is it a trailer?”
Mae laughed.“We're working on it.”
“Working on what?The trailer?”
“No, getting things ready for the family visit,” she said.“I'm in a level place in my head and my heart and this feels good.”
“You're embarrassed about us, aren't you?Admit it.You're trying to make sure that man is so in love with you that when he meets your family, it won't matter because you're already married,” Jae said into the line.
“Damn straight!You bunch of weirdos aren't going to ruin this for me,” she said, laughing.“We'll talk soon.Love ya.”
“Love you too, sis,” he told her, ending the call.
Mae peered out the back door to see the two very large, even pits in the backyard.Jep said he would be back tomorrow to add in rebar before they poured in the concrete.She hummed as she milled about the house, dusting and adding touches here and there.
Barefoot and pulling a pie from the oven when Thom came through the backdoor, she offered him a wide smile.
“Pie!”she said, arching her brows.
“Pie,” he repeated, looking at her.She placed the pie on the counter on a trivet, still humming as she made her way to the living room.
Thom followed along behind her, noticing the chairs and the ottoman.She snipped dead leaves off plants, turning to smile at him again.“How was your day?”
“Not as good as yours,” he said, smiling at her.“Mary, you look so at peace.”
“Hell, I am,” she said.“I used the Subaru and picked up Megan; we bounced about, and I found those chairs for seventy-five bucks.My Daddy called.I told him I was married and moved, and I was quitting him.”
Thom blinked several times.“I'm sorry, what?”
“I told him I was quitting him, just like I did my job.He no longer has a say in my life, and I feel lighter,” she said, smiling again.“I don't know if this is love or me just loving being with you and being your wife, but I'm truly content.I'm just going over all the things that I don’t have to do any more and now I am here with you.What is next for me, I don't know, and for the first time in my over-planned life, I don't need to know.I can breathe.And I made your favorite pie from scratch.”
“Yes, you did,” he said, looking at her.“I don't know if it's love either, but whatever it is, it feels good as hell.I love coming home to it, and I love coming home to you.”
The oven dinged and she held up a finger. She pulled out a meatloaf covered in tomato sauce, two baked potatoes, and oven roasted green beans.Thom stood in the kitchen doorway looking at the meal and the woman.His heart was full and the words he’d been holding tumbled out without prompting.
“Mary, I love you,” he blurted out.“In my wildest dreams, what I wanted in a relationship is not even close to what you're giving me, and I'm simply overwhelmed here.Thank you.”
“I at least thought I would get an ‘I love you’ from those roasted lamb chops with the risotto, and I get an ‘I love you’ for meat loaf?I am going to have to up my sex game with you, Sir!”she said, frowning at him.
All of it felt amazing.They sat at the table, having dinner and sharing snippets of their day with each other.Mae told him of the conversation with her brother, which led to the conversation of her sister-in-law Sherryl meeting the family for the first time and the many laughs which came next.
However, two weeks from Friday, Thom found it to be no laughing matter when he met the family in person.
