Page 22 of Believe in Me
When the song faded, Mike whispered in Trish’s ear, “Maybe we should lock the condo, put the food in the fridge and head to bed. I think I need to lay down.”
“Best offer I’ve had all day. I’ll grab the food, you lock the door and I’ll meet you in the bedroom.” Trish hadn’t even finished speaking when she pulled back and looped her finger through the bag’s handle.
§ § §
They’d decided that Trish would get ready at their house while Mike and the guys dressed at the hotel where the reception was taking place. Trish was standing in their bedroom, trying not to fidget. She was all dressed, but the photographer was taking pictures of the brides maids first.
“Trish, you look amazing in that dress,” Jeannine said from the doorway. Trish had picked out a strapless, ivory gown with a beaded overlay. She’d taken her mother, Jess and Shelby shopping with her. They’d found the dress in the second boutique. When they slipped it over her head and it settled against her skin, she knew it was perfect even before she saw it in the mirror.
“Mike is going to pass out when he sees you. It’s so glamourous,” Debbie told her as she moved into the room.
Trish had asked the two heptad spouses to be her bride maids. Shelby was her flower girl and Jess was the matron of honor. Mike had Mooney, Brian and Mackey standing with him and of course, the twins were ring bearers. Trish had gotten their sizes from Debbie and found two cute little suits for them to wear. Mike had told Trish that the men were going to wear tuxedos which she squashed, too quick. They were having a formal evening wedding and her groom, and his groomsmen were going to wear their mess dress uniforms. Period. End of sentence.
The photographer called from the living room that he was all set to get pictures of Trish with her attendants.
“Let’s get this done and head to the church. I’m ready to get married,” Trish said as she lifted the hem of the dress and walked into the living room. She picked up her bouquet that was the same as the one that Mike brought to the recital and asked, “Where do you want me?”
They’d been taking pictures in various combinations for a few minutes when a movement caught Trish’s eye. Before Trish could say anything, Joe’s mother stormed into the room. Trish didn’t know why she was there; she definitely wasn’t on the guest list.
“Here I come to talk to you about Joe’s grave and find you in a wedding dress? How dare you forget my son! How dare you wear white! You are nothing but a money hungry whore!” she yelled as she lifted her hand to Trish.
Debbie got to Violet first, grabbing her arm and twisting it behind Violet’s back before she could get anywhere close to Trish. “Ma’am,” Debbie said in a calm tone. “I don’t know who you are, but I can guarantee if you take one more step, I will use the skills my husband has taught me and put you on your ass. Now, I suggest you take yourself as far away from Trish as possible and don’t return.”
“How dare you speak to me like that?” Violet sneered. “Do you know who I am?”
Jeannine moved until she was face-to-face with Violet and said quietly, “I don’t know and I don’t care who you are. If you so much as breathe in Trish’s direction ever again and I hear about it, I will take my husband’s Ka-Bar and gut you. Am I clear?”
Trish looked at Jess and mouthed “Holy shit!” Jess’ eyes were huge and she had her arm around Shelby’s shoulders, protectively. The photographer was snapping pictures as fast as his finger would move.
Debbie and Jeannine escorted Joe’s mother to the door and shut it before high fiving each other. They turned to Trish and smiled big.
“Now, shall we get you to the church and married?” Debbie asked. The question broke any tension remaining from the scene and the ladies dissolved into laughter.
Chapter 15
Trish was pulling things down from the shelf in the spare bedroom. Lord, she’d collected a lot of crap in the eighteen months she’d been in the condo. It really should be sorted before the movers came in two weeks. How had it already been six months since her and Mike had gotten married? She knew that once they were settled at Benning that he’d deploy. That was going to be hard but at least Kevin was going to be at Benning. Mike had told her that Kevin was going to be one of the instructors at the jump school. And he wasn’t going to have Missy there. They were apparently in the middle of a divorce. From what Mackey had said, he’d run into her while Kevin deployed and noticed a bump. A bump that shouldn’t have been there. Guess Missy couldn’t handle not having someone to take care of “her needs”. Trish’s eyes had almost rolled out of her head when she’d heard the “reason” Missy had given Kevin.
She gave a good yank to the cloth handles for the bag that she couldn’t completely reach and down it came. Shit! Trish grabbed the bag before it knocked her upside the head. What had she stuffed in this one?
Placing the bag on the bed, she unzipped it and gasped. It was the wooden box that Joe had made for her while he was gone. It had arrived on her birthday with a sassy “bet you thought I’d forget” note. Just like him. The chest was about fifteen inches long and ten wide. Not too deep but it was just the right size.
Taking a deep breath, remembering what she’d stored in the box, she opened the lid. Sitting inside was the flag that she’d been presented at Joe’s funeral. On top was the letter that Beatle had given her from Joe. His “in case I don’t come back” letter. She hadn’t been able to open it then. She sat there, running her finger along the envelope. Tracing her name in Joe’s scrawl. Maybe she was strong enough to read it now?
Lifting the envelope, she brought it to her lips and placed a kiss against his handwriting before whispering “You’ll always be in my heart. Love isn’t a pie. Mike knows all about you.”
She turned it over and slid her finger under the edge. Was she ready? Yeah, she was.
“Trish — Christ, I never thought I’d have someone to leave a letter for except maybe Ma and Dad. I know that you’ve had an up and down relationship with them. I hope they didn’t give you any shit when you told them I was going to be buried at Arlington. I know that Ma wanted me buried on the farm but that’s just not me.”
She chuckled at that. Oh his mother had thrown a fit to rival the most spoiled toddler that Trish had ever seen. Too bad for her since Trish was Joe’s executor and his wishes were clearly outlined in his legacy book.
“The guys probably wrapped you in cotton and didn’t let you do much once they all got to you. We’ve all talked about what we’d want those left to do for our wives or girlfriends. Jess probably scared them all with how protective of you she is.”
Joe had definitely known Jess. She’d gotten to Trish as fast as she could and then no one got to Trish unless they had her approval.
“Know that you were the best of me. Pushing me to be a better man. Pushing me to succeed when I’d settle. Giving up all you did to become my wife, humbled me. I went into the Army to escape the farm more than I wanted to be a soldier but that brought me to you.
Please, in time, find love again. Don’t bury yourself next to me. You have so much love to give. Share that with someone and if they don’t treat you right, call Beatle. He’ll take care of that for you.
