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Giselle looked at him, feeling such a sense of loss and yearning that the precious bubble was broken… and she wanted to see him smile, have him ‘wear his heart on his sleeve’ like Firefly said, but that beautiful soul was there and retreating slightly.
She knocked one bag off his shoulder, grabbed him by the waist, and kissed him passionately with everything in her. She heard him drop the other bag to the ground just as he pulled her close to him, his hands gripping her as he kissed her deeply, making her heart flutter in her chest as her knees buckled slightly… only to pull away.
“I love you,” she whispered – and saw his precious wide smile. “Now, let’s hurry.”
“We are still talking later,” he said hoarsely.
“You’ve got my pink lip tint on you,” and he immediately licked his lips, beaming happily as he gazed at her like she’d just set his world on fire. Just seeing him do that did things to her, and she felt herself blush at the intimacy of the simple act.
“Is that coconut?” he asked huskily.
“Pina colada,” she replied… as he hefted up the two bags and held out a hand to her as they began to walk towards the exit.
“IF YOU LIKE PINA COLADAS…” he began singing at the top of his lungs – and she joined him, laughing wildly at the sheer joy on his beloved face. That walking soon became dancing, as they made their way forward and he playfully spun her around.
When it came to the ‘have half a brain’ lyrics, he crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, making her laugh wildly as she hugged him close – and he hugged her back, still walking forward awkwardly together, before kissing her pertly to sing the next lines… only to stop suddenly.
Her father was standing there, watching them.
“Hi Daddy,” she called out happily, grabbing Austin’s hand and pulling him forward. “This is Austin Calder,” she beamed and saw his nervous expression.
“Sir,” he croaked out nervously, sticking out his left hand… and then realizing it was the wrong one – pulling his hand from her, mouthing a quick ‘sorry’– and stuck out his right hand to her father.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Beck.”
Only to have her father jerk him forward into a bear hug – and Giselle covered her mouth with her hands as tears stung her eyes at the immediate acceptance as her father smiled at her over Austin’s shoulder.
“I’m not much into health food – but I do like champagne,” her father sang off key to Austin, winking at Giselle.
She heard Austin’s precious laughter as he relaxed into the hug, patting her father on the back. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect welcome to the man she loved than this.
“Is mama in the car?”
“Yes – and she’ll be just heartbroken that she missed you two serenading each other,” her father teased, ruffling Austin’s hair. “I’m Maxwell – call me Max, young man.”
“Will do, sir,” Austin grinned happily, reaching for Giselle’s hand immediately. “And I promise you, I’d be happy to belt out another song or two to your daughter just for your lovely bride, sir…”
“Oh, she’s going to absolutely love you,” her father chuckled. “My bride, huh? After eight beautiful children… it’s more like she’s my own sweet saint.”
As they walked out to the car, Giselle saw her mother looking at the three of them with such happiness and pride, she gave her a thumbs up – seeing that her father and Austin were talking on the way to the vehicle, but Austin wouldn’t let go of her hand.
He was clinging to her, telling her silently that he was still nervous… but she knew the moment he felt ‘safe’ or felt like he ‘fit in’ – there would be no holding him back.
… And she couldn’t wait.
* * *
A short time later,they were at her childhood home. She saw Austin’s entranced expression and the longing in his eyes as he noticed the simple things that she had taken for granted every day.
The hallway was lined with photos of all eight of them in various photographs, different outfits, different locations, some costumes from Halloween and others a variety of terrible school portraits. Her favorite pictures had to be the ones that were candid and raw – showing the genuine joy of family… and she wished he’d experienced that.
She saw him stop, gazing at one of her favorite pictures.
When she was eleven, they had all gone on a camping trip to Lake Arrowhead for vacation because it was so expensive for that many people to travel. They pitched tents along the banks of a small stream near the state park and it had rained, causing everything to get soaked and muddy… the photograph was of the eight children – ages eleven to twenty – there together, covered in mud from wrestling around in the creek bed in the rain.
She was in a t-shirt and blue jean shorts, while some of her siblings were in swimsuits, underwear, or cut-offs… all of them were laughing, smiling, and hugging on each other in a mass of limbs, smiles, and filth. It was always like this when they got together. There was no single one person, it was a family… and it was beautiful.
“This is incredible,” he whispered reverently, his voice hoarse with emotion as he stared at it.
