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They all broke out in applause. Brenda caught smiles and winks tossed their way. The weird tension had disappeared, thank God. Lake Bittersweet was back to being Lake Bittersweet.
twenty-nine
“I still can’t believe you actually won over my mother.” For some reason, Brenda couldn’t get over that accomplishment. Galen didn’t understand why.
“Why are you so surprised? People usually end up liking me. It just takes a while to stop being scared of all this.” Galen pointed at his head, which was just about back to its former bushy state.
“For the record, I was never scared of you.” Brenda squeezed his hand as they walked down Main Street, through twirling flecks of snow. The flakes were like tiny cold confetti being tossed from heaven on the occasion of CeCe and Bryce’s wedding.
It was being held at the Blue Drake Club, which seemed pretty random until CeCe had confessed that she’d lost her virginity there, back when it was a dive, before Steve Gault had bought it.
“It’s like coming full circle,” she’d confided to Brenda and Galen. “Because Bryce will be my last lover. He says that’s a lot of extra pressure, but he has a Viagra prescription and he seems to be up to the challenge.”
Galen made a mental note to congratulate Bryce on landing a McMurray woman. They were really something. He himself intended to be making Brenda happy until they were both ready for senior homes and prescriptions.
“Maybe you should have been more scared,” Galen told Brenda. “You had no idea I was going to end up in jail.”
She cocked her head. “Not a huge surprise. You’re a barbarian and always will be.”
“At least I’m a one-woman barbarian.”
She laughed and rubbed her cheek against his wool hunter’s jacket. “You better be. Or I’ll bring out my own personal inner barbarian.”
He dropped his voice to a low growl. “I love it when your inner barbarian comes out to play. Want to make a quick stop in the alley behind the office?”
He caught her shiver, and knew it was only partly because it was barely ten degrees above zero. He and Brenda were consistently hot for each other, unless she was worn out from teaching, or he’d been out in the cold all day long, in which case they were consistently happy to simply cuddle together.
“Actually, we probably should stop by the office. I have to pick up the wedding present I got your granny.”
“You got her something all on your own?” Brenda sounded so touched that he dropped a kiss on her wool hat.
“I owe her. She accepted me right away. I’ll love her forever for that. Come on.” He tugged her hand and they crossed the street, waving at Redbull, who was just leaving the office. He basically used it as a town house in the winter. Half his wardrobe was stuffed into desk drawers. He wore tall mud boots and had recently put beads in his black braids.
“Coming to the Blue Drake?” Brenda called to him. Basically the entire town was invited to the reception.
“Not a big wedding guy,” he called back. “But wake me up when it’s you guys, I’ll make an exception.”
He winked, making Brenda turn pink.
This was a topic that Galen had been thinking a lot about. Seeing his father again hadn’t magically erased all the wounds he carried from the past. He still sometimes panicked when he thought about the future. But he was able to get through those moments better now. All the therapy work he’d been doing helped. And if it didn’t, all he had to do was think about Brenda and how she’d dropped everything to come bail him out. No scar from the past could outshine her and her love.
As they walked along the alley next to the Lake Bittersweet Wilderness Adventures building, Brenda glanced up at him. “What are you thinking about?”
He’d learned that she loved his directness. “I’m wondering what you think about marriage.”
“Do you mean us? You and me? Or in general?”
His nerve failed. This was too soon. She wasn’t ready. He was rushing her.
“Because you’d be lucky to marry an almost bestselling author like me,” she teased. Her first book had done fairly well, enough for the publishing company to give her a small advance on a second one. The money came in handy, although she no longer needed it for her grandmother. Now she was saving money to expand the creative arts program at the elementary school. She intended to name it after Rosalind Stanley.
He loved her so fucking much.
“Brenda.” Galen stopped walking and turned her to face him. Snow swirled around them. “I’d marry you right this second if you wanted. I’m giving you time. That’s what Billy said I should do. Redbull, too. But Jason said I should just dive right in and propose to you.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “You’ve been talking about it with your friends?”
“And my therapist.”
