Changes, Again - 4. Three is Perfect

The morning after Robert and Rena’s engagement party was a bit rough. When the alarm went off at 5:30am I did not want to get up. However, I had the horses to look after. I had just pulled on my jeans and a sweatshirt, when I watched with dismay as Donny rolled over. “Have a good day baby. My head is killing me. I’m just gonna stay in bed.”

Yeah do that, while I do everything this morning. I thought it, but said, “Do you want a drink and an aspirin?”

“Mmm, no thanks. I’m just gonna sleep another hour or so.”

“Okay. I’ll be back to shower shortly.”

“You won’t bother me, baby. I love you.”

Gosh, I am so glad about that. Why can I not work from home?

“I love you too, Donny. See you later on.” I walked over, gave him a peck on the cheek, and left the bedroom.

I filled the horses’ water trough and opened the second pasture for them. The grass was long and lush in there after plenty of rain. It also had a small grouping of trees where they could rest in shade.

After my chores, I returned to the house, flicked the switch on the coffee maker and ran upstairs two at a time. I had a quick shower, pushed my fingers through my hair, put on deodorant and cologne before donning my clothes.

With a final glance at my still-sleeping husband, I hurried downstairs, poured coffee into my travel mug and headed for the car. We’d bought a small car for me to take to work, so I could leave the van at home. Rena or Robert could drive it should Donny need to get anywhere.

Thankfully there was little traffic and I arrived at work about thirty minutes early. I stopped in the staffroom, refilled my coffee, and then made my way to my small office.

My mild hangover was held at bay with a couple of aspirin and a lot of caffeine.

I was busy. The morning was flying by when my mobile buzzed. I got up and closed my door before I opened the text.

Hi, I hope it is alright for me to text you. Thank you for visiting me and I am really looking forward to your visit next week. Max Resnick.

I replied quickly: Hey Max! Sure, it’s fine if you text. Don and I enjoyed meeting you and we are too. Lunch will be great. See you next Saturday! Louis

I guessed this was a good sign; Max reaching out. However, I wasn’t going to read too much into it.

I called Don quickly to let him know. He didn’t answer the phone so I left a message.

The research I’d been working on was finally finished. My documents autosaved to the Cloud and I also saved it to my own OneDrive, which our Office Suite provided. I’d lost a research project once and put in hours of unpaid overtime to have it ready by the due date. Never again!

The Partners had a meeting with clients Monday morning so I sent the file to our small internal printing/mailroom to print and collate. They would also deliver it to the correct boardroom, once I had approved the final copy.

That done, I had several smaller assignments to complete. I ordered in lunch from the deli down the street. I wanted to get everything finished today. Monday would then start fresh. My other reason was to show my already-generous employers what I could do. I wanted to show them I could still add value even if I reduced my hours.

Talking to them about this was on my mind often. I liked my job here at Jackson and Montague. They’d been very generous with time off when Don was initially in the hospital, and then again when I’d asked for time off during our training and running of the marathon. Of course, nothing was settled with respect to Max yet. Even still, I could not stop wondering about what would happen—would they allow me to work part-time, or would I be leaving?

The warbling of my land line snapped me out of my unhelpful daydreams.

“Good afternoon, Louis Taylor speaking.”

“Hey, babe.”

“Donny? Hey. You okay? Feeling any better?”

“I’m good, yeah. The extra sleep helped. I got your message. It’s great that Max sent a text. Robert called me too, to confirm lunch with Max next Saturday.”

I smiled. “Great. It should be … I want to say fun, or good, but that feels kinda wrong given the circumstances. I mean, the poor kid ….”

“I know, Louis. All we can do is try to pick up a few pieces and give him a place to call home, at least for now.”

I shoved the receiver between my ear and shoulder, as my lunch arrived. I smiled at the guy, pulled a $10.00 bill from my wallet which sat on my desk, handed the cash to him, and waved off the change.

“I suppose I worry too much, Don.”

“Try not to I mean, there’s no handbook or app for this, is there?”

I laughed. “Don’t be too hasty … have you checked the App store?”

Donny snickered. “I’ve just pulled out chili from the freezer for tonight. That okay with you? We have those last bottles of Negra Modelo I thought would go with it.”

I thought about the beer; a dark and rich Mexican import—with caramel notes and a hint of bitter chocolate—it would be perfect. “Mmm, yeah Don, that sounds great. I’ll be ready for that when I get in.”

“Okay, babe. I better get back to work. I popped over to make lunch and get dinner out of the freezer. Have a great afternoon! Love you, Lous.”

“Love you from here and back. See you later.”

I replaced the receiver, unpacked my lunch, then turned to my desktop To-Do List to see how I would fill my afternoon. There was enough to keep me busy until 4:00pm or so, when I hoped to get the proof of the document for the Monday morning presentation.

I’d just finished my last small tasks when the printer arrived with a copy of my document. It looked good as I reviewed it, so called the printer to tell them to go ahead.

At 4:45pm I shut down my computer, packed away my things and left five minutes early. I was quite pleased with myself that I’d not have work to think about this weekend.

***

Once I’d unlocked the door and stepped inside, the wonderful fragrance of chili was evident. I hung up my jacket in the mud room, washed my hands and went into the kitchen.

“Mmm Donny, that smells great. I am really looking forward to this.” I moved closer. “What are you making?”

I bent to kiss him.

“Garlic bread; more fun and sexier than plain toast.” He grinned at me.

I had to laugh. “Are you trying to seduce me with garlic? If so, I’m all yours.”

He pushed the baking tray of bread farther onto the countertop and grabbed me, pulling me onto his lap. He kissed me, holding me tight. I returned the kiss and the embrace, moaning softly into his sweet mouth. We kissed for a few minutes. Then he whispered, “Shit I need to make garlic bread more often.”

Smiling, I gazed into those amber eyes I loved so well. I touched his face. “Yes, more garlic bread … but right now I really could use a beer. How much do we have?”

“Oh, you wanna get drunk again, do you? Last night wasn’t enough?”

After a quick peck, I stood up. “I’ll have you know I was not drunk last night. A bit tipsy, but not drunk.” I stood with my hands on my hips. “Anyway, it’s Friday. We have a nice quiet weekend ahead of us, so a few drinks, good food, a film, and a good long sleep sounds perfect to me.”

Don was grinning and he put his hand on my belly. “I think you need an early night all right.” He traced a finger over the waist of my dress pants, and down the zipper. We both watched. “I think you need your husband to take you to the edge and back … several times. And when the said-husband has heard you beg enough …” He reached up, grabbed my shirt, and pulled me down. He whispered in my ear, “He will let you come.”

I could not move, the power his words had over me always stunned, and it took a moment before I was able to breathe again. He knew the hold he had on me and smirked happily.

“Jesus, Donny.”

“Baby, I love you. Dinner and that beer you want is nearly ready. But …”

“Yes, I know. I’ll change and get the horses in.”

“I’ll grab a couple of apples and come out with you. I can help with the grooming.” He picked up the garlic butter and a knife. “While you change, I’ll get this bread ready for when we come back.”

“Okay, thanks, babe.” I kissed him and ran upstairs.

I’d known when we decided to get horses that most of the feeding and grooming would likely fall to me. However, Don did a lot of things in the barn too. He’d mucked it out more than once, tidied up, and cleaned hooves. Both horses were used to him and his chair, which was a good thing. We’d spent ages teaching the horses their names so they’d come when we called them.

Don had gone out with a sliced apple. I could hear him calling them. By the time I’d gotten out there, both them were eating out of Don’s hand. Literally!

I took the soft-rope leads I’d brought from the mud room and attached them to their halters. “Come on, you two.”

They weren’t dirty so didn’t require much grooming, I just used the rubber curry comb and the finishing brush. These were gentle on the horse and they enjoyed the attention I think. I did Badger first so Don could do his hooves with the hoof pick.

Once I’d finished Clyde’s feet, I secured the pair into their boxes, and we left them with hay and water. They should be good for the night, but I worry so I knew I’d pop back out before bed to ensure all was well.

After closing the barn door, Don and I went back to the house. As we crossed over our driveway, I asked, “Did Badger’s hooves seem okay?”

“Yeah, they seemed to be fine.” He sighed.

“What’s up, Don?”

“Nothing really. I think about Max a lot. Keep coming up with all these scenarios, you know, like if he ends up staying with us.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I know it’s stupid, but would we get him his own horse? Things like that. What school will he go to; you know.”

I opened the back door, and Donny rolled into the mud room first. I followed, closed the door, hung up our jackets, and joined Don at the sink to wash. The food was smelling good.

“I’m so hungry. I’ll put your garlic bread in, and we’ll eat.”

“Okay, I’ll set up the film, and make room on the coffee table.” He rolled off to do that.

I put on the broiler and put in the bread, turned the chili back on and gave it a good stir. In the fridge was a bag of salad. I dumped it into a bowl, sliced a tomato quickly and tossed it all with simple oil and white balsamic vinegar dressing.

I pulled the bread out. It was toasted to perfection! I piled it on a plate and filled the bowls with thick, steaming chili. Just then Don rolled in, now with his tray attachment on.

“Just in time, baby. You take the salad, bread and beer. I’ll bring the chili, okay?”

He smiled. “Yep, the food taxi is here.”

I helped him load up, added plates and cutlery, checked the oven and stove-top were off and followed my husband back to the living room carrying two bowls of chili.

After serving the food, I settled onto the sofa and had a spoonful of chili. The garlic bread was toasty and dripping with the fragrant butter. Perfect. Then some beer; it was cold and rich. I was a happy camper.

I’d been thinking about what Don said earlier. Now that I was fed, I felt more like talking. “Don? About what you’d said earlier, about Max.”

He turned to face me. “Yeah?”

“Do we get him a horse; sort out school? I think we can only answer that after he’s been here for a while. After we all get to know each other.” I paused for a moment, and then said what I’d been thinking about. “Babe, I don’t want you to be disappointed. Try not to invest in things we don’t know will happen.”

“I know you’re right. I’m just ready to have him here. It will be a nice visit.”

“Yeah.” I paused. “Don, did we make a mistake? By not having a kid ourselves? I hope you know if you’d really wanted one, I’d have said yes.”

Don rubbed his face. “Geez, Lous. I don’t know. Part of me wanted to; part of me didn’t. You were what I wanted, still do. You are enough for me, but …”

“But Max is an opportunity. I don’t mean that in a cold way.” I suddenly felt clumsy trying to explain my own complicated feelings. “But this is, isn’t it? I mean we can try and offer him a home and stability, try and be parents?”

Don was nodding as I spoke. “Yeah, it’s all of that and more.” He reached for my hand. “Lous, in the hospital when you finally said yes to my question about not walking again, it was like my life was over. For a while all I could see was a sexless, lonely life, even if you were in it. That feeling didn’t last long because you and Mom were there. But that boy has no one, only medical staff and officials. Like you said the other day, no one to hold his hand or give him a cheeseburger.”

“I was afraid of doing this. Max seemed so angry, which I don’t blame him for at all. But I was selfish too.” I gazed into Donny’s eyes. “You’re were asking shit of me again, asking me to make sacrifices again. Ones that you don’t have to make; reduce my hours, quit my job possibly.”

He appeared surprised, but didn’t let go of my hand. “Do I do that a lot?”

I drew in a deep cleansing breath. “It feels like it sometimes.”

“I ….”

“I’m not complaining, baby. Change has always been hard for me. There you were, now in a wheelchair, maybe forever and all I could think about was that we’d never have sex again. What kinda person thinks that?”

Don eyes were full of love. “You’re human. It’s just how you cope, don’t worry so much. You’ve had to change a lot; we both have. You do the brunt of the work around here. The horses, the garden, housework, plus your job. You forget, however, Lous, that you did the same when I could walk. You did it all so I could train or write. So, stop thinking you’re selfish. You are supportive and I am a very lucky man.”

He pulled me into an awkward hug, then held me by the shoulders as you would a small child whose attention you wanted. “Now, Louis, I’m asking more. I make enough money writing. If Max comes to us, I want you home—”

“Don! How can you—”

He put his hand over my mouth. “Listen! I want you to hear what I have to say!”

I nodded mutely and he removed his hand. “Thank you. I want you home because there will be more to do around here. My writing can support us, but only if I am writing.”

Don stopped for a minute, so I opened my mouth, but closed it again quickly when he shook his head. “There will be the foster money if you’re home, and I think we should convert the third bedroom into an office. A modern one, a proper one. Because Louis, I know you are good at your legal research. I know that even if you can’t work full time, you could still take on some work, maybe on a contract basis. You can freelance, Lous. Think about that.”

I stared at him in silence. He was right, I could freelance. I do have a reputation in my world. I was good at my job; passionate about it. Even if I had to move on from Jackson & Montague, I could still work. “My own office here?”

Donny had pulled himself to the edge of his chair and put on the brakes. “Shove over and let’s watch this film.”

I did and he slipped onto the sofa beside me. I snuggled into his shoulder, loving the scent of him. He held me tight, like he always had. He kissed the top of my head.

He whispered to me, during the opening credits, “Yeah, your own office, right here.”

***

Saturday morning. We had no real plans, so when the alarm went off at 5:30am, I tossed on my clothes, did my chores for the horses, let them out into the sweet, fresh dawn, and then went back to bed. Don’s phone rang about 8:00am.

“Morning … Okay … I want to say sure, but hold on a sec ….”

Don shook me gently. “Lous?”

“I’m awake, Donny.” I turned over and smiled at him.

“Max is asking if we could go and see him today. Are you okay with that?”

I propped myself up. “Um, sure. Who is on the phone?”

“Robert.”

“Sure, we can. Are we doing lunch today?”

“Um ….” Don turned his attention back to the voice on the phone. “No? Okay, we, what time? Okay yes, that works. Yeah, we’ll see you later on. Bye for now. Sorry? Um … I haven’t a clue. Hold on.”

Don looked at me. “Dinner, tonight at Mom’s?”

I nodded, knowing that Don would want to go.

He grinned at me. I think because he knew, I knew that.

Then into the phone, he said, “Love to; sure, thanks. Yeah, we’ll be there at six. Yes, Robert, and about eleven at the Institute. Later.”

Donny put the phone on the nightstand and then turned to me. “It’s eight.”

“Yes, it is.” I was on my side facing him still. “We could get up and go out to eat.”

“Mmm, I’d rather do this.”

I felt his hands on my thigh, then my ass. “Don ….”

“Yes?” His hands had moved around to my front. “Oh, lookie here.”

“Don ….”

“Shhh, Louis.” Then his mouth was on mine.

He pulled me close, and I hushed.

After an hour and a half of fun with Donny, we showered. I dressed quickly and ran down to start coffee and put in four slices of toast. I jogged out to the barn and checked all was in order. The horses could get into the shelter if they wanted to. Everything was okay here, so I ran back into the house.

Don was at the counter buttering the toast. “You want strawberry jam or marmalade, baby?”

I busied myself pouring coffee. “Mmm, one of each?”

“Coming up.”

After a rushed breakfast, we got into the van and started the thirty-minute drive to the Institute to go and visit Max.

As we drove along, I asked Don, “Did Robert give any idea about why Max wanted to see us?”

“No, he just asked if we could go.”

“Hmmm, okay. I guess Max will tell us when we get there.”

Don gazed at me, smiling. “You’re right, Lous.”

The rest of the trip was made in silence.

***