Chapter 36: Taken by the Major: Chapter 36

Of course it started to rain. The cloud cover matched my mood and misery. I ignored it. Being wet couldn’t make me feel any worse than I already did. I felt so lost and conflicted.

“I convinced myself that marrying Mac was the best thing to do for us, that he would take care of us.”

I looked up at the sky, letting the water hit my face before looking back at the marble headstone of my parents’ gravesite.

“I hate the man. I know he was your friend, and I know you wanted me to trust him. I should have been able to, but he made me spend all that money in stupid ways. What was I doing trying to keep up rent on that house? I should have downsized immediately and gotten a job. I was stupid then. I’m trying really hard to not be stupid now,” I told my parents.

A familiar, deep voice rolled over me. “You aren’t stupid, Kenzie.”

I froze for a moment before turning around and seeing Tate and Ruby approach. I must have missed the sound of the truck in all the rain.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I wiped rain and tears from my face.

“We’ve been looking for you for hours,” Ruby said. She started pushing against Tate. “Tell her, tell her.”

Tate looked at her and nodded.

“Tell me what?”

“I won’t let you marry Mac. Neither of us will.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders as if that would keep him from getting any wetter than he already was. “Look, Kenzie, I owe you a huge apology, and⁠—”

“He wasn’t mad at us, he was scared about Allan,” Ruby blurted out.

I looked from her to him, back and forth. “Allan?”

Tate let out a big breath. “Yeah, Allan was in the middle of an episode last time I saw you. I had to go before he hurt himself or anyone else. I should have said something. I let the lack of communication between us go on for too long. I’m sorry, Kenzie. I never wanted to hurt you or scare you. I thought I might be headed down the same path as Allan and convinced myself that you were better off without me. I… I didn’t know you were struggling so badly. I never…” He ran his hand back through his hair, pushing it away from his brow before wiping his hand down his face. His gaze moved from me to the headstone.

“Donald and Patricia Hart. I like the heart,” he said, talking about the heart designed carved into the marble.

“They were romantics. For the longest time, I hated the name being matched up with the symbol,” I confessed.

“Is that why you don’t do Valentine’s Day?” he asked.

“No, you big dummy, look.” Ruby jostled him and pointed to the date on the stone.

“Oh, crap, February fourteenth. I thought you said that was their anniversary?” he asked.

“Anniversary, and the day…” I couldn’t say it.

“They were coming back from dinner at DiMarco’s when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit them,” Ruby finished for me.

I grabbed her in for a hug. “I thought you had forgotten,” I said.

She shook her head. “I haven’t forgotten. It hurts you so much, so I don’t say anything,” she admitted.

“Married on Valentine’s Day, hearts in their names, died on their anniversary. Oh, Kenzie, I am so sorry.” Tate stood there looking sad.

“Our parents loved each other so much. I don’t think either of them would have survived much longer if only one of them that died that night. I used to see what they had as life goals, you know. I wanted that kind of love. Maybe that’s why they died. Their love burned their lives short.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. Some things just happen beyond reason, no matter how well you’re prepared,” Tate said.

“I wasn’t prepared. I was nineteen, and suddenly, I inherited an eight-year-old.”

“Hey,” Ruby complained.

I pulled her against me again. “I love you, Ruby, and I’ve been doing the best I can.”

“I know. But you can’t marry Mac. You don’t love him.”

“I know you barely remember Mom and Dad, but life sometimes doesn’t work out the way you want.”

“I won’t let you marry Mac. Look, Kenzie, let me help you,” Tate repeated, his voice firm. It wasn’t an offer, it was a command.

“Why? Why do you want to help us?” I asked.

“Because I’m in love with you. Even if you don’t have the same feelings for me, Mac doesn’t get to destroy you. And he will. If he gets his hands on your life again, he will squeeze any hope you have left out of you until you don’t think you can even breathe anymore.”

“Say that again,” I demanded because I wasn’t sure I had heard him the first time.

“You can’t marry Mac,” he replied.

I shook my head. “I know I can’t. I’m not going to. I kicked him in the balls when he tried to kiss me. I’d rather we live in a shelter than live with him.” I let go of Ruby and stepped up to Tate, placing my hand on his chest. “You said you love me?”

He nodded. “I am completely in love with you. I’ve been refinishing this chest to give you as a make-up gift. And I hired an architect to come fix up the house.”

I reached up and touched his cheek, not sure if I saw rain or tears. “I love you too, Tate.”

He dragged his thumb across my cheek.

“I made bad choices because I thought that’s what you wanted. You are so strong and independent, I was afraid you would reject anything I had to offer until you were ready to accept or ask. Kenzie, you can ask me for anything. Hell, you shouldn’t have to ask. I want to give you everything.”

I smiled through my tears. “I think you already have. I’m pregnant.”

He started laughing, and then I was laughing with him. He picked me up off my feet and swung me around. When he set me down, Ruby crashed into us, and the three of us held on tightly.

After a long, wet moment as the rain continued to beat down on us, Tate stepped away from us. He took a long look at my parents’ headstone and let out a deep breath. “If I’m going to do this, I should at least get this part right. I should probably wait until next Valentine’s Day to do this, but I can’t wait that long.”

He took Ruby’s hand and stared down at her. “Ruby, your parents aren’t here, so it’s up to you. I’m asking for your permission, in their presence, to ask Kenzie to marry me. That means letting me into your family. It won’t be me taking Kenzie away from you. You’d become my little sister. We’d become family.”

She didn’t say anything. Her face twisted up with emotion and she launched at him, giving him the biggest hug. I couldn’t hear her, but she was nodding.

“Yeah? Yeah? Good.” Tate set her down. He leaned over and asked her something. She whispered in his ear. As he turned to me he and lowered onto one knee.

“Kenzie Grace Hart, you have me completely. Will you marry me?”

I didn’t launch myself at him. I was in too much shock. I covered my face and cried even harder. Tate stood and his arms came around me. “Is that a yes? Please tell me that’s a yes.”

I tried to nod. But I don’t know whether he could tell.

“I’ve got it all figured out. We’ll make Valentine’s Day mean something for you again. You remember our first date was on February fourteenth? Let’s get married on Valentine’s Day next year. The baby will be here, and it will be amazing. What do you say?”

He let go of me enough so he could look into my eyes. His were full of questions and doubts.

I don’t know why he was doubting anything.

“Yes,” I managed to say. Between crying and being overwhelmed, it was hard to talk. Hard to do much more than hold on to him.

“Yes?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes!” This time, I managed to almost shout.

He leaned in and kissed me. His face was so warm in contrast to the cooler rain. And there was nothing gross or slimy about his lips as they brushed against mine.

When the kiss ended, Ruby was staring at us, her face a contortion of concern, and I’m not sure what the rest of it was.

“If you’re pregnant and Tate’s the father, that means, ew, you did it? Ew, ew! How am I supposed to look either of you in the face again?”

Tate started to laugh. I wanted to hide with embarrassment.

“You tuck that little piece of knowledge away where you can completely forget about it,” he told her.

“I don’t know if I can deal with this right now.” Ruby shrugged and pulled her shoulders in as if she were cringing away from everything.

Tate just kept laughing.

“Come on, we need to get you both out of the rain,” he said as he turned to head back toward the truck.

Ruby ran off ahead of us screeching something about being mortified her friends would know too.

I grabbed Tate’s hand and pulled him back to my side. “Just a second. There’s something I need to do first.”

He looked at me and nodded “Whatever you need, Kenzie.”

I turned to the headstone and put my hand on Tate’s chest. “Mom, Dad, this is Tate. He’s the man I told you about. We’re gonna get married. I think you’d like him. We’re also going to have a baby. Sorry I didn’t tell you about that earlier. I was confused, to say the least.”

An obnoxious honking came from the truck.

“Ruby is still a brat. Love you, love you always,” I said to my parents’ grave before I grabbed Tate’s hand and we walked back to the truck.