Succeeding Love

Coming Home

Vin

“He’s a hyper thing, isn’t he?” Mom asked with a laugh as Kevin ran to get the ball she was throwing once again. “So full of energy.”

Mom came alive when I brought Lynn’s dog back to the house with me. She was anxious all afternoon, doing nothing but worrying about Lynn and me. One minute with the dog and she was all laughter and cheer.

Mom spent so much time trying to get every perfect flower from her garden in a giant vase for Lynn, that she didn’t have a moment to calm herself down. She kept rearranging and adding more to the overflowing vase until I had to ask her to not add any more. Mom just wanted to help in the only way she knew she wouldn’t mess up. I love my mom for that.

Mom mopped around, watching out the window with a sad expression. That is until she saw me coming up the driveway with a dog in tow. Kevin sure licked and cuddled the sadness right out of her.

When I went to drop the flowers off on Lynn’s front porch, Kevin was in the window pacing the way he does when he hasn’t been outside for a while. I fought with myself right there on Lynn’s porch steps before I decided breaking in to take her dog for a walk wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve done.

I let myself in, got Kevin on a leash, then took him around the block like Lynn and I always did about this time. As I was leaning against a tree, waiting for him to get done with his business, I thought over the card I had left in the flowers. The very desperate card, full of all the things I had rehearsed in my head a hundred times today.

It didn’t seem desperate enough. I don’t know if a single card could convey how much I needed her right now. How much I missed her! How fucking miserable I was having not told her how sorry I was for every single fuck up that happened.

Seeing her face was the only way I was going to get this knot out of my chest and breathe easier. She was the only one that I needed, and I wasn’t sure if a single note could get her to come to me.

I was staring down at Kevin as all these thoughts went rampant in my head, and that was when the idea of stealing her dog came to mind.

She has to come get her dog. She might ignore me all day and be too pissed to see in that single damn card how much I needed her…. But she had to at least face me to get Kevin.

I’ve been pacing in the kitchen, chewing on my nail beds, going from watching my mom play with the dog to staring at the house across the street. I knew she was at her ex’s place, and I almost went to go get her, but I knew it would just make things more tense if I did. All I could do was wait.

CRASH

I jumped, wincing when the ear-splitting sound of glass shattering rang out from the living room. Mom had thrown the ball and hit her glass china cabinet in the room's corner. The whole left glass-face door went crumpling to the carpet in a shattering rain.

“Oh, shoot,” Mom got up from her chair.

“I got it, mom. You don’t have shoes on. How about letting the dog outside instead?”

“Goodness.” She patted her chest. “Is his ball okay?”

I chuckled, picking it up from the carnage. “It’s fine.”

“Good,” she exhaled, then took the rubber ball from me. After inspecting it herself to be sure it was safe, she called the dog to follow her outside. “Come on, puppy. I’ll throw it for you out here.”

She was more worried about the cheap rubber ball than her china cabinet, full of Precious Moments figures. She never acted like she liked Kevin before, but maybe in her own home it was different, since this was her safe place, even at the times she was in her confused state. Maybe I should look into getting her a dog to keep her company during the day while I’m at work.

It took me longer than I would have liked to clean up the mess. Mom stayed outside with Kevin, to my relief. I was worried she was going to come right back in and try to help. I could hear her laughing and yelling good boy through the back window.

As I took dustbin after dustbin of broken glass to the trash, I would look out the window in the kitchen for some sign that Lynn had returned. On the fifth trip, she still wasn’t back. With a heavy sigh, I got the vacuum to suck up all the little pieces of glass my fingers couldn’t get from the fibers of the carpet.

I had to go over the fucking area for a long ass time. The loud droning of the ancient machine drowned out all other noises, so I didn’t realize the doorbell was ringing. Not until whoever it was started ringing the bell and frantically banging on the door at the same time.

My heart raced. I knew… I just knew by the sharp, hurried knocking it was her little fist abusing my front door.

Was she mad? I mean, I fucking stole her dog to get her to see me. It sounded like a solid plan at the time, but now I was second guessing myself.

After swallowing down the giant knot stuck in the center of my throat, I set the vacuum off to the side and moved to the front door. I could still hear mom out back with Kevin, but I heard nothing from the front porch.

I didn’t know what to expect.

With a deep breath, I opened the front door, ready to face her wrath. I expected to be slapped or kicked for kidnapping Kevin to get her to see me. I had fucking blackmailed her, for fuck’s sake.

Instead, the moment Lynn saw me, she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around my waist. I stood frozen for a second, thinking I was hallucinating or something. Her jumping into my arms was the last thing I expected to happen.

Then the warmth from her body sank into me. The smell of her shampoo filtered through my nose. As my arms encircled her tiny frame, all the anxiety I had felt until this point just melted away.

Not saying a single word, we stood there holding one another, right on the threshold of my house. The house I grew up in. The place I always came back to. It was no longer home. Lynn was my home, and the reunion I was feeling at that moment was so fucking sweet.

“You got my card?” I whispered hoarsely. My throat felt clogged with many emotions.

“Maybe.” she nuzzled her face against my chest. I felt her moisture leaking through the front of my shirt, and I knew she was crying.

“Baby,” I crooned, grabbing hold of her face. She was so fucking beautiful, even with her eyes red and her cheeks laced with tears. “I’m sorry,” my voice came out in an airy rasp. “Last night, I was such an ass. And then today with my ex-”

Her teary eyes narrowed. “Yeah. About your ex….”

I felt nervous again, seeing that fierce expression on her teary little face. But then the corner of her lips lifted in a half-smirk.

“I guess both of our exes are assholes.”

I chuckled, hearing her curse with such a cute, teary face. I used my thumbs to wipe the salty moisture from her soft cheeks.

“Yeah. We do, don’t we?”

She nodded, resting her chin on my chest. “I’m sorry too.”

“For what? Being so fucking adorable?” I bent over and nuzzled my nose to hers.

“No,” she giggled, and it was music to my ears. “For not yelling it out with you last night. I wished I hadn’t sent you home.”

I smiled sadly. “Yeah. You and me both.”

She looked so sweet and guilty as she averted her gaze. “Then today I didn’t talk about anything with you.”

My smile slipped. “Yeah, but you were busy.” I tried to keep the frown off my face as I asked, “How’s Nick?”

She shrugged. “Miserable and in pain, but he’ll live. He’s mom and the kids are with him.”

I nodded, trying to not let my true feelings show.

Then Lynn laughed and said, “I get it now.”

I furrowed my brows. “Get what?”

“Why you got so mad last night. Why you couldn’t stop yourself.”

A wave of shame hit me. “That wasn’t my proudest moment.”

“No, but I get it,” she smiled, cute but deviously. “I felt the same way when I saw your ex, too.”

I laughed, resting my head on hers. “Well, you have my permission to deck her if you ever get the chance.”

“Watch it. I just might. You might need to bail me and my short girl energy out of jail.”

“Short girl energy?”

She giggled, then said, “Ask Preston. Apparently I have it.”

“Hmm,” I smiled, squeezing her tighter to me. “Must mean you’re adorable all the time.”

She grinned and shook her head against mine. “No… I think he meant the opposite.”

“Nah. There isn’t a single thing about you that isn’t adorable or perfect.” I sighed, relishing the moment of having her in my arms. “I missed you.”

She softly closed her eyes, basking in me as I was basking in her. Then, when I thought nothing in the world could ruin this moment, she whispered, “You kidnapped my dog.”

Both of us laughed, but still wouldn’t let the other go.

“I did,” I admitted. “I’m keeping him hostage.”

“Well,” she ran her finger down my chest, “What do I have to do to get him back?”

I stared down into her sweet, playful eyes and said in the softest voice, “Take me home.”