Tug (Irreparable 3)

A second later, she’s on her feet, running away from me. Her cries, joining with the wind, travel back to me. I slip the ring on my pinky finger and chase her down the beach, and have to tackle her to the ground to keep her from running. We wrestle half in the sand and half in the water. Sand flies everywhere, scratching my eyes and grinding between my teeth. Her fists pound into my chest as she tries to wiggle free. I grab her wrists and pin them against the sand above her head. I narrowly miss the head butt she attempts to deliver to free herself from me.

“Stop fighting me!” I finally yell. “What the fuck just happened?”

“I can never give you a house full of babies. Okay?” She turns her head, pushing her cheek into the dry sand. “I can’t give you even one baby, not a single fucking baby.”

Tears mix with sand and trail down the side of her face into her hair. I lift myself off her and drag her onto my lap, water covering my legs. When her tears subside, I grip her face between my hands and stare straight into her beautiful brown eyes. Ever since the day I met this girl, we’ve been explosive. I hold back a laugh. Why would my proposal be any different? “Will you marry me?”

She sniffles and throws her arms around my neck. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

I give her a quick peck on the lips and smile. She shifts off my lap and settles next to me, her head on my shoulder. The water laps against our legs as we sit in silence for several minutes.

“You want to talk about it?” I ask softly.

She sighs and lifts her head. “Three weeks after Javier was born, Eduardo and his gang had some fun with me. Please don’t make me share the gory details with you, because I can’t, but I spent days in the hospital, and now I’ll never have another baby. That’s it. He stole Javier’s chance to have a brother or sister, so I felt justified stealing two blocks of heroin from him.”

If I wasn’t positive Eduardo was dead, I’d kill him myself. “You’re so strong.”

“It never bothered me before, because I never thought someone would love me enough to want a family with me, but knowing I can’t give you a child hurts so much.”

“Hey, whoa. Don’t let him have any power over you. None. Do you hear me? I love you regardless, and you’ve given me a beautiful son.”

She smiles, but I hate it’s not the one that brings light from above. “Thank you,” she whispers.

“This is yours,” I say, removing the engagement ring from my pinky. I slide it effortlessly up her ring finger. The two carat solitaire, set in a thin platinum band appears dramatic, yet when you really look, its presence is delicate. A perfect choice for the breathtaking woman wearing it as a promise to love me forever.

“It’s beautiful.” She smiles, and this time light does shine down on us. “We should get back to the party,” she suggests.

We’re covered in sand and soaking wet. “I’m pretty sure everyone’s going to think we were getting busy out here on the beach.”

Her bottom lip disappears behind her teeth, and she lifts an eyebrow.

“Well, if they’re going to say we were out here getting busy, then we should probably …”

Before she can finish, I press my body into hers, lowering her to the sand. I kiss her luscious lips and work quickly to remove her shorts.

The moment of spontaneity defines our relationship. From our unexpected first meeting to our impulsive first time together and every unplanned moment of passion since — all examples of why she’s perfect for me.

I’ve always been the wild child, the risk-taker who acted without thinking, the daredevil. I’ve finally met the one person who can keep up with me, challenge me, and also take the big plunges in life with me.

When I’m with Maria, I know I was never lost or broken. I was simply distracted while I waited for her to arrive.

The next week, I’m swamped at work. Staying at Brady’s is beginning to take a toll on me. The drive adds a couple of hours to my day, sometimes three or four, depending on traffic. Maria agreed to move into the loft with me, but only after school lets out for Javier, which thankfully is today. She’s busy planning the wedding, which won’t take place until after Tori has the baby. Brady left two days ago to head back out on tour with Second Chances, and I’m a little worried about how Tori is going to handle being in the house alone for the first time. The depression she battled after she lost Mona weighs heavily on my thoughts.

Maria enters the bedroom to kiss me goodbye. She adjusts my tie and smiles.

“What are you thinking about?” she asks.

“Do you think Tori seems down?”

She pats my tie, and then winds it around her hand, brining my lips to hers and kisses me passionately, as if to remind me I’m with her now and shouldn’t focus on Tori. She smiles as she smooths my tie again. “She seems fine to me. Are you worried about her?”

“A little,” I admit. “She was severely depressed after Mona. With Brady gone and the rumors about him and other women, I’m afraid when she’s alone and all hormonal, she might get that way again.”

“I thinks she’s more aware of her emotions this time around,” she says, rubbing my arms. “We’re close by and we’ll see her a couple of times a week. She has Drew to keep her busy and Liv and her are on the phone all the time.”

“True, but I wonder if I should talk to Brady about it, just so he knows.”

“Absolutely not. If you’re worried she’s depressed, ask her.”