Hot Summer Nights (Lucas Brothers)

Maggie almost had a cow when she opened her box of junk from Ida Sue, and I haven’t gotten the courage to open mine yet.

“Go ahead and laugh, mister. It’s going to be your job to teach him how to say the word Volvo correctly because his teacher just bought a brand new one and if you don’t….”

“Shit,” I mutter.

“Exactly. Now, I’m kind of scared. I mean, this is my mother we’re talking about here, but tell me what’s in your bag.”

“I’ve been trying to not do that because I can tell it’s a book, and I’m scared of finding out the subject.”

“Quit being a wimp and look. The best way to handle any of Mom’s surprises is to do it quick. It’s kind of like ripping a band-aid off. You know it’s going to hurt, so you have to quit putting it off and get it done.”

I give her a frowning look and she kisses me. I deepen the kiss, unable to keep from it. Two weeks of being married to Maggie have been the happiest in my life. I still can’t manage to wrap my head around the fact that I finally am married to the woman I love. This time is different, too. We’re more adult, yes, but that’s not it. The love is deeper. We’ve lived through hell, and somehow, we’ve managed to come back to one another. When I look in Maggie’s eyes I see the same resolve to fight and never let this go.

When we break apart, I rest my forehead against hers and just take a moment to appreciate the gift of being here with her after all of this time.

“I love you, Maggie May.”

“I love you, too, but you’re stalling.”

“What? Have you no faith in me, woman?” I ask, my voice fake-sounding as I feign outrage.

“All the faith in the world,” she says, not joking along with me, instead looking me straight in the eye. I kiss her again, mostly because I can’t help from it. “Now, show me the book,” she breathes when we break apart.

I groan but pull the book out. It’s a hardback edition with the picture of scissors and shears on the front that look like they might be at war with one another. The title is what makes Maggie erupt in a fit of giggles, however.

“How to Score in an Overgrown Jungle,” I read aloud. On the cover, Ida Sue has a sticky note that reads, ‘just in case’.

“Oh Lord,” she cackles. “My mother is insane.”

“Damn, Maggie, there are pictures,” I tell her, because I was stupid and let curiosity dictate the fact that I should know better than to investigate anything Ida Sue does.

“No way!” Maggie cries wrestling for control of the book.

“You really don’t want to, sweetheart,” I try and warn her. She ignores me and yanks the book deeper into her lap, and I wince as I watch her face. Depending on her reaction, I may never have sex again.

“Oh my God, that woman looks like she gave Cousin It on the Addams Family a perm and then trapped him between her legs…”

“I was thinking a giant Chia Pet, but—”

I stop when Maggie’s cellphone rings. She kisses my forehead and runs to the kitchen where her phone is chiming away.

This is her last day off work. We dropped Terry off at school and have pretty much just been lying around the house discussing what comes next. I’m thinking of joining the team that Green has formed. The pay is nowhere near what I get now working for a pro team. That’s a down side, but the up side would be that I’d be able to be home every night. I wouldn’t have to travel with the team. To me, it’s worth the cut in pay, and it’s not like I’m hurting for money. I’ve socked a lot away over the years. My grandparents left me some money, too. Maggie works, but I want her to feel secure enough that she never feels pressured to work. It’s a discussion that we don’t have to have right away, but we do need to have it soon so that I can make that clear to her.

“I have to go,” Maggie says coming back from the kitchen. I jerk my head up to see what’s wrong because I can hear fear in her tone, and I don’t like it.

“Where? What’s wrong? Was that about Terry?” I ask, standing up instantly, every nerve in my body standing at attention.

“No. It’s my Mom,” Maggie says, her voice trembling.

“Maggie? What’s wrong?” I ask when she doesn’t say anything else.

“She was in a wreck. Petal didn’t know any details only that an ambulance transported her to Mercy. Bryant what if… I mean…What if….”

“Your mom is fine, Maggie. Let’s go. I’ll get you to the hospital, so you can see for yourself. Has anyone contacted Jansen?”