Aly picked up my babies at school and I've been sitting on my bed, leaning back against the wall with my legs pulled to my body and crying since Josh left. It's hurts to think he'd even CONSIDER that Aly wasn't going to give him a chance to prove the media wrong, that he's mad at me and Deven promised to at least try to talk some sense into him. I hear a car pull into the driveway and two doors close, wondering who it could be. I try to stifle my sobs, only to go into hysterics yet again. I hear them calling for me from the living room, but can't answer. I hear my door open and Josh tell Deven he found me. "I'm sorry for being mad over something so trivial," he confesses, sitting on my bed beside me and pulling his feet onto my unmade mattress. He envelopes me in his arms, holding me to him as I uncontrollably cry. 

"You want me to leave you lovebirds alone?" Deven questions. 

"Please? Leave the door open," he replies. A few minutes pass and he kisses the top of my head. “Mikkaila, I’m not mad at you; I just couldn’t grasp why your friend wouldn’t allow me to prove myself like I’d done with you and Deven.”

I sniffle, wiping my eyes with my long shirt sleeves and lean on him. “I’ve known Aly since I was barely 2, we went to daycare and preschool and kindergarten together. She was there when my dad nearly killed my mom, she was there when I came down with pneumonia,” I ramble, counting them off on my fingers.

“I understand that; I just don’t know why she doesn’t want to give me the chance to prove who I really am and not what the media claims.”

“But, Josh,” I begin, blubbering once more.

“Shhh, come here.” He holds me closer, his hands rubbing my back after I’ve turned into his body. “I’m more concerned about you than I am her.” I look up at him. “Yes, Deven told me about Wednesday. I’m planning on staying with you, if you want.”

“I’ll be in the hospital for a week or two, like Brian had been,” I murmur.

“If you want me there, I’ll deal with it. I’m only a call or text away,” he assures me. I wrap my arms around his chest and begin to cry again. “Please, don’t cry or you’ll get me to and I’m already trying like hell not to right now.”

~*~ 7:19 pm, Tuesday night before Surgery Day~*~

Josh is on my cell talking to Kenny, planning something that involves the kids and I. He laughs, his body shaking and now I’m completely awake now. I look up at him. “She actually just woke up. She’s looking at me.”

‘Put it on speaker for me to hear, please,’ I mouth and he nods, obliging my request.

“-nally rose from the land of the dead!” Kenny teases me.

I glare at the phone. “Ooooh, now you’ve done it,” Josh jokes.

“My surgery is at 6:15 tomorrow morning, Kenny. When will you and your minions be here?”

“Kaila, am I on speaker?”

“Maaaaaybeee,” I drawl, my Tennessee accent coming through and Josh scratches my head.

“You know I hate being on speaker,” he reminds me, highly annoyed.

“And you know I hate when you don’t stay long,” I fire back.

“I’m here for almost seven whole weeks of torture,” he informs me, laughing manically after.

“I’m gonna die…”

“It ain’t that bad,” he defends, not realizing I’m picking on him.

“From laughter!” I finish.

“You are just mean.”

“You LOVE us anyway,” I retort, smiling.

“Yeah, and you us as well.”

“Someone’s gotta.”

“When you gonna answer the man’s one and only question? He’s been waiting ‘bout six months for ya answer,” Kenny demands, changing the subject.

“Dunno.  Gotta get through the surgery and heal up from it, then I’ll get on figurin’ it out.”

“Snap to it, woman!” he jokes, cachinnating for a minute or two.

“I’ll get on it when I get to it,” I grumble.

“Soona the betta.”

I motion for Josh to hand me my cell and I take it off speaker, putting the device to my left ear before speaking. “Whachu mean by that?” I ask, tossing my left leg over his waist and maneuver my body upright to sit on his hips.

“He genuinely does like you, maybe even borderline love. Keep in mind, he does care and worry ‘bout ya. He’s tryna to move all his business to Boston to be near y’all and he has been faithful, although y’all ain’t even really together.”

“Really now?”

“Yes. He’s told his buddy, Justin, who’s told Nick who’s told me that he don’t feel right when he’s not near ya. He met you and waited the almost 3 weeks to text ya so he didn’t seem too…”

“Needy? Overbearin’? Attatched?” I offer.

“Yeah, those. The night before he got in touch with ya first, he had a dream that you ‘got away’ and his life was absolute hell. He gets it every damn time he ain’t at least in your town witcha.”

That’s  deep. ”I had no clue. What time y’all coming? You never said.”

“Kaila.”

“What time?” I repeat, slightly irritated.

“We planned on being at your place around quarter to five.”
“Gotcha. See ya then.”

“Lemme talk to ‘im, Kaila,” he demands.

I hold the phone out to Josh. “He wants to talk to ya.”

He grabs the phone gently, pressing a kiss to my lips as I lean forward. “Hello? Yes, I can.” He rubs the back of my thigh with his free hand and our eyes meet. “Could you please let me up?” I nod and get up to go to the bathroom.

After washing my hands, I glance in the mirror and decide on a shower. I grab my clothes and leave a note for him. I strip down and turn on the water, ensuring the fan is on to deal with the steam. I get in and wash up. I shave, careful not to knick myself or allow the conditioner to come out in the process. I rinse once more, pulling through my hair to get the conditioner out.

Now, it’s time to think about what Kenny told me. ‘He really cares about me. He might even love me. He worries about me. He has bad dreams when we ain’t close. We ain’t together together, but he’s as faithful and honest with me as I’ve been with him. He’s tryna to move his work out here? Why? Do I mean that much to him to do that? What was that dream he had? Mikkaila Elise, Stop!’ I take a deep breath. ‘Get a grip, girl. He likes you; you like him. He’s there for you; you’re there for him. Maybe it’s time to answer that question. You need to know if his dream is the nightmare you’ve had every time he’s been away.’  I sigh and decide to find a few things out, get a few answers before I give him a real answer.

Alright, there’s a couple things that you have got to know. I have NEVER clicked with anyone like this before at break neck speed. I have never fallen this hard with a clear head before. I couldn’t even IMAGINE finding another man like him EVER AGAIN. There has been an instant connection from moment one. I let him go just to see if he’d come back to me. He’s patient, understanding, caring, fantastic to my teens, helps when he can, talks to me, makes time for my friends and I and treats me so well. I couldn’t ask or dream for more. He even gets along with Doog and his friends and family!