Page 128 of A Good Book

THE CURE, “JUST LIKE HEAVEN”

Gabby

The sun shinedon our wedding day.

My father walked me down the aisle and took his place at the front of the church to marry us. I would never love my father as much as I did that day. His pride and happiness never wavered, despite the polite smiles and whispers of judgment from people around town.

We had a small reception at our house with a two-tiered cake. Then I threw my bouquet straight into Tillie’s anxious arms just before everyone threw rice to send us off as Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Ashford.

“Wife,” Ben said and signed while holding open the car door.

“Husband,” I signed back to him.

We drove off with cans dragging from the back of his Monte Carlo.

Sarah and Isaac gifted us two nights in St. Louis for a short honeymoon in a fancy hotel with a stunning view of downtown. Ben carried me into the room, and I giggled when he deposited me onto the bed.

“I have something for you,” he said. “I don’t know if this is the right time, but when I was packing my things yesterday, I came across it.”

I nodded slowly, then signed, “I didn’t get you anything.”

“Gabbs, you’re everything I need. That’s why I want you to have this, in case there’s ever any doubt.” He pulled his journal I gave him for Christmas from his duffle bag and handed it to me.

There were pages and pages of entries. I glanced up at him.

Ben shrugged, removing his bowtie. “I didn’t send you letters, but I wrote them. You were always on my mind.”

“Benjamin,” I whispered to myself, opening to the first entry. He was wrong. I didn’t need the journal because I no longer doubted his love for me. Still, my heart melted.

Dear Gabbs,

My mom moved her Precious Moments off the top of the piano yesterday so I could lie on it. Then Tillie played it for nearly an hour. She said I moaned several times, and it made me think of your tiny moans when I braided your hair. I like to think that someday I will find my way again, and it will lead me back to you.

Dear Gabbs,

I have a cavity. It’s my first. I blame you because I’ve been eating all our favorites, but since you’re not here to share them with me, I’m eating twice the amount of sugar. Do you remember when we started buying snacks that came in twos? It was the first time we rode our bikes into town and loaded up on junk food at the gas station. It started when I grabbed a pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. You said you liked them too, so I said we could share. That led to packs of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Twix, Pop-Tarts, and Twin Pops. I miss the two of us.

Dear Gabbs,

I can’t stop thinking about what we did. I’m sure you regret it since I treated you so badly. I’m sorry it happened. You deserved better. I took something from you that I can’t give back. It’s weird regretting the greatest moment of my life, but I do. The other night, I dreamed you were pregnant. Can you imagine?

I lookedup at Ben as he watched me read his journal, his white button-down shirt completely unbuttoned. He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward to see what page I was reading.

Then he smirked. “Uh, yeah. I bet youcanimagine.”

EPILOGUE

SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER, “KISS ME”

10 years later

Gabby

“Once upon a time,a young girl who dreamed of fairy tales, while scribbling poems about love, met a boy who heard music in everything around him. I call them the poet and the composer. What do you think?” Seren said while signing.

She sat cross-legged on the floor at the end of our bed, and Ben braided her hair.

It calmed both of them.

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