The Look Of Love

Chapter 42: Rings, Rest, and Recovery

They say love is blind. If love is blind then whoever they are is stupid. They haven't seen the whole person. To love someone, is to see them warts and all. Love sees fears and insecurities. In times of trouble, love comforts. Love is working through life's challenges, together. Love is strong and yet not afraid to be fragile, at the same time. You need the good, the bad, and the ugly to grow and thrive in love because it's real. 

Like Mary's second favorite T.V. show The Facts of Life says "You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both, and there you have the facts of life." She's seen Bobby's good, his bad, and his ugly. She takes it all. She takes him.

Breathe, she forgot how to breathe. What did she mean, when she said, we could honeymoon in Rome?

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I meant what I said. We could honeymoon in Rome," she told him. She studied his face and eyes. If she had been standing her knees would have buckled, for sure. 

He is attentive and effervescent. A complete change from the way she found him earlier. She proceeded with caution, "You've told me several times now you want to marry me. But Bobby, is this the kind of conversation we should be having right now? I literally found you in a state of devastation, awhile ago. I don't want talk of our future to be tainted by stuff."

Getting up from the comfort of his lap, she sat on the arm of the chair instead. From this angle she could see the whole of him better. She rested her feet on his thigh. He played with her toes, as she had kicked off her shoes earlier. 

Running a gentle hand up and down her leg, he spoke. "Mary this is the clearest my head has been in three days. Yes. There's still a lot I need to work out, from the tournament fallout. But, this is a conversation we need to have too. And I want to have it. Please finish telling me about honeymooning in Rome, because there's more to the statement than meets the eye." His eyes, his body language, the whole of him begged her to continue. He squeezed her calf muscle for encouragement.

How could she refuse? "Ashley came by today, and while I've been worried sick about you, she's seen Dutch. Gemma has seen Johnny, but I hadn't heard from you. I was so frustrated, I went to your house." He hung his head. She pushed it up with her fingers.

 "So, in my angry state I talked to your mama. It's funny because, she said the same thing I've been hearing from practically everyone... Verbena, Aunt Pitty, Lori, Johnny..." At the mention of his friend's name, his eyebrows shot up and he gave her a questioning look. 

She explained, "Believe it or not you do have good friends. They care about you. I care about you, which is why I decided to take their advice. In the wee small hours of the morning, before the tournament even started, I followed my heart and settled some things." 

She caught her breath before continuing. "My head still says this is not normal. High school students, even one's who are graduating, do not get married. It's not normal. I mean some do get married, but overall not a whole lot. A very small majority do. However, I thought why settle for normal when I could have incredible? I want incredible! I'd  rather be not normal with you and incredible, than completely normal and miserable with someone else."

His eyes glistened with unshed tears. He grabbed her legs and pulled her back down into his lap.  She took her hand and placed it over his heart. "I love you. You are not perfect, but you're the perfect person for me. I want to marry you too." Then she bent her head and kissed his heart, through his red V-neck tee.