Part 4-Home

I got a teaching job at the base elementary school the next school year.

It was once again almost Christmas when I woke up one morning, groaning at the how cold the bed was. Kelly had been on deployment for a few weeks. Thirteen days to be exact. I could've given the hours and minutes, too, if someone happened to ask. I'd gotten as used to him being gone as I could. I never knew how long he'd be gone or when exactly he'd be back, but the anticipation for his return kept me going. It didn't matter how long he'd be gone because he'd always come back to me. I believed it with all my heart.

Pushing our huge golden retriever, Red, off my legs I stretched and crawled out of bed after my face-licking of a good morning. Lake had gotten me Red about after his first long deployment to keep me company while he was away. He'd insisted on the name, saying that the dog and his friend looked similar. Red had called him a dumbass and punched him in the arm. I generally just referred to my dog as buddy to keep either from being angry with me. Red, the man, spent far too much time with us to have him be cranky with me.

After a shower and making breakfast for the two of us, I pulled on my teacher clothes and Red followed me to the door. He stayed at the daycare attached to the school. He was gentle enough that they left the toddlers with him to play. When I was feeling especially lonely, I tended to make myself feel better by thinking of the possibility of Red playing our kids one day.

The year I'd been with Lake had only strengthened my feelings for him. He was it for me. Nothing on this earth could make me leave him ever again.

As I reached our front door, I pressed a kiss to my fingers and then pressed them to the wood. I couldn't explain why I did it, but every time he had to leave and he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me goodbye then disappeared through the door, I found myself staring at the closed door for at least twenty minutes. When I finally realized what I was doing, I would always press a kiss to the wood. After his first few deployments, I found myself doing it religiously every time I walked out. Kissing the door somehow replaced kissing him when he wasn't there. It was stupid but I couldn't bring myself to stop.

With my door properly loved, I walked through and headed to work.

I was reading a letter from Ngozi to my third graders. I had made him my class's pen pal and the kids loved hearing about his life so far away. I was almost done when there was a sudden knock on our classroom door. I knew who it was before I even turned because all the little girls began grinning widely.

They all had huge crushes on Lake.

Smiling, I put the letter down and asked with feigned confusion, "I wonder who that could be?" My students giggled.

Lake greeted me with a kiss when I opened the door. I hugged him with abandon, ignoring the various kissing noises the kids were making in the background. Grinning at the children, Lake asked, "Do you think I could borrow your teacher for a few minutes, guys?"

Frowning, wondering what he was up to, I told them to be good for a few moments and followed my boyfriend out into the hallway. I turned around from closing the door, beginning to ask what he needed, and immediately froze. Lake was kneeling before me on one knee, a small square box in his hand.

I almost fainted.

His proposal was interrupted before it really began when I heard one of the little girls screech happily, "Miss Jessicka's getting married!" Immediately after there was a stampede of little feet toward the door and about twenty faces were pressed up against the glass, staring at the two of us.

Grinning up at me, Lake asked, "Is she right?"

Laughing I nodded through my tears, "I told you that you're stuck with me."