“I’m coming in.” The door opened and Boon came in carrying a tray. He set it across the sink, then took the sun-dress hanging over his shoulder and draped it from the handle of the linen closet the towels were stored in. “I thought a dress might be more comfortable than pants today. I just picked one that looked like it had been worn more. Figured it might be a favorite. But if you want pants I can go get those too. Brought some under things as well,” he said, digging a pair of her panties and a softsports bra out of his pockets and lying them across the edge of the sink.
“No, you did good. That’s one of my favorite lying around the house dresses. How did you know that?”
He flashed her a smile. “It’s my job to know that. You hungry?”
“Starved.”
He picked up the tray and placed it in front of her. It was just wide enough that its outer edges extended beyond the sides of the tub. “There you go. And there’s a cup of coffee, too. Lots of milk and lots of sugar.”
“You better be careful. I could get used to this,” she teased as she picked up the coffee cup.
His smiled faded as he looked her in the eye. “I fully plan to be sure that you do. I want to make sure that no one could ever in a million years make you as happy as I can. Take better care of you than I can.”
Angelle’s own smile fell as she realized that he was still afraid she’d change her mind. “Boon, you know I’m yours, right? I’m never leaving here. You’re kind of stuck with me.”
Boon nodded and tried to smile but fell short. “I do here,” he said, pointing to his heart. “But here? I’m still convincing myself that I’m worthy of you,” he said as he pointed to his head.
“I’m the luckiest woman who’s ever breathed, because I was made for you, and you love me. It’s all new for me, too, but I can assure you of one thing… I’ll never leave you. Not because I can’t, but because I don’t want to be without you. We belong to each other and the only choices for us in the future are to live happily or live fighting, because there is no quitting. We don’t walk away. It’s not an option.”
He seemed to breathe a bit easier as he nodded. “I like that. Walking away is not an option.”
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you,” he said, stopping to grin at her for a few moments as he took a towel out of the linen closet and rolled it up before easing it behind her head.
They heard a knock on the door, and then Carnage yelled from the kitchen. “Dahn!”
“Take your time in here. Soak for as long as you want, and add more hot water if you need to. Call me if you need anything. I’m not leaving the house. The porch is as far as I’m going. I’ll hear you if you call for me.”
She nodded as she sipped her coffee.
As Boon left the bathroom, she set the coffee cup down in the tray, and looked at the three heavily buttered biscuits on the plate he’d brought her. There were three spoonfuls of blackberry jam. “I hope you really love me because if you keep feeding me like this, I’m gonna gain so much weight,” she said.
“Wouldn’t matter,” he said with a chuckle, as he walked away from the bathroom.
Angelle giggled to herself. Actually giggled. She knew that she could gain three hundred pounds and he’d still love her as much as he did today. “I’m home,” she said, looking around her bathroom.
~~~
Daniel knocked on Boon and Angelle’s door, and immediately heard Carnage yell his name from inside, followed by heavy footsteps and the door being opened by Carnage. “Morning.”
“Feesh?!” Carnage asked.
“I’m ready. You?”
“’Es!” Carnage said happily.
“Morning, Daniel,” Boon said, walking into the room behind Carnage. “Want to come in?”
“Noo!” Carnage said, pushing Daniel back away from the door and walking out onto the porch himself.
“I guess not,” Daniel said.
“What are you doing?” Boon asked his father.
“Feesh!” Carnage said again.
“Have you had breakfast?” Boon asked.
