“Thank you, and I'm sorry, but that is how I feel,” she said.“I can be alone with Michael or your Dad in the home, but anyone else, I would question.”
“I shall keep that in mind going forward,” he said softly.He reached for her, noticing she was physically shaking.“I got you, Helen.I have you.You're safe, sweetheart.”
She didn't feel safe.Suddenly, fears, emotions, and intrusive thoughts entered her head, and she was a wound-up bundle of nerves.Helen had spent time alone in the home with Bad Apple, but she didn't consider him a threat.She had spent time alone with Mr.Yield doing an assignment, but she had quickly summed him up and neutralized him with a reference to his children.A man, powerful like an Archangel, in their home alone with her, wasn't a risk she was willing to take.Even when she'd interacted with Gabriel at her home in Kentucky, it had been outside, and she’d known Slow was watching from his back window.
Ruefully and truthfully, she knew she wasn't fully healed from her ordeal.Therapy had helped her through the childhood traumas suffered at the hand of a man who caught her home alone as a teen.She wasn't about to suffer any new traumas from a person invited into their home, her safe haven, the place where she finally felt free.
“Thank you,” was all she said, pulling away to find a notebook to get started on the nasty little house.
*****
THE WEEK BECAME A HUSTLEwhen a garbage dumpster arrived.Helen set to work in boots, gloves, and overalls and began tearing out the yuck in the nasty little house, starting with the moldy carpet, peeling wallpaper, and cabinetry that required a bit of man muscle.By Thursday, she was pretty pleased with how much had been done.If she continued at that pace, the basic work could be completed, and the contractors would only need to do the flooring, bath, and cabinet installation versus the tear out.
“This is impressive, Helen.Those little skinny arms have more muscles than I thought,” Mustang said, laughing.
“The verbal sparring is not going to work on me today,” she said.“I'm hungry; can we go out tonight since we have your folks coming tomorrow?I have food stores and all the things I think Ruth will like to do, but once I tell her the planned wedding date, she's going to lose her mind.”
“Yeah, we can go out and possibly get her a 2025-2026 planner to get to work on the planning,” he said, “I mean, it will be a small wedding.”
“Probably not,” she said.
“What do you mean,” he asked absently, not understanding the breadth and scope of how his wife's mind worked.The following day, he sat at the table with his parents, stunned, but first, he was more surprised at his parents’ perception of his new home.
****
RUTH NEARY ARRIVEDwith a basket loaded with freshly baked bread, a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies from her new recipe stash, and a pound cake with a freshly sliced berry compote.Snazzily dressed in embroidered jeans and a matching cardigan, along with her strand of pearls, she climbed the stairs to stand on the deck overlooking the land.Mark stood there as well, enjoying the deck, although it was colder than a witch's left nipple, making him shudder at the shift in temperatures.
“Come on inside, the fireplace is going, Helen has a cheeseboard ready, along with a fresh pot of wassail, and I also have coffee and tea, whichever you'd like,” Mustang said, ushering his parents inside.
Mark Neary said nothing as he stood in the kitchen, taking in the details.His eyes went to the dishtowels hanging from the stove which read Neary.He moved to the fireplace, looking over all the photos on the mantel.His eyes watered at the image of him and his sons around the grill laughing.The image was captured by a photographer he hadn’t known was watching.
“You will be staying in this room down the hall,” Helen announced as Ruth followed behind her, stopping in the hallway to view the frames and portraits hung on the wall.Mark stopped as well.Then suddenly, they embraced each other and began to weep.
“Whoa,” Mustang said.“What's wrong?What's with the tears?”
“This is just so...nice,” Ruth said.
“Your home is lovely,” Mark replied.“The pictures.You live here, Jay.You have a life here with Helen.I can feel you in this home.”
Helen smiled at them both.“Well, enough of the weepy willies.Ruth, we have set a wedding date of either June 14, after Mark's birthday, or June 21st, four days before Jay's.”
Ruth's eyes grew wide as she swatted away her tears.She had a new focus.The excitement on her face was evident.“We have a wedding date!Your colors?”
“Trooper blue and blush,” Helen said.
“Okay, wedding party size?”Ruth asked.
“Let's plan for 100,” Helen said to everyone's shocked face.
“Helen, do we know 100 people?”Mustang asked.“Who the hell are you planning to invite?”
“First, let's get you guys settled, and then Ruth and I will have some wassail, get out notebooks, and start getting some items on paper.”
“Yeah, I want to see this list of 100 people,” Mark said, looking at his son.
Twenty minutes later, Mark, Ruth, and Mustang sat staring mutherfuckingly at Helen as if she'd lost her rabid ass mind.
“What?”Mustang said when he finally caught his breath.
