Damon followed her to the kitchen, and without waiting to be asked, he pulled a vase down from above the fridge. Then he scooped Lily up in his arms, leaned against the counter, and watched her trim the flowers.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "It's a little unnerving to have you just stand there watching me."
He put Lily down and walked over to stand behind her. His arms snaked around her waist. "Would you like me to stand here instead?"
She giggled, although she wasn't sure how, because she was more than a little breathless. "Much better."
Each time they were together, Damon was a little more affectionate, but this was a huge jump for him.
He released her after several long moments but stayed close by her side.
When she finished arranging the flowers in the vase, he pulled her into his arms and gave her the kind of kiss she’d been longing for.
Lily yipped and put her front paws on Damon's leg, her little tail wagging behind her.
Damon chuckled as he pulled away and picked up Lily again. "You want attention too, do you?" He rubbed her vigorously as she showered his face with kisses.
"Hmm...looks like I have some competition." Instead of being jealous though, Grace fell a little deeper in love with Damon.
He laughed as he put Lily down. "Don't worry, you're a much better kisser." He grinned and gave her a wink before grabbing a paper towel and wiping his face. "Let's take this little fur ball for a walk and wear her out, so we can enjoy the rest of our evening."
She didn’t know what had changed for him since she saw him last, but she wasn’t going to complain. He could have setbacks at any time, but she planned to enjoy the old Damon for as long as she could.
She grabbed Lily's leash—which sent the dog into a frenzy—and headed for the front door. She opened it before she realized Damon wasn't behind her. Turning, she found him studying the pictures of her mom on the wall.
When she walked over to stand by his side, he gave her a sad smile, his eyes glassy. "I miss your mom."
"Me too." Tears flooded her own eyes.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his side. Together they studied the pictures on the wall.
"It only took me three months, but I finally moved into the master bedroom." Grace sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Mom wanted me to take the master bedroom when we first moved into the house, but I insisted she have it. I guess she finally got her way."
"Change is hard, but saying goodbye? That's a whole lot harder."
Tension accompanied the sadness in his voice, and Grace wondered if he was thinking about his fallen comrades that he never got to say goodbye to.
She nodded and followed him out of the house.
They walked mostly in comfortable silence, only talking occasionally. Grace loved that Damon didn't feel the need to fill the silence. He was simply content to be with her.
He got what will hopefully be his permanent prosthetic last week, and his gait grew smoother every day. He took her hand when they crossed a broken and uneven patch of concrete then didn't release it. Not until they arrived back at the house.
They had barely stepped inside and released Lily, who darted to her water bowl, when Damon said, "Remember my last night here before I deployed?" He motioned with his arm. "How we moved the couch and I taught you swing dance?"
"I remember." Her face warmed as she recalled the slow dancing and kissing.
"I'm not very coordinated yet, but I want to dance with you again Grace."
"I'd like that."
Together they moved the couch, selected music, then laughed as Grace stumbled over her own feet as much as Damon did. After attempting to swing dance for twenty minutes, a slow song came on. Instead of changing the song like he did the first few times, Damon pulled her into his arms, tucking her close to his chest.
"I've missed you so much," he whispered into her hair.
"I’ve missed you too."
She rested her head against his shoulder and said a silent prayer, thanking God for bringing Damon back to her. He had some wounds that might never fully heal, but he was here and he was hers. For that, she would be eternally grateful.
